Chapter 27: The Serpent's Bargain**
**Scene 1: The Forgotten Training** *(1 Year Ago)*
A colossal Arcane Serpent coiled through the ruins, its scales glistening with venom. Shen stood before it, fists crackling with unstable dark energy—*no sword, no strategy, just rage.*
Behind him, Ryulga leaned against a shattered pillar, arms crossed.
**Shen:** *"Hey! You said you'd train me! Three days later, all I get is *silence*—no lessons, no letting me see my friends—*nothing!*"*
The serpent lunged. Shen barely dodged, rolling as fangs gouged the earth where his head had been.
**Ryulga:** *"Oh? This much excitement for our *journey*?"*
**Shen:** *"Ah? *What* journey?!"*
**Ryulga:** *"Tomorrow. We leave for America."*
**Shen:** *"What?! Why? I can train *here*!"*
**Ryulga:** *"No. You come with me. That was the contract."*
**Shen:** *"You *lied*! You said you'd train me—"*
**Ryulga:** *"And I *am*. Just not how *you* want."*
The serpent struck again. This time, Shen *caught* its fang mid-air—dark tendrils erupting from his palms to *crush* the bone. The beast shrieked.
**Shen:** *"Fine. Let's *fight*. If I win, you train me *here* and let me see my friends. If *you* win…"* He gritted his teeth. *"Two years. I go wherever you say."*
Ryulga's smirk was knife-sharp. *"Deal."*
---
### **The Duel: Pride vs. Experience**
Shen didn't wait.
**Dark Mage Mediator — Full Release.**
No sword. No weapons. Just *raw power*—his body wreathed in black flame, the mark on his chest pulsing like a second heart. The ground *shattered* beneath him as he launched forward, fist aimed at Ryulga's throat.
***BOOM.***
Ryulga *vanished*.
Shen's punch hit air—then *agony* exploded in his ribs as Ryulga's elbow drove into his spine from *behind*.
**Shen:** *"Ghk—!"*
**Ryulga:** *"Predictable."*
Shen whirled, kicking—but Ryulga *caught* his ankle and *slammed* him into the earth. Cracks spiderwebbed outward.
**Shen:** *"Nngh… *Damn* you—!"*
He *wrenched* free, flipping backward. His hands glowed—**Oblivion Seal: Dark Cage**—but Ryulga *stepped through* the forming runes like they were mist.
**Ryulga:** *"You rely too much on *big* attacks."*
A palm-strike to Shen's sternum.
***CRACK.***
Shen *flew*, skidding across the battlefield. Blood dripped from his lips. His vision blurred.
**Two seconds.**
That's how long the fight lasted.
Ryulga loomed over him, utterly untouched. *"You lose."*
---
### **The Acceptance**
Shen lay there, chest heaving. The Arcane Serpent's corpse smoldered nearby—*had Ryulga killed it mid-fight?*
**Shen:** *"…How?"*
**Ryulga:** *"You'll learn. In America."*
Silence. Then—
Shen *laughed*, bitter and raw. *"Fine. *Two years*. But *train me* for real this time."*
Ryulga extended a hand. *"Only if you *listen*."*
Shen gripped it—*and the world twisted*.
**Last Line:**
*"Welcome to hell, kid."*
**TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 28: *THE NEW WORLD***