Back at the western compound, Fenix faced Darius Richter with the cold certainty that his team was about to experience their first true crisis.

Master rank versus exhausted Intermediate. There was no tactical solution that made this survivable through conventional means.

But Fenix had stopped thinking conventionally the moment he'd died for the first time in that impossible realm.

"Team," he said quietly, his voice carrying authority despite exhaustion that wanted to pull him down into collapse. "Fall back to extraction point. This one's mine."

"Young master, you can't—" Vera started to protest.

"That's an order," Fenix interrupted, his crimson eyes never leaving Darius. "Get our wounded to safety. Secure our dead for transport. I'll handle this and catch up."

Darius watched the exchange with amusement that spoke of predator playing with prey. "Oh, please do evacuate. I'd hate for this to be over too quickly because your team got caught in the crossfire. I want to take my time with the Ackerman heir—really understand what made Father think you were worth worrying about."

Vera hesitated, her Graduator-rank instincts screaming that leaving their young commander alone with a Master-rank opponent was suicide. But discipline won over instinct. "We'll be at the extraction point. Don't die, young master."

"Wasn't planning on it," Fenix replied, though his tactical mind was already calculating odds that weren't favorable by any conventional assessment.

His team withdrew with practiced efficiency, carrying their wounded and dead, moving toward safety while their commander prepared to buy them time with his life if necessary. Kai and Abel were the last to leave, both cousins looking back with expressions that mixed concern with faith that defied logic.

Then Fenix stood alone in the blood-stained courtyard, facing an opponent whose power made the air itself feel heavy, with reserves so depleted he could barely maintain his enhanced awareness.

"So," Darius said conversationally, beginning to circle with the casual confidence of someone who'd never lost a fight. "You're the one who embarrassed my younger brother. Made him look incompetent in front of a Grandmaster+ observer. Father was furious—not at you, interestingly, but at Vin for losing to someone so obviously inferior in rank."

He paused, his Master-rank aura pulsing with power that made Fenix's exhausted spiritual pathways ache. "I'm curious. How did you manage it? Tricks? Hidden techniques? Or did Vin simply prove himself as useless as I've always suspected?"

Fenix said nothing, conserving energy and observing with the same analytical precision that had kept him alive through countless impossible situations. Darius was young for Master rank—early twenties at most—which meant either exceptional talent or family resources that had accelerated his advancement. His stance showed formal training rather than battlefield experience, his movements calculated for intimidation rather than efficiency.

Arrogant. Confident. Inexperienced with real opposition.

Perhaps survivable after all.

"Not much for conversation?" Darius's smile faded slightly. "That's fine. Father sent me here to secure the compound, but killing you will serve just as well. The Ackerman heir eliminated before he can grow into a real threat—I'll be celebrated for my foresight."

His Master-rank aura exploded outward with sudden intensity, pressure slamming down on Fenix like a physical weight. "Let's see if you can manage the same tricks that worked on Vex against someone who's actually mastered their cultivation."

He moved with speed that exceeded anything Fenix had faced during the assault. Master-rank enhancement making his form blur as he closed the distance in a fraction of a heartbeat, his fist aimed at Fenix's chest with force that would cave in ribs and rupture organs.

Fenix activated Willstep with timing born from desperate necessity.

Space twisted, carrying him away from the strike that would have killed him instantly. He reappeared five feet to the left, his katana already moving in a counter that targeted Darius's now-extended position.

The blade met a barrier of condensed aura that hadn't been visible a moment before—Master-rank defense manifesting with speed that made mockery of the attack. Fenix's weapon rebounded from the protection without leaving a mark.

"Predictable," Darius said, already pivoting to face his displaced opponent. "Mobility technique for evasion, immediate counter-attack to exploit openings. Textbook intermediate tactics that work against opponents near your level but fail against superior power."

He launched into a combination that forced Fenix into pure defensive desperation. Each strike carried Master-rank force, each movement was supported by aura density that made defense nearly impossible, each technique was executed with precision that came from years of dedicated training.

Fenix's world became a desperate blur of Willstep activations, each spatial displacement burning through his already depleted reserves. His katana met attacks when evasion wasn't sufficient, the impacts sending jarring vibrations up his arms that made his bones ache. His Ethereal Shroud was active constantly, making his position unclear, buying microseconds of confusion that were all that kept him alive.

