After their long discussion with King Wijaya Kusuma, Arya and Rengga went straight to meet Ki Mangkubumi and shared everything they had learned about Braganata.“So our duty now,” Ki Mangkubumi said in a calm, thoughtful tone, “is to bring him back to the path of righteousness. He was never truly a man of darkness. Circumstance forced him into that life.”Arya nodded, his gaze steady. “I think the same, Grandfather. Even though he once served the black sect, there’s still a glimmer of conscience left in him. I’m certain we can lead him back to the light.” He lifted a brass cup from the table and drank deeply, the faint metallic taste of water lingering on his tongue. Setting the cup back down, he continued, “And if we fail, then at the very least, we’ll make sure he never returns to the shadows again.”The three of them fell silent after that. The matter needed no further words—only patience and trust. Soon after, Arya and Rengga left Ki Mangkubumi’s chamber to rest, knowing that the

Ratnasari’s heart trembled. For a moment she hesitated, but the question pressing on her mind would no longer stay silent.“Why did your expression change, Elder,” she asked softly, “when I said that my twin sister had died?”Indrajaya fell into uneasy silence. The truth that Reksapati—Ratnasari’s father—had taken to the grave weighed heavily upon him. For years, he had believed that his dearest friend would one day reveal it himself. Reksapati had sworn every Dark Order master to secrecy, insisting that his daughter should learn the truth only when the time was right. But that time had never come. Death, delivered by his own son-in-law’s hands, had sealed his lips forever.At length, Indrajaya sighed. “Your father should have been the one to tell you, Ratna,” he said gravely. “But perhaps fate decreed that I would be the one to bear this burden instead.”Ratnasari’s eyes darkened with worry. “What are you saying, Elder? What secret have you kept from me?”“The truth is,” Indrajaya sa

The Elder of Dawn burst into hearty laughter when the Drunken God compared Arya to King Wirabhumi. He knew well that the greatest trial for the chosen one would always come from his own desires, and King Wirabhumi had already failed that test long ago.“Because Arya is the successor of Wira,” the Elder said calmly. “You already know that Wira failed to restrain his desire, and for that very reason, Arya was chosen to complete what Wira could not.”“Oooh… no wonder I felt that immense power within you!” the Drunken God exclaimed, eyes widening with mock astonishment. “So you’re the successor of that lustful king!”The Elder chuckled softly. “Let’s go straight to the main matter. The reason I brought you both here is because Arya is facing a grave problem. His wife’s twin sister was switched, when they were both infants, with a Black Eagle—one that I suspect to be a kind of spirit creature as well.”He paused, inhaling deeply before continuing. His story flowed without omission, like a

Arya narrowed his eyes, sensing the tremendous force that surged within the two guardian beasts as they attacked him. His keen hearing caught the whistle of massive blades slicing through the air — so sharp, so powerful, that it sounded as though the air itself were a solid object being cut apart. The young warrior dodged the first attack just in time, pulling his body two steps backward. Yet, within a split second, the second beast vanished and reappeared behind him, its colossal sword flashing toward his neck. The wind howled, following the heavy swing of that monstrous weapon. Arya ducked low, narrowly avoiding the strike — but another attack came from the side. A powerful kick shot toward him, forcing him to block it with his arm. CRAAACK! The twenty-three-year-old warrior was thrown backward, tumbling across the ground more than a dozen times despite having blocked the strike. He hadn’t expected such sheer force; his arm throbbed from the impact. The two gate guardians were

Arya and King Wirabhumi did not immediately accept the old man’s words. Their hearts were filled with suspicion, for in a realm ruled by spirits and demons, trust was a dangerous luxury. Yet there was something unsettlingly convincing about the elderly man before them—his ability to recognize their human scent alone revealed a perception far beyond mortal understanding. Whether they liked it or not, they had to accept that the being known as Mukranaya was no ordinary creature of this realm.Before Arya revealed their true purpose in entering the Demon Realm, he decided to test the old man’s sincerity first.“Forgive me, Elder,” Arya began carefully, his tone respectful but sharp. “But why would you help us—two strangers you have never met?”Mukranaya’s lips curled into a faint smile, his eyes shimmering with wisdom that seemed to stretch beyond centuries. “There are reasons,” he said softly, his gaze lifting toward the unseen skies above as though he could see through the layers of mi