A silence heavier than death blanketed the courtyard.
The wind blew, but no one moved.
Maldan's disciples — once proud, once arrogant — now stood paralyzed. Their grips on their weapons trembled. Some took unconscious steps backward. Others glanced at their peers, searching for resolve and finding only fear.
One disciple dropped his spear.
It clattered against the bloodstained stone, the sound far too loud.
Another choked on his breath, whispering, "He's not human… he's not…"
An elder, bruised and bloodied, leaned closer to another.
"Do we… do we still follow orders?" he whispered.
Kazel heard it. He heard everything.
And he smiled.
"Go on," Kazel said, voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "Run. I'm curious how many of you believe Maldan is worth dying for."
A flicker of movement. Two disciples bolted—vanished between the fractured gates like frightened rabbits.
Agabah turned, jaw dropping.
"COWARDS!"
More followed.
Some wept as they fled. Others left their weapons behind.
Maldan stood frozen in place, watching the remains of his sect crumble not just in body, but in spirit.
All that pride, all that arrogance—the legacy of the Second Moon—reduced to a whimpering pile of robes and ashes.
Kazel stepped forward.
His boots echoed.
One.
By one.
By one.
"Your men are wise," Kazel said, tone almost praising. "They understand when death isn't just likely… but certain."
Maldan's fists clenched.
"You will regret—"
"No," Kazel interrupted, dragging the halberd over the stones, carving a line as he walked."You will regret."
"Or perhaps..." Kazel continued, halberd dragging behind him, "you should already regret it."
Each step he took made the silence scream louder.
"Guess where I found a mountain of Spirit Stones, just lying around. Piled high like offerings. Heavily guarded, or… well, they were."
He stopped. Smirked. Looked directly at Maldan.
"And wouldn't you know it — the moment I plunged in, my whole body tingled. That familiar warmth, that crackle of power. The spirit energy was popping..."He lifted his hand, letting the energy crackle between his fingers."...like fireworks on an independence day."
Maldan's eyes widened, his throat tightening.
Agabah staggered a step back, voice brittle.
"No… no, impossible…"
But deep inside, they knew.
There was only one place Kazel could be talking about.
The Second Moon's treasury.
Their sacred vault.
The lifeblood of their sect — raided.
And worse — used.
By him.
---
The hooves of four horses kicked up dust along the winding path. Elder Juni rode at the front, her Heavenless Bow Sect robes rippling in the wind, her face still and unreadable. Beside her, Yasha sat lazily on her saddle, chewing her ever-present petal between her lips.
"Didn't think this kind of mess would catch your interest," Yasha said, side-glancing at her companion.
Juni didn't turn. Her eyes were fixed ahead, toward the crest of the hill.
"I've seen battlefields. I've seen blood," she said calmly. "But I've never seen a massacre."
Yasha chuckled lightly, petal twitching at the corner of her mouth.
"Fair. And what about you, twins?" she called behind them.
Two black-armored knights rode silently, helms obscuring their faces. They didn't answer for a moment, until one spoke in a voice like grinding iron:
"A great change is coming…"
Then the other added, his tone a touch more strained:
"And it comes fast."
Suddenly, the earth trembled with the sound of feet—disciples and elders from the Second Moon Sect came sprinting down the hill, wild-eyed and gasping. Their robes were bloodied, their formation broken.
"Run!"
"A monster—he's not human!"
"Mother, I'm sorry!!"
They shoved past the four riders, ignoring Yasha as she called out,
"Hey! What happened?!"
No one answered.
Just panic. Just the sound of fear made flesh.
Elder Juni's brows tightened as she slowly reached for the long bow slung across her back.
"The Sect Slayer…" she whispered.
And without waiting, she kicked her horse forward into a gallop, charging uphill.
The others followed. Yasha no longer chewed her petal. The twin knights drew their swords. All of them raced toward the storm.
---
Elder Juni reached the courtyard first. Her horse came to a sharp halt as her eyes widened in disbelief.
Before her, Kazel and Maldan were already in the middle of their clash—steel against steel, halberd meeting sword in a blinding burst of sparks. The courtyard shook with the force of their strike, wind kicking up broken tiles and dust.
