Shifon, wiping the sweat from his brow, turned to Kai with a small, exhausted smile. "Now it's your time to shine," he said. "Go bring Shinji back."
Kai and Charlie stood there for a moment, absorbing the weight of Shifon's words. Finally, Charlie spoke up, his voice unusually soft. "Thank you, Shifon. For everything."
Kai nodded firmly. "I won't let your hard work go to waste."
Shifon, gruff as ever, crossed his arms and looked away. "Just don't die. I hate making swords for dead men."
The three of them shared a brief, heartfelt moment before Charlie clapped Kai on the back. "Come on, kid. We need to hurry to reach the village."
Kai blinked. "Why?"
Charlie grimaced. "We have to leave in an hour."
Without wasting another second, Kai and Charlie sprinted back through the river path toward the main town. Their hearts pounded—not just from running but from the anticipation of what was to come.
At the town gates, a familiar sight awaited them: Tamato, the angry old woman, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.
"Where the hell have you two been?!" she barked.
Both Kai and Charlie bowed deeply, apologizing in unison. "Sorry, Tamato!"
Tamato sighed, her stern face softening just a little. "Fine, fine. Now hurry and get on the cart. We've already packed your belongings."
Kai turned to the villagers, bowing deeply. "Thank you! Thank you all for everything!"
Before they could leave, Tamato introduced them to four new companions who would assist them in rescuing Shinji.
The first to step forward was a man in his thirties, with black hair and kind brown eyes. His humble face radiated trustworthiness.
"This is Alex," Tamato said. "He'll be your leader."
Next was a young man about Kai's age—nineteen years old—with striking blue eyes and black hair. He wore knee breeches and long pieces of white cloth wrapped around his hands like bandages, likely to protect them during sword fights. Standing 5'10", he had a solid, athletic build.
He approached Kai with a comforting smile and offered his hand. "I'm Oliver, vice-captain of the Village Defense Force."
Kai shook his hand firmly. Oliver's Zenssai, a katana with a cloud-like design etched into its blade, hung at his side, its presence calming yet powerful.
Behind Oliver, Alex revealed his own Zenssai—a simple yet radiant ring, pulsing softly with energy. He nodded respectfully toward Kai.
Charlie, ever impatient, jumped onto Kai's shoulder and nudged him. "Alright, enough greetings. We've got a friend to save!"
Kai laughed and agreed.
Alex, Charlie, Kai, and the two other villagers quickly climbed into the cart, with Oliver taking the driver's seat. The horses neighed and stomped, sensing the urgency in the air.
The scene shifted ominously.
Far away, in a dark, concealed facility, Argeus stood before a massive glass tube. The interior was fogged, making it impossible to see what was inside. Surrounding the main tube were countless smaller ones, each containing mutilated humans—lifeless bodies hooked up to pipes that siphoned their blood and chemicals into the central tank.
Argeus's face twisted into a cruel grin.
"At last," he muttered. "I've reached the final stage."
He paced slowly, his voice dripping with malice. "The world belongs to me."
He gazed at the fogged tube with something close to reverence.
"I've killed so many," he whispered. "Scammed them, betrayed them, took everything they had."
He laughedred, a glint of madness flickering in his eyes.
bitterly. "I even killed my own parents. My family."
His grin faltered
"O Lord, don't force me to commit more of those crimes anymore," he pleaded mockingly. "This... this is my perseverance."
The room echoed with the steady hum of machines, the grotesque symphony of a man who had abandoned every shred of his humanity.
As the cart sped toward the dark heart of Argeus's lair, Kai and his companions knew that a brutal storm awaited them—but none of them would back down.
Not now.
End of Chapter 15