Skyfire Avenue

Her body became illusory, like a spirit. Jiang Yuan rushed at her, but seemed to pass right through her ghostly form. When he turned around, he saw the Pharmacist blazing brighter than the surface of the sun.

She opened her pretty mouth and released a ray of searing white light. It spread wide before her. Below, the monstrous beast roared as the Pharmacist’s seven swords became clearer.

The light changed direction and raced toward the vortex where the floor had been. In its trek, the light condensed and grew larger until it took on the form of another massive broadsword over a hundred meters long. Once fully formed, it simply hung there in the air. But while it did not move, Yaduobaha seemed similar pinned in place. If it rose, that sword would be there to meet it.

Rays of incandescent light poured from the Pharmacist. She took seven steps forward, and with each was released a burst of light. The purple mist from earlier revealed itself again, thicker than before though it was hard to tell by how much.

ζ

Eyes near the VIP platform suddenly shot toward the Terminator, who had gasped in spite of himself. He could feel it, the power raging from the ring – strong enough to even make him shudder.

How could this be?!

He watched with steely eyes for any information he could glean from the ring.

“Punish and Extinguish evil... the Nine Heavenly Rays!”

At the Pharmacist’s harsh command, four thousand nine hundred and thirty six separate bolts of purplish lightning. They blasted down, but not at Yaduobaha. They hit that hovering sword, again and again, over and over.

An aura of electric energy buzzed around the weapon, and then a sudden release of energy burst out of it like a supernova.

Her face was starting to look drawn. Another aura of white power began to press out from within her. Jiang Yuan lunged forward to take advantage, but couldn’t approach. The dark aura around him scattered like darkness before the sun. Jiang Yuan turned and fled from her as fast as he could.

“Annihilate.” The Pharmacist commanded heartlessly.

The word rang through the air, and on cue the towering sword fell to the ground. Thump! The sword passed through the grey bone of the monster as though it were paper. With a ranging screech and a shrill yell, the sword and demon dragon were pinned to the vortex. The swirling darkness was changed before their eyes, infected with the white light of the Pharmacist’s spectral weapon. Soon the whole thing was a radiant white.

The beast’s screeches were deafening, and yet the crowds could still hear it, raging in the back of their mind. “Noooo—!”

Cracks appeared, slithering out from where the sword had pierced through the dragon’s bony head. Powerful light fought from between the silk-thin fractures, until...

Boom–!

Every trace of evil scattered, fleeing every which way in attempts to flee the purifying light. The beast turned to ash, then singular motes – then nothing.

Every member of the audience gasped, finally able to breathe. They’d been so nervous they’d forgotten.

Jiang Yuan was pressed against the far side of the arena, as close to the shield as he could press himself. He could no longer hide beneath that cloak of shadows, or anything in fact. His clothes had ben seared to ash and fell away, revealing his rail-thin and bony figure.

His pale face looked worse than normal, and an indescribable fear shined in his eyes. He looked like he had been faced with the stuff of his darkest nightmares. His arms shot up in silent capitulation, too scared to even answer. He looked at the Pharmacist like she was some sort of monster.

Too frightening... really too much. He’d only felt the residual power of her sword, but even that shook him to the bone. He felt like her intent alone could turn him in to nothing but a memory. His ninth level ninth rank Discipline was useless. He didn’t know exactly how strong that sword strike had been, but it couldn’t have been anything less than Paragon-level. It wasn’t even protogenia... it could cut through that too!

Even the memory of that terrifying sensation was irrevocably seared into Jiang Yuan’s heart. He had no spirit of resistance left.

Several people in the waiting area were on their feet. The Great Malefic Wyrm had been destroyed, completely and utterly. Members of the audience were also standing, most notably the Gourmet and the Terminator.

Even the Gourmet was absolutely floored by how strong the Pharmacist had shown. Much stronger than he could have known. And that sword... he didn’t even know the full scope. She wasn’t even a Paragon yet!

The Terminator was quiet, and his face was crestfallen. He seemed lost in thought. Jun Yongye and Xianyuan Shishi had – at some point – fought to the front of the crowd to watch. They looked excited.

How could this be? What was all of this? Who could have imagined they would see this with their own eyes. The Pharmacist was much stronger than any Adept they’d have ever seen. Jun Yongye and Xiyuan Shishi’s simplistic mastery, the Pharmacist’s oppressive swordsmanship, and Lan Jue’s surprise rise – the championship was still up for grabs. Except, now they saw what the Pharmacist was truly capable of.

Constantine was actually trembling, ever so slightly. It was childish for him to think he could contend with the Pharmacist. Now he understood how little ninth level ninth rank actually stood for.

The Pharmacist’s weapon dissolved away and became a beam of light that returned to her. It melded in to her body and vanished without a trace. She descended on to the surface of the ring, light as a feather. Delicate footsteps took her from the battlefield. From where the spectators sat, she looked like she was just finishing up a relaxing stroll. She wandered over to Lan Jue and smiled. “Why are you standing? Sit!”

“Uh... oh. Right!” He gulped and flopped on to the sofa.

The whole arena was a roar of cheers or groans. Wild cries howled from thousands of throats. Then, of course, there were those who felt more resentment for the outcome.

The beautiful woman triumphs over the dark wizard. It was a storybook ending that was definitely a crowd-pleaser. She was a bright point of pure light – the extinguisher of evil spirits! This had been the most stupendous display of ability since the start of the tournament. She’d left an indelible impression.

“You... you are... “ Two shadows hung over the Pharmacist. The White Blademaster had finally given up his impassive façade and faced the Avenue denizen with clear excitement on his face. Xuanyuan Shishi was like everyone’s favorite uncle, and smiled goofily as he reached out to shake her hand.

She lifted her finger and placed it upon the radial artery on his wrist. Shishi gasped, and drew his hand back like he’d been shocked.

“We’ll talk later.” The Pharmacist promised calmly.

“Y-yes... yes, later.” Xuanyuan Shishi almost looked pained, but still answered quickly.

Jun Yongye was back to his impassive self. He stepped back a couple of paces and nodded respectfully to the woman. He motioned for Xuanyuan Shishi to follow, then they both returned to their respective seats. The whole way back, Xuanyuan Shishi looked over his shoulder.

Lan Jue swallowed. “Sis... that was something else.”

She smiled. “Not really. It’s all in the weapon.”

Lan Jue nodded, but added nothing. He knew that the sword she’d used at the end was different than the others. It was her true weapon. Her Discipline allowed for the Big Dipper skills, but the sword was something separate. It must have been her Astrum, and what’s more it seemed to contain the power of a Paragon already. But she was not a Paragon!