Current Language: Español
Read this chapter in:
A Silent Encounter
That night, the northern wind blew softly as Ken carried Diyah’s body through the corridors of the Ice Kingdom pavilion. The maiden was deeply asleep, leaning against his chest, completely drained of energy after torturing her physical limits inside the God Training Room. After carefully laying Diyah upon her bed and pulling the blankets over her, Ken stepped out with near-soundless tranquility.
However, the moment he closed the door to Diyah’s chamber, Svara’s silhouette was already standing there, waiting for him beneath the dim glow of the corridor’s torches.
”Master, what exactly happened to Sister Diyah?” Svara asked with an anxious tone, falling into step behind Ken’s shadow.
”She simply fell asleep from exhaustion after squeezing out the entirety of her strength for cultivation,” Ken answered curtly, his eyes staring straight ahead.
Heavens… amidst the murderous pressure of this tournament, Sister Diyah is still reckless enough to force herself to cultivate until she faints, Svara thought, slowly shaking her head, an amalgamation of awe and worry.
Ken halted his steps for a heartbeat. He cast a sideways glance at his third disciple. “What of yourself? Are you prepared for your torture session tonight?”
Without wasting time, they walked in tandem toward the open ice courtyard where Diyah usually tempered herself.
”Yes, Master. I am absolutely ready,” Svara answered resolutely, her gaze blazing, challenging the freezing night.
”Very well. Draw your sword, then. We commence now,” Ken decreed.
The hellish training session immediately erupted. As was the customary ritual, Ken absolutely refused to retaliate. He merely evaded, parried, and withstood Svara’s onslaught. Yet, with every shift of his mortal shell, Ken relentlessly dictated and delivered sharp corrections—critiquing her posture, the angle of her sword slashes, down to the precision of how she channeled her Star Seal energy currents.
The night air in the Ice Kingdom capital pierced straight to the bone marrow. However, the training courtyard appeared magical, illuminated by the moonlight reflecting flawlessly upon the expanse of eternal snow. Their exhales plumed, forging thin mists in the air with every movement.
Ken stood tall, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s, stripping away every inch of his disciple’s defenses. Before him, Svara had assumed a low martial stance. The silver-haired maiden’s breathing was steady, while her gaze locked onto Ken with pure, unadulterated killing intent.
”Do not be foolish and rely solely upon your raw physical brawn. Feel the flow of cosmic energy slumbering within your meridians. Awaken it and channel it to the tip of your weapon,” Ken instructed with an exceedingly tranquil tone, yet radiating the absolute authority of a god of war.
”As you command, Master!” Svara shouted, severing the silence of the night.
Svara instantly shot forward, shattering the distance. Her sword blade gleamed blindingly beneath the moonlight, spinning rapidly in the air before slashing viciously toward Ken’s neck. However, just as before, Ken merely shifted a half-step sideways. It was an exceedingly simple movement, yet executed with god-like timing, rendering Svara’s lethal slash to cleave nothing but empty wind.
His velocity defies all logic… my eyes couldn’t even track the inception of his movement, Svara murmured inwardly. Yet her mentality refused to shrink. She relentlessly hunted Ken. Slash after slash, thrust after thrust, she rained them down consecutively without a microscopic sliver of hesitation.
Ken parried the entire barrage with phenomenally minimalist movements. At times, he solely utilized the tip of his index finger to flick the blunt edge of the blade, or merely rotated his wrist to deflect Svara’s lethal momentum. Yet, within every single minuscule interaction, the momentum of Svara’s assault was absolutely fractured and halted.
Hot sweat began to drip from Svara’s temples, freezing instantaneously in the ice-cold night air. Her breaths grew ragged, ravenously hunting for oxygen, but the inferno in her eyes blazed even fiercer. Svara was acutely aware that tonight was no longer mere mortal physical conditioning—it was a crucible of mental torture, mastery of energy distribution, and the tempering of resolve in the face of an invincible monster.
