"I am impressed," Ruckus admitted, a deep laugh rolling through the air. "I must say… you two are worth defeating."
His expression hardened.His aura surged.
"Fortiski: The Ultimate Defence."
A pulse exploded from his body—dense, crushing, violent.He had finally understood the truth: he was not fighting mere cadets.Armeet was dangerous.Sukheer was unpredictable.Together, they were lethal.
Ruckus raised his hand.
"Release."
The world warped.
A detonation of Naritti erupted from him—so immense that even the walls of his dimension tore apart. A massive hole ripped open above them, sunlight spearing downward like a divine blade. The air shuddered. The mist evaporated.
Sukheer's Sunpo had already caved in parts of the dimension… but Ruckus's Fortiski finished the job.
The entire realm collapsed like shattered glass.
In a blinding flash—
They were back in reality.
Ruckus dusted off his cloak, grinning as if he had just returned from a vacation. "Kids! Miss me? I certainly missed you."
Sukheer swallowed. He had known this moment would come—when Ruckus would see through every illusion and tear the battlefield apart.
"Congratulations," Sukheer exhaled, recovering his stance. "You've passed the second phase of our little fight."
He slid into position again. "Prepare for the third."
But the moment he tried to call on his Naritti—
Nothing.
It felt like trying to breathe without lungs.
His eyes widened.
Ruckus smiled coldly. "Welcome… to the world of Stefani."
He spread his arms wide. "Here, no one can use Naritti. This world is normal. Equal. Fair."
"Oh," Sukheer muttered, as if he had expected this all along.
Before he could blink—
Flash Step.
Ruckus appeared right in front of him.
Sukheer sprang upward, flipping over the agent's grasp. Ruckus slammed his fist into the ground in retaliation, intending to trigger an earthquake—but his senses were still distorted from the illusions.
Instead of shaking the earth—
He shattered the last remnants of his own dimension completely.
They landed back in the real world a second time—dust swirling, fractured rocks floating for a moment before clattering down.
Sukheer smirked.
"Welcome," he said quietly, "to my world—the true world."
He charged forward, no Naritti, no illusions—just flesh, bone, and instinct. His fist sliced through the air, aiming straight for Ruckus's jaw.
Ruckus blocked effortlessly with his left arm.
In the same breath—
CRACK.
His right fist slammed into Sukheer's ribs, launching him backwards like a ragdoll. Sukheer hit the ground, skidding through dirt and stone. A chunk of wall broke apart behind him as debris spiralled upward from the impact.
The air trembled with the force of the blow.
Sukheer coughed, rolling back to his feet—bruised, battered, but still smiling.
Ruckus did not hesitate. The moment Sukheer hit the ground, the agent lunged—landing beside him in a blur. Sukheer's body trembled violently from the earlier blows, his ribs screaming, vision blurred.
But his spirit—unbroken.
He sucked in a ragged breath. His fingers dug into the dirt. And slowly—defiantly—he rose to his knees.
Ruckus snarled and swung a brutal kick toward Sukheer's skull.
THUD.
The impact never came. Sukheer's hand—shaking, blood-stained—caught Ruckus's foot mid-air.
For a heartbeat, both men froze.
Ruckus's eyes widened.Impossible. Sukheer should be unconscious… or dead.
With a guttural growl, Sukheer twisted Ruckus's ankle and shoved him backwards, forcing him to hop away to regain balance.
"He should be finished… exhausted… broken…" Ruckus muttered under his breath. "There's no way he should be standing."
But he was. Barely—but undeniably.
Sukheer staggered forward and grabbed a rusted axe lying half-buried in the sand. A forgotten tool of some hunter who once lived near the shore. Now reborn as a weapon.
He stood. Bleeding. Trembling. Eyes glowing red with primal fury.
To Ruckus, Sukheer didn't look human anymore.
He looked like a reaper rising from the ashes—skin smeared with dried blood, clothes torn to threads, debris clinging to his body like war paint.
For a moment—just a moment—Ruckus felt fear.
Then arrogance returned.
"No matter what you try," he scoffed, regaining his stance, "you'll never be able to hunt me."
Sukheer stepped forward, shadow stretching unnaturally behind him.
Ruckus forced a smile. "Welcome back, kid."
Sukheer's voice was cold. "Goodbye, uncle."
Ruckus charged.
