Chapter 18: Announcing His Presence
The cracks in the Serpent's Fang Sect were widening. Fear, paranoia, and disorder now ran rampant through their ranks, and Kael had no intention of letting them recover.
By the third night after the communication sabotage, sect disciples had begun abandoning their posts. Some fled in the dead of night, unable to handle the uncertainty of being hunted by an invisible enemy. Others turned on their own elders, accusing them of betrayal, incompetence, or worse collusion with Kael Varian himself.
The once-mighty sect was now a cage filled with rabid beasts, tearing at one another.
Kael and Jin Mu observed the slow implosion from a safe distance, perched on a hillside overlooking another outer sect compound.
Jin Mu adjusted his cloak, still in disbelief. "I don't understand how this is happening so fast. I knew your plan would work, but… the way they're unraveling, it's almost like they were waiting for an excuse to destroy themselves."
Kael smirked, eyes gleaming under the moonlight. "That's the thing about fear—it doesn't need to be planted, just watered."
He gestured toward the stronghold below. "They were always fragile. A sect built on fear is a sect that can be broken by it."
Jin Mu exhaled, rubbing his chin. "So, what's the next step? Are we just going to keep whittling them down?"
Kael shook his head. "No. Now we deliver the final blow."
Jin Mu stiffened. "You mean…?"
Kael's grin was predatory. "It's time to make our presence known."
Jin Mu's heart pounded as he realized what that meant. Up until now, Kael had stayed in the shadows, making it seem as if the sect was under attack by an unseen force. But now…
Now, he was going to announce himself.
Kael stood, rolling his shoulders. "Let's burn this place to the ground."
And with that, he descended into the valley, toward the next and final stronghold.
The night was thick with tension as Kael and Jin Mu moved like wraiths through the underbrush, the final outer stronghold of the Serpent's Fang Sect looming before them. This was not a mere supply hub or messenger relay—this was their largest and most fortified outpost, the last true pillar supporting their sect's external power. If it fell, there would be no reinforcements, no fallback, and no escape.
Kael had been patient, slowly dismantling the sect piece by piece, ensuring that every disciple, every elder, every dog who bore the Serpent's Fang emblem felt the weight of inevitable destruction. Now, it was time to stop hiding in the shadows.
Jin Mu crouched beside him, scanning the compound. The walls were lined with defensive formations, their glow faint but unmistakable. Disciples patrolled in pairs, their faces tense, weapons gripped too tightly.
"They know something's coming," Jin Mu whispered.
Kael smirked. "Good."
Jin Mu sighed. "I assume you have a plan?"
Kael grinned, his crimson eyes flashing. "Of course."
With a flick of his wrist, he pulled a single blood-red talisman from his storage ring. Unlike the other spirit talismans used for minor enchantments or protective barriers, this one pulsed with raw destruction.
Jin Mu's eyes widened. "Where the hell did you get that?!"
Kael chuckled. "Does it matter?"
Jin Mu opened his mouth, then closed it. No, it really didn't.
Kael pressed the talisman against the earth.
The moment it touched the ground, the wind shifted. The faint hum of Qi filled the air, the temperature dropping as the talisman's dark runes slithered outward, embedding themselves into the very soil.
Jin Mu shivered. "That thing… What does it do?"
Kael smirked. "It lets them know I'm here."
A second later, the entire stronghold trembled.
The outer defensive formations flickered violently, the Qi lines breaking apart like fractured glass.
Inside the walls, alarm bells rang.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
Shouts filled the night as sect disciples rushed to defensive positions, their leader, a Core Formation elder, storming out of the command hall. His face was a mask of rage and exhaustion.
Kael stepped forward, into the open, his crimson robes catching the moonlight.
Jin Mu swallowed hard. "You really want to make this dramatic, huh?"
Kael grinned. "Always."
The Core Formation elder's gaze locked onto Kael. He was an older man, with streaks of silver in his hair and deep lines of experience etched across his face. But his eyes… were filled with fear.
"You" The elder's voice cracked slightly before he steadied himself. "You're Kael Varian."
Kael tilted his head. "Oh? I see my reputation precedes me."
The elder's fists clenched. "You've been the one tearing apart our sect."
Kael chuckled. "Tearing apart? No, no, no… I simply gave your people a choice. And they chose to turn on each other."
The elder trembled with fury. "You"
Kael took a single step forward.
BOOM.
A wave of raw pressure crashed over the stronghold, pressing down on every disciple like an invisible mountain.
Several Qi Condensation cultivators dropped to their knees, gasping for breath. Even the Core Formation elder took an involuntary step back, sweat beading on his forehead.
Kael's voice was calm, but absolute.
"Your sect is already dead."
The words sent a visible shudder through the disciples.
"You feel it, don't you?" Kael continued. "The paranoia, the whispers. How many of your brothers have vanished in the night? How many have turned on each other? Tell me, elder…"
His crimson eyes burned into the older man.
"How much longer do you think you can keep pretending you have control?"
The elder's breath came in ragged bursts. He knew what Kael was saying was true. He had seen loyal disciples second-guess their own masters. He had seen suspicious glances, heard accusations spoken behind closed doors.
His sect master's absolute rule had already shattered.
Kael let the silence hang, let the weight of his words settle like chains around their throats.
Then he smirked.
"But don't worry." He spread his arms. "I'll make it easy for you."
He vanished.
One moment he was standing on the dirt road—the next, he was in the middle of the disciples.
His palm struck the first man's chest. BOOM.
The disciple exploded into a mist of blood.
Before the others could react, Kael moved again.
He stepped past a second disciple, fingers slicing through his throat like a blade of wind.
The Core Formation elder roared in fury, surging forward with a blast of Qi. "DIE, DEMON!"
Kael grinned.
He caught the elder's fist with one hand.
For a brief second, nothing moved.
Then—Kael's grip tightened.
CRACK.
The elder screamed as Kael crushed his hand.
With a casual flick, Kael sent him crashing through the stronghold's main gates, his body breaking through wood and stone like a ragdoll.
Jin Mu, standing off to the side, winced. "You could have at least let him fight back a little."
Kael laughed. "Where's the fun in that?"
The remaining disciples froze in place. Their strongest elder, the last true pillar of this stronghold—was groaning in the dirt, barely conscious.
Kael cracked his knuckles. "So."
He swept his gaze over the trembling sect members.
"Who's next?"
No one moved.
No one spoke.
A few seconds passed.
Then, one disciple dropped his weapon.
It clattered against the stone floor.
Another followed. Then another.
Kael watched, satisfied. They weren't warriors anymore. They were prey.
The elder groaned, coughing up blood as he glared at Kael with burning hatred. "Y-you… You think killing us will bring you power?"
Kael smirked, crouching beside him. "Killing you?" He shook his head. "No."
His fingers brushed against the elder's forehead.
His Qi seeped into the man's mind, brushing against his soul.
The elder screamed.
Kael's grin widened. "But breaking you? That's much more useful."
The elder's body convulsed violently. His eyes turned blank, his mind flooding with fear and helplessness.
Kael finally let go, standing up. The once-proud elder was reduced to a hollow shell, mumbling nonsense.
Kael turned back to the remaining disciples.
"Leave." His voice was final. "Run back to your sect master. Tell him…"
His smirk widened.
"I'll be visiting soon."
With that, the survivors fled into the night, carrying his message.
Jin Mu let out a slow breath. "Well, that was unnecessarily dramatic."
Kael shrugged. "You call it dramatic. I call it effective."
He stretched lazily. "The final act is coming."
He turned his eyes toward the Serpent's Fang Sect's main headquarters.
And smiled.
The end was near.