The man who had just swung his sword was shocked when his attack hit nothing. It was clear that the young man hadn’t moved an inch even though the blade was only a handspan away from its target.He turned around when he heard a mocking voice behind him.“You—how did you get over there?”“Hahaha… What a foolish question from someone with such low skill. You and the rest of you should realize just who you’re dealing with,” Arya replied, deliberately boasting in front of them so they would understand that there’s always someone stronger above.The handsome young man turned his gaze to his lover.“Ratna, finish them all! I don’t want to dirty my hands with their filthy blood right now!”“With pleasure. There’s no place on this earth for those who disgrace and violate women!” the beautiful girl grinned, revealing her fierce side.Without another word, Ratnasari swiftly attacked one of the men and snatched his sword. Her claw strike landed precisely on the man’s neck, killing him instantly

Arya’s suspicions turned out to be correct. That morning, the village chief, along with several villagers, came to the inn where the young couple had spent the night. Among them was the girl who had been assaulted by Kelana Sura, now in the comforting embrace of a middle-aged woman.But they had to face the disappointment of not meeting the two heroes. The innkeeper told them that the couple had already left the village before sunrise.Meanwhile, the two figures the villagers of Sekar Sari were searching for were now far away, riding swiftly toward Sarirejo Duchy, which was only a day’s journey from the village.Several hours later, just as the sun was dipping toward the western horizon, Kelana Sura and a dozen of his men finally arrived at Sarirejo Duchy.Duke Wongsonegoro was furious when he saw his son in such a pitiful state, missing his right hand. The rotund duke cursed and swore, condemning the one who had severed his beloved son’s hand.In front of him, a dozen men knelt with

Two soldiers quickly moved to seize Kelana Sura. Both were actually afraid that Kelana Sura or Duke Wongsonegoro would retaliate by punishing them once Prince Jayalaksana departed. But that fear immediately vanished when the youngest son of King Dharmalaksana spoke before they took Kelana Sura to prison.“Uncle Wongso, please remember well what I’m about to say. I, Jayalaksana, guarantee the safety of every soldier who performs his duty properly. I will also punish regional leaders like you, Uncle, if you ever misuse your position and mistreat the people. So I hope you will act as a trustworthy leader,” said Arya.“I will always remember Your Highness’s message,” replied Duke Wongsonegoro.In truth, the ruler of the Sarirejo dukedom was surprised and even skeptical that a son of King Dharmalaksana would have such a character, since to his knowledge, the four sons of the Sastrajingga Kingdom’s ruler had never shown much concern for state affairs. Prince Dewalaksana had visited once or

According to the merchant who gave them information, after passing through the forest, they would encounter five villages. Based on that information, Arya decided to continue their journey. Even if his estimate was off, at least they wouldn’t be caught in the forest after dark.Two hours passed, and night began to blanket the earth in silence. Still, there was no sign of the next village. The dark night revealed not a single point of light in the distance, but that didn’t mean the pair halted their horses.Although their horses didn’t gallop as fast as they did under the sunlight, they kept moving forward along the road.After some time, two faint reddish lights appeared in the distance. They both assumed these were torches placed on either side of a village gate, like they had often seen.But their assumption turned out to be wrong. As they drew closer, they realized the two reddish lights were actually lanterns hung on a tavern that had already closed.“Let’s stop here for a moment,

Ratnasari truly gave not a single one of the twelve men a chance to strike back. The speed she displayed was more than enough to take them down in a short amount of time.The owner of the tavern tried to flee for his life, but Arya was already standing in front of him — the man had no idea when the young warrior had overtaken him.“Where do you think you’re going, Uncle? Haven’t I already warned you that I wouldn’t let a single one of you live?”“Please… forgive me, Warrior. I’ve made a terrible mistake,” the man pleaded.Arya sneered as he looked at the man, now kneeling four steps away from him. “Did you also give the same chance to your victims? Earlier, I asked how many times you’ve carried out this kind of robbery, but none of you answered. So don’t blame me if none of you survive this night,” he said, picking up a small pebble beneath his foot.“Please, forgive me, Warrior. I have a wife and child at home,” the man begged, weeping.“Hahaha… Do you think this is my first time mee