A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6700

None of the fallen had closed their eyes. Disbelief remained on several faces; others showed only the blank confusion of men killed too quickly to comprehend the attack.

The celestial leader stood at the rear, watching his men fall one after another. Anger on his face turned to fear, then to absolute horror.

The hand gripping his sword trembled. The golden light along the blade flickered erratically, as unsteady as his collapsing courage.

He spun around to flee and nearly stumbled, but Jared's sword was already at his back, moving like a weightless shadow.

Purple sword light punched through him from behind and burst from his chest. A single drop of golden blood clung to the tip before slowly falling.

His body went rigid. He looked down at the purple blade protruding from his chest, terror and disbelief filling his eyes.

A heartbeat later, his strength left him. He toppled onto the stone, golden armor booming against the ground with the weight of a collapsing wall.

The alley went still again. Blood dominated the air, undercut by a light burnt smell where divine radiance had scorched stone and flesh.

A gust swept through the alley mouth, lifting several fallen leaves and spinning them down beside the pools of blood.

With the fight over, Jared returned the Dragonslayer Sword to its sheath and faced the four Demonic Cultivators behind him.

The two middle-aged men had collapsed to the ground, covered in blood. Relief at surviving mixed with shock in their eyes.

They looked at Jared, then at the corpses littering the alley. Their lips moved, but neither managed to say a word.

The young woman held Della tightly against her, both arms wrapped around the girl's shoulders, though her fingers were still trembling.

She watched Jared with open suspicion, like a startled wildcat trapped in a corner.

"W-why did you save us?" she asked hoarsely. Her voice was taut as an overstretched string. "Are you trying to steal the credit for the kills too?"

Something shifted slightly inside Jared as he met her guarded stare.

He understood. In a world like this, kindness from a stranger could be harder to believe than a drawn blade.

These Demonic Cultivators had spent their lives being hunted. Whatever trust they once had had been worn thinner than paper.

"I'm not here to kill you," Jared said, deliberately softening his tone. "I'm human, but I don't agree with what the celestials are doing. Come with me. I'll get you out of here."

The young woman was about to respond when Della tugged gently at her sleeve and looked up at Jared.

There was no fear in the girl's clear dark eyes, only the simple innocence of a young animal.

"Sis... he saved us. He isn't a bad person."

Della's sister searched the girl's face first. Only after that did she lift her guarded eyes to Jared.

She pressed her lips together until they lost their color. Her nails dug into her palm before she finally gave a reluctant nod.

"All right. We'll go with you."

Jared wasted no time. He stepped forward and helped the two injured men to their feet.

Neither man could keep going untreated. One arm was clearly broken, and the other's abdominal wound continued to leak blood through his clothes.

Two clean cloth rolls came out of Jared's storage ring. He wrapped the worst wounds to stem the blood, then guided the four survivors through a maze of side streets.

They avoided multiple celestial patrols along the way and finally climbed back into the inn room through the rear window.

The instant the door shut, Gwendolyn and Master Veridian both looked over.

Gwendolyn's ice-blue eyes landed on the four Demonic Cultivators. Surprise flashed through them first, then understanding. She asked nothing and simply stood to give the two wounded men her chair.

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