Relentless volleys battered the protective barrier deployed by Gayatri. She held the line with every drop of energy she could muster, straining to endure just a moment longer. The barrier groaned under the continuous barrage of physical weapons and dark magic.A warrior stepped forward from the surrounding horde of dark-clad operatives. His attire was jet-black, marked with dark red accents. Gazing at the barrier shielding Nasura, he raised his right hand, summoning a massive energy blade saturated with dark magic above his head.The spectral sword glowed with a sinister, otherworldly brilliance. Recognizing the technique, the surrounding operatives backed away immediately. The massive dark blade shot forward, driving straight into the barrier array Gayatri had erected. The attackers scattered to avoid the collateral blast, knowing full well the devastating force their commander commanded.BLAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!The protective dome shattered like glass under a sledgehammer. Striking Gayat

The disciples of the Golden Crane Academy rushed toward the scene of the commotion—a location within their own sprawling estate. The academy grounds were immense, housing student dormitories alongside private residences for instructors and senior martial artists.They commanded immense wealth and vast lands.Sengturi, flanked by hundreds of armed disciples and followers, made his way toward Nasura's private estate. Hearing the echo of battle from a distance, Sengturi picked up his pace. Panic gnawed at him: Had Nasura been compromised, or was someone attempting to assassinate him?Had their secret operation—the mass weapon production and the hidden armory—finally been exposed? Sengturi knew the truth all too well: his father was a co-conspirator working with the dark forces. A Mondu. The academy's vast wealth and abundant resources were largely underwritten by the army of darkness.Sengturi viewed their position as a double-edged sword. The Golden Crane Academy walked a fine line on b

Alicia fought with a furious, unbridled rage, completely consumed by the devastating truth Sengturi had just revealed—that her father had been poisoned by the Golden Crane Academy. Their motive was painfully clear: to eliminate her father and expand their own influence, solidifying their position as the second most powerful faction behind Dasatama.To make matters worse, they had exploited her family’s vulnerability, pressing her into a marriage proposal under the guise of salvation. They were consumed by an insatiable greed for control, desperate to establish themselves as an absolute power in this world.The ultimate technique left behind by her grandfather, Yonan, which she had absorbed from Aji's sealed scroll, now surged through her veins. Though she remained at the peak of Rank 8, the relentless onslaught of her sword swings felt like a volley of explosive fiery embers. Massive waves of energy continuously radiated outward, engulfing everything around them.Friend and foe alike

The dark energy soared toward the battleground—an explosive strike launched by Gultron. Gultron himself harbored a seed of doubt, puzzled as to why his first onslaught had inexplicably vanished into thin air. This time, he intended to witness the exact fate of his second wave.The descending devastation drew every eye back toward the sky. To the onlookers, it seemed Gultron had completely lost his mind, bent on unleashing indiscriminate destruction. Uncaring of ally or foe, he aimed to annihilate everything below.As the dense, catastrophic wave closed in, the surrounding martial artists and dark operatives instinctively shielded themselves with layers of defensive aura. The energy plummeted closer—and then, at a velocity defying human perception, a silhouette materialized once more. To the naked eye, the figure moved like nothing more than a passing whisper of wind, charging headlong into the apocalyptic strike.WOOOOSHHH!A colossal explosion detonated in midair long before Gultron'

"Who are you really, Aji?!" Gultron’s eyes flared with a menacing light. The memories of that violent clash twenty years ago flooded his mind—the fateful battle that had left a permanent, jagged scar over his left eye.That historic night, a legendary assault had been launched by three grandmasters of the Righteous Path: Yonan, the Thunder Striker, and Ganada. It occurred just as the Demon Lord’s dark forces were preparing an all-out invasion of the central continent of Orpris.Hundreds of thousands of dark soldiers had been powerless to halt the advance of the Three Legends, with catastrophic explosions rocking the entire encampment. Deep within the central structure, hidden among a sea of military tents, the Demon Lord Shura was attempting to refine and absorb immense soul energy through the ancient Blood Supreme artifact. The dark forces had slaughtered countless captured martial artists and innocent humans, spilling their blood in an unholy ritual to feed Shura's power.To protect