"Hey...would you look at this? It seems Anne also went for a desperate climatic fight." Aniela offered her own commentary once the duo had arrived back to the Clansman.

Indeed the very first thing they saw when coming back was the uncontrollable frenzy of black fire. Dozens of trees were lit up in a blazing black flame while there were patches of black fame on the ground.

The raging sight of boiling black flames made for an ominous, threatening view as if a great battle was raged here. Though for the duo, this made them smile with pure bliss.

"Look over there. Anne's group is also panting like a dog after fighting." Darcel pointed to his right, still with that gleeful smile on his face seeing their conditions.

Moreover, one of his hands was deep inside his pocket, unknown to all on the outside world.

Looking over to them, Aniela figured why Darcel seemed even more satisfied. As she was delighted with this result also.

Everyone in that group was holding on to ordinary looking silver swords, plunging them into the ground. Beads of sweat dripped down their faces as they leaned on their swords for support.

Like Darcel guessed, for these average youths in cultivation, they struggled far more in combat.

Anne's group simply didn't have their speed nor the overwhelming power to quickly dispatch those at the same level or nearing their levels.

Anne seemed the most drained since she was taking the most extended and deepest breath. But she did have good reason too since like the duo had guessed, she exerted herself with using Qi black flames.

This was the sole difference between the ninth layer of the Qi Foundation realm and the Qi Formation Sea realm.

While at the ninth layer, one can conjure up Qi for a ranged attack. There was a significant drawback if one chooses to do it.

The drawback is the massive amount of Qi energy needed for a ranged attack. Plus, the range attack won't be nearly as powerful as one expects.

This was due to the fact the stable base for such attacks isn't laid out in the Qi foundation realm. However, in the Qi formation sea realm, one would have everything they need to perform destructive attacks.

But looking at Anne's condition now, it was all but impossible for her to perform any more powerful destruction.

"Ah! Are you guys, alright?!" Aniela raised a perfected acting cry of worry while she dashed towards the Clansman. Darcel followed straight behind, nearly letting out a chuckle for Aniela's performance.

Anne's group snapped their heads to their left, hearing Aniela's bubbly voice. Somehow hearing her voice felt a bit soothing, and some were even glad she made it back.

Anne was especially glad as she told her, "It's nothing too serious. Just some exhaustion from fighting so hard."

Aniela got close to her with a comforting broad smile that seemed to shine bright in the cruel dark forest.

As Aniela went to her right, Anne noticed Darcel going to her left side, but she didn't pay any heed. By the extension of Aniela, she also got used to the standoffish, cold presence of Darcel.

"Oh, oh! You still have some slight minor injuries...hey, why don't you let me help speed this process up?" Aniela suggested to her while igniting her hand in her signature white glow.

Immediately, everyone there felt warm and drawn into the white glow. It gave off this secure feeling that they needed more than ever at this moment.

Even Aniela was innately curious about her hand, so she asked, "Can you heal small injuries or something?"

Aniela didn't even glance at Darcel as she told her, "Just watch, you'll feel entirely new after I'm done!"

Such bold confidence and reassurance did get Anne to relent a bit.

Plus, just getting out of battle, she'll take any small straws she can get. It also helped that she had considerably warmed up to Aniela during their travels.

"Alright, show me what you got then." Anne smiled at her and agreed.

With her words, Anne felt her hand grab her shoulder. Anne's mind was momentarily distracted just from this small touch since, frankly, Aniela's hand felt tender and soothing!

But it was then that a second rougher hand tightly grabbed the back of her neck in this moment of distraction!

"Wha-AHH~?!?"

Anne's body tensed for a second, but her senses, mind, and body were assaulted with this odd frantic wave of pleasure and pain. Her blood was crazily swirly, directly affecting her mind and body.

Her loins immediately started to burn and wet with intense burning desire. All she wanted now was a release! Her defenses were all but gone for this specific moment.

And Aniela's eyes flashed a murderous glint!

'Chi!'

Blood spurted out in the air as Aniela stabbed that strange purple scalpel deep into her neck! Purple sickly lines formed on Anne's neck and swiftly ran through her whole body.

Pain, tremendous massive pain that Anne had never felt before, overloaded her senses and wracked every inch of her body.

