The other Lan thugs froze, their eyes locked on the woman who'd just been knocked out cold. She lay twitching in a puddle of blood that she puked, her neck twisted. The iron pipe that their leader had once swung like an executioner's tool was now bent into an L-shape, dripping with blood.

Ren stood there with a faint grin, his golden threads curling around him like a battle aura. His black hair stuck to his forehead with sweat, his chest rising and falling in rhythm with his heartbeat.

One of the women whispered, voice trembling, "T-that's not possible… He's a man…"

Another shook her head, backing away a step. "No man could do that… I saw him move, he wasn't even using an ability! That is no man."

Luxy stood at the back with Daichi's limp body protected under her golden wing, her eyes fixed on Ren. For the first time since she'd known him, she saw the strength of Ren. Something that had no place in the weak, submissive image of men this world knew.

The leader of the Lan thugs clenched her jaw, eyes twitching with disbelief before rage twisted across her face. She slammed her boot into the ground.

"Don't just stand there!" she barked. "Use your powers! All of you! Kill that man or woman if you have to—don't hold back!"

That broke their hesitation.

Five of the women roared in unison, their powers flaring around them in vivid colors. Flames burst from one's palms, another's eyes glowed icy blue, and one more cracked her knuckles as electricity crawled across her arms like silver veins.

Ren's smile faded. His pupils narrowed.

"Alright then…" he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "Let's see what makes Lan's bitches so fearful.."

The first to move was the fire user. She spun, sending two blazing whips cutting through the air. They hissed as they lashed toward Ren, leaving molten streaks in the dirt.

Ren raised his arm, golden Imperial Qi coiling around it like threads of light. The flames struck him dead on—

—and broke apart like water hitting glass.

"What!?" the woman gasped.

Ren stepped through the flames, smoke trailing off his body. His shirt had already half-burned, revealing the Qi marks glowing faintly on his skin with his chest exposed. "Fire?" he said flatly. "I didn't know I had fire resistance with this. I should thank Meiling for this."

He disappeared.

She barely had time to scream before Ren's fist slammed into her gut with the force of a cannon. The fire around her flickered out instantly as she folded over, air exploding from her lungs.

Ren's hand shot out, beams of green energy bursting from his fingertips. They wrapped around her throat, wrists, and chest like bindings.

"Sorry," he whispered, "but I need this. Even though I'm resist I feel that I'm taking damage."

The woman's body began to wrinkle, her flesh and her body turning into emerald-green motes that swirled around Ren's arm. The wounds and burns across his chest vanished in seconds as her life was consumed leaving only the wrinkled woman twitching on the floor.

"Healing Grace…" Ren murmured, glancing at his palm as the green light faded. "So that's how Misa rised her ranks. It's not just healing—it's devouring. This might be called healing power...but this is more dangerous than anything I have seen."

The remaining Lan thugs hesitated again, but their leader shouted, "Don't stop! Hit him together!"

Three moved in sync. The lightning user lunged forward, hands crackling; another created a spinning disc of wind blades; the third slammed her palms to the ground, sending spikes of stone jutting upward toward Ren's legs.

Ren grinned, the thrill of combat sharpening his focus. He leapt, twisting midair as a bolt of lightning seared past his side. The wind blades followed, slicing toward him like razors.

Threads shot from his fingertips, latching onto the wall beside him. He swung around like an acrobat, landing right behind the wind user, but he took lot of damage because of the wind blades.

"Your guard's open."

His knee slammed into her spine. She screamed as she went down, and Ren's palm pressed to her back. Green light flared again—she was weakend and Ren healed wounds he got from wind blades.

The lightning user shouted, "Monster!" She thrust both hands forward, discharging a blinding surge of electricity that lit up the entire alley.

The bolt struck Ren head-on.

For a heartbeat, everything went white.

Then the smoke cleared and Ren was still standing. His clothes were charred, hair singed and clearly he took lot of damage, but his expression hadn't changed.

"You will pay for that with your life" he muttered with one of his hand flashing green and other with golden Imperial Qi.

Her eyes widened in horror. "That should've killed you!"

"Guess I'm not as fragile as you thought." Ren's hand shot forward, grabbing her wrist. The threads of Imperial Qi pulsed again, stabbing into her flesh. Her scream echoed as she was pulled closer to Ren and he used healing grace and the same thing happened to lightning user woman, her body wrinkled up as Ren healed all the wounds he got.

