Chapter 139: Lost Bears Mercenary (part 1)
That was all Vermis needed.
Her gauntlet came down.
Fast.
Too fast for Lian Yue to fully react.
Ren Kai moved the instant he saw it, but even he was a fraction too late.
The blow landed.
A dull, heavy impact.
Lian Yue’s head snapped to the side as the strike hit her face, the force lifting her slightly off her feet before sending her crashing across the ground.
"Lian Yue!"
She didn’t respond.
Her spear slipped from her hand, rolling across the cracked stone.
For a second, she didn’t move at all.
Ren Kai’s expression changed.
Not panic.
But close.
He rushed forward, sliding to her side and pulling her back just as a spike of hardened insects shot up from the ground where she had fallen.
"She’s breathing," he said quickly, his voice tight. "But unconscious."
Vermis stood a few steps away, watching.
Smiling.
The expression on her face twisted unnaturally, the movement of the insects beneath her skin making it worse.
It wasn’t just a smile.
It was hunger.
Cai Wen felt it.
A chill ran down his spine as he stepped closer, his remaining rings spinning slower now.
"...This is bad, Ren Kai."
No one argued.
Hao Jin pushed himself up, one hand clutching his stomach, blood at the corner of his mouth.
"No kidding," he muttered. "We’re not winning this."
Shen Lu appeared beside them again, his breathing slightly uneven.
"She’s getting stronger the longer this goes."
Ren Kai glanced at Lian Yue once, then back at Vermis.
His grip tightened on his sword.
For a brief moment, it looked like he might still choose to fight.
Then he exhaled.
"...We retreat."
Cai Wen didn’t hesitate.
"Finally."
Hao Jin gave a weak laugh.
"Best decision you’ve made today."
Ren Kai shifted Lian Yue onto his back in one smooth motion.
"Stay tight. Don’t split."
Shen Lu nodded once.
"Same formation?"
"Reverse it," Ren Kai said. "We move, we cover each other. No stopping."
Vermis tilted her head slightly.
"...Running?"
Her smile widened.
She took a step forward.
"Run."
They moved immediately. Not scattered, by together.
Cai Wen took the front now, his rings shooting out to clear the path ahead, smashing through any insects trying to block their escape.
Hao Jin stayed to the right, forcing anything that got too close away with wide, brutal swings, even as his movements slowed.
Shen Lu flickered in and out along the edges, cutting down anything that slipped past.
Ren Kai stayed at the center, carrying Lian Yue, his pace steady despite the added weight.
Behind them
Vermis followed.
Just walking at first.
Then faster.
The distance between them didn’t grow.
It shrank.
"She’s gaining!" Hao Jin shouted.
"I know!"
A wave of insects surged from the ground behind them, spreading outward like a tide before crashing forward.
Cai Wen cursed.
"Too many!"
His rings shot out again, but this time they didn’t break everything.
Some got through.
Sharp bites tore into his arm as he forced them away, blood starting to drip.
Shen Lu stumbled for the first time as a cluster latched onto his leg before he cut them off.
"...Damn it."
Ren Kai’s breathing grew heavier.
Even he was starting to slow.
A shadow loomed behind them, and Vermis is closer now.
Her blade lashed out.
Ren Kai twisted, but the tip still caught his side, slicing through his clothes and drawing blood.
He didn’t stop moving.
"Keep going!"
Hao Jin gritted his teeth as another wave hit them.
"We can’t keep this up!"
And then, they heard voices.
"Hold!"
"Form up!"
The group burst into a wider street.
And froze for a split second.
A formation stood there.
Dozens of armored men.
Then more behind them.
Rows.
Weapons ready.
At the front stood a tall, broad-shouldered man with a long saber resting on his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene.
"...Wait."
His gaze locked onto Ren Kai.
"...Isn’t that Ren Kai?"
One of the men beside him leaned forward.
"And the others... those are inner students from Clear Water Sect."
Then they saw what was behind them.
The swarm.
The man’s expression hardened instantly.
"Positions!"
His voice rang out like a command used to being followed.
"Save them! Move!"
The mercenaries surged forward without hesitation.
Shields came up.
Spears lowered.
Archers in the back raised their bows.
Ren Kai didn’t slow down.
"Don’t stop!" Cai Wen shouted.
They broke through the front line just as the mercenaries clashed with the incoming swarm.
Arrows rained down, piercing through clusters of insects, pinning them to the ground.
Four figures stepped forward from the formation.
Different from the rest.
Their presence alone was heavier.
Body tempering practitioners.
One of them slammed his weapon down, releasing a shock that scattered a large portion of the swarm instantly.
"Fall back behind us!" the leader shouted at Ren Kai.
"Now!"
Ren Kai didn’t argue.
He moved past them, finally slowing as they reached safety behind the line.
Hao Jin collapsed to one knee.
"...Perfect timing."
Cai Wen let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.
"No kidding."
At the front
The mercenary leader stepped forward, eyes locked onto Vermis.
"...Ugly thing."
Vermis had stopped.
Her gaze swept across the formation.
Her smile faded slightly.
The insects around her shifted, restless.
Then she let out a soft laugh.
"...Not today, then."
The swarm began to pull back, retreating into the cracks, the shadows, disappearing just as quickly as it had come.
Her figure blurred.
And then she was gone.
Silence fell over the street, broken only by the heavy breathing of the wounded.
The mercenary leader lowered his saber slightly, still watching the place she vanished.
"...That thing."
He glanced back at Ren Kai and the others.
"You all look like you come out of hell."
Hao Jin let out a dry chuckle.
"...You have no idea."
The mercenary leader didn’t lower his guard right away.
His eyes stayed on the empty street where Vermis had disappeared, his grip still firm on the hilt of his saber. Only after a few long seconds did he finally exhale and signal his men to hold their positions.
"No one relax," he said. "That thing might come back."
A few of the mercenaries nodded, tightening their formation. Others moved to secure the perimeter, dragging the wounded out of the front line while keeping their weapons ready.