Juni didn't even spare Agabah a glance. He stood frozen, jaw clenched, sweat beading down his temple.
CLANG!
The clash rang out again. Maldan roared, his blade pressing forward, teeth bared.
"That strength… it's not supposed to be yours!!"
He threw all his weight into a desperate shove, breaking the clash and sending Kazel flying.
But Kazel laughed in mid-air.
"That's more like it!"
He landed hard—feet digging into the blood-streaked paving stones, body sliding back with controlled momentum. Sparks danced under his boots as he ground to a stop, his halberd spinning into position behind his back.
He raised his gaze again, eyes locked on Maldan—hungry, focused.
Yasha arrived just behind Juni. Her horse neighed sharply at the scent of blood, hooves slipping slightly on the wet stone. She tugged the reins, eyes narrowing at the chaos unfolding ahead.
Then she saw it.
Maldan's soul flared—light twisting and warping behind him—before it burst into form.
A jaguar, but not quite. Towering, humanoid, its fur midnight-black and glistening under the rain. Its eyes glowed like molten amber, and bone-white fangs jutted from its lower jaw. Veins of soul energy pulsed visibly through its arms as it stood like Maldan's shadow.
Yasha's pupils shrank.
"Werejaguar..." she muttered under her breath.
She tilted her head back. Thunder rumbled overhead, and the clouds that had once been white now twisted into dark coils. The air grew heavy, humming with fury. A single drop landed on Kazel's cheek.
"Hm?" Kazel looked up, the sky weeping its first tears.
Agabah, still trembling but emboldened by the shift, let out a wild laugh.
"Hahahaha! Looks like even the gods abandon you now!"
Maldan closed his eyes, letting the rain soak his face as if baptized by war itself.
"This is no coincidence. This is a gift… from my ancestors," he said with quiet conviction. "They want your blood, Kazel. And I—" he opened his eyes, glowing with spirit energy— "I will be their blade."
Elder Juni frowned deeply.(That Spirit Beast… The Werejaguar works best under rain. This is when it's most dangerous.)
Suddenly, water pooled unnaturally on the ground, dancing around Maldan's feet before coagulating midair. Dozens of liquid orbs solidified, each the size of a small boulder, suspended with eerie stillness.
"Spirit Beast Skill—Tear."
Maldan swung his sword downward.
With a crack like a rifle, the orbs fired—each bullet of rain now a compressed missile screaming through the air toward Kazel.
Kazel's eyes narrowed. The air hissed as the first orb shot toward him.
He ducked—
The water bullet shattered the stone pillar behind him.
He spun—
Another came from the left; he deflected it with the shaft of his halberd, the collision sending ripples of force up his arms.
He leapt—
The next missed by a hair, slicing his tattered robe and leaving a faint graze across his side.
But Maldan was already in front of him.
Steel met steel.
Kazel grunted as he blocked the downward slash, but another orb came from behind—he twisted his halberd at the last second, knocking it away with a backhanded sweep.
( Tch... his every strike is being assisted... ) Kazel thought, skidding backward.
Maldan stepped forward, the Werejaguar's essence roaring behind him. His strikes were relentless, fueled by fury and honor, with each swing shadowed by the deadly water orbs that orbited him like vengeful spirits.
They shot forward in perfect rhythm with his swordplay—a downward cleave, followed by a high-speed orb from the flank.A feint to the left, and three more came at Kazel from his blind spot.
Kazel danced in the storm.
His halberd blurred, parrying two, dodging the third, and blocking the fourth with the flat of his blade. Stone cracked beneath his feet as he shifted and pivoted, finding ways to move through the tightest gaps between death.
Each time, just barely.
A cut on his cheek.A tear in his sleeve.A bruise on his ribs.
But nothing fatal.
The rain poured harder, and steam rose where the orbs struck stone. The ground was turning into mud and shattered pavement, the perfect arena for a jaguar to hunt—and a halberd to reap.
Juni watched, hand trembling near her bowstring.( He's… surviving it. Maldan's precision, his rhythm—it's being read. )
However, as Kazel's footing slipped on a loose stone, just for a breath—Maldan struck.
With a spin like a predator pouncing, his fingers curled into a claw just above Kazel's abdomen.
"Advanced Spirit Skill: Pierce."
