Allan roars as his body swells, bones snapping and flesh twisting until he towers as a giant.
His massive fist collides with the monster's head, the shockwave shattering the ground beneath their feet.
Around him, nobles of Tier Four and Three clash with monsters of equal strength, their battles ripping fire, steel, and wind through the central land.
But the deadliest fight rages near the altar, where the Ravensworth matriarch duels the armoured man, their swords shrieking as sparks and blood spill in equal measure.
The altar glows with runes, the core of the array that traps all beneath the energy dome.
Allan's grip tightens around the monster's jaw, his other arm drawing back for another blow.
Then his gaze flickers toward the forest, where his second son bursts from the tree line.
For one instant, his focus falters, and the monster's claws sweep across his belly, spilling blood that sizzles in the air.
Lin Yu's eyes linger on his father's wound before his expression hardens with a decision.
He will be gone in two weeks, but until then, no one will trouble his family.
This battlefield is the perfect stage to end the farce.
He raises his palm, and his voice thunders like a curse, "Shadow Burial."
Black runes ignite across his hand, weaving into a burning circle that rises into the sky.
The formation expands wider and wider until it blankets the battlefield itself.
Every fighter halts, monsters and nobles alike staring upward at the growing circle.
The spell feeds not on Lin Yu's strength but on the extraordinary particles of the world itself.
The circle descends, light spilling like judgment.
Warriors brace themselves, barriers flaring, bodies wrapped in energy to withstand annihilation.
But the runes pass through them harmlessly and sink into the earth.
Confusion ripples across the battlefield, whispers breaking the silence.
Had the spell failed?
Then the shadows begin to move.
They writhe and stretch beneath every tree, every stone, every body, spreading like black oil across the battlefield.
The ground darkens until it becomes a living abyss.
From its depths rise enormous hands, black as night, fingers curling to seize screaming monsters.
One by one, they are dragged into the endless dark, their cries vanishing in silence.
Even the armoured man staggers back as the shadows claw at him.
Energy wings blaze from his back as he hacks the hands apart.
He slices the altar with a single strike, destroying the energy dome, he had set up.
Then he bursts into the sky in retreat.
The Ravensworth matriarch snarls, and black wings explode behind her.
She launches upward, raven feathers trailing, chasing her foe into the night.
On the battlefield, the last of the monsters are devoured by shadow and vanish.
The hands sink back into the abyss, and the ground returns to its natural form.
Lin Yu falls to his knees, drenched in sweat, chest heaving as though emptied of strength.
Allan staggers but shrinks back to human form, steadying his son with a bloodstained hand.
The nobles and soldiers stare at them in silence.
Shock, awe, and terror war in their eyes.
Lin Yu saved them, but to them, he is now the greatest danger.
Fear twists into murderous intent, yet none dare act.
They do not know if he is truly drained or only pretending.
And in that silence, they all understand.
-----------
A few hours later, Nora and her father return home, the night heavy on their shoulders.
At the front gate her elder brother waits, smiling faintly as though relieved, and asks, "Are you not going to return tomorrow? And where is mother?"
Nora breaks at the mention, tears spilling as sobs wrench from her chest.
Her father's face hardens with grief as he explains the truth, how her mother was lost to the Void Cultists' assault.
The words spread through the halls like poison, and sorrow settles over the Ashford house like a suffocating fog.
For hours the family drowns in mourning, servants whispering prayers while kin clutch each other in silence.
Only when grief is wrestled under control does her father speak again, his voice steady but cold with resolve.
"Nora, now you understand why you must marry Lin Yu."
She wipes her swollen eyes and nods, no protest on her lips this time.
Before, the marriage was only for inheritance, a link to the extraordinary path.
But now Lin Yu's true worth is undeniable, his power rivaling even the Ravensworth matriarch.
And more than that, he is still young, his future strength limitless.
In the years to come, the Ashenvale Marches will be ruled by Lin Yu and the Weston family beside him.
For her, for her kin, for survival itself, marriage to Lin Yu is no longer a choice.
It is the only path forward.
------------
Lin Yu sits at his desk, eyes resting on two thick stacks of paper and a third that is only a third of their size.
Each stack is bound neatly, and on the first pages are written the titles: Shadow Giant Knight, Shadow Knight, and Shadow Warrior.
He has reshaped the Extraordinary Path of the Giant Knight.
With the addition of knowledge and techniques from the shadow element, it has become the Shadow Giant Knight.
His ability to form a colossal shadow body stems from this path.
The original power of giant transformation remains, but now the shadow giant stands alongside it.
