From a distance, Karman unleashed a blow of such tremendous force that the noble warrior was sent hurtling backward dozens of strides. His form crashed violently into the earth, carving a deep, furrowed gash across the terrain that stretched far into the distance.“Must this be where my journey ends?” he pondered in the depths of his heart. Despair weighed heavy upon Duke Aji, pressing down with the weight of mountains. Time and again, he had wielded every stratagem and technique at his disposal to vanquish the deputy leader of the Black Skull Sect—yet all his efforts had dissolved into naught, as if his adversary possessed a thousand lives to spare.“Why do you falter against this foe?”The voice of his ancient ancestor echoed suddenly within the chambers of his mind, clear as a bell tolling through still air.“Ancestor… I am confounded by the dark art he commands,” Aji replied, his thoughts reaching out to the wise presence. “I have severed his neck countless times, yet each time, f

That night, Aji and Ratih made their rest atop the boughs of a colossal tree, its branches stretching wide mere furlongs from the Black Skull Sect’s sprawling complex. Even in the depths of darkness, the dark stone walls of the shadow arts stronghold stood stark against the star-dusted sky—and when dawn finally broke, painting the horizon in hues of gold and rose, the entire fortress would be laid bare before their watchful eyes. The tree’s massive trunk and thick limbs offered perfect concealment, its ancient bark blending seamlessly with the mountain’s rugged terrain as they settled in to recover their strength.Meanwhile, far up the mountainside, the sect’s search parties had reached the ridge where Karman had fallen. Among the twisted roots and trampled undergrowth, they discovered the four guardians who had preceded their deputy leader—their forms now lifeless and drained of all color. Without delay, the scouts turned back down the slope, hastening to deliver word of their grim

With trembling hands and a heart hammering against his ribs like a caged bird, one of the sect warriors crept forward to pull open the main gate—hewn from thick, aged oak that had stood against storms and sieges for generations. Every step felt heavy as lead, for he knew the risk he took: one wrong move, and death would claim him as it had claimed his fellow guardians.As the great doors swung wide, a sharp crack cut through the air. The warrior collapsed without a sound, his body crumpling to the cobblestones like a puppet with its strings cut. No one saw what struck him—no arrow flew through the air, no blade gleamed in the light—but there he lay, motionless and still.Coupled with the eight gate guards who had already fallen silent in death, panic swept through the Black Skull Sect like wildfire through dry grass. The warriors stared at their fallen brother in horror, their faces pale with dread. An invisible enemy stalked them, striking down their ranks without warning or mercy—su

The impact sent Baramuli’s gaunt frame hurtling backward across the forest floor, his feet scraping furiously against the damp earth as he struggled to find purchase. Before he could bring his wild retreat to a halt, Aji was already closing in, his blade cutting through the air in a powerful horizontal arc aimed straight at his opponent’s torso.Once again, the leader of the Black Skull Sect was forced to raise his obsidian staff in defense, the clash of metal against stone sending showers of sparks cascading through the air like fallen stars. This time, the force of the blow was so immense that Baramuli was thrown backward with devastating momentum, crashing through a stand of ancient pines that splintered and toppled beneath his weight.“How can a warrior so feeble as you claim dominion over this sect?!” Aji taunted, pressing forward with relentless speed as Baramuli continued to slide across the ground. “The masked warrior we felled not long ago was far more worthy of leading these

Elsewhere in the forest, as she watched her husband’s battle against the Black Skull Sect’s leader unfold—with Aji clearly gaining decisive upper hand—Ratih emerged from her hidden sanctuary among the twisted roots of an ancient banyan tree. Her purpose was as sharp and unyielding as the blade she carried: to hunt down and eliminate every last surviving disciple of the dark sect, leaving no trace of their malevolent order to plague the world again.The memory of how these shadow warriors had attacked on her wedding day burned like a brand in her heart, fueling a righteous fury that had been tempered into cold determination. They had sought to destroy the life she and Aji had built together, and now they would pay for that transgression with every drop of blood in their veins.“I will be your adversary!” Ratih cried out, her voice ringing clear and strong across the battlefield as she drew her sword and held it steady in her right hand. Her eyes—dark as midnight and just as fierce—scan