The moment the new group entered the cave, the atmosphere froze. The black-clothed leader stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across Dharan, Riz… and then Roma and Arun standing not far from them. For a brief second, his eyes narrowed. Together. That alone was enough—no questions needed. To him, they were on the same side.
Dharan didn't even spare Roma and Arun a glance. His attention was locked entirely on one person. The black-clothed leader. A faint, mocking smile appeared on his face as he casually gestured toward the three corpses on the ground. "So… the spies you planted seem to be doing quite well."
Silence.
The black-clothed leader's expression darkened instantly, veins rising on his forehead. "You—" He stopped himself, forcing his voice down, then snapped his gaze toward Roma and Arun. "You two. What are you doing here? Which organization do you belong to?"
Roma's heart sank. Don't say it… don't say it… don't say it…
Arun stepped forward confidently. "We are from the Association."
Roma closed his eyes. I regret everything. I should never have recruited this loud mouth. This is the worst decision of my life.
The black-clothed leader frowned. "…Association?"
"I don't care."
Dharan's voice cut through everything—calm, cold, decisive. "I'll deal with all of you together."
The next moment, his aura exploded.
Seventh Stage—peak.
But far heavier than normal, sharper, more dangerous.
Riz stepped forward beside him, calm and eager. "Finally." His aura surged as well—Seventh Stage peak.
The black-clothed leader's eyes hardened. "Kill them."
Everything exploded.
The Ninth Stage expert from Ghost Claw moved first. "Heaven Rend Palm!" A crushing force descended instantly.
Dharan didn't dodge. "Void Breaking Strike." His fist collided head-on with the invisible pressure.
BOOM.
The cave shook violently, shockwaves tearing across the ground.
At the same time, Riz vanished. "Flash Sever." He appeared between two Seventh Stage Ghost Claw elites. Both reacted instantly—"Iron Guard!" "Twin Fang Defense!"—but the blade still cut through. Blood sprayed.
Riz didn't stop. "Second Flash." Another slash followed, and one of them staggered back, chest split open.
"Careful!" the other shouted.
At the center, Dharan stepped forward into three opponents—two from Origin Clan, one from Ghost Claw.
"Arrogant," one growled. "You think you can handle three—"
He never finished.
Dharan moved. "Shadow Collapse Step." His body blurred, then appeared in front of him. "Bone Shatter Palm." The strike landed instantly, ribs collapsing as the man was sent flying.
The other two attacked together. "Stone Lock Bind!" "Blood Fang Strike!"
Dharan twisted mid-motion. "Void Drift." Both attacks missed by a hair's breadth. Then—"Pulse Breaker." A shockwave burst outward, forcing both back.
Even outnumbered, he had the upper hand.
At the edge of the cave, Roma grabbed Arun. "RUN."
"I agree."
They turned instantly and ran without hesitation or shame.
But a figure dropped in front of them—one of the Ghost Claw Seventh Stage elites. "…Running? Where do you think you're going?"
Roma froze. We are dead again.
The man attacked. "Iron Crush Kick!"
Arun stepped forward instinctively. "Iron Pulse Fist!"
BOOM.
The collision sent Arun flying backward, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Arun!"
Roma's mind raced. Think. Think. Think.
The Seventh Stage elite stepped forward again, slow and confident.
Roma's eyes flickered. Then he moved.
A strange, unstable surge of chakra gathered in his palm—not refined, not perfect, but different.
"Move!" Roma shouted.
He pushed forward—not toward the enemy, but sideways.
"Chakra Push—Displacement!"
A burst of force slammed into the Seventh Stage elite, not to damage but to shift his position. The man staggered—just one step—toward Riz.
Riz's eyes sharpened instantly.
Opportunity.
"Flash Sever—Execution Cut."
The blade flashed.
Clean. Precise.
The man's head separated from his body.
Silence—just for a moment.
Roma blinked. "…That worked?"
Riz glanced at him briefly. "…Not bad."
Roma almost cried.
But the battlefield was getting worse.
The Ninth Stage expert stepped forward again, this time serious. "Enough."
He moved faster than before. "Heaven Rend—Third Form."
Three consecutive strikes fell, each heavier than the last.
Riz tried to intercept. "Flash Guard—"
Too late.
The first strike deflected his blade. The second hit. Blood burst from Riz as he was thrown back.
Dharan's expression changed.
The third strike came to kill, but Riz twisted at the last second. The fatal blow missed slightly, yet still tore through him. Blood sprayed across the cave.
"…Riz."
Dharan's aura turned violent.
The Ninth Stage expert didn't stop. Three more attacks followed, suppressing Dharan directly.
Even he was being pushed back.
The situation turned bad. Very bad.
Dharan suddenly reached into his robe and took out a pill.
The moment it appeared, the black-clothed leader's face changed. "…That…"
Dharan smirked faintly. "Recognize it?"
Silence.
"Two years ago," Dharan said calmly, "when one of your Death Envoys came… and died. I took this from his body."
The black-clothed leader's eyes widened.
"I kept it," Dharan continued, "for a moment like this."
The pill glowed faintly, dark and dangerous.
"You'll die if you take that," the black-clothed leader said, stepping back.
Dharan smiled—cold, almost mad. "I know."
He swallowed it.
For a split second, nothing happened.
Then his aura exploded.
Eighth Stage.
Ninth Stage.
Ninth Stage—peak.
The entire cave trembled, the air itself screaming under the pressure. Even the Ninth Stage expert's expression changed.
"Now," Dharan said softly, "let's finish this."
What followed was not a fight.
It was slaughter.
"Void Collapse Domain."
Space itself seemed to distort as enemies were dragged in, crushed, erased.
The Ninth Stage expert resisted. "Heaven Rend—Full Release!"
But Dharan broke through.
"Absolute Break."
The clash lasted only seconds.
Then silence.
Bodies fell one after another—Ghost Claw, Origin Clan, all dead.
Even the black-clothed leader tried to speak. "…We… can—"
Dharan didn't listen.
"Don't you know you were just a background character meant to die, so sad background character with no name, just die."
With a single slice, black clothed man was cut in two.
Silence filled the cave.
Only four remained.
Dharan. Riz. Roma. Arun.
Roma stood frozen. Arun stood frozen.
What… just happened…
Dharan slowly turned, his gaze landing on them.
For the first time, he smiled.
A calm, satisfied smile.
And somehow, that smile was more terrifying than everything before.
To be continued… 🔥