”Adequate, Svara,” Ken stated flatly, shifting as lightly and softly as a shadow to evade a lightning-fast thrust. “You have begun to comprehend how to channel your Star Seal essence into the blade. Now, concentrate the absolute entirety of your Qi into a single point of destruction.”
Svara ground her teeth until her jawline bulged. “I will do so, Master!”
The maiden closed her eyes for a fleeting second, isolating all external disruptions, and drew upon the absolute reserves of energy within her mortal shell. When she parted her eyelids once more, her pupils radiated a bluish luminescence. A faint glint of icy light began to sheathe and resonate along the entire length of her silver blade.
Ken flashed a faint smirk at the corner of his lips. “Yes… exactly like that,” Ken evaluated. “Now show me, Svara. Slash me by concentrating the absolute remnants of your resolve and your life into this single strike.”
With a shrill war cry that shattered the palace’s silence, Svara leapt and swung her sword with maximum yield. The luminescence of her Star Seal detonated blindingly, lacerating the night air with blood-freezing pressure. And for the very first time since the training commenced, Ken uncrossed his arms. He raised his palm, coating it with a protective Qi aegis to welcome the lethal assault head-on.
CRAAAANG!
The collision of the two energies detonated, radiating an explosive shockwave of silvery-blue light that illuminated the entire snow-covered courtyard like a flash of lightning. The ambient air vibrated furiously, sending layers of snow spiraling into miniature blizzards. And for a single second that felt eternal, Svara could palpably feel her blade genuinely clashing against and being arrested by her master’s absolute aura.
Ken withstood the full-power slash with an emotionless visage, then slowly lowered the maiden’s arm and gently patted his disciple’s shoulder. “Excellent. With that swing, you have successfully advanced one tier higher, shattering your limits.”
Svara dropped to her knees upon the snow. She panted severely, entirely drained of energy, but a faint smile of absolute satisfaction bloomed upon her pale lips. Even though her muscles screamed in agony, her eyes radiated extraordinary pride.
The nocturnal training session was officially concluded. After regulating her respiratory circulation, Svara stood and offered a profound ninety-degree bow.
”In that case, I beg my leave to return to my pavilion and meditate, Master,” Svara stated with impeccable courtesy.
Ken nodded slowly. “Yes… rest well. Tread carefully on your way.”
Svara pivoted her body and walked away, her silhouette slowly swallowed by the moonlit shadows of the palace corridors. Ken turned in the opposite direction. He strolled casually along the icy brick paths of the Ice Kingdom complex, acting as if attempting to bait something out from the darkness.
True enough, from a distance, a pair of youths were stealthily observing him.
”Hey, Wisa… if my eyes do not deceive me, isn’t that black-cloaked man Lord Ken?” whispered one of the youths, his eyes sparkling with overflowing enthusiasm.
”Hmm… you are correct. Judging by his posture and his terrifying aura of existence, it is undeniably him,” the youth beside him answered flatly. Even though he meticulously maintained a casual tone, his eyes never left Ken’s movements for a single fraction of a second.
”Excellent! Then we have finally managed to locate him after wandering in circles. Now… what is your next lunatic plan?” the first youth asked, his voice trembling slightly to suppress his nerves.
”Naturally, we shall step forward, intercept him, and interrogate him directly,” Wisa replied casually, as if challenging the grim reaper was a mundane affair.
”Hah?! D-do you truly possess the guts for that?” he asked hesitantly, swallowing hard as he continued to creep behind Ken from a distance.
”Hah! Obviously. What exactly is there to fear from him?” Wisa replied, raising an eyebrow in bewilderment.
”Wah… phenomenal! Your reputation is indeed no mere myth. The Crown Prince of the Water Kingdom is truly a fearless youth,” his companion praised with awe. Hehe… how incredibly fortuitous. I am truly lucky to be able to utilize him as a meat shield before that monster, the youth cheered inwardly, feeling his scheme was proceeding flawlessly.
