Beneath the blue sky, black birds moved in circles, diving in and out from the white clouds glowing faintly gold over the western sea.

Leaves spun from the bamboo forest, drifting and landing on the ground mixed with sand and blood.

At the front of the Western Temple, where a small raised platform differentiated the temple's wall from that of the bamboo forest, two bodies lay on the ground, unmoving.

From the back, pale skin glittered from the inside of the burst head of the short and skinny body like a dull mirror, as the rays of the sun shone in it.

On the far-left side, where an iron rod rested calmly, the second body lay there. One arm of the body was raised upward, almost as if he was seeking help, while the other wrapped around the stomach, covering a deep cut.

Above the body, where the head should be, a huge wooden cart stood, blocking and locking the head from view.

…

Meanwhile, just inside the gate of the temple, another body lay on the ground, its skin still glittering as if freshly killed.

Blood seeped from several circular wounds, forming thin streams that stretched across the stone floor like spilled ink searching for cracks.

Behind the fallen figure, a line of armed young men stood with tensed faces, their breaths shallow. The shoulders of the armed men trembled as they locked their gazes on the man holding a gun and walking toward the center of the large courtyard.

At the far-right side of the courtyard, Jim's boots thudded softly, almost lazily, as if slaying his own people—the monks—with his bare arms were just a mere game.

Soft wind carried the faint echoes of the earlier gunfire, sharp cracks that still ricocheted through the forest, letting birds burst into the sky overhead.

When Jim stopped several steps away from Kai and Clara, dust swirled around his boots like a mini tornado before settling.

Kai felt his heartbeat hammer like a drum in his ears as memories of him and the so-called friend he thought he had flashed in his mind.

Clara clutched his sleeve from behind, her breathing coming and going in an unsteady stance. And around them, five monks stepped into position, forming a protective ring and staring wildly at Jim.

Their loose robes fluttered, catching the shifting winds as they breathed and widened their stances.

"Stay behind us," the eldest monk of Radiant Palm murmured, his voice echoing in a low rumble.

Kai's expression changed, as the voice of the monk sounded like that of the late Lieutenant Gray's.

'Gray,' the name rang in his thoughts, followed by beads of sweat that drifted from his face.

"What a pity," Jim said, chuckling faintly. "Instead of letting your skin rot in peace, you dare challenge me, Makai."

A faint hum drifted across the courtyard, tilting every gaze from the Shadow Cult monk and the Radiant Palm elder to the zombified monks waking up from their first death.

"Master…" SK's senior brother whispered and pointed toward the direction where more of the zombified monks were erupting from.

The eldest monk of Radiant Palm tilted his gaze to the direction, shook his head, then smiled. "If not for your greediness, you'd have been chosen as the master of the Shadow Cult."

Jim laughed the moment the two men standing beside the eldest monk rushed forward to meet up with the zombified monks.

"Who said I wanted to lead that cult?" Jim murmured, then spread his arms wide. "Why would you think I was always chosen as the one to represent the cults throughout every tournament?"

He laughed hard, shaking his head and brushing his palms on his face as he circled around the eldest monk.

Stopping by the left side of the monk, Jim rolled the beads wrapped around his wrist, then cracked the bones in his neck.

Three leaves drifted in the space left between Jim and the monk.

As the last leaf spun at the eldest monk's face, he exhaled in a slow, steady breath, then stepped forward. He widened his stance until the hems of his wine-colored uniform kissed the stone floor.

A faint tremor streaked across the courtyard, brushing the cloth like the fingers of a restless spirit.

Jim shook his head, then closed in on the monk. His chin lowered as his boots scraped softly, creating an arc shape on the ground.

Stone cracked with a dry snap, dust puffing outward as the eldest monk moved first. His palm shot out, fingers straight and knuckles aligned, aimed straight for Jim's throat.

Jim twisted, letting the strike graze his cloth instead of his flesh, ripping the black-and-white robe with a sharp sshhk sound.

Jim's elbow came up immediately, slamming toward the monk's ribs and almost pressing against the man's ribs.

THUD

The impact echoed like a struck drum, letting the elder's ribs cave inward slightly. His breath exploded from his lungs in a hoarse grunt, yet he didn't fall.

