Chapter 17: First Confrontation
Rhaizen moved through the forest without hesitation.
The sky was still gray, only a faint glow of sunrise cutting through the trees. But Rhaizen didn't care about the time. The moment he woke up, he had only one thought in mind—
Find the person taken last night.
His body still felt a slight ache from the tense hours of watching the ritual site, but it didn't slow him down. His breathing was steady. His Qi was calm.
His focus was sharp.
The northern path felt colder today. The ground held faint dew, making each step quiet. On the road behind him, Ashveil Town slowly woke up, but out here… the forest carried no sign of life.
No birds.
No insects.
No distant rustling.
Just silence.
Rhaizen followed the footprints he found earlier—two sets, small and deep, and a dragging mark between them where the controlled villager was pulled along.
He kept one hand ready, his Qi quietly flowing across his skin. He wasn't taking chances.
He checked each piece of evidence along the way:
A broken twig at waist level.
A patch of disturbed earth.
A partial shoe print heading northeast.
A strange stone with faint red scratches.
Everything lined up.
The Shadow Veins scouts didn't try to hide their path. Either they were confident no one would follow… or they wanted someone to.
After nearly twenty minutes, Rhaizen slowed.
The air shifted.
A thin pressure weighed down on his shoulders, almost like the forest itself was holding its breath. The trees grew closer together here, blocking most of the light. Dark moss covered their trunks, thick and old.
Rhaizen stopped walking.
His instincts whispered:
Someone is watching.
His eyes moved slowly, scanning between the branches… the shadows… the ground…
Nothing moved.
But the silence was wrong. Too clean. Too controlled. Like the world had frozen in place.
Rhaizen gripped his fist.
Then…
A soft crunch.
Barely louder than a leaf bending.
But in that stillness, it sounded like thunder.
Rhaizen shifted his right foot slightly, lowering his body. His Qi tightened around his skin.
Something was coming.
---
The First Attack
A shadow flashed from the left side—fast, silent, and smooth.
Rhaizen moved on instinct.
He tilted backward just in time as a curved dagger swiped at his throat. The blade cut a few loose strands of hair but missed skin.
The attacker landed lightly, almost floating, then slid back into position.
A robed figure.
Dark hood.
Tight cloth around the mouth.
Gloves covering every bit of skin.
The person made no sound—not even breathing.
Rhaizen grit his teeth.
So they came prepared.
He didn't get long to think.
From the right side, another figure stepped out of the shadows, this one holding a short staff with small red symbols on each end.
Two of them.
Rhaizen stood straight, planting his feet firmly.
"So you're the ones taking people," he said, voice calm but sharp.
Neither answered.
The first scout tilted his head, then rushed forward without warning.
Rhaizen barely had time to lift his arms.
The scout moved like a knife cutting through wind—clean, fast, and emotionless. The dagger aimed for Rhaizen's ribs, then switched angles mid-swing, slicing upward toward his heart.
Rhaizen blocked with his forearm. The metal scraped against bone.
Pain shot up his elbow.
But he pushed forward, spinning and launching a kick toward the scout's stomach.
The scout jumped back without making a single sound.
The second one stepped forward now, swinging his short staff in a fast arc. A pulse of strange pressure blasted out, rushing toward Rhaizen's chest.
He crossed his arms instinctively.
The impact hit him like a heavy wave, pushing him back a full step.
His Qi flickered for half a second—like something tried to swallow it.
Rhaizen's eyes widened.
"That technique… it eats Qi?"
The scout didn't answer—he simply advanced again.
---
Rhaizen Realizes Their Fighting Style
The forest became a battlefield without noise.
No shouting.
No taunts.
No heavy footsteps.
Even their clothing barely rustled.
Rhaizen dodged a downward dagger slash, countered with a quick punch, then used Crimson Step to avoid the staff swinging toward his jaw.
His movements were clean—but the scouts' movements were cleaner.
Fast footwork.
Sharp angles.
Perfect timing with each other.
