Raizen moved through the dense jadewood forest alone.
He wore no cloak, no mask, no seal to hide his energy. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and his pace was slow—casual even. The void soldiers had been ordered to stay behind. For once, he wanted silence. Real silence.
Trees bent lightly around him, sensing the unnatural energy in the air. Some of them creaked, others turned pale. Even beasts hiding in the shadows shivered and scampered deeper into their holes.
He didn't mind.
He hadn't slept since forming his legion. He didn't need to. But walking… that still helped. It cleared his thoughts.
He stopped beside a stream, knelt down, and dipped a hand in the water. It didn't boil. Didn't freeze. Still ordinary.
"Some things still work," he muttered.
A sigh escaped him—half fatigue, half reflection.
He looked at his reflection in the stream. Not the face of a god. Not yet. Just a young man, black hair slightly messy, sharp eyes, faint bags under them. Seventeen now, maybe. But the look in his eyes didn't belong to someone that young.
His hand twitched, sensing movement behind the trees.
He didn't move.
He heard a voice. Young. Frantic.
"Let her go!"
Then a shriek.
A girl's voice—terrified.
Raizen rose slowly and turned.
Up ahead, past the mist and leaves, six figures surrounded two others. One was on his knees, clutching a broken sword. The other, a girl, was barely conscious, her robe torn and bloodied. Her cultivation was almost nonexistent.
The six surrounding them wore matching black coats—sect enforcers, clearly. But their emblems had been scratched off, likely rogues or traitors.
Raizen stepped into view.
None of them noticed at first.
One of the attackers laughed, grabbing the girl's hair and yanking her up. "A pretty one. Shouldn't be wasted on trash like you, brother."
Raizen's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Let her go."
They froze.
All six heads turned.
The one holding the girl raised an eyebrow. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
Raizen tilted his head slightly. "Someone you shouldn't test on a bad day."
Another one stepped forward, sneering. "You're alone. Brave talk."
"I like walks," Raizen replied. "Sometimes I come across trash that needs burning."
The one in front laughed and unsheathed his blade. "You've got jokes. Hope you've got backup too."
Raizen sighed. "I said don't test me."
Then he vanished.
A blur—no flash, no light.
Just absence.
One of the attackers blinked—and his arm was gone.
The next breath, three of them were on the ground, screaming. Their weapons shattered. Their knees shattered. One tried to flee, but his legs simply vanished as if never there.
Raizen appeared beside the girl and caught her before she hit the ground. Her breathing was shallow. The boy beside her stared in disbelief.
"W-Who are you?" he stammered.
Raizen didn't answer immediately. He looked at the last man standing, the one who'd grabbed the girl.
He was paralyzed with fear.
Raizen's tone dropped. "Kneel."
The man collapsed to the ground instantly, blood dripping from his nose. Not from a strike. From pressure. A force he couldn't resist.
Raizen turned to the boy. "Where are you from?"
"S-Scarlet Mist Sect," the boy said. "But… it was destroyed. They're hunting survivors."
Raizen's eyes narrowed.
"Name?"
"Yu Fan."
He looked down at the girl. "And her?"
"My sister. Yu Xian."
Raizen's expression softened for a moment.
He reached out, touching the girl's forehead lightly. A sliver of void energy passed into her body—not enough to harm her, just enough to stabilize her.
Her breathing evened.
Raizen looked back at the attackers.
"They thought she was weak. That gave them permission to do whatever they wanted."
He looked at his hand, then back to Yu Fan.
"That's the thing about power. Most people don't want it to protect. They want it so no one can stop them from doing whatever twisted thing comes to mind."
Yu Fan looked shaken. "A-Are you… a Saint?"
Raizen chuckled. "No."
"An immortal?"
"Not yet."
"Then what… what should I call you?"
Raizen shrugged. "Just someone passing through."
Then he turned, walking past the now-limp attackers. The one who was still conscious tried to move. Tried to crawl away.
Raizen snapped his fingers once.
The man was gone. Not dead. Not erased. Just… removed.
Yu Fan gulped.
Raizen didn't look back.