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A heavy blanket of silence descended upon the area, so profound it seemed to swallow the sound of breathing and rustling leaves.

"What did you just say?" Varis asked in a daze. He stood in a state of shock and disbelief, unable to believe the words the emperor had just spoken to him.

"If you seek proof of sarcasm or deceit, you will find none." Kaze responded frigidly, "Mary Emerson ordered her soldiers to kill my non-hostile people and nearly killed my partner. In response, I killed her and her soldiers."

"How could you?" The cultivator asked with a strained voice, his heart wrapped in piano wire. "Mary was a kind woman and a loyal soldier. She represented the pinnacle of strength and virtue and inspired countless—how could you take her away from us?"

"Have you gone rabid?" The emperor scoffed, narrowing his eyes, "Mary Emerson ordered a massacre of non-hostile people, yet you call her virtuous. I protected my partner and people, yet you charge me with villainy? Such proclamations straddle the edge of insanity and provocation."

"I\'m insane?" Varis chuckled murderously, his body trembling.

"Get a hold of yourself, Varis!" Brandon said, using his name to reign in his captain, "This action is self-defense—you cannot blame him."

"LIES!" The captain yelled viciously, "This man couldn\'t possibly defeat Mary in battle; he must have ambushed her and caught her off guard. There\'s no way that he\'s telling the truth!"

"Unbelievable." Kaze scorned dismissively, "It\'s astonishing that you can accuse me of ambushing your people when a force of your fighters flew to Immortal Skye two hours ago. Tell me, Captain Hood, will you also charge my people of villainy when they protect themselves?"

A surge of panic washed over the group after the emperor disclosed his knowledge of their plot.

Rena looked at the jade slip hidden in her palm in horror, realizing that its faint glow had disappeared. "When did…."

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." The emperor smirked, wagging his finger, "I recommend you avoid actions that rely upon your people. After binding your soul, a victory for your compatriots would sign your death warrant—as you can never again join them."

Anxiety crushed the cultivators like gravity, forcing them to come to grips with their situation.

They had planned on Major Ramble taking hostages, thus obtaining leverage to survive. However, their jade slips weren\'t working, so they\'d be bound before getting a confirmation. Therefore, their plan was dead; they could only help the emperor if they wanted to live.

"You can pledge your loyalty and commit to a soul pact right now—or you can die." Kaze announced chillingly, "I suggest you choose now, as I\'ve grown tired of your petty deceptions and grotesque accusations."

Brandon, Rena, and Zoe immediately reaffirmed their good intentions and gave excuses for their actions. Rena even apologized candidly, and to her surprise, he accepted her apology forthrightly.

"I\'ll give you until I finish these pacts to decide, Varis." Kaze announced, "Think carefully before you make decisions you regret."

***

Rena waited patiently for Kaze to finish creating pacts with the others, looking at her jade slip. "How did he do that? I\'ve never heard of anyone blocking jade slips."

The brunette decided to test it, holding it and channeling Qi through her lung meridian network. However, a searing pain assaulted her chest before Qi reached the jade slip. "AGhhHHhHhhH!"

"What\'s happening to her!?" Brandon yelled.

"Contrary to what it looks like, that\'s a defense mechanism." Kaze replied apathetically, "It\'s a warning letting her know that what she\'s doing could lead to betraying me."

"That\'s so rad!" Kiera cried excitedly, lacking tact.

"Private Respie wasn\'t even doing anything!" Brandon said coldly, ignoring the teen, "Have you tricked us into accepting something that makes it impossible to even think of betraying you?"

"That\'s an audacious assertion and an equally outlandish allegation." Kaze scoffed, "Rena, what were you doing before the pact gave you a warning?"

"I-I wasn\'t trying to betray you!" Rena cried, sobbing, "I won\'t betray you, I promise…."

"That much is clear; you\'d be dead had you tried to betray me." He rolled his eyes, "As I said, it was warning you that you were at high risk of unintentional betrayal. What were you doing?"

"I-I was just checking if my jade slip worked again." She replied, "I-I was just curious because you did something to it!"

"And what does that jade slip connect to?" Kaze asked mockingly.

Rena froze in horror, realizing what had happened. Sky Plane jade slips were configured to transmit to only one other jade slip, in this case, Vincent Ramble\'s. "M-My old superior officer…."

