HEIR OF THE DEATH STRIKE

Chapter 5

Zaqqy immediately slid down from the large tree and turned to look at it. He was truly shocked as he looked around and saw that there was no one else there. The rain began to subside, and the sky cleared up again.

Brrrrgj...

"Aaa...." he panicked.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Zaqqy stared in shock, forced to hug the banyan tree trunk with both hands. However, the tree moved with him, making Zaqqy even more confused and frightened.

"Huh?! What is that?"

While he was panicking, his gaze fell on a light that suddenly appeared from the old banyan tree. The atmosphere changed drastically, the place that had been bright was now pitch black again.

"Young man..."

"Ah!" Zaqqy gasped in surprise when he saw a man with an ancient appearance standing in front of him.

Zaqqy pointed at the figure with a trembling hand. "Where... and how did you get here?!" he shouted in panic.

"Hahaha!"

The inhabitant of the old banyan tree finally revealed himself. He laughed as he sat cross-legged in front of Zaqqy. He was tall and large, transparent, wearing all black clothes with a golden cloth as a belt, and a reddish headband. He smiled slightly, then extended a finger to touch Zaqqy's forehead.

Zaqqy wanted to back away, but his body felt stiff. Suddenly, a sense of calm came over him as warm energy flowed from the touch.

“Call me Ki Braja. I am the inhabitant of this ancient banyan tree. I have just channelled my energy into you. You can feel the difference in your own body now,” said Ki Braja with a faint smile.

Zaqqy swallowed hard. He realised something and began to feel the difference in his own body.

"I... I don't feel any pain anymore? What did you do to me? Your name is Ki Braja?" he asked, touching his own body, a look of surprise and joy on his face.

"Yes. I healed your wounds. Otherwise, some of your bones might have been broken. Consider it a reward for doing a good deed by helping that woman. I can see everything,"

Zaqqy remained silent for quite some time after the figure introduced himself. His chest still felt tight, as if the memory of what had just happened was still replaying in his head.

He stared at the old man standing before him, utterly bewildered.

“Ki… Braja?” Zaqqy murmured softly.

The old man gave a faint smile, one whose meaning was hard to fathom. His gaze was sharp, yet did not appear malicious. On the contrary, there was something calm and profound in his eyes.

“People used to call me Ki Brajadita,” he replied in a deep yet gentle voice.

Zaqqy furrowed his brow. The name felt unfamiliar to him.

“Why… am I here?” asked Zaqqy. “Wasn’t I just…?”

His sentence trailed off. The image of Rinto's face suddenly appeared in his mind. What Darwin's men had done to him still felt like it was happening.

Their kicks. Their relentless punches. His body unable to fight back.

"Damn it!"

Zaqqy clenched his fists unconsciously. Ki Braja noticed the change in his expression.

"You almost died," said the old man calmly.

Zaqqy fell silent immediately. He looked down for a moment, trying to remember what he had just experienced.

The pain in his body still lingered, even though his body no longer felt injured.

"Why...?" Zaqqy muttered softly.

"Because you are weak," replied Ki Braja without hesitation.

Those words pierced Zaqqy's ears. He immediately raised his head.

"Weak?" he repeated softly.

"Yes, you are weak!" Ki Braja took a few steps closer. "If you were strong," he said slowly, "no one would dare treat you like that."

Zaqqy lowered his head again. Those words made his chest feel heavy.

"If I were strong?.."

In his mind, the image of Rahayu trying to fight Darwin in that room reappeared. The girl was scared, but she kept trying to fight back. And himself?

He was the one who helped, yet he was almost killed, unable to fight back. Unable to protect anyone... Zaqqy's hands clenched into fists again.

“If I were strong…” he murmured again, barely audibly.

Ki Braja looked at him calmly, as if he already knew what the young man was thinking.

“I can give you strength, young man,” Ki Braja said suddenly.

Zaqqy turned his head immediately.

“What? Strength?!”