The whisper was low, almost reverent—and then the world shifted.
The rain froze in place. Every droplet in the air seemed drawn to his palm, bending mid-fall, forming a swirling mass of liquid force.The very storm bowed to his will.
Kazel's eyes widened—too late.
"Ha!"
The water surged forward in a spiraling lance the width of a tree trunk.It struck Kazel dead-on, lifting him off the ground and obliterating the main hall behind him—stone, wood, and ancient banners reduced to ruin in a heartbeat.
A deafening shockwave cracked across the hilltop.The clouds tore open, the storm shattered—and a rainbow crowned the sky above the smoldering crater.
Maldan stood still, gasping.His shoulders heaved. Steam rose from his hands.But his eyes—burned with the satisfaction of triumph.
Agabah's lips curled into a grin."Yes..." he whispered.
Juni's breath caught.Yasha gave a long, low whistle, petal still hanging from her mouth.The twin black knights shook their heads grimly, one muttering,"Even he bleeds."
"A critical hit," Yasha muttered."The advanced skill of an Epic Spirit Beast..."
"But," said Elder Juni, her voice sharper, wary,"Such power demands a toll. I used it once—against the Blue Phoenix. It took everything I had."
Her gaze turned toward the rubble.
Kazel lay slumped against the rubble, half-buried in the ruin of the grand hall. His robe was shredded, barely clinging to his frame—leaving his bare, blood-slicked muscles exposed to the now-fading rain.
His abdomen, bruised to a grotesque black-blue, steamed under the aftermath of the assault. Flesh peeled, torn, but not pierced.Not broken.
His hair clung to his face, shadowing his eyes, head lowered.Silent.
Maldan approached.Each step was labored. His limbs trembled with exhaustion—but his chest swelled with the satisfaction of a victory earned.
He furrowed his brows.The halberd was gone.Still, he raised his sword and leveled the tip at Kazel's throat.
"Tell my ancestors I sent you."
A beat of silence. Then—
Kazel chuckled.A deep, grating sound that grew into a ragged laugh.
"Hahaha... I thought you'd say something like 'any last words.'"His head tilted.His eyes gleamed beneath the curtain of soaked hair."Because I do have one."
"Amplify."
A wave of soul-crushing pressure exploded from his body.It was not just power—it was authority, violent and absolute.The very air trembled.
The bystanders froze.Yasha's pupils shrunk. Elder Juni's horse reared.
"Hm?!""FATHER, LOOK OUT!!!" Agabah screamed.
But it was too late.
Kazel moved.
In one explosive motion, he slapped Maldan's sword aside and stepped in. His hand clamped over Maldan's face like a vice.
Their eyes met—And in that blink of time, Maldan saw them.
The Twin Shishi.The Frostfang Alpha
And the Veinscale Armadillo
All four spirit beasts roared behind Kazel's soul like phantoms of war.
Then—
KRAK!
Kazel slammed Maldan's skull into the paving stones with monstrous force, caving in the stone and shattering the earth beneath them.
Dust and debris burst outward.A hush fell.
"PUNCTUREDDD!!!"Agabah's voice cracked, wild with desperation."I'LL DO IT!! I'LL PAY!! ANY PRICE YOU CAN WRITE!!!"
From behind, a voice slithered into existence.Low, cold, inhuman."Deeeaal."
A shadow blurred past Elder Juni.The twin black knights turned, their hands reaching too late.Even Yasha's petal fell from her mouth.
The shadow swept forward, the glint of a black scythe gleaming under the rainbow-stained sky—whistling death in a perfect arc toward Kazel's neck.
SWIPE.
A head flew.Blood misted the air.
Agabah's eyes widened. His spine locked.Yasha gasped. Juni reached for her bow.Even the Punctured assassin—still mid-spin—froze, eyes narrowing in disbelief.
Because Kazel was still standing... or rather lying on the ground.
A faint smirk touched his lips."Heh… amateur."
The head hit the ground with a wet thud, bouncing once—twice—before it rolled to a stop.
Agabah's eyes followed it.
His mouth opened.
The eyes staring back were his father's.
Maldan's.
Frozen in horror, wide open in death.
Agabah's lips trembled."F-Father…"