Hearing that slightly treacherous praise, Wisa shot a sharp sideways glare. Bastard, is this brat secretly intending to use me as a martyr? Wisa snorted in annoyance.
However, the moment they averted their gazes for a mere second, Ken’s silhouette abruptly vanished without a trace from the corridor ahead of them.
”Hah?! Wh… where did that monster go?!” the youth exclaimed in panic, swiveling his head wildly to search. “Did you see his shadow, Wisa?!”
”I lost his tracks too, you idiot! This is all your fault because you babble and think too much!” Wisa scolded sharply, frustrated at losing their prey.
”What?! So now you’re shifting the blame onto me?!” his companion shot back indignantly, ready to argue.
However, their ridiculous squabble was instantaneously silenced by an exceedingly heavy, ice-cold baritone echoing directly from behind them.
”Why did the two of you bother sneaking around searching for me?”
The hearts of the two youths nearly leapt out of their ribcages. They spun around rigidly. Ken was already standing casually, leaning against an ice pillar, staring at them with the predatory gaze of a beast observing its foolish prey.
”Haaah!!” Both screamed reflexively almost simultaneously. The cowardly youth hastily jumped and hid behind Wisa’s broad back.
”Ah… L-Lord Ken! F-forgive us, we absolutely did not intend to do anything suspicious,” Wisa stammered, desperately trying to pacify his wildly hammering heartbeat.
”Is that so? Unfortunately, from your trembling pupils, I can read the deception with absolute clarity,” Ken retorted with a flat tone that pierced their mentality.
”U-uhh… Hey, hurry up and tell him our true objective,” the hiding youth whispered, tugging at Wisa’s robes with trembling hands.
”Do you think negotiating with this demon is easy?!” Wisa hissed through gritted teeth. However, realizing there was no path of retreat, Wisa finally drew an exceedingly long breath. He straightened his posture, attempting to project the remnants of his noble authority. “Truthfully… we were deliberately searching for and wished to seek an audience with you, Lord Ken,” he stated, though the edge of his voice still betrayed his nervousness.
Ken narrowed his eyes, locking onto the two youths. “For what purpose? Are you part of the Ice Kingdom’s nobility?”
”No, My Lord.” Wisa took a step forward, then patted his chest proudly. “I am Wisanggeni, commonly known as Wisa. I am the Prince of the Water Kingdom. And this insect behind me…” Wisa turned with a condescending glare toward his comrade, “Hey, step out and introduce yourself.”
The cowardly youth immediately stepped to Wisa’s side. “A-ah, yes… allow me to introduce myself, my name is Arung. I represent the Earth Kingdom, My Lord,” he said, bowing deeply to offer a martial salute.
Ken observed both of them with an evaluative gaze. A Prince of the Water Kingdom and one from the Earth Kingdom… a highly unpredictable political amalgamation. “Very well. So, what urgent affairs drove the crown princes of two kingdoms to infiltrate this place in search of me?”
Wisa squared his shoulders, his voice now sounding brimming with absolute conviction and ambition. “My Lord, your name and terrifying reputation have reverberated across the entire continent. From the miracles of the Siama Alliance to the breathtaking massacre during the opening of the Pandhega Trial the other day. I… personally hold absolute reverence for Lord Ken’s supreme power. And for that reason, I have come to beseech you to accept me as your disciple.”
Arung flinched in absolute shock. Hah?! You traitor! Why did you only plead for yourself?! he grumbled frantically in his heart. Unwilling to lose this golden opportunity, he hurriedly chimed in, “Me too, My Lord! I also fiercely desire to become Lord Ken’s disciple!”
Ken remained silent for several seconds. The gears in his brain rotated, weaving a scenario. Heirs to the thrones of the Water and Earth Kingdoms… Extremely fascinating. Rather than dirtying my own hands dismantling their political structures… perhaps it would be infinitely more efficient if I utilized these idiotic princes as my pioneering pawns in the future.