He pivoted on his heel, his wine-colored sleeves whipping through the air as his backfist screamed toward Jim's jaw.

Jim leaned back, just enough to let the fist pass so close it stirred his hair, then smiled.

The elder dropped low and swept his leg across Jim's ankles. HHNN!

Jim's feet lifted off the ground as his body tilted sideways, letting his balance loosen.

The elder didn't waste time on the opening. He lunged, both palms driving forward and aiming a crushing double strike at Jim's chest.

Instead of stumbling back, Jim slammed his forearms together. CRACK, letting a collision thunder through the courtyard.

The shockwave blasted outward, snapping through holes in the guns the armed men carried, and hurled dust into the air.

Jim skidded three steps backward, his boots shrieking against the stone.

Some of the armed personnel gasped, while the rest covered their faces with their palms.

But Kai, and a few monks of different cults, stood there, gazing at the vigorous fight between the two.

Blood trickled from the corner of the elder monk's mouth as he inhaled sharply. Though his eyes burned, he still surged toward Jim again.

He screamed, "DIE!" letting his voice echo loudly as he jumped. His knees tucked, robes flaring, as he spun midair, then, when his heel descended like an executioner's axe, his face turned pale.

Jim crossed his arms just as the kick landed over his head. BOOM.

The impact sent Jim into the ground, letting stones shatter beneath his feet and spiderweb cracks race outward.

For a heartbeat, silence swallowed the courtyard, yet Kai's breathing echoed like the sound of a hibernating colossal beast.

Jim laughed. "Is that it?" His arms snapped outward, catching the elder monk by the sleeves, and with a savage twist of his waist, Jim yanked him forward, then slammed his knee up.

CRUNCH

Spit and blood sprayed from the elder monk's mouth as the air left in him turned into a broken wheeze after his body folded around the blow.

Even with a fractured spine, the monk struck back, screaming in a raw tone as he drove his head forward.

THOK.

Both Jim's and the elder's foreheads collided. Jim's head barely moved, but the elder monk's reeled, stars bursting behind his eyes.

Blood poured down the elder's brow as Jim seized his collar.

"Too slow," Jim said, then hurled the monk upward.

The elder monk flew across the courtyard, spinning before crashing into a stone pillar at the far distance, where the zombified monks were.

The pillar fractured and fell on two of the zombified monks wearing red uniforms. The elder hit the ground, rolled, and began coughing blood violently.

"Master!" the huge-lipped monk shouted, pausing a swing of an arm sent for the heart of the broad-shouldered zombie.

The elder monk's breathing came in ragged gasps as he pushed himself up on trembling arms.

…

Meanwhile, while everyone's attention was fixed on the fight, Clara and Kai managed to sneak through the armed personnel and move out of the temple's gate.

One armed personnel turned in their direction, then tilted his head back to where the fight was. For a split second, his eyes opened wide as he turned sharply toward the same direction and raised his gun.

"HEY! STOP," he shouted so hard it drew the attention of all those whose focus had been swallowed by the blood dripping from Jim's knuckles.

"Don't fire on them," Jim said, turning and smiling.

The moment his smile faded, he vanished, leaving only smoke at where he stood.

As Kai and Clara moved a few meters into the bamboo forest, the sound of cracking trees echoed.

And when they turned their gaze to the branch above them, they froze.

Clara instinctively pushed Kai, letting the falling bamboo fall on her. The impact sent Clara screaming loudly as she collapsed onto the ground, clutching her neck.

There, in front of them, smoke appeared from nowhere, and when it vaporized, Jim reappeared before them.

"Not so fast," he said, folding his arms on his chest, then walking slowly toward Kai.

From Kai's back, footsteps echoed so hard they drew his attention, only for him to see Kang—the yellow-eyed bandit—and another man Kai had seen countless times in Bion City, Marcus.

"Well, well, well," Kang said, laughing loudly and letting blood spray in the air as he swung the golden sword. "You thought they could protect you from us?!"

He brushed his hands on his face, looked at the skinny boy standing there, then shook his head.

"Ah, this is gonna be fun," Kang said, handing the golden sword to Marcus, then cracked his neck.

Being overshadowed by the three men, a cracking sound erupted from Kai's knuckles as he stood up from Clara's side and stared in the direction of Kang.

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