The demon king casually sipped his wine, lounging in his golden-coated throne.
"Uh-huh?"
Jasmin pressed on, "The Silver King committed numerous atrocities, murdering innocents for magic. Several souls got perished in prisons in his pa--"
Interrupting, the demon king stated, "No need. I've identified the assassin and there's no way I will let him get away with it, even with your 'prison evidence'."
"My lord, the Silver King murdered innocent ones, therefore, there's possibility that the person only asserted revenge....."
"An assassin is an assassin. Stop trying to cover up for him. My reign is at risk if I let go of the criminal," the demon lord said casually. He walked to Jasmin's side and said, "The demon general is tracking his location with the soul compass. He'll be arrested soon, paying with his life. Get some rest, Jasmin. I will make a good scapegoat out of the assassin, wait and see."
And then, he walked out of the palace hall, followed by his guards.
Immortal Jasmin became suspicious. Why wasn't the demon lord surprised of the Silver King's attrocities.
"What's going on with him?" Jasmin wondered.
As the demon lord arrived at his chambers, he was greeted by a figure in blue dress and gray hairs.
He just looked away normally and said, "I have done as you asked. I hope you'll keep your word," stated the demon king.
"Yes, of course. That you forgave the Silver King's attrocities is one of the reasons I will stay honest with you."
Gently, Thorian stood at the king's front.
Widening his palm, a small oval crystal appeared.
"This will strengthen your cultivation to about five thousand energy level."
The demon king gladly accepted, unconcerned about how a mere sect leader possessed such treasure.
Thorian, heading towards the palace door, pondered, "If that man saved Lysander's daughter, they'll rush back to Golangane, saving the mountain god. I can achieve multiple goals with one move."
***
Half a day later, Arion gasped, his eyes widening.
Looking around, he saw trees around him.
Rising, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, emitting a loud cry.
Blood on his hand revealed he was bleeding; arrows hooked into him.
Gripping an arrow, he forced it out, intensifying the pain. He removed all arrows, triggering a memory flash.
Corpses surrounded him. His head ached, remembering being shot and Rowan's capture due to his incompetence.
Yelling in self-blame, he decided on death for resolution. Summoning his sword, he aimed for his stomach, but...
An unseen force froze his hand and dark warmth enveloped him; then sound of bell played in his head.
"Aargh!" Arion let out a loud cry as he began to be haunted by the sound.
Thorian's voice mentioned the unsettled decision. Arion, tormented, cried as mysteries unfolded.
"Lysander would be gone with you and the emperor's throne would be taken by me. What a great achievement I have made!"
Withdrawing from the noise, Arion's face turned cruel.
Hanging the sword at his back, he walked over the corpses, stood on a rock, and teleported away.
Immortal Jasmin appeared at the entrance of the Heka sect, tightly holding Liora by his side.
"Are you sure you're okay with this? You need to rest," he advised.
Her eyes were partly closed and fatigued, though the effect from the assassin's sword had been neutralized.
After leaving the demon lord's palace, Jasmin informed Liora about Arion possibly facing arrest.
Advising her to rest at his house, he offered to save Arion, but she insisted on accompanying him. Her fear stemmed from the recurring dream of Arion killing her father.
Liora faintly held Jasmin's cloth, pleading, "Please, save Arion and my father. Nothing must happen to any of them."
She handed him a crystalline dagger, saying, "I made this dagger with half of my life's cultivation. You may need it..." Blood gushed from her mouth.
"Aren't you going too far, Lady Liora?" Jasmin expressed concern. Hearing approaching footsteps, he looked in that direction and was agape at what he saw.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Jasmin? Have you joined the bad group?" the demon general scoffed.
Immortal Jasmin, seemingly ignoring him, smiled and responded, "Why are you here with a bunch of soldier ants, general?"
Demon soldiers rushed into the Heka sect, some surrounding the outside. Alarms echoed as Heka guards and disciples poured outside in defence.