But he was losing ground rapidly, his exhausted reserves unable to maintain this level of output. His movements were slowing, his defenses growing weaker, his body approaching the limits of what determination could push past.

"You're good," Darius admitted, not even breathing hard despite the intensity of his assault. "Better than any Intermediate-rank fighter I've encountered. But good isn't enough when the power gap is this significant. You're running on empty, burning fumes from reserves that are already depleted. How much longer can you keep this up? Another minute? Two?"

It was true. Fenix could feel his mana and aura both approaching critical depletion. His techniques were flickering, losing coherence as the energy required to maintain them exceeded what his exhausted pathways could provide. His shoulder wound had reopened from the exertion, blood soaking his torn combat suit.

He needed something that would change the dynamic completely. Something Darius wouldn't expect from a supposedly exhausted opponent.

His hand shifted grip on his katana, settling into the position that preceded his most devastating technique. The movement that had been carved into his muscle memory through forty-one deaths.

"Still have tricks?" Darius asked, noticing the stance change. "That's the same position you used against Vex—I felt that technique's signature even from outside the compound. Impressive power for an Intermediate cultivator, I'll admit. But I'm not a washed-up Graduator who's gotten soft from decades of garrison duty."

His Master-rank aura intensified further, creating layers of defense that blazed with golden radiance. "Go ahead. Use your ultimate technique. Let me show you what happens when real power meets desperate innovation."

Fenix drew upon the last dregs of his mana reserves, pulling energy from depths he'd been saving for exactly this moment. His awareness sharpened despite exhaustion, perception reaching that crystalline state where every detail became microscopically clear.

His thumb pressed against the katana's guard. Weight distributed with mathematical precision. Mana gathering along pathways that resonated with genetic memory of what the Ackerman bloodline had once been capable of achieving.

"First Art," he whispered, and poured everything remaining into the technique that had killed Commander Vex.

His draw was perfection despite exhaustion that wanted to make his movements clumsy. The katana emerged with speed that transcended normal perception, following the arc that had been demonstrated by a being with crimson eyes in a realm where death was merely educational.

Mana exploded along the blade's edge in patterns that spoke of mastery far beyond his actual rank. The technique manifested with power that made reality itself seem to hesitate, azure energy carving through space in a diagonal slash that created tears in existence itself.

"Ethereal Rend... Collapse!"

The attack erupted with devastating force, azure radiance painting the courtyard in colors that hurt to perceive directly. The reality-severing strike carved toward Darius with the same inexorable power that had eliminated Vex, carrying the accumulated weight of every death Fenix had experienced learning to execute it perfectly.

Darius met it with his full Master-rank defense, every layer of protection he'd been maintaining blazing with golden intensity that spoke of cultivation properly applied.

The techniques collided in an explosion that sent shockwaves through the entire compound. Azure energy met golden barriers in a contest that made the air itself crack from pressure. For one impossible moment, they held equal—Intermediate-rank innovation matching Master-rank power through perfect execution and desperate necessity.

Then Darius's superior cultivation asserted itself with brutal finality.

His barriers held. Cracked, damaged, but ultimately intact. The azure energy dispersed against defenses that proved sufficient to weather what should have been an impossible attack.

Fenix stood gasping, his reserves completely exhausted, his body trembling from exertion that had exceeded every limit. The technique that had killed a Graduator had failed against Master-rank defense properly applied.

Darius looked down at his damaged barriers with something approaching respect. "That... actually hurt. Not much, but I felt it. An Intermediate-rank technique that could damage Master-rank defense." He met Fenix's eyes with expression that mixed admiration and determination. "You really are dangerous. Father was right to worry. Which is exactly why you need to die here, before you become an actual threat."

His Master-rank aura blazed with renewed intensity as he prepared to deliver a finishing strike that would end this fight conclusively.

Fenix's mind raced despite exhaustion, searching desperately for any option that didn't end with his death. His reserves were empty, his techniques unavailable, his body pushed past the point where will could overcome physical limitation.

He had one option left. One technique that required no mana, no aura, just pure physical execution and timing so precise that even a Master-rank opponent might not anticipate it.

But the window would be microscopic, the margin for error nonexistent. One chance, one moment, success or death with no middle ground.

