Quinn Shepherd's heart was pounding wildly as he drew his butcher knife from his back—this was the first time he'd faced such a lineup.
Elias Mornwind’s presence pressed down on him invisibly, an aura that weighed on every breath.
Ever since this elder stepped into the village, every gesture and word had carried a boundless pressure.
When he fought Senior Brother Qu of the Five Disciples of River Lee, he’d been forced to the limit and had no choice but to strike back. But now, this standoff made him hesitate.
“I’ve peed on the stone statue at the village entrance—what’s there to be afraid of? I’ve met Serena Clearbrook, I’ve seen the demon in Calamity-Seal Palace. I wasn’t scared then, so why should I be now? No matter how strong Elias Mornwind is, he can’t be stronger than gods or demons!”
Quinn steadied himself, his panic slowly settling. He glanced around—this village wasn’t large, but with everyone standing here, including himself, there were twenty-two people, each like a wooden stake driven into the ground. Their positions were all staggered, filling the small village to the brim.
The Village Chief lay on a stretcher, the Apothecary stood beside him, the Butcher’s upper body was perched atop a wooden stake, Grandpa Mark leaned against another, Granny Sue carried her basket, Mute stood at the smithy door, Grandpa Blind held a dripping brush, and Crippled Joe balanced on one leg with his cane.
Elias Mornwind’s followers had also chosen their spots with care, each standing in a strange, calculated position that made it nearly impossible to move quickly through the village—let alone fight.
In a setting like this, fighting with flying sword control demanded the highest skill!
If you used qi to control a sword here, you’d have to be extremely cautious not to let your blade hit anyone else or be thrown off by their presence—your sword art had to be impossibly delicate. Quinn practiced the Butcher’s pig-slaughter saber style, a Battle Skill school blade art; there was no way his blade could achieve that level of subtlety.