Location: Outskirts of Lir Azar Ruins – Two Days After the Trial
The Red-Haired Pirates didn't sail immediately.
The storm had passed, but the winds remained uneasy—carrying with them strange murmurs, drifting grains of black sand, and the feeling of a shadow yet to fall.
Ankit trained alone outside the ruined temple. His blades moved slower now—not from exhaustion, but deliberation. Every motion was precise. Every swing echoed the memory of the fallen city.
Benn Beckman stood watching from a distance, arms crossed.
"He's growing fast," Makino said beside him. "Too fast."
"He has no choice," Benn muttered. "None of us do. The sea doesn't wait."
And neither did their enemies.
System Alert – External Threat Incoming
Hollow Faction Signature Detected – Three Entities Approaching Rapidly
Leader Class: "Sand Collector – Raas Volan"
Combat Tier: Commander-Class Equivalent
Warning: Spiritual and physical attacks confirmed. Previous encounter record: 2 destroyed islands.
Ankit's panel pulsed red.
Soulflame Response: Prepare for immediate battle.
Proficiency Boost Activated: +15% in open desert terrain.
He sheathed his blades and turned toward the sands.
"They're here."
Ambush at the Sand Cliffs
A mile from the camp, dunes trembled.
The first figure appeared like a hallucination—cloaked in brown rags, face hidden beneath golden fabric, body covered in glass beads and bone fragments. His arms were long and skeletal, fingers adorned with small vials of sand, each glowing with faint souls.
He stood atop a broken statue's head, smiling.
Raas Volan – Sand Collector.
"I thought I'd find only corpses here," he hissed. "But it seems the little torchbearer survived."
Three more shapes emerged behind him—less human, more shade. Hollow assassins.
Ankit stepped forward alone.
"You killed Lir Azar."
Raas tilted his head.
"I collected them, yes. They died so beautifully… like embers fading."
Combat Begins – Ankit vs Hollow Assassins
The assassins struck first—blurs of sand and claw.
Ankit activated Soulflame Blade and moved between them like wind.
One came from above—he deflected and kicked it midair. The second lunged low—his left blade caught it mid-strike, sparks dancing along the edge.
The third emerged from the sand itself—silent.
Ankit flared Sunfire Pulse.
A flash of golden flame rippled outward, purging the cursed shadows. The sand hissed.
All three Hollow recoiled.
Two disintegrated instantly.
The third—a larger, armored one—charged with a shriek.
Ankit ducked low and drove both blades upward into its chest, exploding it in a burst of radiant fire.
Only Raas remained.
One-on-One: The Sand Collector's Smile
Raas leapt down, landing silently.
"I don't fight like those mindless hollows," he said, voice oily. "I was once a commander of the Albasira Dunes—before your system began claiming pieces of me."
He drew his weapon: a long glass-bladed scythe, swirling with soul energy inside.
Ankit flared his aura.
"You won't leave with another soul."
Raas struck first—faster than expected. His scythe weaved in wide arcs, coated in cursed wind.
Ankit blocked the first swing, barely—his soulflame shield cracking.
Raas twirled the scythe and slashed diagonally.
Ankit flipped back, landed on one hand, and launched forward, blades crossed in a fiery "X."
CLASH!
The ground split. Sand spiraled upward in a vortex.
Raas's Special Ability – Glass Prison
Raas snapped his fingers.
The sand around them turned to glass instantly, forming a dome—a prison of mirrors.
Ankit blinked.
His reflection appeared a thousand times over. His soulflame distorted. His body felt heavy.
System Alert – Illusion Trap Detected
Enemy Skill: "Mirror of Lost Names"
You are inside a reflective soul snare. Memory bleed possible.
Ankit's vision twisted.
He saw his family—his old world. A mirror showed him standing over Shanks's corpse. Another showed Makino weeping as the Red Blade sank.
He roared, struck the nearest mirror—
But more formed.
Raas's voice echoed:
"Even fire has fear. Let me show yours."
Breaking the Illusion – Flame of the Self
Ankit dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
This was a test of his mind.
His body could burn, but if his will cracked—he'd lose everything.
System Trigger – Flame of the Self: Mental Core Stabilization
Emotional Sync: 93%
Flame Stability: High
He closed his eyes.
Saw all the mirrors.
And chose not to fight them.
He accepted them.
The fear. The regret. The possible futures.
His flames grew golden once again.
A shockwave erupted from him—shattering every mirror in a ring of light and fire.
The dome cracked. The illusion broke.
Raas stumbled, eyes wide.
"What… is this will…?!"
Ankit stood up.
"A will that belongs to the living."
He charged.
Final Clash – Collector vs Survivor
Their weapons clashed—flame against soul glass.
Ankit's left blade shattered Raas's weapon halfway.
Raas bled real blood.
Snarling, he drove a spike of cursed sand into Ankit's side.
But Ankit didn't flinch.
He pressed forward, soulflame spiraling up his arms.
And drove both swords into Raas's chest.
"Return them," he whispered. "All of them."
Sunfire Pulse – Overload Triggered.
Flames burst inside Raas's body—dozens of tiny trapped souls freed.
For a moment, they filled the sky—like sparks.
Then Raas collapsed, ash scattering into the wind.
System Update – Victory
Enemy Defeated: Raas Volan, Sand Collector
Partial soul cleanse successful.
+1 Trait Acquired: Collector's Remnant
Trait Gained: Memory Guard (Passive)
Gain +20% resistance to illusion-type effects. Automatically detect mind traps.
New Skill: Glassflash Counter (Active)
When struck, reflect 10% of damage and apply stun if enemy uses illusion/sand-type attack. Cooldown: 12 min.
System Sync Increased: +3.5% → Current: 58.7%
Aftermath – The Sand Weeps
Makino found him bleeding but smiling.
"You're insane," she said, bandaging his side.
"I prefer 'reckless with style'," he muttered.
Shanks arrived minutes later.
"They'll keep coming," he said. "Faster now. Bigger threats."
Ankit leaned against a dune.
"Then we better grow faster too."
The crew looked out over the desert horizon.
In the distance, black clouds gathered—carrying thunder not of storms…
…but of war.