The forests outside the sect stirred with an unnatural hush. Birds stilled. Leaves dared not rustle. The very qi of heaven and earth seemed to bow, dragged toward a singular figure striding from the horizon.
Aezreal.
His eyes burned faintly in the dusk, gold tinged with the abyss. His aura remained suppressed, but the land knew. The land always knew.
Nightscar hovered at his back, humming, its evolved body drinking greedily of the world's essence. It was no longer steel alone—it was alive. In its blade whispered thousands of screams, and its edge seemed to quiver with anticipation of more.
> Ding!
Current Progress: 5 km from Azure Sky Sect's Outer Perimeter.
Omnipotent Sign-In System detects strong karmic resonance.
Hidden Trigger: Blood Path Resonance Unlocked.
He chuckled lowly. Even fate itself could not resist weaving paths of slaughter before him.
Azure Sky disciples patrolled the perimeter, their blue robes gleaming under moonlight. Most were young—Foundation Establishment at best, some Qi Condensation barely stepping into the path of immortality.
They never saw him.
The scythe sang once. Just once.
The patrol dissolved into crimson mist, their bodies scattering like petals under a storm. Not a scream escaped. Only silence, then the wet drip of blood spattering leaves.
Aezreal walked through their remains without pause.
"Too fragile," he murmured. "Like reeds before a storm."
With every step, Nightscar grew heavier, hungrier. It thrummed, feeding on the blood, its veins glowing brighter.
The Azure Sky Sect was still blind to the predator at their gates.