Chapter 145: The Master Duelist
This guard was one of the late-Tier 1s, his rouqi control sharp enough that he sensed something wrong the moment I appeared behind him. He managed to start turning, his sword already leaving its sheath...
I Blink Stepped away just as his blade whispered through the space where my neck had been. Another Blink Step put me behind him, but he was already moving, his experience showing in how he maintained his guard even while spinning to face me.
"Intru—" he began to shout, but Yggy shot from my sleeve like an arrow, wrapping around his face and muffling his cry.
I Blink Stepped in close, risking a counterattack. My left hand caught his sword arm while my right struck his throat. His body's natural reflex was to gasp for air - exactly what I was waiting for.
In that split second, Yggy uncovered the lower portion of his face, allowing his mouth to open, which was exactly when I activated the Explosive Seed rune. The tiny seed construct shot between his parted lips and went straight down his throat.
The guard's eyes widened as he realized what was happening but Yggy once again covered his mouth preventing him from spitting it out, not a moment later, the seed reached his stomach and detonated.
The explosion was completely contained within his body - nothing more than a slight tremor visible from the outside. One moment he was struggling, the next he went limp in Yggy's coils.
"That," Han Renyi's voice was shaken, "was close."
"Too close," I agreed. "We need to be more careful. These late Tier 1 Rouqin have better combat instincts than I expected."