Manke sagged against a frost-rimed boulder, breath rattling. The name tasted like iron. A Rank 2 Macaque lunged; Dennis parried, but the beast’s tail whipped his knee, and he went down hard. Two more guards screamed as claws found flesh.
High above, the scarred Macaque Leader vanished into the canopy. A heartbeat later, it dropped, fists fused into a single hammer of condensed Qi, plummeting straight for the survivors.
Manke’s vision tunnelled.
His fingers flew: twelve acupoints flared along arms and spine, three Heavenly Gates igniting in white-hot lines beneath his skin. Runes spun out of the air—translucent snowflakes edged in silver fire. His Mind reached past pain, past fear, and listened to the lake’s ancient cold Will.
“Heed my call, world of frost. Let my Mana be the TIMBER that binds your frozen Will. Rise in magnificence…
Παγ?καστρο!” (Pagókastro - Ice Castle)
The ground cracked.
A colossal Guardian of Ice tore upward from the earth—twelve meters of interlaced crystalline beams, each rib and limb a living pillar of glacial timber. Its eyes were twin blue stars; its crown, a halo of razor icicles. The avatar met the Leader’s hammer mid-fall. CRASH! Shockwaves pulverised the moss into glass. The Macaque rebounded, roaring, claws scraping harmlessly across the Guardian’s chest.
The Guardian slammed one fist into the soil.
BAAAAM!
Ice exploded outward in perfect rings—walls thirty meters high, thick as fortress battlements, their inner surfaces latticed with glowing frost-supports that pulsed like heartwood. Boulders shattered against them; uprooted trunks splintered into snow. The Leader pounded until its knuckles bled, but the fortress held.
Manke’s knees buckled. Blood poured from his nose, his Heavenly Gates fraying like snapped harp strings. The Guardian flickered, beams dissolving into swirling snow. He collapsed face-first into the frost, the barrier’s timer already ticking.
The remaining guards and Dennis rushed to Manke, propping him upright, binding wounds with blood-slick hands. Doom loomed; the beasts' roars thundered unceasingly, claws scraping ice like nails on bone. They readied weapons for a final stand, breaths steady despite trembling limbs. “If we’re to die, I’ll take one beast with me… I just hope Lady Julieta escaped,” one guard muttered, voice a defiant whisper.
Going back in time, thirty minutes before Nerion and company were besieged.
Elisha, Captain Lykos, and Centurion Kael moved swiftly along the northern shoreline, their steps muffled by the thick moss. The Legate and the Centurion were powerful enough to cut through the mundane hazards of the woods unhindered.
Suddenly, Lykos yelled. He blurred into action, drawing his black-iron short sword and lunging directly toward Elisha. Elisha instinctively flared his Praetorian Qi, preparing to dodge and counter a betrayal he was certain was coming.
Lykos, however, moved past him. His blade sliced through a coiled Forest Salamander, a Rank 2 magical beast that had been camouflaged directly above Elisha's head. The creature dropped, bisected and dead.
Lykos sheathed his blade with a sneer. "Watch your surroundings, Praetorian. Your certainty is blinding you. You're too focused on the powerful threats you imagine to notice the simple ones that will actually kill you."
Elisha’s Qi collapsed with shock. He had been completely blind to the threat. His certainty regarding Lykos wavered, and a sharp jolt of humility and shame at his own inexperience hit him. He was too consumed by his suspicion to be an effective warrior.
They soon found a Green Crystal Flower nestled on a rocky outcropping. Lykos was glad and was about to pick it up when a large boulder was hurled toward them. Lykos made quick work of the rock with a Qi-filled punch.
They had stumbled into the nest area of the Shadow Macaques. These beasts were the true overlords of the Lake area: a tight, united group capable of melding with shadows and short-range teleportation, their powers enhanced by the thick Natural Energy of the woods.
The three were besieged. Lykos fought with incredible prowess, his Legate might restraining the pack. Elisha, remembering his previous shame, tried to reason with the beasts. "We mean no harm! It was an accident! Let us pass!" he called out, but the Macaques only grew more aggressive.
Suddenly, a gruesome groan was heard. A Rank 3 Macaque fell, its head severed by an invisible force. The rest of the Macaques instantly flew into a frenzy, attacking the three warriors with terrifying, renewed ferocity.
Elisha realised that a larger truth was being revealed, whether this was by the Captain or someone else, he didn't know. However, he knew he was outnumbered and outranked. He came close to several Rank 2 Macaques, near a tree stump, and feigned being attacked, dropping his sword and allowing himself to fall.
Lykos, fighting two of the Rank 4 Macaque leaders, cursed. He knew that now that the pack had seen their own blood, they would unleash their full might. He saw several Rank 4 beasts leading Macaques toward the southern route where Julieta was located. "I have to get back to Julieta!" Lykos roared.
