The night had grown even deeper.
An eerie silence lay over Kankal City, broken only by the soft rustling of the wind. The dust of the shattered market had finally settled, yet the stench of battle still lingered in the air.
Inside a quiet room— Lily was kneeling in front of Snehwal.
From her palms flowed a faint, blue-white spiritual aura. That energy seeped into Snehwal's wounds— flesh knitting together, nerves calming, pain slowly retreating.
Lily's expression was serious. A faint crease lay between her brows— as if with every wound she healed, she was tightening herself as well.
After a while, she asked in a soft voice— "How… does it feel now?"
Snehwal looked at his hands.
Where moments ago there had been blood and injuries, now only a gentle warmth remained.
He let out a breath and said with a faint smile,
"Yes… I'm feeling much better now."
"Before we head to the empire… I'll be completely fine."
Lily let out a breath of relief. But that relief did not last long.
Suddenly— The clouds hanging over Kankal City… turned green.
It was not a natural color. It was an unnatural green glow filled with spiritual energy— as if the sky itself had been burned from within.
Then— The sky began to tear apart.
Amid the green light, a massive circular portal opened. Its edges were filled with twisting, shifting symbols, and the energy pouring out from within was so dense that even the air began to tremble.
At that very moment— Far away, inside a lofty chamber— Master Jins sat in his chair.
His eyes were closed, yet a faint, knowing smile spread across his lips.
"So… the move has been made,"
he murmured.
At the same time— Liora, who had been sitting alone in her room in meditation,
suddenly stood up.
Her eyes opened— sharp and alert. For a brief moment, her heartbeat faltered.
"This energy…"
she said softly.
"It shouldn't be here."
And at that exact moment— Something stirred within Lily.
No clear warning— just a strange sense of unease.
Her fingers unconsciously curled into a fist. She looked toward the window, where shadows of green light danced across the walls.
Only one thought surfaced in her mind— This is not the right time.
They had to go to the empire. They had to conserve their strength. They needed their energy to remain safe.
And now— someone had arrived.
Someone who had not come in peace. A faint worry settled into Lily's eyes. This was not fear— it was calculation.
The instinct of a seasoned warrior, one who can sense an approaching conflict even before war begins.
"This is trouble…"
she thought to herself. And above Kankal City— the green portal widened even further.
As if the time to come was no longer seeking anyone's permission.
From the formation, five guards of Shon Yakshini emerged. They appeared connected to the formation itself, as if spiritual energy from somewhere far behind was continuously supporting them. Their auras were unstable yet forceful— clearly borrowed power rather than their own.
One of them stepped forward and shouted in a threatening voice,
"Hey, woman— come out!"
"Why did you kill our pet monster?"
"Answer us!"
There was no reply.
The five guards exchanged glances, then laughed mockingly.
"If you don't come out," one of them said coldly,
"we will together grind every living being in this city into dust."
"Then we will capture you—"
"and turn you into our slave, and then—"
His words stopped there.
A deep rumble rolled through the sky. The wind suddenly changed direction. The air grew heavy. In the very next moment— Lily was standing right in front of them.
She had appeared so abruptly that none of them had sensed her arrival. Her eyes were calm. Cold. Utterly unshaken.
She looked at the five guards and said flatly,
"You fourth-stage cultivators—"
"are not qualified to rage like this."
"So it was you…,"
one of the guards said with a laugh, his voice filled with contempt.
"You're very proud of your Sixth Stage power."
Lily replied without the slightest hesitation—
"Yes."
The moment she said that, cruelty flashed in the guards' eyes.
One of them spoke in a commanding tone—
"Then come with us. As a slave."
"Or else—"
Lily's eyes narrowed. Her voice turned cold and sharp—
"Or else…?"
"What will you do?"
The very next moment— The formation lit up.
Green spiritual energy condensed, gathering into a dense sphere— And was hurled at Lily with full force. The air tore apart.
The pressure of the energy crushed the ground below.
But— Lily merely raised her hand.
A simple gesture.
Boom—!!!
The green energy sphere shattered in midair, as if it had never existed.
Its ripples scattered and dissolved into nothingness.
Lily looked at them. There was no calm in her eyes now— only a warning.
"You…"
she said in a low but dangerous voice,
"want to die?"