They didn't move like individuals…
They moved like two sides of one weapon.
Rhaizen dodged a stab from the right, only for the left scout to immediately aim for his leg. He jumped to avoid it, twisting midair, landing on a slanted root.
He slid forward and threw a Crimson Strike toward the staff wielder.
Flames burst from his knuckles.
But the staff wielder blocked with his palm.
The fire vanished on impact—absorbed instantly.
Rhaizen stared.
"That shouldn't be possible…"
The scout rushed forward, trying to hit him with the staff again. Rhaizen ducked, rolled to the side, and got back on his feet.
His breathing grew slightly heavier.
He studied them now—watching every movement.
Their feet never crossed.
Their timing never overlapped incorrectly.
They attacked in alternating patterns—with no wasted effort.
And worst of all—
They didn't give off killing intent.
Not even a tiny bit.
Fighting them felt like fighting ghosts.
---
Changing Tactics
Rhaizen clenched his fists.
If they cancel my Qi directly, I need to hit them with raw power.
He waited.
The dagger scout lunged again.
This time Rhaizen didn't dodge back—he stepped into the attack.
The dagger skimmed his shoulder, cutting through his sleeve, but missed the skin because Rhaizen pivoted sharply.
He grabbed the scout's wrist, yanked him forward, and slammed a hard headbutt into the masked face.
The scout stumbled.
Rhaizen didn't let go.
With a powerful pull, he dragged the scout closer and struck his jaw with a fire-less punch, using pure force.
A crack echoed.
The scout flew sideways and crashed against a tree.
Rhaizen's arm trembled slightly, but his eyes never left the second scout.
The staff wielder rushed forward to help, swinging the weapon at Rhaizen's head.
Rhaizen ducked under it.
The staff scraped a tree trunk, leaving a black burn mark.
So the staff also had Qi-cancelling properties.
Rhaizen stepped back quickly, measuring the distance.
He needed to end this before his Qi was drained too much.
---
Second Scout Falls
The staff wielder tried to unleash another pressure pulse. Rhaizen saw it coming from the way the scout's left foot slid back and his arm pulled in slightly.
Rhaizen used Crimson Step—his figure blurring as he dashed sideways, avoiding the pulse entirely.
He appeared behind the scout.
A perfect opening.
Rhaizen grabbed the staff, jerked it upward, and kicked the scout's legs out from under him.
The scout fell hard, and for the first time, made a sound—a faint grunt.
Rhaizen didn't hesitate.
He slammed his elbow into the scout's chest, followed by a strong, fast Crimson Strike directly to the ribs.
A burst of flame erupted.
The scout's cloak burned, and he went still.
Rhaizen stood up, breathing hard.
"One down…"
---
The Chase
The first scout—the dagger wielder—had recovered and stood several meters away. His hood had fallen back slightly, revealing a pale, emotionless face with blank eyes.
But the moment Rhaizen looked at him… the man turned around and sprinted into the trees.
Rhaizen shifted his stance.
He wanted to chase.
He could chase.
But something stopped him—a faint glow on the ground.
He turned his head slowly.
The scout he had defeated earlier was still motionless…
But beneath the man's body, a strange symbol was burning itself into the dirt.
A red circular mark.
Lines pulsing outward like veins.
A small eye-shaped pattern in the center.
Rhaizen stepped closer.
The air above the symbol felt heavy… wrong… almost like someone was watching through it.
He crouched.
"This isn't just a message," he muttered. "It's a mark… for the Shadow Veins."
His breath steadied.
He didn't know if the symbol was a warning, a tracker, or a signal.
But he understood one thing clearly:
These people weren't acting randomly.
They weren't taking villagers at random.
They weren't picking weak ones or strong ones.
They were selecting specific people for something.
Rhaizen stood tall, fists tightening.
His eye followed the direction the escaping scout ran.
"They're not just taking people…"
he said quietly, voice low and serious.
His eyes hardened.
"…they're choosing who to take."