Sukheer threw the axe low.It spun violently, scraping the ground—
Ruckus jumped easily, scoffing—
And that was when the ground began to tremble.
Widely.
Deeply.
Like something beneath it was waking up.
Sukheer's body heaved. Blood oozed from dozens of cuts. His clothes hung in shreds. But his eyes…
They burned with purpose.
Ruckus remained mostly untouched—at least outwardly. But the tremor in his breath told a different story. Sukheer's illusions, Sukheer's Sunpo, Sukheer's tricks… had wounded him internally.
And now—
Sukheer was about to escalate further.
He extended a trembling hand toward the moonlit sky.
"Army of the Monkeys…"His voice descended like an oracle's decree."Aid me."
The world responded.
Shrill, echoing cries tore through the air—an unending shriek of a thousand monkeys roaring in unison.
Ruckus jolted, covering his ears."What—what in the world is THIS?!"
The ground cracked open like a birthing volcano.From the fissures crawled monkeys clad in golden armour, eyes burning with ancient intelligence.Dozens… hundreds… thousands.
Within seconds, Sukheer stood at the centre of an expanding army—like a forgotten Monkey King resurrecting his celestial troops.
Sukheer looked up at the moon and exhaled.
"I agree, Armeet…" he whispered. "We are not ordinary."
Ruckus barked a laugh, trying to hide his unease.
"You think you'll defeat me with these monkeys?!"
Sukheer raised his chin with unexpected arrogance.
"No," he said, voice deep and commanding."These are just for fun."
He pointed his blood-soaked finger at Ruckus."Enjoy, my monkey people. My friend and I will handle this pitiful human."
Dry leaves crackled under Sukheer's bare feet as he sprinted forward—faster than before, more feral than before.
He snatched the fallen axe from the ground mid-run, leapt—
And slammed it straight into Ruckus's chest.
WHAM!
Ruckus's body crashed into the earth, a crater forming beneath him as dust and debris spiralled into the night sky.
The tide had turned.
And for the first time—
Ruckus Stefani experienced something he never imagined:
fear.
Sukheer planted his foot on Ruckus's chest, pinning him to the shattered earth.His breath was heavy, pained… but his voice carried absolute dominance.
"How does it feel, Ruckus Stefani," Sukheer mocked, "to be under your opponent's feet… for the second time?"
He leaned closer, eyes blazing with bloodlust."Alas—this time, you won't be defeated. You'll be killed."
Ruckus's expression shifted—annoyance, then amusement.
"Killed?" he scoffed. "Are you a novice? Shouldn't you capture me instead? Your nation stands on the edge of war. And I, as an executive of the Union, am a priceless piece on the board. Interrogate me, use me, bargain with me—surely even a monkey like you understands politics."
He expected Sukheer to hesitate.To question himself.To fall into doubt.
But Sukheer simply smirked.
"Well, I must admit…" he said coolly, "you are one hell of an enemy."
Ruckus grinned, believing for a moment that he had regained control. That Sukheer had fallen for one of his manipulative traps.
Until—THUMP.
A figure dropped from a tree overhead, landing next to Sukheer with a soft quake.Armeet Surya, the heir of Ajikage, followed by a dozen elite soldiers emerging from the shadows of the forest.
Armeet cracked his knuckles, flames of orange Naritti flickering faintly around him.
"We'll just kill you once," Armeet said casually, "and resurrect you when needed. Saves the hassle."
Ruckus's eyes widened—Resurrect? These brats had methodology behind their madness.
With a sudden burst, Ruckus kicked Sukheer off him and flung a cloud of dust into the air. The world turned hazy. Leaves, soil, and shards of broken stone spiraled everywhere as Ruckus bolted into the forest's shadows.
"Coward," Armeet muttered. "Proud warrior—bullshit."
Sukheer coughed, wiping dirt from his mouth. "What now? Chase him?"
Armeet shook his head with quiet confidence.
"No need. My men have already surrounded the entire perimeter. Give it a few seconds… he'll be right back here."
Sukheer's eyes widened slightly, impressed despite himself.
"Well then," he smirked, "Leader of Ajikage."
Armeet grinned back. "I never imagined hearing that from the Monkey King."
Both warriors stood tall, bloodied yet unbroken, as the forest trembled with approaching footsteps Ruckus Stefani was walking straight back into their trap.
[To be Continued in Chapter 47]