Ciro stood alone, facing down the four captains—steel and fury against overwhelming odds. His blades flickered through the air, a blur of motion as he danced between deadly strikes. Across the blood-soaked battlefield, Ael surged into the remaining forces of the Nyx Cartel like a storm given form, his martial prowess erupting in devastating flurries of motion. It was chaos, a brutal symphony of strength and desperation. The villagers, though outnumbered, fought with the precision and refinement of their martial training. The cartel, meanwhile, relied on brute numbers and bloodlust. The battlefield held no victor—only struggle.
High above, perched in the arms of a sturdy tree, Ri-hyun watched with sharp eyes.
"To think I'd witness a scene like this again," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "A village pouring out every last drop of strength to fend off a monster at its gates."
His gaze followed Ciro, now slowly backing toward the cliff's edge under the captains' relentless assault.
"He's going to struggle," Ri-hyun mused, eyes narrowing. "A high ground without footing is a trap for any fighter. Let's see if he has what it takes... if he's ready to master the art."
Ciro's breathing grew heavier with each parried strike. Sweat and blood clung to his skin. His footing slipped dangerously close to the cliff's edge.
"Give up, kid," sneered one of the captains, twirling his blade lazily. "Nowhere left to run. I'll end your misery."
The captain lunged, aiming for the kill. But Ciro moved—not with his blade, but with his hand. In a swift, practiced motion, he reached into his pocket and scattered a handful of pebbles across the air.
"I still have more to throw..." he gasped, voice hoarse and trembling.
He disconnected his energy from his knife, instead tethering it to the pebbles now embedded in the captains' palms. The cartel men looked at the stones in confusion.
"What is this?" one of them muttered. "A trick?"
From his perch, Ri-hyun's eyes widened.
"Is he...?"
With a final cry of willpower, Ciro roared, "Take this!"
True Heaven Flying Knife Art: Heavenly Burst
Thunder qi surged from his body, snapping across the battlefield like lightning reborn. The invisible threads connecting Ciro to the pebbles blazed with deadly energy. The captains screamed as arcs of raw power raced up their arms, searing flesh and burning nerves from within. Their bodies convulsed violently—their untempered physiques unable to withstand the onslaught of such refined thunder qi.
But the technique took its toll. Ciro's body twisted in agony, veins glowing faintly from the qi overload. Seeing the danger, Ri-hyun vanished from the tree in a blur and reappeared beside him. Without hesitation, he struck a precise point on Ciro's neck, knocking the young hunter unconscious and halting the self-destructive storm surging through him.
On the lower slope, Ael continued his rampage. He was fury incarnate—his body scorched by the very flames he wielded, but his will unbroken. Each motion released gouts of flame, each roar signaled another cartel enforcer falling to ashes. The heat grew unbearable, distorting the air around him.
"M-Monster!" cried one of the cartel fighters, stumbling back.
"Ael! Snap out of it!" the hunters shouted, voices cracking with desperation.
But their pleas fell on deaf ears. Ael was beyond reason, a vessel of vengeance sealed by flame. The burning rage from his training had consumed him wholly. He could neither hear nor see—only burn.
Ri-hyun descended the slope and took in the scene with a grim expression. Flames licked the air, and screams echoed from both sides.
"Lord Ri-hyun!" a hunter rushed toward him, panicked. "Ael's gone berserk! Please—do something!"
"It was too early for them..." Ri-hyun sighed, regret brushing his voice like wind through dry leaves.
Then, without movement, without gesture, he exhaled—and the battlefield stopped.
An invisible weight fell like a divine hammer. The air itself grew heavy. Everyone—hunter and cartel alike—collapsed to their knees, gasping as if the mountain itself pressed upon their shoulders. Even Ael faltered. The flames surrounding him dimmed. His wild eyes regained a flicker of clarity as Ri-hyun approached, his every step unwinding the fury in Ael's core.
"You've done enough, Ael," Ri-hyun said softly, voice rippling with immeasurable authority. "Leave the rest to me."
Ael's rage cracked like old porcelain. He exhaled one final breath of smoke and collapsed into unconsciousness, his energy spent.
"Take them both back. Treat them immediately," Ri-hyun ordered, his tone now firm.
"Yes, Lord Ri-hyun!" the hunters responded, awe and reverence in their eyes.
As they carried the fallen warriors back, Ri-hyun turned to the trembling cartel remnants still kneeling under his pressure.
"Kaiser is dead," he declared. The words were not shouted, yet they echoed to the farthest edges of the battlefield, even reaching the village itself. "Go back to your masters. Tell them never to return to these mountains. There will be no mercy a second time."
With a thought, the crushing weight vanished.
The cartel thugs bolted without hesitation, scrambling over themselves in panic as they disappeared down the mountain trail.
---
"Now then..." Ri-hyun said, eyes lifting toward the peaks above. "Are you done glaring? Your stare is digging into my spine."
Upon the highest ridge of the Mara High Mountains, a colossal creature stood silhouetted against the midday sky. A majestic hybrid—part antelope, part lion—it exuded divine presence. Spiraled obsidian horns crowned its head, and its bronze-hued fur shimmered like burnished metal. A long mane danced like wild grass in a storm, dotted with small blooms, while moss-covered stone plates jutted from its flanks. Its wide, grass-quilled tail fanned like a war banner in the wind.
The air changed. A windstorm howled. Landslides shook loose and rolled down the slopes.
Back in the village, dread settled in the villagers' bones as they watched the mountain tremble.
"Kaelthar..." whispered Emris, eyes wide.
"We must call Lord Ri-hyun back!" Remus cried, panic rising.
But their path was blocked—a bolt of pure lightning struck the earth before them, scorching the dirt with divine warning.
One of the liberated villagers turned to Seth. "Who... who is Kaelthar? Why are we afraid?"
Seth, Ael's uncle and village elder, answered solemnly, "The deity of these mountains. The reason the great kingdoms never dared claim this land. Not empire, not kingdom—none could tame Kaelthar."
---
High above, Kaelthar leapt.
His horns descended like meteors, aimed directly at Ri-hyun.
Ri-hyun did not flinch. He took one step back, arms folding across his chest.
Myriad Forms Asura: Twelve Cosmic Sutras—First Forge
A translucent shell enveloped his body, forged of his essence. The divine impact struck—and held. Thunder cracked. The shell cracked—but did not shatter.
Kaelthar recoiled, hooves skidding sparks across stone.
Then came the second charge.
"This one... reminds me of the Six Divine Beasts," Ri-hyun muttered, eyes narrowing.
Second Forge
A glowing glove now adorned his hand. With it, Ri-hyun caught Kaelthar's horns mid-charge. The earth trembled beneath their locked clash. Then, summoning inhuman strength, Ri-hyun forced the beast downward.
"Listen to me!" Ri-hyun shouted over the roar of divine winds. "I did not come to desecrate these lands! Ask the villagers, Kaelthar! Your anger is misplaced!"
He grunted, sweat flicking from his brow. "This feels like fighting that damn tortoise again... though slightly weaker. Still enough to trouble a few masters."
A smirk tugged at his lips. "Too bad I'm not just a master."
With a surge, Ri-hyun twisted and slammed the divine creature's head against the mountain wall.
The entire peak trembled. Trees shook. Even the village felt the quake.
Kaelthar dropped, dazed and unconscious.
And silence fell upon the mountains once more.