It was only her head on the coin, but it had been delicately crafted. And simmering beneath the surface of that innocent image was an untold power.
And startlingly, the face was familiar to Han Sen. He knew of a person who’s face looked exactly like the one on the coin. It took a while for him to remember her image, due to him having only seen this woman once.
When the Empty Witch ascended to the Third God’s Sanctuary, a spirit escorted her through the door that manifested in the air.
Han Sen’s remembrance of that spirit’s face was a little woozy. A lot had been going on when he saw her, and it was a very long time ago. So, even though his memory of it was fuzzy at first, it was now coming back to him.
Staring at the coin intently, Han Sen couldn’t shake the feeling that it really was her. The resemblance, at least, was uncanny.
She had also left the mark of a lotus on Han Sen’s forehead, but it was destroyed by Dragon King. Dragon King told Han Sen that he had been marked by the Lotus Empress.
“This must be her. It has to be! It has to be the Lotus Empress!” Han Sen was firm in this belief. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but he couldn’t think of anyone else it could have looked like.
Han Sen looked around, wondering if there was anything else worth taking, but there wasn’t.
Proper currency was worthless in the sanctuary, so coins must have been forged by the Alliance. But the hardest material in the Alliance was z-steel alloy, and it wasn’t as sturdy as the material used to craft the coin.
The coin had been retrieved by the creature from below the earth, so it was also quite puzzling why it had been buried in the soil of such a random location.
Han Sen had been rattled by this discovery, and it made him a whole lot more curious about the creature that had initially collected the coin. But alas, Han Sen had been lost in thought for some time, and he hadn’t paid attention to how long he had been down there.
Han Sen was afraid the little creature could show up any second.
He went over to hide beneath the garbage. There was a mighty shield amidst the junk, and it was perfect for him to hide behind. He masked his scent and clutched Taia tightly.
Han Sen was planning to wait until the creature returned, and when it did, assassinate it.
It was a super creature, and if he was able to insta-kill it through assassination and forego the need for a drawn-out fight, that’d be a mighty swell thing indeed.
It wasn’t long until Han Sen started to hear sounds coming from further up the cave. They were the sounds of the creature, on its way back down as predicted.
Han Sen made sure his scent was hidden. Then, he went into a state of focus, ensuring the hand that held the sword was firm but relaxed and ready to strike.
To perform the strongest assassination strike, your body had to be relaxed. It was something he had practiced extensively during his time in the First God’s Sanctuary. He was very proficient in the ways of the assassin.
Not too much later, Han Sen felt the little creature approach.
He could sense something scraping against the ground, and this made Han Sen think the creature was bringing a bigger item along with it.
Han Sen did not very much care what the little blighter was carrying with him; he just remained focused, preparing to strike. And the closer the creature got, the more relaxed Han Sen became.
A noise rung out, sounding like the creature had chucked the latest scrap of junk onto the garbage pile.
Han Sen could see every movement and motion made by the creature, all through his mind’s eye. He could sense it all without the need for his true naked eyes.
When the item landed on the heap, that was the time for him to strike. And so he did; Han Sen leaped out from behind the shield with Taia, ready to plunge Taia deep into the witless super creature that was none-the-wiser.
His heart and kidneys pumped fast, as his entire body began to glow red.
Han Sen knew he was performing the perfect strike, as expected. Nine gene locks of the Blood-Pulse Sutra and Taia made for a lethal combination. Super creatures would do well to fear such a combo.
The creature turned around, but Han Sen still had his eye on the prize. Being so fast and so accurate, he thought he had ticked all the boxes, and he was more than ready to see Taia plunge through the creature’s throat. There was no chance the creature could react in time.
Dong!
The sword was aiming for the neck with pinpoint accuracy, but before a connection was made, the scales of the creature lit up with a bright green light.
An aura of light suddenly enveloped the little beast, as if it was encased in a tight bubble of impenetrable protection. The creature was sent flying, but it was dealt no harm. The creature escaped the assassination attempt unscathed.
“A super creature with defensive powers, huh?” Han Sen was quite shocked. But while the creature was still airborne, Han Sen drew his Phoenix Sword.
Dong!
The Phoenix Sword was incapable of penetrating the creature’s green shield.
“Die!” Han Sen used all his power to repeatedly strike the creature, keeping it airborne amidst a flurry of hits.
The Phoenix Sword and Taia beat against the shield non-stop.
The shield looked like a balloon under fire, as if it’d break any second.
Boom!
Han Sen batted the creature into a wall, and before it could recover, pounced on the creature like a madman. With another barrage of strikes, Han Sen went to town on the creature.
“I don’t need super king spirit mode to kill a super creature!” Han Sen was insanely excited.
“Die!” Han Sen was shouting as he slashed, and eventually, the green bubble shield shattered into a faint haze of dust.
Without the shield, the creature was naked and helpless. It was like a little lamb, prepared for slaughter.
But before Han Sen slew the creature, he froze in place.
“Aw, I was just playing games with you.” Han Sen suddenly looked incredibly kind and gentle, and he brought his hand down to stroke the creature.
Han Sen slowly turned around, and that was when he saw a number of giant creatures behind him. They all stared at Han Sen with menacing eyes.