The battlefield fell into silence.
The First Blade lay motionless in the rubble.
Defeated.
---
The remaining members of the Shadow Order didn't hesitate.
They retreated.
Fast.
Silent.
Gone within seconds.
---
Lucian clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
"They always run when it gets fun."
---
Karn looked toward the direction they escaped.
"…Disciplined."
---
Ruun nodded slightly.
"…They achieved their objective."
---
Rai turned.
"…Which wasn't to win."
---
Ruun finished the thought.
"…But to measure us."
---
Silence settled for a moment.
---
Then—
Grik's voice echoed from the distance as he and a small support group arrived.
"BOSS!"
He looked around at the destruction.
"…You guys really went all out, huh?"
---
Lucian grinned.
"You should've seen it."
"I almost died of boredom before it got good."
---
Grik ignored him.
He looked at the First Blade's body.
"…Is he dead?"
---
Rai walked over.
Looked down.
---
"…No."
---
Everyone paused.
---
Lucian blinked.
"…Wait, what?"
---
Karn narrowed his eyes.
"…He should be."
---
Rai crouched slightly.
His gaze sharp.
---
"…He's not human."
---
A faint pulse came from the First Blade's chest.
Dark.
Unstable.
---
Ruun's expression shifted.
"…That's not normal energy."
---
Suddenly—
The First Blade's body twitched.
---
Black veins spread across his skin.
---
Lucian stepped back slightly.
"…Okay, that's creepy."
---
The man's eyes snapped open.
But—
They weren't the same.
---
Completely black.
---
A distorted voice escaped his mouth.
"…Target… confirmed…"
---
Rai's eyes narrowed.
"…Possession."
---
Karn's grip tightened.
"…Something is controlling him."
---
The First Blade's body rose unnaturally.
Limbs stiff.
Movements unnatural.
---
"…Eliminate… vessel…"
---
Dark energy surged violently from him.
Far stronger than before.
Unstable.
Wild.
---
Ruun spoke quickly.
"…This isn't him anymore."
---
Rai stood up slowly.
"…No."
---
"This is something else."
---
The air grew heavy.
---
The First Blade's body suddenly lunged forward.
Faster than before.
But sloppy.
Uncontrolled.
---
Rai didn't move.
---
The moment it got close—
---
CRACK
---
Rai's hand pierced straight through its chest.
---
The body froze.
---
The black energy writhed.
Screaming.
Trying to escape.
---
Rai's eyes turned slightly crimson again.
---
"…You shouldn't have shown yourself."
---
The dark energy reacted violently.
As if afraid.
---
Then—
It burst out of the body.
A shadow-like mass.
Floating.
Twisting.
---
Lucian's grin faded slightly.
"…Yeah, I don't like that."
---
Karn stepped forward.
"…That's not something we've seen before."
---
The shadow let out a distorted sound.
---
"…VESSEL…"
---
"…WE… WILL… COME…"
---
Rai raised his hand.
Dark energy condensed instantly.
---
"Disappear."
---
BOOM
---
The shadow was obliterated.
Completely erased.
---
Silence.
---
The First Blade's body collapsed.
Lifeless this time.
Truly dead.
---
Ruun exhaled slowly.
"…So that's the real enemy."
---
Rai looked at his hand.
Where the shadow had been.
---
"…No."
---
"That was just a fragment."
---
The atmosphere shifted.
---
Grik scratched his head nervously.
"…A fragment?"
---
Lucian grinned again.
"Good."
"That means there's something stronger out there."
---
Karn didn't smile.
"…Something that can control people like that…"
"…is dangerous."
---
Rai turned toward the horizon.
His eyes calm.
But colder than before.
---
"…Then we eliminate it."
---
Far Away — Unknown Domain
A massive dark space.
Endless.
Silent.
---
A figure sat upon a throne of shadows.
---
For a moment—
It was still.
---
Then—
Its eyes opened.
---
"…Interesting."
---
A faint smile formed.
---
"…You destroyed my fragment."
---
The shadows around it twisted slowly.
---
"…Rai…"
---
"…Demon King Vessel…"
---
Its voice echoed across the void.
---
"…I will find you."
---
Back at the Settlement
The group returned.
But nothing felt the same anymore.
---
Because now—
They knew.
---
The Shadow Order…
The attacks…
The war…
---
Were just the surface.
---
Something deeper was watching.
Waiting.
---
And it had finally taken interest in Rai.