"Ge-Acl-AHH!!!"

"What the fuck are you doing?!?"

Towards Anne's screams and chokes of blood and pain, the other Clansman gained a fierce glint in their eyes. They pulled their swords out of the grounds and glared at the duo with vicious killing intent.

Everything was just too sudden and abrupt! Darcel's hand flashed towards Anne's neck instantly, and no one even knew how the hell Aniela fished out that scalpel in a flash.

But one thing is for sure, these pair of mere sixth layer Qi foundation kids are courting death!

Darcel and Aniela simply turned around to face the youths that had drawn their weapons. Their faces still remained steady and called with a hint of a smirk.

Both of them let Anne's body go, letting her fall to the full while spasming in tremendous pain. Flexing out his Darkness glowing hand, Darcel told them, "Isn't it obvious? We're taking our official leave from your poor little clan."

"Indeed, it would never benefit us in the long run. We need to spread our wings!" Aniela also chimed in with her own crude remark.

"I should've known there was something off about the two of you, but really, do the two of you truly believe you'll leave here alive?!" The one who was talking, Darcel recognized as the large, robust boy from yesterday.

There was also the skinny sixth layer boy in the group.

Darcel also saw Mary from yesterday, but the other boy next to her he didn't recognize. But such little things were only cosmetic as Darcel said,

"Do you think you'll live past today?"

Instantly his words got the Clansman to tighten up and go into battle positions. They haven't attacked the duo yet because of their last exhaustion from battle, but it looks like these two would come at them.

Upon this point, they all gained a mocking cruel smirk. A murderous glint exuded from their eyes, treating the duo like mere prey.

"How naive! Do you r-"

Whatever Mary was going shall be forever unknown as her words got caught in her throat. By the fierce swirl of a gush of wind, all of Mary's group were taken by a surprise.

'Chi!'

The sickening sound of blood blared into Mary's group eardrums. Nobody knew what happened, but when they saw Aniela clutch her hand, a deadly premonition rose inside them.

Slowly they turn around only to see the skinny sixth layer boy corpse in a bloody pool. Out sticking from his head was a rock that had an eye-piercing white glow.

Their heads snapped back to the duo with small worry crossing their faces.

"How did you…" The robust boy tried to talk, but another swirling gush of wind interrupted everything.

In a black and white flash, Darcel and Aniela seemingly teleported right in their faces!

Swift like wind, Darcel threw out his Darkness glow fist towards the robust boy face. He was at the eighth layer of the Qi foundation realm, yet he couldn't help but get shocked at Darcel's speed.

In sync, Aniela threw two quick fists at Mary and the boy beside her. These two were both at the seventh layer of the Qi foundation realm, but Aniela's speed was uncatchable!

Hastily, all Mary's group could do in a split second was a sudden counter-attack.

Enforcing their arms, they slashed up to intercept the duo mighty black and white fists!

'Bang!'

Contrary to Mary's group belief, they were ones that had to take several steps back just from the sheer power of the duo's attacks. Their eyes burst wide open, and disbelief filled their faces.

"Geh! How?!?"

Their arms stung slightly from their frontal collision, which caused even more confusion in Mary's group. They all believed their partner died because the duo used another insidious surprise trick.

However, this clash changed their whole perspective.

This kind of insane prowess... it's almost like these two could fight beyond their levels!

But something like this should be impossible for where they come from! In their low-level place, never had they heard any youths being able to have this genius prowess.

Yet the living proof of Darcel and Aniela's calm and serene face made facts undeniable.

Similarly to Mary's group, Darcel and Aniela were actually a bit surprised as well. They had a feeling they would be able to jump levels considering their domination of Spirit Monsters at their layer.

But, even as their hands stung from the clash, they didn't expect their prowess to be this high.

Initially, the two were planning on immediately running away. But now, their curiosity in their prowess peaked, and they couldn't just let this go.

Not missing a single beat, Darcel and Aniela had a rising battle-hungry smile.

'Hua!'

They sprinted to Mary's group again with an intense craze. Darcel had his eyes locked on the robust boy while Aniela took on Mary and the other boy.

This time Mary's group forced their bodies to react, causing more strains upon themselves.

Right when Darcel near his face, the robust boy's eyes lit up.

