Book 8: Chapter 54: Human Shields
Sen swept his eyes across the rows of armored men standing between him and the gate of the Wu manor. They were terrified. As they rightly should be facing down a peak core cultivator, thought Sen. I’d question their sanity if they weren’t terrified. Sen let his gaze settle on a man in more ornate armor than the rest. He had at least done his subordinates the courtesy of standing out in front.
“You are not welcome here,” said the man in the ornate armor.
“Do you think that makes a difference?” asked Sen. “Send these men home. I will not treat you kindly if you force me to butcher them.”
“You would have us dishonor ourselves? We have a duty to protect the noble House of Wu.”
“There will be no honor here,” said Sen. “None for you in ordering these men into a fight they cannot win. None for them in being cut down like herd animals. And none for me in doing the slaughtering. As for your duty… You’ll have to find your own way with that.”
Sen waited while the one in charge seemed to weigh what was best to do. Sen was at least mildly sympathetic to the man’s position. After all, if he survived, he would be the one who had to answer to the House of Wu when all of this was over. When Sen’s sympathy and patience gave out, he turned his attention to the rows of men. He let a shadow of his killing intent wash over them.
“Leave,” he commanded.
Whatever discipline had kept them in place up until then cracked and shattered under the influence of Sen’s killing intent. The one in the ornate armor started screaming at them to stand their ground and other absurdities that did nothing to quell the fear that gripped the fleeing group. When it became clear that his efforts were wasted, the man whirled toward Sen.
“You damn cultivators! Always doing whatever you want because no mortals can stop you. You’re not gods!”