Darius's strike came with the full force of his Master-rank enhancement, aimed at Fenix's chest with speed that should have been impossible to evade without active technique support.

Fenix moved on pure combat instinct refined through hundreds of hours of training.

Not Willstep—he had no energy for that. Just physical movement enhanced by years of pushing his body beyond normal human limitation. He twisted aside with millimeters to spare, feeling the displaced air from Darius's fist passing close enough to ruffle his torn clothing.

His katana moved in the same motion, not enhanced by any technique, just sharp steel guided by muscle memory that had been carved through endless repetition. The blade targeted not Darius himself but the gap between his active technique and his maintained defense—that microsecond window where even Master-rank cultivators were briefly vulnerable during committed attacks.

The katana's edge found flesh, carving a shallow wound across Darius's ribs that proved his defense wasn't absolute when properly exploited.

Darius jerked back more from surprise than pain, his eyes widening with recognition that Fenix had somehow managed to injure him without using any visible enhancement. "How did you—"

He didn't finish the question. The sound of rapid footsteps interrupted the moment—multiple people approaching at combat speed.

Captain Sarah Grey burst through the compound entrance at the head of a rapid response force, her Expert-rank aura blazing as she assessed the situation in an instant. Behind her, twenty fresh soldiers spread out with weapons ready and techniques manifesting.

"Young Master Fenix," Sarah said, her voice carrying authority that brooked no argument. "Your extraction signal was overdue. We came to provide support." Her eyes shifted to Darius, calculating assessment evident in her expression. "Master rank. Alone against an exhausted team commander. How very brave of you."

Darius's face twisted with frustration as tactical reality shifted around him. One exhausted Intermediate opponent he could have eliminated easily. But a fresh rapid response force led by an experienced Expert-rank commander, with numerical advantage and tactical positioning already established?

Different calculation entirely.

"This isn't over," Darius said, his voice tight with barely controlled fury. "The Ackerman heir lives today, but Father will hear about this. About all of this. Your little province uprising is going to be crushed so thoroughly that—"

"Save the threats," Sarah interrupted. "Your father is currently occupied with his own problems. As is your family's Grandmaster+ elder. Multiple simultaneous assaults tend to divide attention that way." She gestured to her forces. "You can try fighting your way through us if you'd like. Or you can withdraw and report what you've seen. Your choice, but make it quickly before I decide for you."

Darius stared at her for a long moment, Master-rank power making the air tremble. Then, with visible effort, he reined in his killing intent and stepped back.

"Fenix was it?" he said, his voice carrying promise of future violence, "this is your one free survival. Next time we meet, there won't be convenient rescues or numerical advantages. Just you and me, and the reality that Master rank is called 'Master' for valid reasons."

He turned and vanished with speed that made his departure seem like teleportation, his Master-rank enhancement carrying him out of the compound and into the surrounding terrain before anyone could react.

Sarah's forces maintained ready positions for several moments longer, ensuring the threat had truly withdrawn. Then she turned to Fenix with expression that mixed concern and professional assessment.

"Can you walk?" she asked simply.

"Yes," Fenix replied, though his body disagreed violently with that assessment.

"Good. Your team is secured at the extraction point, but we need to move quickly. All five assault teams have completed their objectives, but the situation at the main estate is still developing. Your uncle and Soren are both engaged with Grandmaster and Grandmaster+ opponents respectively—their battles are ongoing and the outcomes uncertain."

She gestured to two of her soldiers. "Help the young master to the extraction vehicle. Get him medical attention and ensure his team is ready for rapid deployment if the situation deteriorates further." Her eyes found Fenix again. "You did well today. Took your objective, eliminated significant opposition, minimized casualties despite encountering unexpected resistance. But this operation isn't concluded yet."

As he was helped toward the extraction point, as exhaustion finally began dragging him toward unconsciousness he'd been holding at bay through pure determination, Fenix's last coherent thought was about the battles still raging across the province.

His uncle facing Broderick in Overdrive-enhanced duel that neither could decisively win. Soren locked in similar stalemate with Elder Theron. And somewhere, other assault teams dealing with their own complications.

The Ninth Province's unification had been paid for in blood today. But the true cost wouldn't be known until every battle reached its conclusion.

Victory or catastrophe—the line between them had never seemed thinner.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.