Beyond the Borders of Righteous

  Three days had passed.

  Three long days of traveling through hidden roads, quiet villages, and narrow forest paths.

  Yet somehow, against all odds, Prince Tazz and Kolpa had finally crossed the borders of the Holy Kingdom of Righteous without being discovered.

  The moment they stepped beyond the final checkpoint road and into foreign territory, Tazz felt something shift inside him.

  He had left his homeland.

  Not as a prince.

  But as a fugitive.

  The two now traveled through a smaller neighboring nation, one far less powerful than Righteous. The towns were modest, the roads narrower, and the cities lacked the grandeur of the royal capital Tazz once called home.

  But for now…

  It was enough.

  As the sun began to set that evening, Kolpa finally stopped in front of a modest inn on the edge of a small city.

  “We’ll stay here tonight,” he said calmly.

  Tazz nodded quietly.

  The two entered and secured a room, ordering a simple meal soon after. For the first time in days, they were able to sit down, eat properly, and relax without constantly looking over their shoulders.

  At least… that was how it felt to Tazz.

  Kolpa sat across from him silently, watching the young prince carefully.

  The boy had changed.

  Every wanted poster they passed.

  Every suspicious glance from strangers.

  Every time they had to hide from traveling patrols or wandering mercenaries searching for rewards.

  It had all slowly chipped away at him.

  Once, Tazz had walked through halls where people bowed at his presence.

  Now he kept his hood low and avoided eye contact like a criminal.

  Kolpa took a slow sip from his drink.

  In truth, they could have already reached Menssai days ago.

  With Kolpa’s incredible speed ability, carrying Tazz across the continent would have taken far less time.

  But that had never been the plan.

  No.

  Kolpa wanted the prince to feel it.

  To truly understand what he had become.

  Nothing.

  No throne.

  No army.

  No allies.

  Just a hunted boy with a price on his head.

  And it was working.

  Kolpa could see it clearly in Tazz’s eyes.

  The prince was beginning to understand.

  When everything is taken from you…

  The only way back to the top is through power.

  And the only person offering that path now…

  Was Jace.

  ?

  The next day arrived quietly.

  After a full night of rest, the two checked out of the inn early in the morning and prepared to continue their journey toward Menssai.

  The streets were already filling with merchants and travelers beginning their daily routines.

  As they walked through the city gates…

  Kolpa suddenly slowed his pace.

  His sharp eyes casually scanned the crowd.

  Seven.

  He noticed them almost immediately.

  They tried to look normal.

  But to someone like Kolpa, their posture gave them away instantly.

  Their steps were too measured.

  Their eyes too observant.

  Their hands too close to their weapons.

  Mercenaries.

  Kolpa’s lips curled slightly.

  “…Excellent,” he whispered under his breath.

  Tazz glanced at him.

  “What?”

  Kolpa simply continued walking.

  “Nothing.”

  They exited the city together and moved onto the open road leading toward the distant mountains.

  The land soon became quieter as the civilization behind them faded into the distance.

  Fields gave way to scattered trees and rocky paths.

  After about an hour of walking…

  Kolpa stopped.

  Tazz nearly bumped into him.

  “What is it?” Tazz asked.

  Kolpa turned slightly and spoke loudly into the empty surroundings.

  “You’ve followed long enough.”

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  Silence.

  Tazz blinked.

  “…Who are you talking to?”

  Kolpa ignored the question.

  Instead, he crossed his arms and continued speaking to the empty road.

  “You might as well come out now.”

  Tazz looked around nervously.

  There was no one.

  Just open land and a few scattered trees swaying in the wind.

  “Kolpa… I don’t see—”

  Before he could finish speaking…

  A branch snapped behind them.

  Then another.

  Then footsteps.

  Tazz’s eyes widened.

  One man stepped out from behind a large tree.

  Then another emerged from behind a rock formation.

  Two more appeared from the tall grass further down the road.

  One dropped silently from a tree branch.

  Another walked out from behind the hill.

  And finally…

  The seventh man stepped forward from directly behind them.

  Tazz’s heart skipped a beat.

  Seven mercenaries.

  All armed.

  All staring directly at him.

  His face turned pale as the reality sank in.

  They hadn’t escaped unnoticed after all.

  One of the mercenaries smiled slowly.

  “Well, well,” he said.

  “Looks like the bounty posters were accurate after all.”

  Tazz instinctively took a step back.

