Chapter 48 - Shadows of the Past

As the first light of dawn filtered through the dense canopy, golden beams casting patches of light over the forest floor, Li Wei stood in silent contemplation, separated from his teammates. His gaze drifted over the forest's jagged shadows, but his mind wandered far beyond this place, to lives lost and battles fought across countless lifetimes. The coalition was no more; he'd dealt with them as he had dealt with threats in worlds long past—swiftly, without mercy or regret. Their end was an inevitable conclusion to their own ambitions and ruthlessness.