Outside the city gates, Ning Busan stood in a snow-white robe, his long sword pointing diagonally toward the ground.
The howls of the xenos intertwined with the hum of his sword, and a bloody mist filled the air. Although the blood of the xenos wove a crimson net in the sky, not a single drop could stain Ning Busan.
Defending a city all by himself sounded like a fairy tale, but Ning Busan had actually done it.
He stood like an insurmountable mountain, guarding the city behind him.
Suddenly, the xeno army halted their advance.
They parted to both sides, clearing a path.
Ning Busan could feel a powerful pressure washing over him.
A humanoid xeno slowly walked forward, each step making the ground tremble slightly.
It had a nearly human appearance, but its body was covered in pitch-black scales, and three pairs of transparent wings grew from its back.
Unsurprisingly, this was likely the leader of this batch of xenos.
“Ge—ka—la—”
A sharp shriek erupted from the throat of the xeno leader. It sounded like metal scraping against glass, like countless tiny insects squirming beneath a shell, mixed with the bubbling sound of boiling liquid.
It wasn't any syllable of human language, but these sounds restructured in Ning Busan's consciousness, forming a meaning he could comprehend:
“I finally found you—”
Ning Busan's pupils contracted slightly.
What did that mean?
Before he could wrap his head around it, the xeno leader vanished from where it stood.
Ning Busan raised his sword to parry. A majestic force surged from the blade, numbing his hand and making him nearly lose his grip on the hilt.
The xeno leader's speed was unbelievably fast. Ning Busan could only dodge by instinct, yet even so, several bloody gashes were carved into his body.
Ning Busan took a deep breath to steady his mind. The greatsword in his hand trembled slightly, letting out a crisp ring as if responding to his will.
Lowering the tip of his sword slightly, he seemed to merge with heaven and earth, his aura as calm and tranquil as water.
The xeno leader's attack came again, fierce and swift. But this time, Ning Busan did not dodge.
His sword moved.
It was an indescribable flash of sword light, as if gathering all the light and darkness in the world. Wherever the sword light passed, space itself seemed to warp.
The xeno leader's pupils suddenly shrank. It tried to retreat, only to find itself locked down by an invisible sword intent.
The sword light, like a rainbow, sliced through the sky.
The xeno leader's body froze on the spot. A moment later, a thin line extended straight down from between its brows to its abdomen.
Its body slowly split apart and crashed to the ground. Black blood gushed out like a fountain, emitting a pungent, foul stench.
Ning Busan stood holding his sword. The tip of the blade trembled slightly as a drop of black blood slid down the edge, refracting an eerie light under the sun.
The xeno army fell into a brief silence.
These twisted creatures seemed unable to comprehend what had just happened. Their crimson compound eyes reflected their leader's corpse, and their once-orderly formation began to stir.
Suddenly, a xeno near the leader's corpse let out a shrill shriek, turned, and fled.
This shriek seemed to flip a switch, and the entire xeno army collapsed in an instant. Some smaller xenos were trampled directly into mush, green blood and organs splattering everywhere.
Boom—
The earth began to shake as countless xenos scrambled to flee backward.
Ning Busan did not pursue.
He just stood quietly in place, watching the spectacular scene of the xenos retreating like an ebbing tide.
The xenos trampled over each other, and some even began to slaughter one another. Massive xenos swung their sharp claws, tearing the companions blocking their way to pieces.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, mixed with the unique rot of the xenos.
On the city walls, the soldiers' tense nerves finally relaxed. Cheers erupted like thunder, echoing through the clouds.
Yet, Ning Busan's arm holding the sword was trembling slightly.
“I finally found you—”
These words coiled around his heart like a venomous snake, making it hard for him to breathe as cold sweat broke out on his skin.
It felt as if destiny had stretched out an invisible hand, pushing him toward an unknown abyss.
...
With the xenos retreated, the city gates swung wide open.
Many officers and soldiers crowded around to welcome Ning Busan, their eyes burning as they stared at the sword in his hand.
The sword was slightly longer than a normal longsword, with a slightly curved blade that was extremely thin, shaped like a crescent moon.
A lifelike golden dragon was wrapped around the hilt, and a vein of crimson crystal was embedded along the center of the blade's spine.
The design of this sword was simply too unique. Moreover, they had seen it countless times on the statue in the Central Square.
Thus, with just a single glance, everyone recognized that this was the legendary Jinge Sword that had accompanied General Louis into battle.
An excited soldier asked, “Are you General Louis?”
“Of course not. I don't have a copper coin's worth of relation to General Louis,” Ning Busan said, his expression unchanged. “General Louis is a legend from ten thousand years ago. How could he possibly be alive today?”
An officer who had met Ning Busan before introduced him, “This is Lord Saige's student, the Divine Envoy of the Dawn Empire.”
The soldier who believed Ning Busan was Louis refused to give up and presented his evidence:
“The Divine Envoy has black hair and black eyes, just like General Louis. If you look closely, he even looks somewhat similar to General Louis's statue. If the Divine Envoy isn't General Louis, why does he have the Jinge Sword?”
Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Ning Busan smiled helplessly. “To tell you the truth...”
“I know!” The soldier's eyes suddenly lit up. “Divine Envoy, you're actually General Louis's descendant, right?”
Ning Busan, who had been about to admit he was Louis, was speechless for a few seconds. He nodded perfunctorily. “Right, you're absolutely right. You really are a genius.”
Believing he had been praised, the soldier proudly puffed out his chest.
A chorus of praise erupted around them:
“Guarding a city with just one person and one sword... Divine Envoy, you are simply incredible!”
“This must be a miracle from the God of Light. May the God of Light protect us always!”
“Praise the God of Light! Praise the Divine Envoy!”
“...”
Ning Busan let out a soft laugh. “Don't celebrate too early. No one knows when the next Black Sun will arrive. Perhaps the xenos then will be even more numerous and powerful than they are now.”
The light in the surrounding soldiers' eyes dimmed instantly, and they fell back into anxiety and dread.
Ning Busan said calmly, “Rather than relying on the pity of the gods, you would do better to rely on the swords in your own hands.”
“No one will protect you forever. Only by becoming strong yourselves can you survive.”
Novalia walked down from the city wall. Hearing these words, she couldn't help but look at Leo beside her.
These two were truly worthy of being friends; even their thoughts were so alike.
Novalia called out, “Ning Busan—”
“Your Majesty, although the empire has held, you must also be prepared. This is just the beginning,” Ning Busan said.
Novalia gave a hum of agreement. “I understand what you mean.”
Ning Busan saw Leo, who was wrapped tightly behind her, and knew he must have said something to Novalia.
Ning Busan said, “Come with me. I have questions for you.”
Leo nodded. “Coincidentally, I have things to tell you as well.
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