The Immortal Sword Behind the Skyscraper

Chapter 5: An Unlikely Alliance

"You didn't even blink," Sekar Arum said, her chest heaving as she stared down at the three unconscious mercenaries crumpled neatly around a concrete pillar. Not a single drop of sweat marred Kusuma's face. "Who taught you how to strike like that? That wasn't modern street brawling. That was execution-style anatomy dissection."

Kusuma wiped a microscopic speck of dust from his sleeve with terrifying calm, his obsidian eyes locking onto hers without a flicker of emotion. "They were standing in my way. Questions waste time, girl."

"Girl?" Sekar’s eyes flared with sharp indignation, her corporate composure snapping back into place like a steel trap as she straightened her tailored blazer. "I am the sole heiress of Arum Corpora, and you just casually dismantled an elite wetwork squad that cost six figures to deploy. You don't just walk away from this."

"Watch me," Kusuma murmured, turning his back on her as he took a slow, deliberate step toward the exit ramp of the subterranean parking structure.

"Wait!" Sekar sprinted two steps to cut him off, her heels clicking sharply against the damp concrete. Her gaze raked over his oversized, faded hoodie and cheap canvas shoes, taking in the stark contrast between his destitute appearance and his god-tier lethality. "My corporate rivals sent those men. They want my blood, and they want the company. You have no money, no status, and judging by your clothes, you're sleeping in the slums. I can change that."

Kusuma stopped, his expression remaining completely frozen, though a subtle shift occurred in the heavy air around them. "You think material wealth holds any value to me?"

"I think you need resources," Sekar countered instantly, her voice dropping into a sharp, calculated business tone. "Cash, secure real estate, medical-grade herbs to patch up whatever internal damage you're hiding under that pathetic hoodie, and complete legal immunity. Name your price. What do you want in exchange for your sword?"

A cold, humorless ghost of a smile touched the corner of Kusuma’s lips. He turned his head slightly, his ancient consciousness calculating the immense cost of gathering rare modern spiritual minerals and high-grade elixirs required to fast-track his cultivation recovery. "You are remarkably bold for someone whose life I saved five seconds ago."

"I am pragmatic," Sekar snapped back, refusing to shrink under the crushing, ancient pressure radiating from his gaze. "Survival in my world requires leverage. You have the deadliest hands in this concrete jungle, and I have the capital to buy whatever you need to keep those hands lethal. It's a transaction, Kusuma. Nothing more."

Kusuma stared at her for a long, suffocating moment, weighing the efficiency of an alliance against the tedious hassle of gathering capital entirely on his own. In this era of steel and neon, brute force alone was too slow. Money bought speed. Money bought ingredients. Money bought compliance.

"Very well," Kusuma said softly, his voice cutting through the damp chill like a razor. "We have a pact. But do not mistake yourself for my master. If your enemies cross my path again, I will not hesitate to clear them. And if you waste my time with corporate trivialities, I will leave you to bleed."

Sekar swallowed hard, a sudden shiver running down her spine despite her fierce exterior, but she held out a slender, perfectly manicured hand. "Deal. Tomorrow morning, my legal team will draft a perpetual retainer contract, and my secretary will deposit a starter fund of five hundred million rupiah into any account you designate."

Kusuma looked down at her outstretched hand, ignoring it entirely as he walked past her toward the exit. "Transfer the funds to a blank bearer account by midnight. I expect a secure training facility cleared and stocked by dawn."

"Hey! At least let me give you a ride," Sekar called out, spinning around as he melted into the shadows of the ramp.

"I prefer walking," his voice echoed back from the dark, cold and distant. "It gives me time to contemplate who dies next."

Sekar stood alone in the dim parking structure for a long moment, staring at the empty space where the invincible stranger had just vanished, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs. She had just unleashed an absolute monster into the corporate underworld, and she had no idea whether he would save her empire or tear it down to the foundations.

Her phone buzzed violently in her pocket, shattering the silence. She pulled it out, her eyes widening as she read the encrypted text message flashing across the bright screen from her chief of security.

Miss Arum, we tracked the signal of the assassins who attacked you. They weren't hired by our local corporate rivals.

Sekar frowned, swiping to unlock the full report. "Then who authorized the hit?"

The voice on the secure line dropped to a terrified whisper. The wire transfer came from an offshore shell corporation registered overseas. The ultimate beneficial owner... it's a holding company directly tied to Sanjaya Global.

Sekar’s breath caught in her throat. Sanjaya Global—the ruthless, unstoppable tech and finance conglomerate led by the enigmatic billionaire Raden Danu Sanjaya.

Before Sekar could even process the terrifying implications of the name, her phone rang again. This time, an unknown, distorted voice whispered directly into her ear from the speaker.

"You think a stray dog can protect you from the true king of this city, Sekar Arum? Tell your new bodyguard his time is running out."

The line went dead with a sharp click. Sekar stared at the dark screen, her blood turning to ice as the pieces of the deadly geopolitical puzzle finally locked into place.