Inside the grand hall of Blackshade Demon Palace, Lunaria, silver eyes rimmed with impatience, paced before a throne of obsidian bone.
She had dispatched countless search parties to hunt Jared and Flaxseed, yet every team returned empty-handed, their silence gnawing at composure.
“Useless, every last one of you!” The word cracked like a whip. Lunaria’s palm slammed onto the stone table, delicate porcelain shattered, tea spraying across the marble floor.
“So many soldiers, and none of you can find two men! Tell me, why should i keep feeding you?!”
Not long ago, and retinue had ventured up to level five, only to discover that their strength counted for little there. Lunaria herself had barely escaped an ambush. Humbled, they scurried back to level four, convinced that Jared and Flaxseed must have done the same through some hidden rift.
She scattered scouts across every ravine and pass, yet the hills remained silent.
Her subordinates now knelt beneath the throne’s shadow, trembling hard enough to rattle their armor.
“My lady… Jared and Flaxseed have arrived,” a guard burst in, voice raw with panic. “They’ve brought another man with them, and they are killing their way toward our gates!”
“What?” Lunaria’s violet lips parted in surprise, then curled into a wicked smile. “I was about to hunt them down, and instead they gift-wrap themselves?”
“They’re already outside the palace walls!” the guard stammered.
“Sound the call!” Lunaria ordered, voice cold as moonlight. “Every disciple assemble at once. We meet them head-on!”
Moments later, ranks of Blackshade Guards lined the courtyard, crimson banners snapping above their heads.
Three silhouettes dropped from the clouds like falling stars and landed before the assembled defenders, the calm Jared, the broad-shouldered Kishor, and the ever-grinnlng Flaxseed.
Dust spiraled outward from their boots as silence rippled across the courtyard, the first heartbeat in a storm about to break.
“So, Lunaria… Still alive, are you?” Jared met the demon princess’s stare with an icy calm. Cold murderous intent shimmered in his pupils, a silent storm promising blood the moment chose to strike.
“Jared, you are either brave or hopelessly foolish!” Lunaria’s laugh dripped with venom. “Did you really think hiring a single tall brute would let you stroll into Blackshade Demon Palace and walk away unscathed?”
Flaxseed gave a mocking snort. “Enough chatter, Lunaria. We’re here to settle old scores. Surrender now, and perhaps I’ll consider leaving you with a shred of dignity. Refuse, and your regrets will last a lifetime.”
“Kill them! Rich rewards for every head!” Lunaria’s shriek cracked across the courtyard.
At once the Blackshade Guards surged forward like a dark tide, blades flashing in murderous unity.
Kishor stepped in laughing, his aura bursting outward like a collapsing star. in an instant the courtyard became a gravity well.
Every guard slammed facedown, pinned beneath invisible mountains. Even Lunaria staggered, knees buckling as though the earth itself sought to swallow her.
“Kishor, leave Lunaria to me,” Jared said, voice as flat and final as a judge’s gavel.
He drew the Dragonslayer Sword. Golden light carved the air into jagged ribbons while Wandering immortal Realm Level Seven power flooded the battlefield in roaring waves.
Flaxseed lounged at the edge of the chaos, eyes narrowed, fingers flexing around hidden talismans. He would intervene the instant Lunaria tried to flee, fate, had already decided, belonged to him.
My palace will fall today if this continues…
Panic flickered through Lunaria’s gaze, yet pride crushed fear. With a sharp breath hurled herself toward Jared, determination burning hotter than terror.
“Show me what passes for skill!” cried. Her whip cracked like a living serpent.
Jared met it head-on, steel ringing against braided leather. Gold and crimson sparks sprayed, screeching louder than shattered glass while the two blurred through parry and riposte.
Lunaria had ascended to fourth tier of the Earthly immortal Realm, stronger than before. Yet Jared, strengthened by the Purifying Lotus, now stood at Wandering immortal Realm Level Seven and wielded experience honed by endless battles.
For a breathless stretch they fought as equals, neither giving nor gaining ground.
