The Ascension of the suppressed Dragon

chapter 4 :the scale serpent and the invisible kill

“Move it, kid! You want to be a snack for that thing?”

Captain Iron-Claw’s voice cut through the chaos. His one eye glinted under the sunlight as he barreled past me, twenty men behind him, spears and crossbows raised. The North Gate was a mess—merchants screaming, carts overturned, people tripping over debris. The ground itself seemed alive, vibrating with the monster’s approach.

“I can help,” I yelled over the roar.

Iron-Claw didn’t even glance back. “Help? You’re a civilian! Get to the shelters, unless you want to be minced. Men, phalanx! Don’t let it reach the market!”

I stepped into the middle of the street anyway. Fifty feet of emerald scales coiled ahead, the Scale Serpent radiating heat, its metallic roar shaking the stones beneath my boots. A hiss of corrosive vapor melted the wood of the gatehouse.

“Back! Everyone back!”

A new voice rang above the chaos, smooth and arrogant. “Step aside.”

Wei Wuji landed between the guild and the serpent, silk sleeves billowing. His jade sword pulsed with an aggressive flame. “The genius disciple of the Ling Clan,” someone shouted, relief washing over the panicked crowd.

Wuji’s gaze swept over the serpent, then froze on me—the only one standing still.

“You. Beggar,” he barked. “Are you deaf? I’m about to engage a Rank 4 beast. Crawl back into whatever hole you crawled from before the shockwaves turn your bones to jelly.”

“The beast strikes from the ground,” I said calmly. “Your stance is too high. You’ll get skewered before you even touch it.”

His face flushed with both amusement and fury. “A nameless vagrant giving tactical advice? I am Ling Zhaoyang’s protégé. Blazing Sun technique mastered. I don’t need trash-tier advice. Iron-Claw! Remove this nuisance before I burn him along with the snake!”

“Kid, move!” Iron-Claw yelled.

“I’ll stay,” I said. “I want to see this genius at work.”

“Fine. Die then,” Wuji sneered.

The air shimmered as fire erupted from his blade. “Rising Sun Strike!” He lunged. Sparks flew as jade struck emerald scale. The serpent recoiled, tail whipping. Wuji skidded back, twenty feet, his boots gouging the cobblestones.

“Is that all?” I asked.

“Shut up!” he screamed. “Heavenly Fire Rain!”

Flames danced in his flurry of moves, blinding and theatrical. The crowd cheered, thinking the fight was over. But the serpent ignored Wuji’s display, muscles coiling for a lethal strike. Its eyes locked on a tiny figure cowering behind a fallen stall. A young maid bearing the Ling Clan crest.

“Help!” she screamed.

“I can’t reach her! Tactical sacrifice!” Wuji barked, more concerned about reputation than life.

I didn’t move back. Didn’t draw a sword. Didn’t flare aura. I walked three steps forward, hand outstretched.

Void Heart Path: Internal Implosion.

I didn’t strike. I didn’t push energy. I withdrew the very space inside the serpent’s heart, creating a vacuum of nothingness.

A dull thump echoed. Its golden eyes rolled back. The heart imploded silently. Blood vessels snapped. The massive beast crumpled fifty tons of muscle and scale into the mud, inches from the maid. No fire. No blood. Just absolute stop.

Silence.

“What… what happened?” Iron-Claw stammered, spear trembling.

“It’s dead? Just like that?” Wuji muttered, poking the corpse.

I shrugged. “Maybe it was your technique. Or maybe luck favors me.”

The crowd erupted, chanting Wuji’s name. “Amazing! Young Master Wuji killed a Rank 4 serpent with a hidden strike!”

But the maid’s eyes were on me, wide, haunted, as if she’d seen something forbidden.

I stepped toward her. Wuji intercepted.

“Back, beggar,” he hissed.

“You think you’re clever, don’t you?” he leaned close. “Don’t get ideas. Stay away from my family. Stay away from this girl. You don’t even belong on the dirt beneath our feet.”

He grabbed her roughly. “Come, Xiao’er. Don’t let the stench of this trash rub off on you. Uncle Zhaoyang awaits our victory report.”

I watched him march off, arrogance striding beside him. Zhaoyang. The first bridge. The first target.

“Captain,” I said.

Iron-Claw’s eye flicked to me, brow furrowed. “That was… unbelievable. Kid, Wuji hates spotlight thieves. You should leave.”

“I’m not leaving,” I said. “You said you needed hunters. I’ve shown you luck—let’s see if it holds when real monsters show up.”

Iron-Claw laughed. Forced. “Fine. Welcome to Silver Edge, Mo Ying. Let’s see how long your luck lasts.”

I watched Wuji disappear with the girl. My lips curled. “I’m in the door, Uncle. And the Void is very, very hungry.”

Hunters began dissecting the serpent. The crowd’s attention shifted, but from a dark alley, a shadow moved—a messenger bird with a golden seal on its leg, flying straight toward the Ling Clan estate.

I froze. Its wings cut through the air, and my heart clenched. The message it carried wasn’t just news. It was a warning.

I didn’t move. I didn’t need to.

The Void whispered in the edges of my mind, hungry and patient.

And I knew—whatever was coming next wouldn’t just test skill. It would test survival.

I watched the bird disappear behind the estate walls. Then, the sound came. A soft, metallic click… followed by another… and another, from the shadows around the market.

Eyes scanning, fists clenched, I whispered under my breath:

“Let them come. Let them all come.”

The city held its breath.

And so did I.