”A passable ambition. But… what compels me to squander my time accepting you?” he asked flatly, demanding a worthy justification.
”Because I wish to ascend to the absolute zenith of power, My Lord! And I swear I shall utilize that power to eradicate all evil tyranny on this continent, exactly like the sword of justice wielded by Lord Ken!” Wisa answered resolutely, voicing the idealism of his youthful blood.
”I share that exact same oath, My Lord!” Arung chimed in, his tone forced to sound equally passionate.
Ken stared deeply into their eyes, testing the fortitude of their souls. A faint, highly calculated smirk finally formed on his lips.
”Very well,” Ken spoke, shattering the tension. “However, there is no free admission into my tutelage. Before I make it official, I shall impose one absolute condition as your trial. Go find your Team Captain, Raden. Deliver my message demanding he meet me, completely alone, in the combat arena tonight. If you succeed in dragging him there, I will consider your petition.”
”We understand, My Lord! We are capable of executing this trial!” Wisa answered with a firm, straightforward voice.
”In that case, I shall await his arrival there. Do not make me wait too long.” Ken turned his back on them, taking slow steps, and in the blink of an eye, melted back into the darkness of the corridor and vanished.
The moment the oppressive weight of Ken’s aura lifted, Arung exhaled an incredibly long sigh of relief, then turned to his comrade with a furrowed brow. “Wisa… isn’t this Raden he just mentioned the name of your biological older brother?”
”Yes, your deduction is correct. And it is exceptionally fortuitous that I know exactly which corner of the palace he is currently brooding in,” Wisa answered confidently, a triumphant smile adorning his visage.
Arung’s smile matched his. “Excellent then! That means this mission will be effortlessly resolved. If we succeed, we will officially bear the status of disciples to that god of war shortly!”
”Yes. Come, let us not waste time, we drag him there now,” Wisa replied, accelerating his pace.
”Let’s go!” Arung agreed enthusiastically, trailing behind him.
The two strode quickly, their boots crunching and breaking the silence over the snow, leaving the palace corridors for a night brimming with conspiracy. Meanwhile, in the distance, Ken was already standing and waiting in the epicenter of the arena, his gaze piercing the night, anticipating a negotiation that would invert tomorrow’s destiny.
The Horizon Arena of the Ice Kingdom felt absolutely dead and desolate that night. Only the silvery moonlight bathed the crystal marble floor, reflecting a pale glint akin to a colossal mirror. The night breeze hissed softly past the ice pillars, as if serving as a silent witness safeguarding the absolute secrecy of the impending encounter.
Ken stood petrified exactly in the cratered center of the arena. His arms were crossed over his chest, his visage tilted upward to stare at the void of the ashen sky. His breathing sounded steady, yet his eyes flashed with lethal calculations and dark intrigues.
After waiting in silence, the soft crunch of approaching footsteps finally echoed, shattering the tranquility of the ice floor. From the shadows of the arena’s corridors, the silhouette of Prince Raden emerged. His dark blue silk cloak fluttered gently against the nocturnal wind. The youth’s visage appeared as placid as the surface of a lake, yet his gaze was exceptionally sharp, radiating total vigilance toward the monster before him.
”You summoned me here through my younger brother, Ken?” Raden’s voice flowed tranquilly across the distance, though a high degree of extreme caution was glaringly implicit in his tone.
Ken turned his head slowly. A faint, highly manipulative smirk graced his visage. “I profoundly appreciate your arrival. Truthfully, I harbored doubts as to whether the exalted Prince of Water possessed the guts to answer this clandestine summons.”
Raden halted his steps a few meters before Ken. His piercing gaze attempted to strip away the youth’s mask of tranquility. “I came because I was propelled by curiosity. You are not the type of man who would trouble himself to summon someone privately unless there was a concealed agenda. So speak… what exactly do you desire from me in the dead of night?”
