Darshaka's body suddenly seemed to shine, forcing Vashuki to raise a hand in front of his face.
The next moment, Darshaka began to run.
His speed was so incredible that he appeared to move as swiftly as the wind.
He drew his katana and, this time, charged forward at tremendous speed, swinging the blade toward Vashuki's chest.
Clang!
A sharp sound echoed.
Vashuki was holding a gun made of green diamond. Beneath its handle was a small spear-like blade, which he had used to block Darshaka's attack.
However, Vashuki suddenly fell to the ground.
Fear was clearly visible on his face.
Darshaka looked down at him and spoke in a deep voice.
"You... you have broken my tradition."
His voice grew heavier.
"And you have insulted the Kazi religion as well."
Vashuki looked at him in fear.
"Is reading a book really a crime?" he asked.
Darshaka slowly raised his katana toward the sky, as if asking for a blessing.
"This book was created by me," he said.
His voice echoed through the flames.
"Only the people of Kazi—the members of the Kazime Clan—have the right to read it!"
The flames suddenly began to stir.
A faint smile appeared on Vashuki's face, as if he had realized something.
At that moment, eight waves began moving toward Darshaka.
They looked like waves of air, but there seemed to be something else hidden within them.
Darshaka, unaware of what they truly were, remained focused on Vashuki.
The eight waves quickly reached him.
Suddenly, Darshaka turned sharply.
He stepped forward and swung his shamshir toward one of the waves.
With a single, swift movement, he cut through all eight waves.
They slowly began to disappear.
But at that moment—
Vashuki leaped high into the air.
The veins in his hand turned green, while his hair flowed wildly in the wind.
Behind him, the massive figure of a snake appeared.
Its enormous mouth was open.
The creature looked both beautiful and terrifying, radiating an overwhelming sense of power.
Vashuki descended rapidly.
As he fell, he thrust the sharp spear-like blade beneath his gun's handle toward Darshaka's neck.
Slash!
The blade left a cut across Darshaka's neck.
Vashuki landed on one knee.
Darshaka suddenly turned around and swiftly brought his katana toward Vashuki's head.
But at that moment, Vashuki quickly moved the gun in his hand forward and struck toward Darshaka's neck.
The bullet rapidly moved forward and struck Darshaka's neck, causing his katana to slip from his hand.
At that moment, a gust of wind swept through the area.
"Krushak himself has come, eager to erase you!"
Then, another voice echoed.
"I would rather turn to dust in a single moment, but I cannot accept someone of my own blood bringing harm to my mother."
At that moment, Vashuki heard a voice filled with anger.
Darshaka suddenly grabbed his shamshir.
Vashuki let go of his gun.
Fear was clearly visible on Vashuki's face.
Darshaka brought his shamshir extremely close to Vashuki's head and made his move.
Vashuki fell to the ground.
For a moment, Darshaka's expression became visible.
He looked terrified.
Vashuki appeared injured, and Darshaka quickly tried to hide his fear.
"I didn't hit him too hard," he said.
Darshaka looked ahead.
He saw Mara lying on the ground.
However, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.
Another smoke-like wave was rushing forward.
It was rapidly approaching him.
Suddenly, its speed increased.
Within the dark aura, Alpha Core appeared.
He was holding a hammer in his hand.
"How are you?!" Alpha shouted as he charged forward.
Suddenly, Torisa appeared beside him, running alongside him.
Torisa looked at Alpha.
"Hey, do you even know his name?" he asked.
The two of them suddenly began running forward at high speed.
Electricity crackled from Torisa's hands as he drew his katana.
Behind Alpha, smoke rose into the air, making it seem as though he was ready to unleash something devastating.
At that moment, Scorpion landed in the garden.
Alpha stopped beside Mara.
Meanwhile, Torisa stepped toward Darshaka.
"You're finished," he said.
Lightning began flashing across the ground around him.
A worried expression appeared on Darshaka's face.
Suddenly, he leaped high into the air and moved rapidly forward.
There seemed to be no limit to his power.
But at that moment, Scorpion's massive tail stinger suddenly regenerated.
It rapidly moved forward, reaching Torisa before he could react.
Seeing this, Alpha immediately stood up.
The attack struck Torisa, sending him collapsing to the ground.
Torisa was barely conscious.
Alpha witnessed everything and immediately began running toward him.
