In a single moment, Kurama leapt forward and swung his sword with tremendous force. But Arya quickly deflected the attack, although the impact pushed him back three steps. Before he could regain his footing, Baruna was already in mid-air, slashing his sword down.“Damn it!”Arya was forced to leap and roll to the side to evade the follow-up strike. He didn’t dare let his body be hit and hope that the Dragon Scale Vest would protect him—doing so would be gambling with death itself.The quality of the swords his opponents were using was not something that could be easily resisted by the vest Wira Atmaja had once given him.Their rapid movements made it difficult for Arya to find any opening in their defense. Not only were they just as fast as he was, but their movements were almost indistinguishable from one another. Their attack combinations were highly unpredictable and often came without warning. That was what kept Arya on high alert.So far, Arya could only guess at where their weak

Elder Antareja and Ratnasari were pushed back about five steps, while Warta was thrown even farther. His body slammed into the ruins of a building that had already been damaged during Arya’s battle with Baruna.From the clash of energies, all three of them coughed up fresh blood. Their lungs felt painfully tight, making it hard to breathe.“I can’t believe the two of them could withstand my attack,” Warta muttered in disbelief.He then tried to channel his inner energy to ease the pain from a shallow cut above his stomach. But a second later, he was shocked to see the wound suddenly turn blackish in color.“Poison? How could white-path warriors like them possess a poisonous technique?”Warta kept circulating his inner energy to suppress the venom spreading through his body.Elder Antareja’s condition was slightly better than Warta’s. Although he had managed to land the poisonous technique he had learned from the Poison King onto Ki Jalakpati’s body, he had also been struck in the sola

Arya and Baruna exchanged blow after blow. Their prolonged battle had inevitably drained their stamina and energy, yet neither showed any sign of slowing down.The Fire Dragon Sword danced wildly in Arya’s hands, unleashing a relentless barrage toward the three Barunas, who were slowly being pushed back. The clash between the sacred sword from the Dragon Realm and the Night Ruler Sword sent shockwaves powerful enough to topple the surrounding trees.The elder of the Sapujagat sect—whose skill rivaled that of Reksapati or Sumoharjo—was gradually being cornered. Although none of Arya’s strikes had landed on either his real body or his illusions, Baruna knew he could not relax.He might not know the exact weakness of his Illusion Body technique, but for some reason, he was convinced that the flames erupting from Arya’s blade could burn him if they struck directly. That belief kept his guard up completely; a single lapse in attention could mean his death tonight.Suddenly, the real Baruna

A fraction of a second before the tip of the Fire Dragon Sword reached its target, Arya pulled back his strike, using the recoil from their clashing energies as momentum to change direction. His body twisted swiftly to the side, then he slashed his blade with tremendous force toward his opponent’s neck.Baruna did notice the change in attack, but he was too late to parry—especially since the strike came from the left side of his body.In desperation, he used his left hand to block the incoming blade aimed at his neck. But it was futile.“Aaaargh!”A loud scream tore from Baruna’s mouth as his left arm was severed. Worse still, Arya’s sword didn’t stop there—it continued unhindered, with Baruna’s neck remaining the target, ending in his death.Baruna’s headless body collapsed to the ground. His physique shrank, returning to its original form.Seeing his opponent dead didn’t mean Arya could relax. He remained alert, unwilling to let strange incidents happen again. He waited a moment to

Prince Bimalaksana furrowed the skin between his eyebrows. “Why are you so certain?” “Surya would never dare act so recklessly. He’s the kind of man who calculates every move before doing anything. Even if he’s not in the capital right now, he definitely won’t return to the palace just yet. At this moment, he’s still watching our movements—whether we succeed or fail, he will eventually show up. But if I take the throne of Sastrajingga, I will make sure Surya faces the harshest punishment!” Prince Bimalaksana swallowed hard. He knew his eldest brother’s threat was no idle remark. If his elder brother had the audacity to stage a coup against their own father, it was not impossible that he would also kill his own brothers should they stand in the way of his ambitions. Prince Dewalaksana’s suspicious gaze turned toward his younger brother’s odd expression. However, he thought nothing more of it, assuming it was just a normal reaction. A day’s journey away from Purareksa, Prince Su