THE BROKEN REFLECTIONThe first clash split the burning village in two. Su Yu’s sword collided with the corrupted Su Xiang’s blade, and the shockwave cracked the ground like lightning. Flames bent backward from the force. Smoke scattered. Houses collapsed as though bowing to the strength of two warriors who shared the same discipline, the same training, the same instincts yet one was nothing but a twisted imitation.Linxue and Ren staggered back as dark energy rippled from the collision. Su Xiang no, the false Su Xiang moved with frightening precision. Every motion mirrored the real Su Xiang’s habits down to the smallest gesture, down to the slight tilt of the head before a downward slash, down to the way he inhaled sharply before performing a risky attack. Whoever or whatever controlled this being understood Su Yu’s deepest memories.The creature’s blade flashed with obsidian light as he spoke: “Brother against brother… how poetic. Zhen truly knows what wounds you most.”Su Yu growl

THE ASCENSION OF SHADOWSThe sky above the Silent Plains bled crimson and silver, torn apart by the arrival of Zhen into the bleeding rift. The air itself crackled with energy so dense it pressed against lungs, hearts, and bones. Su Yu staggered slightly from the shockwave, his sword glowing, the Crown fragment in his chest pulsating violently. Every heartbeat felt like a drum of war, every breath a challenge to survive.Su Xiang leaned against a broken wall, still recovering from the Avatar’s strike. “Yu that thing… it’s not gone. Not really.”Su Yu’s eyes narrowed. “I know. The Crown doesn’t let its pieces die. Zhen isn’t just escaping he’s gathering power.” He glanced at Linxue and Ren, their faces tense with exhaustion, fear, and determination. “Stay close. Every second counts now.”The rift in the sky widened further, tendrils of light and darkness curling like serpents, reaching down toward the battlefield. From it came whispers, unintelligible at first, then slowly forming word

THE CITY OF WATCHING EYESThe road to the capital had never felt so long, nor so heavy. Even the wind seemed hesitant to move, as if afraid to disturb whatever waited ahead. Su Yu rode at the front, shoulders squared, posture rigid, but inside, his thoughts churned like a storm trying to break free from its cage. The Crown now fused into his very existence hummed faintly against his skin, sometimes warm, sometimes cold, sometimes feeling like a living creature breathing against his bones.Linxue rode beside him in silence, her eyes never still, scanning rooftops, corners, trees, shadows anything that could move. Her hand never left the hilt of her sword. She wasn’t nervous.She was ready.Su Xiang rode just behind them, her small frame tense, her fingers clenched so tightly around the reins that her knuckles were bone-white. But her eyes those eyes held the same fire Su Yu had seen when she first stood up to people twice her size.She was afraid.But she was not running.The closer t

THE KING OF SHADOWSThe blast of power ripped through the courtyard ldarkness and silver light crashing against each other with the force of colliding worlds. The shockwave hurled soldiers off their feet and shattered the nearest pillars into dust. Torches flickered wildly, shadows stretching unnaturally long across palace stone as if eager to feed.Su Yu did not fall.His feet dug into the ground, muscles locking as he held Su Xiang tight against his chest with one arm while raising the other defensively. Linxue stumbled, but Su Yu’s power bled outward and caught her steadying her without him even turning his head.The ancient king laughed softly, as if this confrontation was amusement, not war.“You stand well, successor. Better than most.”Su Yu ignored him. His focus was Su Xiang her pulse frantic, her breath ragged, her eyes flickering between humanity and something else.“Xiang,” he murmured, his voice low but commanding. “Look at me. Stay with me.”Her claws trembled against h

THE CROWN THAT KNOWS BLOODThe throne room felt colder than the battlefield.Su Yu stood beneath the towering pillars, the polished marble beneath his boots reflecting torchlight and tension. What should have been a space of order now pulsed with suspicion and venom. Ministers lined the hall like vultures, waiting for the moment his defenses lowered so they could tear him apart with words sharper than blades.Lin Xue and Su Xiang stood behind him not touching, not reacting, but present. Their silence was loyalty. Their stillness was readiness.Across the hall, Prime Minister Wei Zhong held the forged letters as if they were sacred scripture. His voice cut through the tense air.“These letters,” he said, raising them higher, “bear your seal, General Su Yu. Orders written in your hand. Commands for assassins to strike Minister Zhao and other key officials opposing Crown expansion.”A wave of whispers. A tremor of fear. A few ministers stepped farther away from Su Yu as though treason