"Exactly." The emperor smiled, "Your superior expects you to report on us, which goes against your pact. That\'s why the pact warned Rena—do you understand?"

"Y-Yes…." Rena nodded in a haze.

"Excellent." Kaze smiled, turning to the grey-haired cultivator, "Can we continue now?"

"Yes…." Brandon swallowed nervously, "I apologize for questioning you. We can continue."

***

As Kaze finished Brandon\'s pact, only one person remained—Varis. He watched the emperor like a hawk, silently going through hundreds of simulations on how to kill him.

He wasn\'t looking for a battle strategy, as he had no hope of victory. Instead, he cycled through other options to obtain revenge: fleeing or taking one of the emperor\'s partners as a hostage. However, he found no strategy that would allow him to kill the emperor or escape.

Despite that, his time was running out, as Kaze had nearly finished Brandon\'s pact.

In the midst of his stress, panic, and chaotic anger, he could only think of one way to obtain revenge—killing his partners to make the emperor feel the pain he felt.

Varis\' eyes flashed with resolve, abruptly springing into action before Kaze addressed him. He jumped backward at ghostly speed, planning to escape the gravity zone and attack the emperor with [Piercing Winds], a technique similar to Razor Flurry that shoots a Gatling gun of wind attacks. While it wouldn\'t stop the emperor, it would prevent him from attacking.

Kiera\'s inexperience would make her spring into action. With her focus on bending the attacks, she wouldn\'t see a wind attack coming from behind her. Kaze would block the attack for her, but that would require him to defend on two fronts, allowing Varis to attack the other women rapidly.

Varis couldn\'t see himself failing to wound the women, as he wouldn\'t hold anything back. It was a suicide attack—a last-ditch effort for revenge.

Naturally, he rationalized the action as impersonal. He was a military captain; refusing to betray his people was an expectation! So was fighting to the last, culling the enemy\'s ranks to improve the army\'s chance of victory. It was funny; it took overwhelming rage for him to think clearly and remember his honor-bound duties as a soldier.

Varis felt a sense of contentment in his actions. Not only was he doing the honorable thing for his country, but he was also fighting for the woman he loved until the very end.

That was his mindset as he jumped backward to attack. A split second—that was all he needed to obtain honor and glory.

THUD!

A surge of terror coursed through Varis\' veins like adrenaline when he felt his back crash against an invisible wall in the sky. He knew the feeling well—Qi Wall, a basic technique! He saw Marilyn with her hand extended to confirm it.

Caught off guard, Varis erected a massive wall of his own and chose to fly to the side, anticipating Guided Arrows and a gravity attack. However, no such attacks came; instead, he looked up and found a massive cloud of compressed oxygen warping the air like butane. Far from simple warping, it was stagnant, creating a frozen cloud that dissipated like dry ice.

Snap!

"That woman\'s a monster!" Varis screamed, moving the shield above his head after hearing the distinct sound of Kiera\'s snapping fingers. He barely got it above his head in time to see a thin, golden spark flash across the center.

BOOOOOOOOOOM! CRuuUUnNCH!

The cultivator plummeted to the earth, crashing into a sports truck with a bone-jarring impact. Metal twisted around his body with jagged edges. It didn\'t break his skin and couldn\'t constrain him; however, it tangled him like a weak net he had to escape.

WHooOooOOoOOoooOOoSH!

Varis heard whistling from a wind attack and acted with brute force. "Tempest Shield!"

A vortex of vicious winds whipped around his body, shredding through the metal and lifting it into the air. The massive Wind Slashes attacking him dissipated instantly, protecting him from the attack and freeing him simultaneously.

"Combustion!" Addison screamed; however, no explosion followed.

"You can\'t ignite a fire in heavy winds, woman!" Varis snarled, waving his hand.

BOOOOM!

The space before Kaze\'s group ignited abruptly, creating the illusion of a hidden explosive being triggered mid-air. Then he flipped his wrist and swung it outward. "Wind Dance!"

WhooOOo—VROoOooOOooOR!

Varis used a wind technique to stoke the flames in the air, creating a vicious wall of flames. However, a brutal wind gust crashed into it, sending a tidal wave of flames back at him.

"Qi Wall!" He cried as the vengeful inferno engulfed his body.