"Yes, my soldiers. They sting without stopping. All they need is my order," the demon general remarked, entering the sect.
A strong breeze swept, almost resembling tornado , and Lysander appeared from it.
The general paused, soldiers encircling the perimeter between him and Lysander, while Heka disciples filled the perimeter around the demon soldiers as well.
Lysander and the demon general were in the middle of the demon soldiers, while the soldiers were encircled by Heka disciples too.
"Greetings, Immortal Lysander. I never imagined your title could be given to someone else — how disheartening," the general jested. Lysander remained resilient and smiled.
"I'm curious why you're here with a bunch of soldiers. Is everything alright?" Lysander inquired.
"We're not here to harm but to root out a rotten egg in your midst. I hope you can cooperate and bring this man out," he presented a sketch of a young man with chiseled jaw, perfectly resembling Arion.
The general continued, "The man in the drawing murdered the Silver King yesterday, and I must say, you've trained him well to be the best assassin."
"What are you insinuating? I don't even know him," Lysander responded. He never lied, but saving Arion seemed worthwhile. "Considering you claim I trained this man well, you must think he's my disciple. I fear you've lost your way, general."
The general anticipated Lysander's reaction, confident in his soul compass. Immortal Jasmin entered, holding Liora.
Seeing his injured daughter, Lysander mumbled, "Lio-Liora."
The general heard him, looked back, and recognized her right away.
He laughed hysterically, asking, "Is she a disciple too or your daughter?!" His temper flared instantly and pointed at Liora. "Where did you keep him?! Bring him to my front immediately alongside the masked lady, if you don't want to face my wrath!"
Meanwhile, the masked lady appeared in a room and on removing her mask, she was Amara.
She sighed, expressing concern for Liora and Arion's safety. "I hope both of them are safe now."
Lysander, focused on protecting his daughter and Arion, shifted the discussion, "Do you have any proof that the man in question is my apprentice?"
"Of course, I have," the demon general said optimistically, presenting a compass as evidence.
However, Lysander challenged its validity, stating, "A compass only shows direction, not a person's face," surprising the general with his assertiveness.
He raised the compass and exclaimed, "This is a soul compass; when a person's name or face is attached to it, it traces the person's direction automatically. Are...?"
Lysander interrupted, "I know nothing else, but I don't know this man. The situation may take a different turn if you keep accusing the entire Heka sect of murdering your king."
The general shook his head quickly, "That's not what I meant."
"Actions speak louder than words; your actions just accused us! Even if you had said it, do you think we would believe you?"
Lysander locked eyes with the fuming general.
The general wondered if the compass was malfunctioning but, looking at Liora, he thought Lysander was being cunning.
Tension hung in the air as the demons were unwilling to leave, and the Heka dwellers kept their guards up.
Silence pervaded until a loud cry was heard.
...
Murmurs went around and everyone shifted their sight to the entrance.
A man was found bathing in his own pool of blood.
"Ah!"
"What the heck!"
Looking straight, the culprit was standing as if a psychopath.
"It's him! Don't let him escape!" a demon soldier shouted, pointing at the culprit.
All the soldiers retreated to his perimeters immediately.
"It's Arion. But... his eyes... they're dark..." Liora observed his eyes from the distance, pointing and checking.
She was more shocked when she saw his face; it was maniacal and uncanny.
"How did he come here of all places if he wasn't your apprentice? Try to deceive me again, and all your disciples would pay with their lives!" The general threatened Lysander.
"If he was my disciple, he couldn't have killed someone in the same sect as him....."
Lysander was interrupted by another cry...
Arion's sword hooked in the belly of a demon soldier, who had recently charged towards him.
Liora's eyes widened in shock.
"He just...he just killed another... man."
Recalling what happened the day Arion went missing at the hotel, she thought something was really off with him.
She read his mind through the window frame and the way he jumped that day wasn't typical of someone who had lost blood.
