Isshin charged, his body crackling with thunder qi, his flash step bridging the distance in the blink of an eye. His hand snapped out, attempting to grab someone's wrist and redirect their attack.
Rune had anticipated the attack and pulled back his arm, forming qi arrows that he fired at Isshin in quick succession.
But they hadn't counted on Karin.
Black strings.
Invisible strings constructed of the empty space itself, they shot off from Karin's palms and bound around Isshin and Rune's wrists, before either man could even react.
Stunned Karin's qi coursed through Isshin's body. His qi shattered.
What?!
Karin's palms descended before she even had time to think. The string yanked both of them , slamming them into the floor.
Isshin gritted his teeth and rolled back onto his feet in a hurry. Rune, also, shook himself off, muttering, "Okay, that was unexpected."
The two of them looked at each other, and without having to speak, moved in tandem. Karin had immobilized them once before, but now she was fighting back.
They launched a simultaneous kick in her direction, but she dodged
Isshin's mind was spinning. That ability—she severed my qi flow. If she could do that at her whim, she could render his thunder abilities useless.
But then an idea came into his head.
The system.
He felt his stats. He had increased in level because of training and fighting.
Isshin Ryugen
Level: 68
Health: 27
Strength: 26 → 39
Stamina: 44
Mana/Qi: 23
Intelligence: 22
Points Available: 17 → 4
Cultivation Level: Golden Core Realm 2nd Stage
Titles: None
He spent 13 points on strength.
A shock of power coursed through him. He grasped his sword, infusing it with thunder qi, before vanishing.
Rune, seeing the movement, threw up his hand, summoning another set of qi arrows. But Isshin was ready this time, using Thunder Palm to repel Rune's attack back.
Karin moved in, her strings firing out again—
Isshin cut through them in mid-air.
The battle intensified. Rune, who preferred long-range attacks, remained in the background, firing qi energy bursts and projectiles, while Isshin and Karin engaged in close combat.
Karin was fast, her attacks swift. She didn't just employ her strings—she was also capable in close combat.
And then—
She pulled out a sword.
Not any sword. A black, ominous one.
As soon as she pulled it out, the air became denser.
Isshin's gaze narrowed. That's not an ordinary weapon.
Karin sliced him with her sword. Isshin dodged just in time, the sword slicing by his ear. He was about to retaliate when—
Black strings.
Karin's ability was going to activate once again.
I knew it.
Isshin came in ahead of time before she could complete the attack. But—
She canceled it.
And instead, she swung her sword again, directly at Isshin's chest.
It was too fast. He wouldn't be able to dodge completely.
And then—
CLANG.
Khalid was between them in an instant.
His bare fists held both Isshin's sword and Karin's black blade.
No one had even seen him move.
The three of them there, their faces set in shock.
Khalid gave Karin a faintly disappointed glance.
Karin's eyes went wide with understanding, and she let her weapon drop hastily. Her breath stumbled, and she turned to Isshin.
"I—I'm sorry," she said to him, her voice shaking. "I almost harmed you. I forgot that this was practice… It won't happen again."
Isshin glared at her. He wasn't furious. If anything, he was surprised—and wary too. Karin's abilities were deadly.
He nodded.
Khalid released both of their blades and stepped aside.
"That's enough for today," he told them. "Go and clean up, and come and see me at my house. That is where you will be staying from now on."
Isshin, Rune, and Karin obeyed in silence.
That night, Isshin lay in his new bedroom, gazing at the ceiling. His body ached from the fight, but his mind was still racing.
I'm not as strong as I thought I was.
He had seen how far away he was from Karin today. She had skills that could completely nullify his methods. If she really meant to, she could have killed him in an instant.
He breathed out.
I must get stronger.
As he drifted off to sleep, one thing kept resonating in his mind.
Training would continue tomorrow.
And he would be ready.