The cracks on the surface of the stone pillar finally spread to their limit.
"Boom—!!!"
With a dull, massive roar, the entire stone pillar crumbled into powder.
Malicious Qi gushed out from the center of the explosion.
That aura was so thick it was almost physical, pure "evil."
The airwaves surged wildly in all directions, carrying sand and dust as they swept through everything.
The gale howled. Rengoku, Hungry Ghost, and Shura blocked their eyes with their arms, leaning forward slightly, doing their best to stand their ground.
Their clothes flapped loudly in the wind, and their skin stung from the pelting sand.
"What an enormous post-mortem Nen..."
Sterling pushed up his glasses. The lenses trembled slightly in the wind, but he did not look away.
The two men in black behind him took a few steps back, shielding their faces with their arms, staring in shock at the churning black Qi.
In the center of the malicious Nen, the figure of a baby slowly emerged.
The baby was curled up, as if still in the womb.
His skin was pale, almost transparent, his eyes were tightly closed, and his lips were slightly pursed. His naked body floated gently in the malicious current of Qi.
No crying, no fussing.
Then, he opened his eyes.
Those eyes were filled with the color of blood.
There was no emotion in his pupils, only a cold, condescending scrutiny.
Then he began to grow.
A rapid growth that transcended common sense and was visible to the naked eye.
From infant to toddler, toddler to child, child to youth—in less than a minute, a boy who looked fifteen or sixteen stood in the center of the shattered stone pillar.
He had a slender build with smooth muscle lines and well-defined features. His white hair fluttered gently in the wind.
His skin was pale, and the corners of his eyes slanted upward slightly, carrying an indescribable wickedness.
He slowly drifted to the ground, his bare feet stepping onto the scorching sand.
The malicious Nen seemed to be drawn by an invisible hand, layer by layer, being restrained, condensed, and absorbed into his body.
The air currents settled, the dust fell, and the sky revealed its original color once more.
But a chilling aura remained in the air, lingering for a long time.
Jed looked at Rengoku and the others, a momentary blankness in his eyes.
His gaze moved from Rengoku's face to Hungry Ghost's, then from Hungry Ghost to Shura's, as if confirming something.
"Where... where am I?"
His voice was raspy, as if it hadn't been used in a long time.
"Didn't I... die?"
He closed his eyes.
In his mind, images came rushing in like a tide.
The desert, with rolling golden dunes.
He stood on the sand, surrounded by the corpses of the Cleanse Squad. Before him was a white-haired old man wearing a martial arts uniform.
The old man's hands were pressed together, and behind him was a massive golden 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
The statue's arms were like a thousand hands, and the shadows of its palms were continuous, blotting out the sky.
The golden palm shadows submerged his vision.
Then—there was nothing.
Jed opened his eyes, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
That smile grew wider and wider, finally turning into a manic laugh that came from the depths of his Soul.
"Netero—!!!"
His voice echoed in the empty desert, carrying a hatred suppressed for untold years.
"I'm back!"
The laughter gradually subsided.
He lowered his head, looking at Rengoku, Hungry Ghost, and Shura kneeling on one knee before him.
He could feel through the resonance of their Bloodline that these three young people were his descendants.
His clan still had a Bloodline remaining in the world.
Rengoku lowered her head, her voice low and respectful.
"As members of the Shadow Clan, we welcome Lord Jed's return! We swear to offer you our lifelong loyalty and seek revenge against all Hunters!"
Hungry Ghost and Shura repeated in unison.
"We offer our lifelong loyalty and seek revenge against all Hunters!"
Jed shifted his gaze from the three of them to Sterling in the back.
The man with glasses stood not far away, hands in his pockets, with a gentle and composed smile as if watching a performance that had nothing to do with him.
The two men in black behind him stood straight, their expressions wooden.
Jed understood instantly.
His resurrection was thanks to these people.
He withdrew his gaze and looked back at the three kneeling before him, his voice slightly softer than before.
"Very well, stand up. I have truly felt the resentment in your hearts."
Only then did Rengoku and the others stand up.
Hungry Ghost's eyes were slightly red, Shura's lips were pressed into a line, and Rengoku's face remained expressionless, but her fingers were trembling slightly.
Jed nodded with satisfaction, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"I am very satisfied. I shall grant you power."
He raised his right hand and bit his thumb.
Dark red blood welled from the wound, emitting a thick aura of malice and trembling slightly in the air.
Then the drop of blood split into three, turning into three blood-colored light arrows that flew toward Rengoku, Hungry Ghost, and Shura.
The blood sank into their chests and disappeared.
The next second—Nen erupted from the bodies of all three simultaneously.
Nen filled with hatred and malice.
Dark red Nen wrapped around the three of them, twisting, churning, and burning, making one shudder.
Rengoku looked up, a dark red light appearing in her eyes.
"We understand!"
Hungry Ghost clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.
Shura took a deep breath, and his Nen slowly retracted, but the sense of pressure did not diminish in the slightest.
Jed withdrew his hand and walked over to the three.
Hungry Ghost took out a black cloak from behind him, holding it with both hands, and respectfully draped it over Jed.
The cloak was large, almost covering his entire body, revealing only a pale face and a pair of blood-red eyes at the collar.
Jed pulled up the hood of the cloak, covering most of his face.
He turned his head to look at Sterling, his tone calm.
Those blood-red eyes looked directly at Sterling's lenses.
"You are from the V5, aren't you?"
Sterling pushed up his glasses, the gentle smile still on his face.
"That's right. As expected of the man who could become the captain of the Cleanse Squad, it seems I don't need to explain."
Jed snorted disdainfully, his gaze full of contempt.
"The scent on you people can be smelled even if you turn to ash. It's nauseating."
Sterling didn't care about Jed's insults; his smile even deepened a bit.
"Your resurrection is entirely thanks to us."
Jed's gaze turned cold.
"Is that so? Our destruction was also thanks to you. Once you finished using us and found us inconvenient or unnecessary, you just cleaned us out."
Sterling shook his head, his tone still unhurried.
"You can't say it like that. If Netero hadn't overruled everyone and insisted on eliminating you, we wouldn't have agreed. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for trusting the wrong person."
Jed was stunned for a moment.
Then he laughed.
He remembered, of course—Netero, that old fellow, the one who completely submerged him with the 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Every member of the Cleanse Squad died in that battle.
Their bones were buried in this desert, covered by wind and sand, forgotten by time.
The person he resented most was, naturally, Netero.
Jed looked up.
"You resurrected me so that I would deal with Netero?"
Sterling nodded, his tone calm.
"Times have changed. It's time for Netero to step down."
Jed looked up at the sky, his white hair fluttering in the wind.
He spoke resentfully.
"Netero, it seems you've been abandoned by the V5 as well. You also have a day like this."
Sterling did not respond.
He waited a few seconds before continuing.
"Your power has not been fully recovered, and your body is still in a stage of development."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Jed's youthful face.
"Come with us. We have already made arrangements. In just a few months, you will be able to have your revenge. We will not interfere with your actions."
Jed didn't speak.
He was silent for a moment, then stepped forward.
"Lead the way."
Sterling turned and walked in the direction he had come from.
Rengoku, Hungry Ghost, and Shura followed behind Jed, while the two men in black walked at the very back, silent and noiseless.
The desert returned to its tranquility.