Arion withdrew the sword from the man's stomach, and his lifeless body fell.
He vanished from the demon soldiers midst and reappeared before the demon general.
Engaging in a sword tournament, Arion exhausted him, finally throwing him against the entrance door frame.
"I will be back," Immortal Jasmin said to Liora, blocking Arion and summoning a sword.
Arion attacked, and Jasmin blocked, but Arion vanished, reappeared behind him, grabbed him, and threw him against a brick wall.
The wall crashed.
"Why are you doing this...?" Immortal Jasmin mumbled.
Gasping for breath, he glanced at Arion, saying calmly, "That was fast."
Arion widened his palm, summoning a red fireball. He hit the ground with it, sending everyone flying.
"Ahhh!"
Turning his sword around, ablaze with fire, he threw it towards Lysander.
In a flash, Lysander created a barrier and blocked the attack. However, he was pushed backwards as Arion withdrew the sword.
"Sect leader!" Disciples rushed to Lysander, helping him up.
"Father!" Liora tried to reach out to him, but she couldn't because she hadn't fully recovered.
Liora glanced at Arion, suspecting possession.
Demon soldiers pointed their swords at Arion, Lysander, Heka disciples, Liora, and Immortal Jasmin.
"Since you've chosen to act this way, I won't go soft on you! Attack!" The demon general ordered, and demon soldiers and Heka disciples engaged in a bloody fight.
Blood splattered around like rainfall.
Liora stood shocked, realizing Arion alone wasn't the problem. Her dream was on the verge of coming true.
Determined, she removed her hairpin to stop Arion from gokng any further.
Walking towards him, she nearly faced an attack from the general if not for Immortal Jasmin getting her out of the way.
"You'll hurt yourself if you continue being reckless. I'll get him in control, so leave now. I promise to save everyone," Jasmin assured, but Liora shook her head.
"This is no longer your concern. Even if I've been poisoned, I must save my loved ones myself," she insisted.
"Okay, I'll subdue the guy, and you give your father cover. Be safe," Jasmin said, patting her shoulder and dashing away.
It was then that the demon general interrupted, forcing Jasmin to cast a spell that knocked him unconscious and secured him to a corner.
Arion's face was smeared with the blood of those who crossed his path to Lysander. He effortlessly stabbed and discarded them.
Finally landing near Lysander, an invisible force pushed him back, binding his arms together.
The force emanated from Lysander's hand; he had figured out that Arion was under a spell so he was going soft on him.
"All he needs is recovery from the nightmarish he is facing."
Breaking free from the binding force, Arion yelled and charged again.
Jasmin blocked his way, but Arion swiftly bypassed him, approaching Lysander.
"Hurgh!"
Lysander was distracted by the cry made by one of his disciples. He protected the disciple from the demon soldier, leaving his back unguarded.
Therefore, Arion hurled his sword toward Lysander's back.
"Father! Look out!" Liora screamed.
"No! No!" Jasmin echoed.
"Sect leader, get out of the way!" Disciples urgently cautioned their master.
"Is the sect leader doing this on purpose?!" Elion imagined.
"Immortal technique, dash-" Jasmin was about to get Lysander out of the way...
....
A resounding thud emanated momentarily.
Arion was close to Lysander's back, and his sword wasn't in his hand anymore.
Suspense hung in the air.
Where did his sword go? Why wasn't Lysander moving?
With a piercing sound, Arion abruptly pulled his sword from Lysander's back, the blade slick with blood.
Liora's eyes widened, a sudden pain gripping her heart.
"No!" Immortal Jasmin shouted. The combatants paused, looking in shock at Lysander.
Rain began to fall, accompanied by lightning and thunderstorm.
Liora stood frozen, utterly shocked, gazing at her father.
Immortal Jasmin dropped to his knees, and so did the disciples.
Tears streamed down his face, washed away by the rain.