Gripping his sword like his life depended on it, the robust boy swung a quick, precise slash at Darcel's pursuit.

At the diagonal slash he threw, the boy thought this way, there would be no way for Darcel to accurately counter-attack this.

Relying on his instincts, Darcel crouched down at the last second of the boy sword strike, just narrowly dodging the sword.

He used his left hand to throw a quick but fierce jab at the boy sword holding wrist in this position.

Simentounsaly, Darcel threw a clean right hook to the boy's chin.

Without even realizing why, the robust boy suddenly felt pain from his wrist, causing him to drop the sword and then,

"Geh!"

His whole world got rocked once Darcel upper connected to his chin!

As bloody spit shot out from his mouth, the boy also felt his blood frantically swirl. Primal emotions like lust, rage, and sadness heavily affected his mind and blurred his vision.

At the same time, Aniela was also evenly matching the two seventh layer youths.

Using her telekinesis, she swiftly grabbed on to their swords, infecting them with her powers. A white glow covered their swords, and Aniela flung them far away.

Mary and the other boy were stunned, but soon their visions met with two large chunks of fast-flying rocks!

Enforcing their arms, they struck against the rocks, breaking them. However, the sheer force of the attack also sent the two back a few steps.

Coincidentally, they had also stopped right next to the robust boy whose eyes were still dazed after Darcel's attacks.

"We need to kill them now!" Mary roared out since her body felt like it was on fire now. Under normal conditions, they wouldn't be struggling nearly as hard with these two.

But now they had no such luxury.

"Arrgh!! Die!!"

In rage and confusion, the robust boy managed to fish out a talisman that halted Darcel and Aniela's rushing.

Seeing the talisman, Darcel's brain worked into overdrive as he got a risky idea.

"Aniela! Put as much Qi into your hands as possible!"

At this point, Darcel dared to take the risk, and Aniela immediately responded.

The duo swiftly pushed out their arms with no question asked, making their hands glow a bright brilliance of black and white!

"Who cares what they're doing! Put your hands on mine!!" The robust boy shouted in primal rage to the others. In this state, Mary and the other boy didn't dare to argue and smacked their hand on top of his.

Promptly they all poured their Qi into the talisman that greedily absorbed their energies.

In no time at all, the talisman shined a black flame radiance! Mary's group felt drained, but their glee to murder the duo was at an all-time high.

"DIE!!"

The robust boy shouted in feral rage and chuck the talisman at the duo.

He was still trying to control his raging body, but a vicious smirk still etched on his face once throwing the talisman.

Mary and the other boy as well gained a cruel smirk since there was no way these two can survive this!

'Chi!'

Out exploding from the flaming talisman was a vast roaring black fireball! The temperature was immediately raised to burning degrees, scorching the ground beneath it.

With blitzing speed, the black fireball sailed straight at the duo.

However, what happened next fried Mary's group minds.

"Hah!!"

Unleashing their own battle cries, Darcel and Aniela clashed against the black fireball with just their mere palms! Their legs buckled into the ground, and black fire swirled around in a rapid frenzy.

Nevertheless, neither youths moved an inch from their spots.

"Just like in Organization, remember Aniela!"

"Right!"

Both roared to each other, overextending their powers now. But it wasn't without results.

In the awe stares of Mary's group, only a few seconds after sending the fireball out did the same piercing white glow covered the whole black fireball!

The white glow made the fireball still and managed to decrease the temperature around them. And to add on, a black light had suddenly intermixed with Aniela's white glow.

"Come to us!"

With Darcel's final shout, the vast black fireball became absorbed directly into the duo palms!

Mary's group feet were firmly planted into their spots as their brains majorly lagged. All they did was watch as their talisman attack was absorbed by Darcel and Aniela.

The pure and powerful black flames, known to only their clan, were quickly dealt with by them…

"Phew, I feel hotter than usual now," Aniela remarked while stretching out her palms.

Both she and Darcel felt a warm sensation run throughout their bodies and soul. But it didn't cause any damage to their bodies.

Before Darcel could also comment, his senses spiked up as dangerous premonition took over his mind.

"Get ready to run."

Darcel said in a quiet voice to Aniela when everyone there felt their ground tremble and heard,

"RWARGH!!!"

The roaring shouts of several powerful beats coming right at them!