Chapter 22: Shadows Amid the Trees
The heavy scent of moss and damp earth clung stubbornly to the morning air as Elton and his group pushed deeper into the cursed Stoned Forest. Towering trees loomed like ancient guardians, their massive trunks twisted and scarred by countless years of growth. Thin beams of sunlight struggled through the dense canopy, scattering faint light across the ground like broken glass. The deeper they ventured, the stranger the atmosphere became. Gone was the playful rustling of small creatures. In its place came silence, broken only by distant growls and the occasional shift of leaves.
Elton led at the front, his instincts sharpened by hardship and cultivation. Something about the stillness made his senses coil tightly with caution. Christy walked a few paces behind, her movements calm and precise, her red starry eyes sweeping across the trees with a keen, watchful focus. Zoro's presence radiated quiet danger as faint threads of Dark Sword Ki pulsed around him, making the shadows themselves seem uneasy. Cedric trailed a little further back, twirling his burning dagger idly, sparks flickering crimson with every rotation.
They had already secured several valuable resources: glowing mushrooms, herbs rich with elemental Ki, and beast cores taken from weaker demonic creatures. Their progress had been steady, each battle sharpening their cooperation. Every passing hour strengthened their synergy as a unit.
Elton suddenly lifted his hand, halting their steps. His head tilted slightly, his eyes narrowing with focus.
"Do you hear that?" he asked in a whisper.
Zoro listened intently before nodding once. "Yes, I hear fighting nearby. It sounds roughly two hundred meters southeast."
Cedric leaned closer, his expression cautious. "Do you think it's beasts or other cultivators?"
Christy's brow furrowed as she closed her eyes briefly. "The rhythm is far too clean. That is not the wild striking of beasts. Those are people clashing with weapons in coordinated rhythm."
They exchanged a quick glance and advanced carefully toward the sound. Moving through the thick underbrush, they crouched low when Elton signaled from the edge of a moss-covered ridge.
Below them stretched a wide clearing scarred by jagged rocks and fallen trees. At its center, chaos unfolded violently.
Three disciples wearing crimson robes of the Fighting Brawlman Sect battled with explosive strikes, their martial arts powered by reinforced bodies and raw Ki. Across from them fought four grim disciples of the Iron Fang Sect, their jagged weapons gleaming with vicious intent, every motion aiming for crippling wounds. Their fang-etched armor marked them clearly, though their situation remained dire.
Both sect groups were outnumbered.
Ten rogue cultivators surrounded them, pressing the battle with ruthless aggression. Their mismatched armor and brutal weapons—axes, sabers, and hooked chains—made them look like predators pulled from nightmares. Tattoos and runes glowed faintly along their skin, each mark whispering of forbidden pacts and dark practices. Though unrefined, their ferocity gave them the advantage.
"They have chosen terrain and numbers carefully," Christy whispered, her tone calm but firm. "They are pushing both sects with deliberate precision."
Zoro's hands gripped the hilts of his twin katanas. His dark eyes narrowed dangerously. "Two of them are releasing dark Ki. They are not simple wanderers. These are hardened criminals who kill without hesitation."
Down below, the battle shifted again. An Iron Fang disciple lunged forward, slicing across a rogue's shoulder, but was immediately whipped to the ground by a hooked chain. The rogue prepared to finish the job, his grin vicious, but a desperate Brawlman disciple barreled forward, slamming into him with bone-shaking force. For that brief moment, the two sects fought side by side out of necessity. Yet it remained clear that the rogues controlled the pace of battle.
Then one of the Iron Fang disciples, battered and bloodied, looked upward. His cracked sword trembled in his grip, but his eyes widened when he spotted movement at the treeline.
"Reinforcements!" he shouted, his voice ragged but loud.
The battle froze instantly.
All eyes turned toward the ridge.
The forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
The sect disciples stared with hope and suspicion. The rogue cultivators studied the newcomers with calculating eyes.
A wiry leader with sunken cheeks and a whip-like sword smirked darkly. "What do we have here? More lambs wandering blindly into the slaughter?"
A tattooed woman with curved daggers stepped forward and sneered. Her eyes locked onto Elton immediately. "They are young. But that one—he feels dangerous. I do not like it."
Zoro stepped forward deliberately, his twin katanas sliding slightly from their sheaths. Shadows rippled faintly across the polished steel.
