"Looks like we need to keep pushing ourselves... Sesshomaru, following a man like that isn't exactly a blow to your pride, is it?"
"Hmph... regardless, my father's legacy belongs to me."
Sesshomaru's voice remained cold, but his golden eyes burned with a newfound clarity. He sought power, and he knew that by following the Sovereign, he would eventually surpass even his father's legend. As for the Western Lands and his mother, he no longer worried; under Su Han's shadow, his homeland would never fall.
[The Ruins of the Dainichi Mikoshi]
In the center of Enkanomiya, Su Han advanced with measured steps while Aether, the Prince of the Abyss, was forced into a desperate retreat. The man he had viewed as a mere thief of his sister's heart had transformed into a presence that transcended him.
The colossal wings of light radiating from Su Han's back illuminated the entire realm, forcibly suppressing the Abyssal miasma. Aether felt a searing sting across his skin—even without a direct strike, the sheer purity of the Xuanyuan Sword was eroding his void-hardened body. He knew that if a single blow landed, it would be the end.
Within the cage of the Dainichi Mikoshi, the pressure suddenly vanished. Sangonomiya Kokomi and the envoy Tsumi (Aki) fell to the platform as the sealing barrier dissolved under the holy light.
Kokomi looked up, her gaze meeting Su Han's. A wave of profound relief washed over her. When she was captured, she had feared the worst, but a persistent thought had kept her steady: If Su Han is here, I will be saved.
Beside her, Aki sat weakened on the stone floor, staring at the man wreathed in golden wings. "Who is he? That power... it is more terrifying than even the ancient god Orobashi."
"That's Su Han!" Paimon cheered, her voice echoing through the hall. "He's amazing! Lumine, we're safe!"
The traps binding Lumine had also slackened. Though she couldn't fully break free, she was no longer being pulled toward the void rift. However, as she watched the Xuanyuan Sword rise, a sharp pang of worry struck her heart. Despite her earlier harsh words, the thought of her brother's execution was more than she could bear.
[The Judgment]
Su Han stopped ten meters from Aether. The Xuanyuan Sword hummed with the resonance of three nations.
"Do you see this? These are the wishes of the people you despise," Su Han's voice was like a gavel striking stone. "The Abyss is nothing but a void before their collective will. Since you chose the darkness and trampled upon their peace, prepare to pay the price."
Chains of light erupted from all directions, pinning the Abyss Prince. Desperate, Aether tore open a space-time rift to escape, but he hesitated—he knew Su Han also commanded spatial laws. If he moved recklessly, he would be cut down instantly.
"Don't!" Lumine's scream echoed from the tower.
SHWISH—
A crescent of pure light cleaved through the air. The strike didn't destroy the Dainichi Mikoshi, but it sheared through the surrounding architecture and the spatial fabric itself. Blood splattered across the white stone.
Aether had escaped, but not unscathed. He had used a forbidden burst of void energy to warp the space around him at the last millisecond, buying enough time to dive into the rift. However, a severed arm fell to the ground, dissolving into dark mist.
His roar of agony and hatred bled through the closing portal. "Su Han... just you wait! I will make you understand that the Abyss is the only true power... You will regret this!"
"I'll cut you down a hundred times more if I have to," Su Han replied coldly to the closing rift. "Provided you survive the first."
[The Aftermath]
With the Prince gone, Su Han exhaled sharply, leaning heavily on the Xuanyuan Sword. Maintaining the Holy Blade had drained ninety percent of his stamina and spiritual energy. As the golden radiance of the sword stabilized the realm, the darkness was finally driven back to the corners of Enkanomiya.
Kokomi and Lumine rushed to his side, supporting him.
"Are you alright?" Kokomi asked, wiping the sweat from his brow with a silk handkerchief.
"Brother Su Han, I'm sorry... my voice distracted you," Lumine whispered, her eyes red. She was torn between the duty to end the Abyss and the blood ties to her only relative.
Su Han pulled her into a brief embrace. "It's alright. Your brother has lost his way, but today he paid a heavy price." The wound from the Xuanyuan Sword would not heal easily; it would be months before Aether could return to full strength.
Beidou and the others arrived shortly after. They had spent the time rescuing the thousands of captured civilians and soldiers using the Serenitea Pot, ensuring zero casualties among the common folk.
"What do we do with this place?" Beidou asked, looking at the half-broken floating islands. "We can't just leave it like this."
"We reinforce the seals," Su Han said. "And the Vishaps must be brought under control. We can't let them roam unchecked."
At that moment, the envoy Aki stepped forward from the shadows of the tower. "May we speak? What happened here... it was our fault. We were deceived by the Abyss."
Paimon whispered, "I heard her say... she isn't human. She's a Vishap-person."
"Hmph, 'Vishap-person'?" Su Han looked at the woman with the vertical pupils. "Just because you were raised by monsters doesn't make you one. A human raised by wolves is still a human."
"But I am of the Vishap blood! You humans will never understand!" Aki cried out, removing her mask to show her draconic features.
"Kokomi, show her," Su Han said calmly.
Kokomi produced an ancient pendant. When Aki saw the matching pieces, her expression crumbled. Kokomi began to recount the true history of Byakuyakoku and the Dragonbone Envoy.
"You aren't a Vishap, Aki," Su Han added. "If you were, why are you the only one who can maintain a human form? The Vishaps lied to you. They are cunning; they used you because they couldn't break the seals themselves. You were a tool for their escape."
Aki stood frozen, her world-view shattering. The realization that her "kin" had betrayed the ancient pacts while the humans she feared were her true people left her in a state of shock. Kindness, it seemed, was a human trait the monsters could never truly replicate.
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