Kael, seeing Lykos turn to flee, saw his chance.
The Captain was moving to open a path through the encirclement when Kael suddenly attacked, his blade screaming through the air. Lykos managed to defend himself on time against Kael's surprise attack, his Legate Rank Qi flaring outwards, pushing Kael back. "What do you think you're doing, Kael?" Lykos roared, his voice thick with betrayed fury.
Kael stopped, a cruel smile spreading across his lips. "I just wanted to stop you, Lykos. Have a good talk. Why the rush back to that bastard daughter? I know how much you despise her; she's nothing but the daughter of a concubine. You serve the Lady of the House, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to watch this die in a Woods adventure."
Lykos responded instantly, his eyes narrowed, his full Qi and might focused on Kael. "That's House Corina's own matter, and it will be resolved internally. My dislike for Lady Julieta has nothing to do with my duty and honour. I know you think of me as a fool, a strong-headed fool, and I very well may be so. But my honour is for My House, and I'll defend it even in my foolishness. Who are you working for?"
Kael sighed and simply muttered, "Alara's money is hard to earn."
Lykos narrowed his eyes, and both made a quick, vicious exchange. The Legate's Will manifested, two-thirds of a two-meter-tall mighty bull taking form, blasting towards Kael. “My Will is unstoppable! -
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Kael also used his Will, the point of a shuttle-like structure appearing, rotating rapidly, displacing the Natural Energy and facing the full might of Captain Lykos “My Will bends to no one -
BAAM!
The exchange proved Lykos's superiority; Kael barely managed to defend himself, his armour torn, injured in the process, his Will dispersing. However, Lykos also had to retreat somewhat. Kael, even as just a Centurion, showed an elite level of might and prowess he had never displayed before.
Lykos thought, his focus entirely on his frontal assault.
Lykos, however, despite gaining the upper hand, lost focus for a split second. That was enough.
A powerful attack struck Lykos on the back, piercing his armour all the way through the right side of the chest. "
Francis appeared, cloaked by a technique similar to the Macaques' shadow manipulation. The Templo sigil with a scythe glinted on his blade.
"Francis? How... you were dead... and a Centurion..." Lykos gasped, falling down on one knee, blood pooling beneath him. "I understand... It was you... You were the one talking with me near Lady Julieta in the garden about the master's interest in the Green Crystal Flower. It was also you who told me of its whereabouts... It was you all along."
"Indeed. But there is no winning prize for the correct answer," Francis said with a smile. His full Centurion power was now on display, previously hidden as a Grandmaster by a special runic amulet.
"Go, Kael. I'll end things quickly on my side and join you soon. I'll attack the butler; you go for the girl. If things go well, you may also take the boy. No failures are allowed," Francis commanded.
Kael nodded, “I won’t be able to manifest my Will for a while because of Lykos. Don’t delay”. However, before leaving, he said cryptically, "And don't forget to eliminate the rats."
"I will," Francis confirmed. Captain Lykos fell, his blood pooling below him. Francis immediately executed a powerful display of might and dispersed the Shadow Macaques around him. He raised a small, pungent Black Lotus Pod, tossing it into the dense Macaque ranks. The Macaques, terrified by the concentrated toxin designed to subdue high-ranked beasts, broke their siege and fled.
Francis then turned his attention to a tree stump nearby. "Have you seen enough? Did you really think your mediocre hiding skill and feigning death could fool a true assassination master?" Francis said, looking eerily at a thick tree root. "Will you come out, or do you want me to do it. Trust me. The second way is much more painful."
Elisha came out. He was completely aghast. Francis was supposed to be dead, eaten by the Chameleon Serpent. Now he saw the truth: it was all a trap from the start.
"You're quite talented, Elisha. We appreciate talents, you know," Francis said, trying to convince Elisha to join his organisation. "Here, you won't go hungry anymore; you don't have to follow a beggar. We'll convert you into a truly powerful figure. You don't have the slightest idea of the kind of might that's hiding behind us."
Elisha’s mind raced, feigning consideration, seeking escape as the Centurion’s might loomed over him.
Francis smiled, focusing his terrifying, glacial gaze on the boy. "Don't be a fool, Elisha. You can't run. I have no time to lose. You either join us now, or you die. You have 5 seconds to consider... 5, 4, 3, 2..."
As Francis counted down, Elisha used the pause to his advantage. He used
He attacked with his full might, three white serpents of Qi surrounding his leg.
Francis smiled mockingly at Elisha; however, he didn't dare underestimate the boy. He pushed with both hands, a dark, glowing halo of Qi surrounding his arms. The shadow of the paws of a black cat, Francis's Will manifestation, appeared. It quickly defended against Elisha's attack and sent him flying backwards against some trees, but it did manage to force back the apparition.
Francis was astonished, "This Praetorian actually managed to resist a Will manifestation..."