Elton's expression remained calm, his voice steady and cold. "We did not come here for you. But if you insist on forcing a fight, then regret will be the only thing waiting for you."
His words carried weight as faint pulses of Ki rippled outward.
The whip-sword leader's grin faltered ever so slightly. His instincts told him this was no ordinary group of wandering disciples. These four did not flinch, stumble, or waver.
The tattooed woman shifted uneasily and spoke quickly. "They are not simple. We have already bloodied the sects enough. We should fall back."
Another rogue growled furiously. "They are children!"
The leader spat on the ground, then glanced at the recovering sect disciples. His advantage was already gone.
"Fine," he muttered bitterly. "Another time. Fall back."
The rogues vanished into the shadows, withdrawing with unnerving coordination.
Zoro's eyes remained sharp as he tracked their retreat. Only once the clearing was empty did he exhale slowly.
The sect disciples steadied themselves, bloodied but alive. A member of the Brawlman Sect gave a stiff nod toward Elton. "Your presence disrupted their momentum. For that, we owe you."
One of the Iron Fang disciples scowled before speaking. "Do not think this makes us allies. Still… thank you."
Elton dipped his head slightly. "Take care of yourselves. We will not remain."
Neither group pressed the matter further. Suspicion hung heavy in the air. Trust was rarer than clean water in this cursed forest.
Both sect groups limped away in opposite directions while Elton's team turned once more toward the mist.
Cedric finally broke the silence, shaking his head. "That was more politics than battle. They were testing bites before going for throats."
Christy gave a quiet hum, her eyes thoughtful. "The deeper we go, the more of that we will encounter."
Zoro's gaze lingered on the fading shadows. "Too many vultures circling eventually leaves one carcass behind."
The canopy thickened as they moved forward. Light struggled to pierce through, falling in broken shards like shattered moonlight. Every howl carried heavier meaning, and every creak of wood sounded deliberate.
Far beyond sight, two veiled figures waited silently beneath a massive blackwood tree. Their black robes and violet sashes blended seamlessly with the shadows. A crescent-shaped glyph shimmered faintly on their foreheads, branching downward like claw marks etched in flesh.
The shorter of the two spoke, her melodic voice sharp as obsidian. "I told you. He is here. The one named on the list."
Zoro's name was never spoken aloud.
The taller figure clenched his jaw. "So the capture-or-kill order was not rumor."
"No," the woman answered with a faint smirk. "The Church believes what he carries belongs to them. They believe he belongs to them."
Their eyes remained fixed on Zoro, unblinking.
They sank deeper into shadow. The Night's Light Devouring Church never acted in haste. They waited. They studied. And when the time came, they devoured.
The group finally paused by a narrow stream, taking the chance to drink and breathe. Mist clung to the water's surface, moving lazily in the shifting breeze.
Zoro stood apart, his katanas cleaned and resting, his gaze piercing the treeline. Christy sat quietly on a mossy stone, gazing upward through the fractured canopy. Cedric tossed Elton a thorn-wrapped root with a grin that bordered on mischievous.
"It is infused with Ki," Cedric explained casually. "It tastes like charcoal but eases fatigue."
Elton caught it and frowned. "Are you trying to poison me or feed me?"
Cedric's grin widened. "A little of both. That builds character."
Christy laughed softly, a rare but welcome sound. "At least taste it before insulting his generosity."
Elton bit into it and immediately coughed, the bitterness burning his tongue. Cedric roared with laughter, nearly dropping his dagger.
But Zoro spoke then, his voice steady and cold. "We are being watched."
The laughter died at once. Christy rose quickly, her eyes sharp. Cedric's dagger ignited with heat.
"For how long?" Elton asked firmly.
"Since the rogues retreated," Zoro replied. His tone was certain, his eyes fixed on the trees. "No sound, no movement, but I can feel it."
Elton's eyes narrowed. "Do you believe it is a beast?"
"No," Zoro said immediately. "It's definitely some patient bastards waiting for the right moment."
The stream seemed quieter, the forest colder.
Elton drew in a slow breath, steadying himself. "We will move differently. Change direction, cover our tracks, and leave nothing behind."
Cedric muttered while sheathing his dagger. "I am tired of giving performances for invisible stalkers."
They packed quickly and set off once more, every step heavy with tension, their senses sharpened to razor edges.