  Fear clearly visible in his eyes.

  But beside him…

  Kolpa simply stood there.

  Calm.

  Relaxed.

  Almost amused.

  The faint smile on his face hadn’t disappeared.

  In fact…

  It had grown slightly wider.

  ?

  The seven mercenaries slowly formed a loose circle around them.

  Each one carried different weapons—swords, axes, short spears, and daggers. Their armor was worn but practical, the kind used by men who made a living hunting people for coin.

  One of them stepped forward.

  He was clearly their leader.

  A tall man with a long scar stretching across his jaw.

  “Well now,” he said with a grin.

  “Looks like today’s our lucky day.”

  His eyes locked onto Tazz.

  “The runaway prince of Righteous.”

  Tazz’s heart pounded violently in his chest.

  Even hearing those words spoken out loud felt surreal.

  Another mercenary chuckled.

  “You’ve got a pretty large bounty on your head, boy.”

  “Alive or dead, I think… am sure they wouldn’t mind either way.”

  Tazz instinctively stepped backward.

  His eyes darted between the men surrounding them.

  Seven trained fighters.

  There was no escape.

  Beside him, Kolpa sighed softly.

  “Are you finished?” he asked calmly.

  The mercenaries frowned.

  The scarred leader looked at him.

  “And who exactly are you supposed to be?”

  Kolpa tilted his head slightly.

  “Just someone you shouldn’t have followed.”

  The men laughed loudly.

  One of them spun his dagger between his fingers.

  “You’ve got guts talking like that.”

  Another mercenary pointed his spear forward.

  “Step aside and we’ll make this quick.”

  Kolpa slowly turned his head toward Tazz.

  “Watch carefully,” he said quietly.

  Tazz looked at him in confusion.

  Before he could even ask what he meant—

  Kolpa disappeared.

  Not moved.

  Not dashed forward.

  He simply vanished.

  The mercenaries barely had time to react.

  A sudden crack echoed across the open field.

  The scarred leader’s body flew violently through the air, slamming into a tree dozens of meters away.

  His chest had completely collapsed.

  He died instantly.

  “What the—?!” one of the mercenaries shouted.

  But before the words finished leaving his mouth—

  Another sound erupted.

  CRACK.

  His head twisted unnaturally as his body collapsed to the ground.

  Kolpa appeared behind him for only a split second…

  Then vanished again.

  Panic exploded among the remaining men.

  “Where is he?!”

  “Spread out!”

  Too late.

  Kolpa reappeared beside another mercenary.

  The man swung his axe desperately—

  But Kolpa’s hand pierced straight through his chest.

  The mercenary froze.

  Kolpa pulled his hand out casually.

  The body dropped.

  Another mercenary turned to run.

  He managed three steps.

  Kolpa appeared in front of him instantly.

  The man’s eyes widened in pure terror.

  A single strike.

  His body crumpled to the ground.

  Four.

  Five.

  Six.

  Each death happened faster than the last.

  To Tazz…

  It looked less like a fight…

  And more like a predator eliminating prey.

  The final mercenary stood frozen in place.

  His sword trembled violently in his hands.

  “H-how…?” he whispered.

  Kolpa appeared directly in front of him.

  His expression was completely calm.

  “You shouldn’t have followed us.”

  The man screamed and swung wildly.

  Kolpa caught the blade between two fingers.

  Then casually snapped it in half.

  The mercenary barely had time to process what happened before Kolpa’s hand struck his chest.

  A dull impact echoed.

  The man collapsed lifelessly.

  Silence returned to the road.

  Seven bodies lay scattered across the field.

  The entire encounter had lasted less than ten seconds.

  Kolpa slowly brushed the dust off his sleeve as if nothing had happened.

  Then he turned back toward Tazz.

  The young prince stood frozen.

  His face pale.

  His eyes wide with shock.

  He had witnessed warriors die before.

  But nothing like this.

  This wasn’t battle.

  This was overwhelming, absolute power.

  Kolpa walked toward him calmly.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Tazz swallowed hard.

  “You… you killed them all…”

  Kolpa shrugged.

  “They made a choice.”

  He looked down briefly at one of the bodies.

  “People like them survive by hunting the weak.”

  His gaze returned to Tazz.

  “But strength…”

  His voice lowered slightly.

  “…is what decides who stands at the top of the world.”

  Tazz stared at the bodies scattered around them.

  Seven trained mercenaries.

