The Battle of the Unsurpassed

      The darkness in the abandoned temple was thick, suffocating, and smelled of old dust and dried blood. Xie Lian came to his senses from the sharp pain in his wrists. He tried to move, but the bonds held him tightly, tied to a thick, half-rotted wooden column. His hands were held behind his back, the ropes dug into his skin until it bled, and his spiritual powers, as always in his presence, were completely blocked.       A silhouette in snow-white robes slowly emerged from the darkness. The stranger's face was hidden by a half-smiling, half-crying mask. A faceless Buy.       — Are you awake, my dear Highness? — a soft, insinuating voice rang out, sending an icy chill down Xie Lian's spine.       Faceless Bai came closer. His cold, pale fingers touched Xie Lian's cheek, slowly tracing the outline of his jaw. There was no tenderness in that touch, just a perverse, possessive desire to harm. The prince's white robe was torn at the chest. The faceless Bai unceremoniously put his hand under the fabric, stroking his collarbones, going lower, deliberately mocking and making Xie Lian shudder in disgust.       — Let me go… — Xie Lian croaked, trying to turn away, but the man grabbed his chin tightly.       — But why? You like the attention, Xianle, — the Faceless Bai whispered and suddenly slapped Xie Lian on the cheek with a swing.       The sound of a slap echoed through the empty temple. The prince's head jerked to the side, blood gushing from his split lip. But before Xie Lian could recover from the outburst of pain, the White Calamity came close and... pressed his lips to the wound. He licked at the blood, gently, almost tenderly, as if healing the damage he had inflicted. This insane combination of cruelty and affection was nauseating.       Immediately after that, another blow followed, this time in the stomach. Xie Lian would have doubled over if it weren't for the ropes. The air rushed out of his lungs with a hiss. Faceless Bai calculated his strength precisely: he struck in such a way as to cause maximum suffering, but skillfully held Xie Lian on the very verge of fainting, not allowing saving unconsciousness to take him away. «San Lang…» — flashed through Xie Lian's hazy mind.       Through a haze of pain, the prince desperately clung to a single memory. A young man in red, silver butterflies, a warm, confident voice: «Your Highness, if you want to meet, no matter what separates us, I will definitely come to you.» «Please, San Lang… help…» — Xie Lian prayed in his mind.       At the same moment, the silence of the temple was shattered by a deafening ringing. The window shattered into splinters, and a whirlwind of thousands of silver butterflies rushed in. They glowed so brightly that they momentarily blinded the Faceless Bai. From this radiance, crushing everything in its path, a silhouette in bright red robes grew up. A curved blade, the Emin, gleamed predatorily in his hand.       — That thing! Get away from him! — Hua Cheng's voice, usually calm and velvety next to Xie Lian, now vibrated with such rage that it seemed like the walls of the temple were about to collapse.       Faceless Bai only laughed softly and took a step back from Xie Lian.       Hua Cheng didn't wait a second. He rushed forward, turning into a scarlet lightning bolt. The silver Emin whistled through the air, aiming straight for the demon's throat. Faceless Bai dodged with a smooth, almost lazy movement, and fountains of cursed dark flames erupted from the floor where he had been standing. But that didn't stop Hua Cheng. He leaped through the fire, his robes catching fire, but immediately extinguished under the protection of the silver butterflies.       An indescribably fierce battle began. Hua Cheng's saber moved with such incredible speed that it merged into a solid sparkling crescent moon. Each of his punches was filled with colossal spiritual power and rage capable of leveling mountains. Faceless Bai accepted the challenge, summoning a long, jet-black sword from dark energy. The demons' weapons collided with a deafening screech that made one's ears pop. Deep cracks appeared on the walls of the abandoned temple, tiles and age-old dust fell from the ceiling.       Hua Cheng delivered fierce slashing blows from top to bottom, forcing the Faceless Bai to retreat. White Calamity defended himself, skillfully parrying the attacks, but the pressure of the Prince of Demons was crushing. Hua Cheng whirled in a deadly dance, his saber rang continuously: lunge, block, turn, feint and a sharp kick in the gut. Faceless Bai blocked Emin's blade with his sword, but the blow was so powerful that the demon was thrown back, and his feet left deep furrows on the stone floor. A low, sinister laugh escaped from the Faceless Bai's mask, and he abruptly threw out his palm, sending a burst of concentrated dark energy at Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng managed to set up a block, but the force of the explosion was enormous — he was thrown against the opposite wall. The robes on his chest tore open, revealing bleeding cuts from the magic shards.       — San Lang!       But Faceless Bai wouldn't be a supreme demon if he fought honestly. Noticing that Hua Cheng was instantly rising to his feet for another attack, he abruptly broke the distance and in the blink of an eye was right behind Xie Lian's bound back.       He roughly grabbed the prince by the hair, forcing him to tilt his head back, fixed it with magic and put the cold blade of the summoned sword directly to his throat. With his free hand, Faceless Bai defiantly went lower, shamelessly touching Xie Lian's groin through the thin fabric of his pants.       — Come on, Flower Collector under the blood rain, take another step, — the Faceless Bai hissed, looking at the frozen Hua Cheng. — You know he's a god, he won't die from it. But I can slowly cut off his head or make him scream in pain, which will torment him inside, right in front of your eyes. Do you want to see it?       