The Villain's Story

Elijah's sword pierced the heart of the Wudang Sect Master.

'What?'

Elijah, taken aback, tried to retract his blade but the voice of the Wudang Sect master made him stop. He had not expected it would go like this.

"Don't."

The Wudang Sect Master stopped Elijah from retracting his blade. His voice was peaceful, as he finally gained clarity…he finally found peace.

The aura of the mountain changed from desolation to a calm breeze.

"9 Strikes."

The Wudang Sect master coughed up black blood. His body would have fallen to the ground if not For Elijah's blade supporting it.

"It took you 9 strikes to comprehend the flow…"

He sounded glad, proud, ecstatic.

"..."

Frankly, Elijah still did not fully understand it. At least he didn't think he understood it.

What did he just do? He just followed the trajectory of the Wudang sect master's blade and…reverted it,

Changed it.

"That's the flow."

The Wudang sect master's voice echoed in his ear. It possessed a tranquil feeling.

"To understand what the Opponent means to do, and to return or disrupt it by acting like a small disturbance."

"Not fully taking control of their art…and going with the flow."

His words were confusing to Elijah. He struggled to understand but at the same time, it was as if he knew the meaning behind them. It was certainly a strange feeling/

"It is simple and complex at the same time, but you have understood it…your body has. Your mind awaits."

Elijah's sword left his body and he fell to his knees, bearing a happy face on his face.

The sight around Elijah changed. The desolate sect was now filled with people. Old,Young…all of them,

The disciples of the sect, and the elders, all happily ran around doing their daily tasks. The cracked marble and shattered floor repaired itself and Elijah could finally see the lush, pure white beauty of the Wudang Sect.

He was taken aback by the sight, the Mountain of Wudang had revisited it's most prosperous era. The pristine, white marble, the maintained buildings, and also the lush and beautiful flowers and trees.

The previous scenes of decay and rot were all gone, now…it was beautiful.

"..."

The Wudang sect master strained his dying eyes to see the beauty of his sect one more time, a faint smile laced his face, a smile he had not displayed in a long time. A smile that also contained a sea of sorrow within it.

"You did it faster than even the Heavenly demon…"

Praised the Wudang Sect master.

"Heavenly demon..?"

Elijah inquired, unaware of the name of the Heavenly demon. Who was this man that the Wudang Sect master mentioned? 

"The strongest of us."

Elijah suddenly felt as if a mountain had been placed upon him.

"On the highest mountain of Murim."

The weight of the 'mountain' increased as the Wudang sect master continued his words. 

The pressure…was making him fall to his knees but he endured with all his might. He was doing his best to keep standing upright,

"That is the end, that is your destination."

He lay flat on the ground. Relishing the clear blue sky endowed with the light of the sun one last time.

He cared not for his clean white robes being dirtied…he just wanted to enjoy it.

His last words left his lips.

"The heavenly demon awaits…"

And then the Trial clear notification appeared in front of Elijah.

[You have cleared the 22nd floor, The Trial of Wudang.]

[The tower congratulates you, you have shown a satisfying ending.]

[Transporting to the 23rd floor.]

***********

The mountain of Wudang lay destroyed, an entire mountain removed from the surface of the Ground. The surroundings lay devastated. Deep crevices and craters filled the land, it was as if a clash between two monsters had taken place. A clash so devastating the entire mountain lay decimated, the Wudang Sect was no more.

The earth was melting in some places and frozen in others, except for those particular spots of molten earth the entire place was frozen. Glaciers were driven deep into the ground as if someone had thrown them from the skies, It wasn't just Glaciers.

Spikes and Spears of ice, each the size of a house, also littered the ground, some so deep only a part of them could be seen.

Just what had caused such destruction?

The ability to decimate an entire mountain to ash?

The ability to cause such destruction…was possessed by none other than Alan, who in the center of all this chaos had impaled the Wudang Sect Master with his tail.

He threw the body of the Wudang Sect master away, he had a wide hole in his chest.

"Cough!"

He coughed up black blood.

"Why?"

Alan asked, confused. The reason he was asking this was because…

"Why did you hold back?"

The Wudang sect master had held back. He did not fight Alan with full power.

"Would it have mattered?"

He coughed up blood. It was laborious to utter even a single sentence now.

"..."

Alan remained silent, his eyes looked at the Wudang Sect Master with a gaze of disgust.

A gaze of disappointment.

"I would have lost anyways…"

Yes, even if he went all out he would still have lost. Indeed!

Alan was too powerful for his dead corpse to handle, he would have lost no matter what.

"Are you satisfied?"

Suddenly, Alan asked a weird question. Why was he asking if the Wudang Sect Master was satisfied?

"..."

The Wudang sect master strained his eyes to gaze at Alan one last time.

"Yes…I lost as a martial artist…to a martial artist."

Alan went back to his Human form, he went over to the Wudang Sect Master.

The light in his black eyes was gone, and the color of his skin was fading. The man was dead. 

Alan bent down and closed his eyes, giving him his final rest.

[You have cleared the 22nd floor, The trial of Wudang.]

[The tower, although reluctant, says you have cleared the trial in an interesting manner.]

[Advancing towards the 23rd trial.]