"You're truly talented, boy. It's really a shame," Francis said, his blade about to descend upon Elisha. However, he had to stop. He felt it... A terror he had rarely felt, one perhaps only the Leader and other Elders from his group had shown him before. "Who's there?" Francis managed to say under the crushing pressure.
Mikael appeared, walking calmly toward Elisha and Francis. His eyes no longer looked clouded; his full, undivided attention was on Francis.
"Kael was right. This might... Who are you? It's impossible that one such as you is unknown..." Francis said, shaken. Mikael's unleashed Qi was powerful. "Nooo... I don't believe it. If you were truly a Saint, you wouldn't have needed to wait so far. You must be making an illusion," roared Francis.
He unleashed his full might and attacked Mikael with a mighty lunge
Mikael simply raised his two fists, evaded the attack swiftly, and a mighty Qi-filled punch landed in Francis's gut, bending him over, blood and small pieces of organs leaving his mouth. He fell to the ground, almost retching, incapacitated by a single blow. Francis realised that Mikael's might was not that of a Saint, as it barely reached the level of an Emperor. However, it was still enough to defeat him, a Centurion.
"Now you can answer a question or two... Elisha, are you ok?" Mikael asked.
"I'm fine, pops. Just some bruised bones and muscles, I'll need a couple of days of rest. What about you?" Elisha was filled with concern, knowing Mikael could hardly unleash his full power without risking his crippled meridians.
"I can manage," Mikael replied, moving to examine Francis. "Now... That blade of yours... It has the mark of the Templo sigil for the Avi-Sena's faction. I know Templo can be corrupted, however, they don't usually use subterfuge and this type of crappy plans to do their bidding. Where are you really from? What's your purpose in coming here?"
Francis was silent, his visage a mocking look. Mikael knew this would be a long undertaking. Suddenly, the man looked towards Mikael's chest and his pupils constricted. "The Genesis Stone..."
Mikael's hand trembled. He had hit the mark. He had actually found a clue to the people looking for the Genesis Stone, the very ones linked to Lirian's death.
Francis knew he had to make the ultimate decision. He looked like a martyr at Mikael, and before the latter managed to stop him, he ruptured his own meridians with a forceful release of Qi, committing suicide.
"Shit... We lost the trail," said Mikael.
Elisha, blown away by the revelation, went to check Captain Lykos, while Mikael checked Francis's belongings for any scrap of information.
"Pops, Captain Lykos is still alive. Barely, but with proper aid, he can be saved... Should we?" Elisha asked.
Mikael arrived near Lykos and pressed a specific pressure point on his back, injecting his Qi. "Let's save him since it's on the way. Besides, I still owe that old geezer Corina a favour or two. Let's go, take him with you. I'm worried about your brother. Make haste."
"But, pops, your injuries..."
"Nerion is more important. Don't dilly dally, go." Elisha said no more and, carrying the captain on his shoulders, he quickly went with Mikael toward Julieta's entourage.
Time ticked quickly, and the Fortress started to show cracks, the mana sustaining it being expended quickly.
As ‘Pagókastro’ crumbled, ice shards raining like shattered stars, the guards yelled defiance, steeling for death. But the Macaques froze mid-assault, immobile, roaring in primal fear, eyes locked on one spot.
The scarred Leader lay face down in the dirt, bloodied and trembling like a whipped cur. A ragged old man perched arrogantly atop its back, missing teeth bared in a predatory grin, his presence a crushing storm of unseen power. Behind him, an illusion flickered, hidden behind a veil of rippling mist: a colossal fanged beast, its silhouette massive and hulking, golden fur glinting faintly through the haze, lightning dancing subtly along unseen strands. Its jaws parted in a silent snarl, eyes partially open, glowing with electric malice.
Manke blinked through the haze, heart stuttering, a long-lost memory awakening.
“Where is Nerion? Julieta?” Elisha asked, his voice strained, ignoring the sight of the old man who was Mikael.
The questions hung heavy, unanswered. Guards lowered their heads in shame, Dennis muttering, “They fled south... Kael pursued. We failed them.”
Elisha’s heart lurched, fists clenching—worry twisting like a blade. Mikael rose fluidly, aura flaring in a ripple of Emperor might, Natural Energy warping the air. The fanged-beast illusion solidified briefly, jaws parting in a silent snarl; Macaques whimpered, scattering into shadows like smoke before flame. He knelt by Manke, pressing acupoints to infuse stabilising Qi, careful of his own crippled meridians. "Camp secure. But the boy..."
As Elisha’s heart lurched in worry, a sound tore through the silence:
BOOOOM!
An explosion, sharp and final, echoed several kilometres away from the camp, a violent shockwave ripping through the quiet woods, pointing directly toward the Beast-infested chaos where Nerion had fled.