The ability of Shadow Burial belongs to the Shadow Knight Path.
Both the Shadow Giant Knight and the Shadow Knight can be cultivated to the Fourth Tier.
These two paths are meant for his family's future.
The third, the Shadow Warrior, reaches only up to Tier Two.
Yet it carries a gift of its own, the power to vanish and move within shadows unseen.
Lin Yu rises from his chair, the lamplight painting his shadow long across the floor.
He glances at the clock and exhales softly.
'It's time,' he thinks, 'to write a letter to Father and set down the next instructions.'
He lays a blank sheet before him, dips his feather pen into the ink, and begins to write.
His hand moves steadily as he tells his father not to worry, for he is leaving on a journey to the Sakar Mountains and will return within six months.
Next, he describes the three extraordinary paths he has forged, explaining their cultivation limits and powers.
He instructs that the Shadow Warrior path should be entrusted to Tom.
He also advises his father to summon a trusted family member to oversee his business and the gang in his absence.
Reading over the letter once, he finds it satisfactory, folds it, and sets it aside.
He dresses with quiet precision, then gathers his luggage.
The shadows in the room stir as though alive, writhing toward him until his figure dissolves into their embrace.
An instant later, he emerges from the shade cast by a tree, stepping onto the stone platform of his family's front gate.
From there he walks calmly to the carriage waiting under the early light.
The wheels turn, carrying him through the streets toward the train station.
But unseen eyes track every movement, for every faction in the city watches him with sharpened interest.
They follow the carriage as it halts before the station, then linger on him as he steps down with calm poise.
Their gaze does not waver as he enters the building, waits at the platform, and finally boards the train bound for Greymoor Hollow.
The news spreads swiftly, reaching every ear that has an interest in Lin Yu.
Word of his departure reaches them even before it reaches his father.
And across the city, countless figures sigh in relief, as though storm clouds hanging over their heads have at last drifted away.
After the incident in the forest, Lin Yu had kept himself hidden within his estate, receiving no one.
The Weston family had made no moves to expand, despite the fearsome power Lin Yu had displayed.
Yet unease still lingered in the hearts of the great houses, for if Lin Yu chose to act against them, they knew they could not resist.
His departure did not erase the danger he posed, but it gave them breathing room, time to search for an answer.
At noon that very day, Atlas, commander of the Black Guard, and Sir Cedric Rowley, chief of police, gather in a shadowed chamber.
The meeting has been called by Edmund Harrowell, the mayor of Grenton City, his face grave as he takes his seat at the head of the table.
Atlas and Cedric turn their eyes toward him, waiting in silence as the weight of his summons hangs in the air.
Edmund clears his throat and begins, his voice calm but carrying the weight of authority.
"The Parliament is preparing to build a department filled with the extraordinary," he says, "and our city has been given a quota to send one of our own."
He speaks a name first, someone he wishes to nominate.
Then Atlas gives his own choice, his tone sharp and deliberate.
Cedric follows, his voice steady as he proposes Nora Ashford.
One by one they each give their reasons, weighing lineage, loyalty, and potential benefit.
But when Cedric finishes, he speaks only a single name that silences the chamber.
"Lin Yu Weston."
The mayor leans back in thought, then nods with measured certainty.
"Building ties with Lin Yu Weston would benefit us immensely," Edmund Harrowell agrees, "and through Nora, we can secure that bond."
He declares his support for Nora to be sent to the capital to join the department.
Atlas listens in silence, his heart burning with jealousy and fear.
In the forest, Lin Yu had ruined his plans, humiliated his strength.
Now Cedric and Edmund both turn their favor toward the Weston boy, and his voice of dissent is smothered.
Later that evening, Atlas climbs into his carriage, his face still dark with resentment.
But within, a shadowed figure waits, cloaked in menace.
It is the armored man—the leader of the Void Cultists who had escaped the forest.
"I need your help to rebuild my force," the cultist says smoothly.
Atlas's jaw tightens as he snaps back, "I helped you once, and you failed. I want nothing more to do with you."
The cultist smirks, his tone mocking as he replies, "Do you think you can say no now?"
Atlas grits his teeth, fury boiling within him, but the cultist only leaps from the moving carriage, vanishing into the night without a trace.
By the time Atlas returns home, his anger is a storm.
As he steps into the hall, his butler bows quickly and says, "Master, a letter arrived for you. I placed it on your desk."
Atlas strides into his office, tears the envelope open, and reads the contents.
A slow, dangerous smile spreads across his face at last.
On the wax seal of the envelope glimmers a black sun.