Please accept my apologies—this chapter was meant to come before The Prohibition of Leaving the Domain.**********“There remain no other courses of action for us at present. Should you possess any stratagem to bring him low, speak it forthwith!” declared the other voice, its tone sharp with urgency.“Have you all already resolved to meet your deaths?” Aji scoffed, the obsidian blade of his Shadow Sword glinting as he leveled its point at the four figures arrayed before him. “Do not presume that I shall suffer any of you to draw breath a moment longer!” he thundered, each syllable carrying the weight of unyielding resolve.“Damn our fortune! We have chosen the wrong adversary entirely!” one of them gasped, stumbling backward as the air around them crackled with latent power.“It is not that we have chosen ill,” countered a second, their voice steady despite the tremor in their stance, “but rather that our sacred charge commands us to guard the depths of this ancient woodland, and to p

“And now, what is it that you desire, Duke?” Aji’s lips curved into a grin as sharp as shards of obsidian, revealing the feral, unforgiving edge that lay beneath his usually composed demeanor. “You may freely lavish your touch and base desires upon any woman your whims command—but never upon mine. I care not how many innocent souls you have trodden beneath your boots, how many lives you have stained with the filth of your transgressions. This very day, I have beheld with mine own eyes the proof that warrants nothing less than your final reckoning: death itself.” With each word, his grip tightened around the Duke’s throat, constricting the airways until the nobleman’s breath came in ragged, desperate gasps.The assembled warriors in the grand hall stood frozen as statues carved from stone, not daring to shift so much as a finger. Their leader’s life hung by a thread thinner than spider silk, leaving them adrift in a sea of confusion and fear. To make matters worse, Bargowo stood at the

The great hall of Cakrabuana Palace stood bathed in the warm glow of alabaster torches, their flames dancing against walls carved with scenes of ancient heroism and divine blessing. When word reached the throne that two travelers had arrived bearing tidings from the troubled borderlands, King Wanajaya rose from his private chambers with palpable surprise—for he had not expected any messengers so soon, not with the campaign against the rebellion still underway in the eastern marches. With robes of deep sapphire silk flowing behind him like a river of midnight, the sovereign made haste through the palace corridors, his footsteps echoing against polished marble floors as he moved toward the audience chamber.At the sound of his approach, Rangga and Bargowo bowed low, their backs straight as spears despite the weariness that clung to their travel-stained garments. Their hands rested over their hearts in the ancient gesture of fealty to the Crown.“We offer our deepest respects, Your Majes

King Wanajaya furrowed his brow, the intricate golden filigree of his crown catching the soft glow of sunbeams streaming through the high stained-glass windows of the throne hall. Before he could give voice to the thoughts churning in his mind, the massive oak doors at the hall’s entrance swung open with a resounding creak, revealing Bargowo striding forward alongside Rangga. Their boots echoed against the polished marble floors, each step carrying the weight of purpose.The grim set of Bargowo’s jaw and the shadow of disappointment clouding his broad features drew a look of genuine perplexity from Duke Hanggareksa. The nobleman leaned forward slightly in his seat, his rich velvet robes shifting with the movement—surely something of great import had befallen the towering warrior to leave him looking so crestfallen.“Speak now, and tell me truly,” King Wanajaya commanded, his voice carrying with the quiet authority of one born to rule. “Who was it that truly turned the tide and quelled

Awe held sway over every soul present, their eyes fixed upon Aji with a mixture of wonder and reverence. Not a single person had witnessed his movement—not the blur of his form as he surged forward, nor the precise arc of the blade that had struck true. It was as if the air itself had bent to his will, carrying him to his target and guiding his hand with supernatural grace.For Aji had calculated every infinitesimal detail before making his move. The angle of his approach, the exact force required to sever Wikrama’s right arm at the shoulder, the split-second timing needed to avoid harming Dananjaya—all had been mapped out in his mind with the precision of a master strategist. A fraction more strength, a hair’s breadth off course, and the prince’s shoulder would have been torn from his body alongside the traitor’s limb.King Wanajaya stood frozen for a long moment, his regal composure shattered by the sight before him. The young man he had once dismissed as no more than a common trave