I did it on purpose

“Take her down.”

The five individuals, clearly having no intention of engaging him in further discourse, swiftly converged upon him.

Five Silver-tier combatants, collaborating to subdue a mere “helpless woman,” demonstrated an undeniable, almost excessive, caution.

“Help!”

Xie Shenhong cried out in a desperate rush, yet despite the urgency of his pleas, not a single soul appeared.

Unsurprisingly, the quintet failed to breach the protective magical array Lyte had meticulously erected.

Observing their unhurried demeanor, it became evident that their true intention was to ‘beat the grass to startle the snake,’ thereby provoking anxiety in Lyte, who was undoubtedly engaged elsewhere.

‘It seems that guy is already entangled with a powerful enemy.’

With the situation now clear, Xie Shenhong dropped his pretense, drawing his Scarlet Twin Pistols and precisely striking an Imperial spy’s left arm.

“A magitech firearm?”

The five spies simultaneously recoiled, creating ample space for movement, and promptly began casting defensive spells.

While the Kingdom had long since begun equipping its forces with magitech firearms, their potency typically only matched the peak of the Black Iron tier, and the mass production of second-generation Bronze-tier weapons was still three years in the future. Yet, Xie Shenhong had instantly brandished a firearm capable of wounding a Silver-tier opponent, prompting the five to not only exercise extreme caution but also to formulate a new hypothesis.

“Crimson Hawk?”

Xie Shenhong’s only reply was the discharge of another shot.

Just as they had shown no inclination to respond to him, Xie Shenhong saw no reason to clarify that he was merely wielding the Crimson Hawk’s armaments. Moreover, instilling fear in the enemy before the true engagement even began was a tactical advantage in itself.

“Ahhh!”

The Imperial spy, already wounded and genuinely unnerved by the mention of the Crimson Hawk, instinctively attempted to evade as the pistol’s muzzle swung towards them. This evasive maneuver, however, played directly into Xie Shenhong’s precise anticipation, rendering their right arm useless and finally eliciting a tormented shriek.

If one were to question the ineffectiveness of their defensive magic, it was because Xie Shenhong, a remarkably meticulous researcher, had precisely calibrated his weapon. Its marked effect was not merely to injure a lightly defended peak Silver-tier combatant, but to utterly shatter the full defensive capabilities of such an opponent.

At this very moment, among the five, only the one issuing commands had reached the peak Silver-tier; the rest were merely average Silver-tier individuals. Unless they possessed an extraordinary mastery of defensive magic, they stood no chance of repelling his enchanted projectiles.

“It’s a firearm capable of harming a Gold-tier!”

The faces of the remaining four blanched dramatically. Abandoning any further attempts at haphazard evasion, they converged, casting a unified defensive spell, and together surged towards Xie Shenhong.

Their assessment proved accurate. Xie Shenhong’s internal-to-external firing had destabilized Lyte’s protective magic. Thus, if the four were to collide with it at full strength, even if a single impact proved insufficient, two or three more would undoubtedly shatter it.

“So… what should I do?”

Xie Shenhong paused for a fleeting half-second, then arrived at a decisive course of action.

Given that his adversaries were insidious and contemptible Imperial agents, he resolved to dismantle their combined magic through the most technically demanding method imaginable.

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

Xie Shenhong unleashed four rapid shots, each striking a corner of the defensive barrier the quartet had erected.

Subsequently, he raised his other pistol, meticulously aimed at the precise center of the barrier, and discharged his fifth shot.

Bang!

The defensive barrier instantly fragmented, sending three figures hurtling backward. The leader, who had been at the very heart of the combined magic, was struck squarely in the right shoulder by a single shot, their weapon slipping from their grasp with a resounding clang as it hit the ground.

“Origin Point Destruction?” The leader stared at Xie Shenhong, their eyes wide with terror. “Can the legends truly be real?”

Both magical energy and spells inherently possess an ‘origin point’ that sustains their very structure. Theoretically, if all such origin points are obliterated, the magic itself will unravel.

However, the more advanced a spell, the more intricate its origin point. Typically, only an individual two major tiers higher—a Martial Lord—could dismantle Silver-tier magic by targeting its origin point.

Beyond that, only the Crimson Hawk possessed the unique ability to shatter Gold-tier magic while ostensibly remaining a lower-tier combatant.

Yet, for Xie Shenhong, this extraordinary feat was merely the culmination of four years of relentless practice, undertaken after he first learned of the Crimson Hawk’s legendary miracles; its success was, to him, entirely unsurprising.

‘No, I couldn’t do it before. I suppose the reason I succeeded this time, with such instantaneous results, is that my power has finally reached the minimum threshold.’