Darshaka was shocked by what he had seen.
My intention was only to stop the book...
But instead, I have brought this entire city to ruin.
I am not worthy of being called a GOAT.
He looked around.
Destroyed buildings stood on both sides, while the city remained engulfed in chaos.
Darshaka lowered his gaze.
Perhaps it would be better if I focused on protecting my Kazime Clan instead.
Nearby, Alpha stood on the ground, supporting Torisa.
The massive tail stinger had broken, and Scorpion was slowly beginning to disappear.
Suddenly—
Vashuki stood up.
"No! No!"
He shouted loudly.
Pain was evident in his voice.
His eyes remained tightly closed.
Hearing him, Darshaka turned toward Vashuki.
Then Vashuki spoke in a deep voice.
"My dream... remained nothing more than a dream."
"I couldn't take my revenge."
"Nor could I save anyone else."
Darshaka lowered his head and silently listened.
Then Vashuki shouted even louder.
"I reject God and religion!"
"I know I am burning."
"I know that Krushak—the God of the Sun—is more powerful than me."
Vashuki clenched his eyes shut.
"But I still haven't received the answers to my questions!"
Darshaka looked at Vashuki.
"I stand with Vyakula now."
With those words, he broke his katana.
Vashuki suddenly fell silent.
In a voice filled with pain, Darshaka continued.
"Vyakula has been placed in a pond filled with Redmoon's red blood."
Tears streamed down his face.
Vashuki slowly opened his eyes.
Darshaka placed a hand on him.
"I am the author of this burning book," he said.
"Inside it, I wrote the location of Vyakula's body."
Vashuki was shocked.
"What is so special about Vyakula's body?" he asked.
"And who exactly is he?"
Darshaka took a deep breath.
"Vyakula... also known as Makhulu, is the leader of a secret society."
"Long ago, he was buried beneath the ground by Krushaka, the First GOAT."
Darshaka paused.
"But he was brought back."
Alpha stood frozen, unable to believe what he was hearing.
Darshaka continued,
"If he finds his body, he will become unstoppable. He will be able to control every religion and even the consciousness of the entire world."
Darshaka lowered his gaze.
"But I realized that what I was doing was wrong."
"So I placed a curse on this book. Anyone who reads it will lose their sanity."
"And the Kazime Clan will face a terrible curse from the spirits of their ancestors. Their own people will turn against one another, while the spirits of their ancestors will come to hate them."
Vashuki was trembling.
"Then why didn't you destroy the book?" he asked.
Darshaka looked at him.
"Because the book had become the sacred scripture of the Kazi religion. People had absolute faith in it."
"If I destroyed it, they would believe that their religion was nothing more than a lie... and they might have followed a darker path."
Vashuki stared at him.
"Then why did you tell me where Makhulu's body is?"
Darshaka took a long, tired breath.
"Because... I'm tired."
His voice trembled.
"I killed millions for this book..."
He lowered his head.
"And now... I want to repent."
Darshaka looked ahead and spoke quietly,
"Even if this world curses me... even if people blame religion itself... I cannot bear to see myself become even more infamous."
Suddenly, Vashuki shouted,
"If that happens, everything will be over! And you... you know so much about all of this!"
"For nearly two thousand years, the entire Kazime Clan has been under Mophugo's control!"
As he spoke, Vashuki stepped toward Torisa.
Alpha froze when he heard those words.
Then, without even looking at Vashuki, Darshaka calmly said,
"And I was a loyal member of Mophugo."
Alpha and Vashuki were left completely stunned.
Before either of them could say anything, the distant voices of soldiers echoed through the area. Their footsteps grew louder as they advanced toward them.
Darshaka walked over to Alpha and stopped in front of him.
Then he said quietly,
"The Kazime Clan and the Raizon Clan are about to face a terrifying situation."
He paused.
"In the war that is coming... you will die in a truly terrible way."
The soldiers erupted into shouting after hearing Darshaka's words.
Alpha raised his hand, signaling them to be silent.
The soldiers immediately fell quiet.
There was an unusual calmness on Alpha's face.
He looked ahead and said,
"I'm ready."
At that moment, a strange white smoke began to emerge from Darshaka's body.
It slowly surrounded him.
Darshaka remained completely still as his body gradually faded into the white smoke.
Within moments, he had completely disappeared.