Salt dust blotted out the eastern ridge. Xun’s Hundred-Year Mandate had not ended. Its remaining strikes joined into one continuous sequence, the white edge of the sword sweeping down before the first cloud had settled.
Yan saw Xun’s form falter. The general’s shoulders had begun to stoop, and the skin around his eyes had tightened. He had already spent a century of his remaining life, but the next blow still carried enough force to break Wei’s shield wall.
Yan activated Blood Ignition again. Its fierce surge filled his channels, and the cost gave him more years and vigor. He dashed across the basin to keep the attack from reaching the soldiers.
The edge of Xun’s strike caught Yan’s side. The external blow bruised his ribs and spun him toward the salt crust. He turned the motion into Three-Step Ash Run, rolled once, and crossed the last distance to Xun before the sword could complete its arc.
The final Mandate strike descended in a bright vertical cut. Yan raised both arms in Ashen Marrow guard and caught the line across his bracers. The force drove him to one knee. Salt cracked beneath him. His arms shook with the pressure, then strengthened as Ashen Marrow’s internal strain reversed into renewed vitality.
