Chapter 14: Fury Unleashed
Sanjeev's blood ran cold as he took in the scene before him. The young man's assault on the shopkeeper was brutal and relentless. The woman, who couldn't have been more than twenty, was pinned against a stall, her face contorted in fear as the assailant loomed over her, his voice a torrent of vile threats.
Without a second thought, Sanjeev surged forward, his anger overriding any sense of self-preservation. He grabbed the assailant's arm, yanking him away from the terrified woman.
"Let her go!" Sanjeev roared, his voice infused with the power of his spiritual energy.
The young man spun around, his eyes blazing with fury. He was even larger than Sanjeev had initially thought, his muscles bulging beneath his roughspun clothes. A sneer twisted his lips as he sized up Sanjeev.
"And who are you to interfere?" he snarled. "This is none of your concern."
"It is my concern when you're attacking an innocent person!" Sanjeev retorted, his Agni flame flickering to life around his fists.
The young man laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Innocent? She owes me money! And she was refusing to pay up."
"That's no reason to use violence!" Sanjeev countered.
"Stay out of this, boy, unless you want to get hurt," the young man warned, his voice low and menacing.
Sanjeev stood his ground, his body trembling with a righteous fury. He couldn't back down, not when this woman was in danger. "I won't let you hurt her," he declared, his voice firm and unwavering.
The young man's eyes narrowed, and he lunged at Sanjeev with surprising speed. Sanjeev was ready for him, his senses heightened by his spiritual energy. He sidestepped the attack and delivered a swift kick to the man's ribs.
The young man grunted in pain but quickly recovered. He swung a heavy fist at Sanjeev's head, but Sanjeev blocked it with his forearm, the force of the impact sending a shockwave up his arm.
The fight escalated quickly, a whirlwind of blows and blocks. Sanjeev relied on his agility and speed, dodging the young man's powerful attacks and retaliating with quick, precise strikes. He channeled his Agni flame into his fists, each blow carrying the force of a small explosion.
The young man was strong and relentless, his attacks fueled by a savage fury. He fought with a wild abandon, seemingly impervious to pain. He landed a few blows on Sanjeev, each one sending a jolt through his body.
As the fight raged on, Sanjeev noticed a pattern in the young man's movements. He was telegraphing his attacks, leaving himself open for a counterstrike. Sanjeev saw an opportunity and decided to end the fight.
He let the young man's next attack connect, taking the blow on his shoulder. He ignored the pain and used the momentum to close the distance between them. He channeled all of his Agni flame into his right hand, focusing it into a single, devastating technique.
"Thunder from Heaven!" Sanjeev roared, unleashing a concentrated blast of spiritual energy.
The force of the strike hit the young man squarely in the chest. There was a blinding flash of light, followed by a deafening boom. The young man was sent flying backward, crashing into the brick wall of the alleyway.
The young man slumped to the ground, unmoving. Sanjeev stood over him, his chest heaving, his body trembling with exhaustion and the aftershocks of the attack. He had never used that much of his power before, and the strain was immense.
The shopkeeper, who had been cowering against the stall, slowly approached Sanjeev, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and gratitude. "T-thank you," she stammered, her voice trembling. "You saved me."
Sanjeev managed a weak smile. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
The shopkeeper nodded, still shaken but unharmed. "Yes, thanks to you. He... he was my brother. He's been having a very hard time lately."
A wave of shock washed over Sanjeev. Brother? He had just...
Suddenly, a figure appeared at the entrance of the alleyway. It was the woman Sanjeev had bumped into after leaving the Alchemist Association Hall. The woman with the twilight eyes and the serene authority. But now, her face was contorted with grief and rage.
Tears streamed down her face as she rushed to the young man's side. She knelt beside him, cradling his head in her lap. Her body shook with sobs as she gazed at his lifeless form.
Then, she looked up at Sanjeev, her eyes filled with an unfathomable anger. Sanjeev could see the raw fury in her gaze, a hatred so intense it was palpable. The temperature in the alleyway seemed to drop, and the air crackled with energy.
Sanjeev recognized her now. She was an elder of the Lotus Blade Sect, a powerful cultivator at the Visuddha Clarity 5th realm, the highest level he had encountered since arriving in this world.
The woman's grief quickly turned into rage. "You!" she snarled, her voice a low, guttural growl. "You killed my son!"
The climate of the city began to change drastically. The sky, which had been a clear azure, turned a menacing black. Dark clouds gathered overhead, swirling and churning like a tempestuous vortex. The wind picked up, howling through the narrow alleyway, carrying with it the scent of ozone and the promise of destruction. Thunder rumbled in the distance, growing louder and more ominous with each passing second.
The woman rose to her feet, her body trembling with power. Her eyes glowed with an eerie light, and her spiritual energy erupted around her like a raging storm. She raised her hand, and a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, striking Sanjeev with its full force.
Sanjeev cried out in pain as the lightning coursed through his body. He felt his muscles contract, his bones vibrate, his very essence threatened with annihilation. The world turned black, and he collapsed to the ground, his body smoking and charred.
The woman stared down at Sanjeev's seemingly lifeless form, her expression a mixture of grief and satisfaction. She thought he was dead, his life extinguished by her devastating attack.
But then, a faint glow emanated from beneath Sanjeev's burnt clothes. A bracelet on his wrist, a gift from his grandmother, pulsed with a soft, protective light. The bracelet, a powerful artifact capable of withstanding an attack from a cultivator at the peak of the Visuddha Clarity realm, had absorbed the brunt of the lightning strike, shielding Sanjeev from certain death.
The woman, unaware of the bracelet's protective properties, turned away, her grief overwhelming her anger. She gathered her son's body in her arms and vanished into the swirling darkness, leaving Sanjeev lying broken and seemingly lifeless in the alleyway.
Some time later, Jian was roaming the market, searching for Sanjeev. He had expected his brother to return home hours ago, and he was beginning to worry. As he passed the alleyway, he saw a figure lying on the ground, his clothes blackened and smoking.
Jian's heart leaped into his throat. He rushed to the figure's side and recognized Sanjeev. He was horrified by the sight of his brother's condition.
Jian carefully lifted Sanjeev into his arms, his face etched with concern and fear. He carried Sanjeev back to their grandfather's estate as quickly as he could, his mind racing with questions and dread.
When they arrived home, Xue Rong and Xiner were waiting anxiously. Their faces turned pale when they saw Sanjeev's state.
Jian laid Sanjeev on his bed, and Xue Rong immediately began to examine him, his expression grim. "He's alive," he announced, his voice tight with worry, "but he's severely injured. He needs immediate treatment."
Xue Rong, Xiner, and Jian worked tirelessly throughout the night, using their combined knowledge and skills to treat Sanjeev's injuries.