  All defeated instantly.

  A realization slowly formed in his mind.

  If this…

  If this was the power of just one of Jace’s subordinates…

  Then what kind of monster was Jace himself?

  And more importantly—

  What kind of power could he gain by standing beside them?

  The fear inside Tazz slowly faded.

  In its place…

  Something new began to grow.

  Determination.

  He finally looked back at Kolpa.

  “…Let’s keep going,” he said quietly.

  Kolpa watched him for a moment.

  Then a faint smile appeared on his face.

  The lesson had worked.

  Without another word, the two continued down the road toward Menssai.

  Behind them…

  The bodies of the seven mercenaries lay scattered across the silent field.

  ?

  Deep Within the Darkburn Canopy

  The fourth day inside the forest had begun like the others.

  Violence.

  Blood.

  And monsters emerging from every direction.

  But as the hours passed, something slowly changed.

  The attacks stopped.

  Jericho was the first to notice.

  By late afternoon, the forest had grown eerily quiet.

  Too quiet.

  The dense canopy above filtered the fading sunlight into dull orange beams that stretched across the ground. The air itself felt heavier, thicker with soul energy.

  Jericho raised a hand.

  “Stop.”

  Everyone halted immediately.

  William scanned the trees.

  “No movement.”

  Alice tightened her grip on her sword.

  “That’s worse than before.”

  Erica frowned slightly.

  “For the first time since we entered this forest… nothing is attacking us.”

  Drako slowly stepped forward, his sharp eyes studying the forest ahead.

  “They’re not gone.”

  His voice was calm.

  “They’re waiting.”

  A distant rumble echoed through the forest.

  It wasn’t loud.

  But it was deep.

  Like something massive shifting beneath the earth.

  Jericho’s gaze narrowed.

  “Everyone ready.”

  The group slowly advanced.

  Each step deeper into the forest felt heavier than the last. The trees grew larger, their twisted roots spreading across the ground like claws.

  Then they reached it.

  A massive clearing.

  The trees suddenly stopped, forming a wide circle around an open stretch of dark earth.

  The moment they stepped inside…

  Jericho felt it.

  An overwhelming pressure flooded the area.

  Alice’s eyes widened.

  “…What is this?”

  Erica’s hand slowly moved toward Surtr’s hilt.

  “This soul energy…”

  William clenched his fists.

  “…So this is where it’s been hiding.”

  Drako said nothing.

  His gaze remained locked on the center of the clearing, with a huge exciting smile on his face.

  The ground trembled again.

  Slowly…

  Something began to move beneath the earth.

  The soil cracked.

  A deep rumbling vibration spread through the clearing.

  Then the ground burst open.

  A massive creature emerged from beneath the surface, towering over the clearing as dirt and broken roots scattered in every direction.

  Its body was enormous, easily several times larger than any creature they had faced before.

  Dark armored skin covered its massive frame, its limbs thick and powerful like ancient pillars. Long jagged horns curved from its head, and its glowing eyes burned with a deep crimson light.

  But what stood out most…

  Was the overwhelming aura radiating from it.

  Every monster they had fought for days…

  Had been nothing more than extensions of its will.

  Alice whispered under her breath.

  “…So this is the one.”

  The creature slowly lifted its massive head.

  Its crimson eyes scanned the group.

  Jericho stepped forward slightly.

  His silver aura flickered faintly around him.

  “So you’re the one behind all of this.”

  The beast let out a deep, thunderous growl that shook the entire clearing.

  Birds scattered from distant trees.

  The ground cracked beneath its claws.

  William smirked slightly.

  “Well…”

  He rolled his shoulders.

  “Now things are getting interesting.”

  Erica drew Surtr from its sheath, the blade glowing faintly with restrained heat.

  “what a monster.”

  Alice raised her sword, soul energy beginning to gather around her.

  Drako calmly stepped beside Jericho.

  For the first time since arriving…

  His expression carried a hint of excitement.

  “oh my king, it’s so strong…. I can’t stop myself from getting so excited.”

  Jericho’s silver aura intensified.

  “Everyone spread out.”

  The team immediately moved into position.

  The beast lowered its massive body, claws digging into the earth as if preparing to charge.

  The air between them grew tense.

  Silent.

  Heavy.

  Then Jericho’s voice broke the silence.

  “Let’s end this.”

  The creature roared.

  A deafening sound that shook the entire forest.

  And in the next instant—

  The battle began.