Ajina was alone at home.
"Alpha left two hours ago. Torisa should be free by now, and the others are still searching the city for Yarika," he thought.
His gaze fell on a letter lying beside his pillow.
"Torisa, I already know the whole game."
He then pulled out a book hidden beneath his pillow. It was the same book that once belonged to Hiruma.
Without wasting a second, Ajina stepped onto the balcony and jumped.
"Kunai Eagle."
Suddenly, a giant eagle appeared beneath him. Standing on its back, Ajina soared into the sky as the great bird slowly rose above the city.
Mara, Pasito, and Vasuki stood on the rooftop.
"Alright, let's begin the teleportation," Mara said.
The three of them sat down and closed their eyes.
"You know where we're going, right?" Mara asked Vasuki.
"Yeah. To the Red Moon. We need to find Atura," Vasuki replied.
"Hey! Why are you saying it so loudly? Someone might hear us!" Pasito shouted.
Mara sighed. "You're not exactly being quiet either."
"Just hurry up," Vasuki said. "If we focus hard enough, we should be able to reach the Red Moon and find Atura without any trouble."
Meanwhile, Ajina leaped across the rooftops before landing on top of a tall building.
He got to his feet and approached a nearby door. Pushing it open, he found a long staircase leading downward.
Without hesitation, he began descending the stairs.
Elsewhere, Mara, Vasuki, and Pasito were completely immersed in meditation.
Suddenly, Pasito opened his eyes and glanced at Vasuki.
To his disbelief, Vasuki had fallen asleep.
Pasito immediately stood up and slapped him across the face.
"Oi! Is this really the time to be sleeping?" he shouted.
As Ajina walked down the stairs, he muttered,
"I could have used the Gyan Mudra, but I can only use it twice. My Animal Spiritual System is different."
A few moments later, he stopped in front of a house and knocked on the door.
The door opened.
It was Torisa.
Without hesitation, Ajina grabbed Torisa by the collar and shouted,
"Do you know where Yarika is? The one who escaped from the hospital!"
Torisa looked confused.
"What happened? And why are you shouting?"
Ajina stared at him.
"I know your true identity now."
Suddenly, blood began to flow from Ajina's mouth.
Torisa's expression changed immediately.
"What happened to you?"
Ajina smiled weakly.
"Just as I killed Namiya, I'll kill you too."
Torisa's face instantly filled with rage.
He grabbed Ajina by the collar and growled,
"So it was you! Namiya was like a sister to me!"
Before the situation could escalate any further, Ajina suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.
Meanwhile, deep within the forests of the Red Moon, chaos filled the air.
The massive corpse of a dragon lay on the ground.
Standing atop it was a merciless man. He stood motionless, like a living corpse. Fear seemed to be a concept that did not exist for him. His only movement was the tight fist clenched at his side.
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared.
A man stepped out of it.
He was the same person who had shocked Ajina with the power of Drikani.
The newcomer looked at the silent figure and thought,
"Is Big One standing on the dragon's spirit?"
A chill ran down his spine.
"No... that's impossible."
His eyes widened as he stared at the scene before him.
"It should be impossible for Big One to stand on a dragon."
The man swallowed nervously and asked,
"Big One... are you standing on the dragon?"
Suddenly, Big One slowly opened his clenched fist.
The red soil of the Red Moon slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
"Vyan Kazime... is that you?" Big One said.
His voice was so deep and overwhelming that Vyas instinctively took a step back.
"Y-Yes..." Vyas replied.
The moment the words left his mouth, blood began to flow from his ears and mouth.
Then a powerful gust of wind swept through the forest.
The crimson soil on the ground started to glow.
Slowly, it gathered together and took the shape of a lion looking toward the sky.
Despite the unbearable pain, Vyas forced himself to speak.
"What... have I done?"
The lion-shaped figure slowly rose above Big One's head, as if offering him a royal canopy.
Big One stood facing forward, yet no one could clearly see his face. It was as though darkness itself concealed his features.
Then, he extended his right arm to the side.
In the distance, an old black axe lodged within a tree suddenly trembled.
A violent pressure swept through the air.
The weapon was ripped free and shot across the forest at incredible speed before landing perfectly in Big One's hand.
The wind was so powerful that Vyas's hair whipped wildly around him.
The bleeding from his ears and mouth had finally stopped.
Yet the fear remained.
No...
The fear surrounding Big One had only grown stronger.
Big One slowly raised the black axe beside his left ear, taking a stance as if preparing for a strike.
The moment Vyas saw this, he quickly began stepping back.
Then—
Big One hurled the axe.
Before Vyas could even react, the weapon tore through the air and struck directly into his chest.
At that very moment, a translucent mist appeared in the sky.
Within it, the outline of a lion's head and claws emerged.
With terrifying speed, the spectral beast lunged at Vyas.
Its fangs sank into his neck while its razor-sharp claws pierced both of his arms.
A violent gust of wind exploded across the battlefield.
And then—
The lion vanished without a trace.
Stop playing with the wind," Big One said coldly. "Or I'll bury you right here."
The moment those words were spoken, the raging winds calmed.
Even nature itself seemed to change its attitude.
Then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the forest.
A man emerged from the shadows and smiled.
"Impressive, Big One... Makhulu."
Suddenly, the ground beneath Vyas collapsed.
A massive pit opened, swallowing him whole before sealing itself as if nothing had happened.
A gust of wind swept across the battlefield.
For the first time, Big One's feet became visible.
They were not standing on the dragon's corpse.
Instead, they hovered slightly above the dragon's head.