Hua Cheng's eye flashed with crimson fire. The Emin in his hand was shaking wildly, and the eye on the hilt of the saber was spinning in panic. Hua Cheng froze, breathing heavily, not daring to move so as not to harm his lover. His heart seemed to be bursting from the inability to rush to help.       — San Lang! Don't listen to him! I'll be fine, hit me! — Xie Lian screamed with his last strength, overcoming the pain that the blade brings him, which digs into his throat with every word.       — Shut up, — the Faceless Bai snapped.       He waved his hand, and a dark flash enveloped Xie Lian. The prince's throat seemed to be squeezed by an invisible vise — the magic power completely blocked his voice. Xie Lian could only open his mouth soundlessly, tears rolling down from his eyes from impotence. He frantically shook his head, cutting himself again, begging Hua Cheng not to give in to blackmail.       Taking advantage of the Demon Prince's confusion, Faceless Bai abruptly pushed Xie Lian away and went on the attack again. This time, the battle became even more violent and chaotic. Faceless Bai attacked swiftly, his black sword leaving dark plumes in the air. He was deliberately aiming at Hua Cheng's wounds. They clinched, breathing heavily and looking into each other's eyes. Hua Cheng growled in rage, pressing down on Emin's hilt with his whole body. Faceless Bai abruptly dodged to the side, and his sword drew a deep wound on Hua Cheng's shoulder. The cloth was instantly soaked in blood. «San Lang, be careful, please!» — the celestial begged in his thoughts.       But Hua Cheng seemed to have stopped feeling pain altogether. He was driven forward by defensive rage. He made a sharp lunge forward, spun around his axis and delivered a crushing blow from the side. Emin broke through the Faceless Bai's defense and deeply cut his shoulder and chest. The masked demon growled hollowly, staggering back. Realizing that he would not be able to break this bond today, and that Hua Cheng was ready to literally scatter himself to the wind, but destroy him, Faceless Bai decided to retreat.       — That's enough for today, — his chilling voice rang out.       He waved his sleeve. The magical bonds binding Xie Lian snapped with a bang, releasing the prince, and at the same moment, the Faceless Bai disappeared into thin air, leaving behind only a plume of cold mist.       Xie Lian, having lost his footing, as his spiritual powers were not returned to him, began to fall to the stone floor, but they did not let him fall.       — Your Highness! — Hua Cheng's voice was filled with so much undisguised fear and pain that Xie Lian had never heard before.       Red robes flashed before his eyes, and strong, trembling hands caught the prince at the very floor. Hua Cheng fell to his knees, hugging Xie Lian tightly to his chest. He was shaking all over. Xie Lian's voice returned to his throat, and the magic block subsided. But as soon as the prince looked up, he immediately noticed with horror Hua Cheng's torn clothes, a deep cut on his chest, and the demon's heavily bleeding shoulder. Xie Lian's stomach turned over with panic.       — San Lang! Oh my God, San Lang, you're hurt! Look at you, there's so much blood! Put me down, you can't… — Xie Lian wailed in fright, trying to pull away and inspect the demon's injuries, his hands now also trembling with excitement for his beloved.       — Your Highness, be quiet. It's nothing, it's nothing. It doesn't hurt at all, — Hua Cheng hurriedly waved away, completely ignoring his own wounds. Instead, his single eye scanned Xie Lian's face, split lip, bruises on his neck, and wrists cut by ropes with endless anxiety. — I'm sorry… I'm sorry, gege… I let it happen…       — San Lang, I'm sorry! You've suffered so much because of me! — Xie Lian exclaimed with tears in his eyes.       Hua Cheng did not listen to his self-accusation anymore. He gently but firmly cupped the prince's face in his hands and pressed his lips to his, giving at least a little spiritual strength so that the wounds on Xie Liang would heal a little faster. That kiss was full of despair, relief, and boundless love. Hua Cheng kissed his split lips, licking the blood, gently, as if Xie Lian was made of the most fragile porcelain. Then he knelt even lower, showering kisses on the bitten cheek, neck, collarbones, gently kissing the wounded wrists — wherever he could reach, trying to erase the very memory of someone else's touch.       Finally, Hua Cheng carefully placed one hand under Xie Lian's back and the other under his knees, intending to lift him up. Noticing this, Xie Lian immediately moved and began to actively rest his hands on the demon's chest, trying not to put pressure on the wounds.       — No, no, San Lang, stop! Please don't!— Xie Lian persisted, trying to pull away. — You're hurt, your shoulder is covered in blood! I am the god of war, I can walk on my own, my legs are intact! Let me go, it's hard and painful for you!       — Gege, — Hua Cheng interrupted him gently but absolutely adamantly. He did not even move from the prince's resistance, only gently but firmly pressed him to his chest, fixing him in his hands. His gaze was firm and full of determination. — It's the greatest honor for me to carry you, and no scratch will change that. You're exhausted and wounded. Please let me take care of you. Don't make me beg.       Xie Lian looked into his eyes full of love and firmness, shifted his gaze to the bloody shoulder, sighed, and realized that arguing with the Demon Prince in such a state was absolutely useless. All his protest melted away, replaced by a huge tenderness. He carefully wrapped his arms around Hua Cheng's neck and nuzzled his collarbone, trying not to touch his injured shoulder.       — Good… — the prince whispered softly.— Thank you, San Lang.       Silver butterflies swirled around them again, creating a dense, shimmering cocoon. Hua Cheng confidently and easily strode away from the ruined, cursed temple, tossing the dice along the way, carefully carrying his most important treasure to where no one could disturb them — home, to the Ghost City.