Casting a cool, indifferent gaze upon the Scarlet Twin Pistols in his grasp, Xie Shenhong dispassionately discharged five more shots, each finding its mark in a different spy’s thigh, thereby ensuring their complete inability to flee.

What remained was—

“Run!” The leader, noticing Xie Shenhong’s gaze drifting past them and focusing intently on the distance, immediately bellowed.

Yet, it was already a step too late.

Xie Shenhong fired both pistols in perfect synchronicity.

In the very next instant, a heavy thud echoed from approximately thirty meters away, signaling something impactful hitting the earth.

“How is that possible?”

The leader’s disbelief was absolute, for their comrade, tasked with reconnaissance and rear-guard duties, had been concealed behind a stretch of ruins, positioned on an entirely different horizontal plane from Xie Shenhong.

Had the magic projectile curved? Yet, there had been no discernible spell of redirection cast upon it.

Wait, could it possibly be…

“Truly worthy of the Crimson Hawk,” the leader spat, their voice laced with fury, as they bit down and shattered the false tooth concealing a deadly poison.

The remaining five individuals replicated the grim act. In short order, all of them, including the Imperial spy who had been covering their retreat, succumbed to the potent venom, their lives abruptly extinguished.

“Damn it… I’m utterly useless,” Xie Shenhong muttered, a self-deprecating curse escaping his lips.

Had he possessed magical power, had he been capable of wielding spells, he wouldn’t have hesitated to approach them even after felling them, nor would he have been unable to knock them unconscious before they could take their own lives.

Alas, in this world, there existed no such thing as ‘if.’ He was merely a useless individual, incapable of even managing such a minor task.

“No, there’s still a chance! Lyte’s side still has survivors!”

Shaking his head to momentarily cast aside these self-deprecating thoughts, Xie Shenhong sprinted towards the distant commotion.

This time, regardless of Lyte’s wishes, even if he had to aim his pistols at Lyte himself, he was determined to secure at least one living captive!

****

“You bastard!”

Lyte, in that moment, harbored an intense desire to slay the person standing before him.

Having parted ways with Xie Shenhong, he had immediately sought out the remembered rendezvous point with the Imperial spies. Predictably, they had laid an ambush. After a grueling battle where he managed to slay two of the three assailants, the remaining Gold-tier agent resorted to threatening his younger sister, Huangfu Jing.

Furthermore, midway through the skirmish, he had sensed trouble befalling Xie Shenhong, who had even abandoned the protective array. Currently, Lyte was consumed by an unbearable, burning anxiety.

Moreover, he was plagued by profound regret. If not for his actions, how could his sister and Xie Shenhong have possibly found themselves in such dire peril?

“Lay down your weapons, or I’ll kill her!”

In that agonizing moment, Lyte was consumed by a desperate urge to disarm himself, to offer his own life in exchange for his sister’s safety.

Yet, he knew with absolute certainty that this was merely a deceitful ploy by the deranged Imperial agents. The moment he laid down his weapons and surrendered, not a single one of them would emerge alive.

It was precisely due to their apprehension of Lyte that his sister remained alive. As for Xie Shenhong… he, too, should still be breathing.

“My patience is limited!”

Lyte knew, however, that if the situation proved irrevocably dire, these Imperial spies would assuredly drag both his sister and Xie Shenhong into a joint suicide.

What was to be done?

He racked his brains until they ached, yet no viable solution to their predicament emerged.

All he could do was grip his sword, staring blankly at the unfolding scene, utterly powerless.

“Lay down your weapons!” the Imperial spy roared, directing their fury towards Lyte… and the figure now standing behind him.

“Shenhong?”

Lyte spun around abruptly, his eyes immediately falling upon that gaze, as piercingly sharp as a hawk’s, and the vibrant scarlet hair that, simply by its presence, seemed to imbue one with boundless energy, drive, and hope.

Xie Shenhong raised his twin pistols, and without a flicker of hesitation, squeezed the triggers. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.

Six shots erupted from the twin pistols. All utterly missed their mark.

The Imperial spy let out a derisive chuckle. Lyte, however, stood frozen in stunned silence.

Yet, his astonishment did not stem from Xie Shenhong’s apparent failure. Instead, he observed the seemingly errant magic projectiles soaring through the air at varying speeds.

Then—

First, the third shot overtook the second, colliding with its rear and deflecting its trajectory while accelerating it.

Subsequently, the now-deflected second shot pursued and then struck the first magic projectile, altering its course as well.

Ultimately, the initial two magic projectiles executed a near 180-degree turn, assailing the Imperial spy’s back and the arm gripping their weapon from behind.