The stone user tried to back away, fear overtaking her. "N-no, stay away—"

Ren blurred again. One punch. One strike. Her head hit the ground before her body followed.

Luxy watched, stunned. The golden wing behind her flickered from the back alley lights. She whispered under her breath, "This is just four points strong Ren… I didn't think we would have a chance against goddess but this is..."

Ren turned to the last woman—the one with dark crimson hair who'd mocked him first. She trembled, sweat dripping down her cheek.

"I-It's not possible…" she stammered. "Men aren't… you aren't supposed to be strong."

Ren's gaze softened slightly. "You could've walked away."

Her jaw clenched. "Screw you!" She charged, fists eneveloped in some kind of a light showing she was indeed using her skill but it didn't matter..

Ren sidestepped and slammed his elbow into her throat. She dropped instantly, choking. He didn't finish her—just let her collapse beside her some dead, some unconscious teammates.

The leader was the only one left standing now.

Six of her soldiers lay broken or dead, the air thick with the scent of burning wood behind them. The golden threads retracting into Ren's palms shimmered like living veins.

He exhaled, looking at the bent pipe lying near his foot. "So… are you not going to come?"

The leader stood silent for a moment, head lowered. Then, slowly, she began to laugh.

At first it was soft, a small, shaking chuckle. Then it grew. Louder. Wilder. The sound bounced off the alley walls until it didn't sound human anymore.

Luxy felt the hair on her neck rise.

Ren frowned, shifting his stance. "What's so funny?"

The leader looked up, eyes gleaming red under the firelight. Her lips twisted into a grin that looked more like a snarl. "Cocky bastard… You think this is all there is? Just because you beat these low level trash...don't think you're same as me."

Ren felt it before he saw it, a pressure in the air, heavy and violent. His skin prickled.

The woman raised her hand, blood dripping from her fingertips as she muttered words that made the air hum. The ground cracked beneath her feet, and a circle of glowing circle spread outward like a living sigil.

"My name…" she whispered, voice trembling with something between pride and hatred, "…is Lan Ning."

Ren froze. "Lan Ning?"

She smiled bitterly. "You wouldn't have heard of me. No one talks about bastards in the family after all." Her voice rose to a scream. "But you'll remember it after this!"

The air split open behind her.

A ripple of golden mist surged out, coalescing into a massive shadow that blotted out the light. The air trembled with divine pressure, each breath turning thick like syrup. Ren's instincts screamed as he stumbled back, Qi threads coiling around his hands, ready to strike or flee—he couldn't tell which.

"Hear my call, Great Sage of the Heavens, tear through the veil and answer me!" Lan Ning's voice rang out, half command, half prayer. Her hair whipped wildly in the storm of energy bursting from the rift.

Then it stepped through.

A colossal female monkey, fur dark as ash, eyes burning like molten gold. Its muscles rippled under the flickering firelight, and each exhale came out as a thunderous growl that shook the ground. The creature's staff, forged from black metal, was taller than any human Ren had seen.

Ren stared up, mouth slightly open. "You've got to be kidding me."

Lan Ning dropped to one knee, trembling—but smiling. "Enjoy my finest summon...cocky bastard!," she whispered.

The monkey raised its head and bellowed—a sound that split the night sky like thunder.

"Wukong," she said, her voice dripping with pride. "The Demon Monkey King, The Great Sage of Heaven and your death."

Ren felt the world press down on him until his knees wanted to buckle. His vision narrowed and the alley spun. Where had this Lan come from, he wondered. He had never heard the name. How could anyone be born a bastard in a world run by women? He shoved the question away. There was no time to answer it now.

Wukong took another slow step, each footfall a drumbeat that rattled Ren's teeth. The monkey smiled with that terrible, iconic grin like it knew every joke in the world and none of them were funny.

But soon, something warm and firm touched his back. Luxy was there, her hand steady against him. He looked up at her and found calm in her eyes.

"You turn is over," she said, voice low. "This is not something you can handle. Go, Ren. Do your thing with your friend. That man is dying."

Ren shook his head. "I want to fight-"

"You fought a lot already," Luxy cut him off. "Now finish it. I will take care of this monkey."

Ren wanted to argue but the pressure in his chest made words slur. He swallowed. "Luxy…good luck!"

"Thank you," she said. "This is going to end before it even begins."

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