Can only flee

After leaving Cris, Shui relied on his ability to detect aura to find the cave that Carlos had discovered during his time in the ancestral lands. He was determined to check the mountain peak on the third day, so he couldn't waste any time even if he didn't have any other clues as to where the cave was. In order to cover as much ground as possible, Shui ran at a speed he could maintain for the rest of the day. As he ran with the scaled woruse following close behind, he scanned the surroundings for the imposing aura Carlos wrote about.

He had covered a fifty cale radius from the spot where a river went in between two red trees. It was a distance where his drive didn't wane, but his initial excitement had completely went away. From a fresh recruit, his mind-set changed into that of a bored office worker who mechanically finished his task. The running was only barely at the level of working up a sweat so it felt like a stroll, and without any strong evolved beasts or dangerous mutated flora, there was nothing to be wary of. He wondered if he would actually be able to find the place in time while busying his mind by thinking up the properties of every plant he saw until,

whoosh~

A ray of red light flashed past Shui's ear. It was something he was completely unprepared for. By the time he sensed it, the ray was too fast for him to do anything. If it didn't miss, Shui was sure his head would have gotten hit by it. He didn't know what would have happened and he didn't plan on finding out.

Since he was already being targetting, he expanded his perception to his limit and found the one who shot at him. They were in the official assassin outfit but Shui couldn't get himself in the mood to make fun of it again. He could tell that this assassin couldn't be compared to the rest due to his extremely chilling aura that could only come from years of apathetic killing. This man was trained to an extent that made Shui sure he had to be an outsider hired from some assassin organization. Even so, his training and cold aura wouldn't be enough to frighten Shui, it was his cultivation that made him sure that this assassin was too much. He was almost certain that he was sent specifically for him so he really hated how cautious Kalos was.

'Sixth level in the Soul Realm! Isn't this too much for someone in the Mortal Realm!? Wait, can he detect my presence?!'

Similar to Shui, the assassin from the Tower of Killers was also surprised by the child in front of him. The kid couldn't be pinpointed with his spiritual sense. He could barely tell that someone was there due to the smell of cloth and the movement of the air. His first shot was a spell that should have pierced straight through his body but it didn't even touch him.

'I need to stop him from running.'

As Shui was hastily pondering his next move, he detected a flying ball coming at him. Usually his first response would be to deflect it, but this time he stopped and jumped back. When the orb hit the tree in front of him, green liquid exploded from within it that melted that tree and corroded the surrounding plants, with droplets of it catching Shui's cloak and burning several tiny holes in it. With the cloak damaged, the assassin could finally get a clear read on Shui's location.

'Damn it! I knew I should have made more of these. Or at least get better material!'

The cloak was the only one he had with the 'Confuse' inscription and he wouldn't be able to make another one in a short time. With just the 'Hide' talismans and his mask, he wouldn't be able to escape unless he could shake off the assassin's pursuit, but that would be impossible without at least one confrontation.

'Tch, here goes nothing.'

As the assassin came closer, Shui drew the symbol for 'Lightning' in his mind and aimed his palms at his figure. Of the new offensive symbols that he could use, 'Lightning' was only one he could draw swiftly in his mind. Since he was still determined to get out of here, he didn't want to show his true hand yet. After the second it took for the symbol to be completed, a flash of electric current struck the assassin and stunned him for a brief moment. This would have been a good moment to flee, but Shui didn't think his attack would keep him paralyzed for more than an instant so he used that time to throw two layered 'Light' talismans.

"Ahh!"

After confirming that the light had affected him, Shui picked up the scaled woruse that was also affected and ran away. He wouldn't risk his life for it, but his interest in it outweighed the small burden it would provide in his escape. Even though he had once risked his life to fight a beast spirit, that red tiger couldn't be compared to the assassin behind him. Unlike the beast spirit, the assassin was an expert in killing humans so he had much more experience and wouldn't carelessly rush in like the red tiger. Even if the current him could beat a red tiger without injuries, he believed his chances of beating the assassin in a fair fight was less than his chances of beating that red tiger at that time. Additionally, it wouldn't be as hard to run away this time so why would he choose to risk his life again?

The lightning that shot out from Shui's hand had caught the assassin off guard since he didn't expect it from someone in the Mortal Realm. However, it was too weak to cause any effective damage so he was only surprised, but the intense light that seemed to burn his eyes shifted his mindset. Since his eyes were temporarily out of commission, and his nose and spiritual sense wouldn't allow him to cope with anymore tricks Shui might have up his sleeve, the assassin decided to use his only indiscriminate area of effect spell. If any of his fellow compatriots heard that he had to go this far to kill a kid in the Mortal Realm, they would surely laugh at him, but his mission was more important.

The idea to attack him while he was blinded didn't even enter Shui's mind since he knew next to nothing about his opponent. Shui thought he would be able to get away, but a sudden shout decreased his confidence.

"You won't be going anywhere! Blade Rain!"

Subsequent to his shout, the nature energy that came out of the assassin's body transformed into red blades that hovered in the sky and pointed at the ground.

'Oh no, oh no oh no oh no!'

The sight alone was enough for Shui to know that this spell was dangerous. He quickly took out a cloak that was inscribed with 'Defense' and put it above him to act as a shield since he didn't expect the chestplate he had on to be enough to withstand this impact.

When the blades pierced the ground, the ones that reached him knocked him off his feet and forced blood out his mouth. However, that wasn't the end. After getting him to drop on the ground, the assassin used the same spell again.

'This is the end!'

His defensive equipment was undamaged but Shui wasn't sure he would be able to make it out of this one alive. He tried to get on his feet but stumbled during the attempt.

'No! I can't die here!'

The red blades were rushing at him with the intent to kill. If he managed to stay alive after this barrage then that would be a miracle, but he wouldn't be able to take his next attack. Shui took out a bunch of 'Protect' talismans and hoped that it would at least minimize the impact. In his panic, he didn't even try layering any of them so the effect of the talismans couldn't stack. The talismans formed a barrier that stood against the blades, but it quickly cracked and Shui had barely gotten back on his feet.

'Is this it?!'

Even though reluctance was still fierce in his eyes, Shui didn't know how to overcome this difficulty. At this time, the scaled woruse jumped out of his arms and faced the incoming blades.

"What are yo-?!"