Silence reclaimed dominion over the arena. The northern wind howled slightly fiercer, causing the hem of Ken’s black robes to flutter wildly. Ken closed his eyes for a heartbeat, allowing the silence to exert mental pressure upon his adversary, then opened them again, staring at Raden with a gaze as sharp as a drawn blade.
”Raden… open your ears and listen to my directives absolutely closely,” his voice shifted, growing tense, harboring an aura pressure that suffocated the breath. “In tomorrow’s semifinal match against the Ice Kingdom Team… I demand that you absolutely do not hold back. I do not wish for you to show even a microscopic shred of mercy toward Diyah and her comrades.”
Raden’s brows furrowed sharply. Utter bewilderment was painted clearly on his face. “What is your intent in demanding I act so ruthlessly? Are you not that maiden’s absolute aegis?” he asked, his tone flat yet heavily saturated with suspicion.
Ken took a single step forward, erasing the distance, his gaze growing increasingly intimidating, locking down Raden’s mental fortitude. “You heard my words. I want you to torture their absolute limits and show zero mercy. But… simultaneously, it is absolutely forbidden for their team to lose and be eliminated in tomorrow’s match.”
Hearing that impossibly paradoxical mandate, Raden froze. He was bewildered, attempting to digest the illogical demand. “But… how is it possible for me to fight mercilessly and yet allow them to pass?” his voice weakened, as if searching for the logic in that lunatic directive.
Ken severed the sentence swiftly, his voice incredibly frigid, leaving absolutely zero room for argument. “I am absolutely certain your princely brain is sufficiently brilliant to comprehend and execute this bizarre scenario. And engrave this into your mind, Raden… I did not summon you here to sit at a negotiation table.” Ken lowered his voice into a lethal, whispered threat. “If you dare deviate from this script and cause them to lose… I guarantee the Water Kingdom will be leveled to the ocean floor in a single night.”
The air within the arena seemed to genuinely freeze solid. Raden’s pupils dilated slightly. His lungs felt as though they had been crushed by a colossal reef upon hearing that threat of genocide. He lowered his visage, his hands clenched tightly, suppressing the volcanic eruption of wrath and terror churning against his pride as a noble. After a long, mentally agonizing silence, Raden slowly raised his head. Absolute resignation was etched into his eyes.
”Very well… Lord Ken. I profoundly comprehend my position,” he answered softly, his tone sounding exceedingly suppressed beneath that absolute dominion. “If there are no further threats to discuss… I beg my leave.”
Without turning his face to await an answer, Raden pivoted and strode away, abandoning the epicenter of the arena. Every pull of his footsteps felt astronomically heavy. His mind buzzed, flooded with thousands of lunatic riddles regarding who exactly this youth named Ken truly was.
This man… every intonation of threat escaping his lips feels as though it holds the absolute authority to rip my heart from its roots, Raden mused in sheer horror, his grip tightening at his sides.
That night, the Prince of the Water Kingdom continued his trek back to the dormitories in total silence, pondering the concealed intent behind Ken’s paradoxical edict. That silhouette was slowly transmuting into an anomaly that grew increasingly impossible to decipher—was Ken a cold-blooded ally… or an apocalyptic threat exponentially more horrifying than the demonic allies of the Fire Kingdom?
Once Raden’s shadow was completely swallowed by the darkness of the corridor, absolute silence once again blanketed the crystal arena. Shortly after, the echo of dual footsteps shattered the quiet from the eastern corridor. Two teenage figures jogged hurriedly into the arena.
Wisa strode at the vanguard, his chest puffed out and his gaze brimming with triumph, while Arung trailed behind him with slightly hesitant steps, attempting to mask his mental nervousness with a forced, awkward smile.
The two halted at a safe distance, directly before Ken. Wisa immediately bowed his head in a martial salute, then reported with an intonation of supreme confidence.
”My Lord, we have returned. The negotiation mandate you decreed… has been flawlessly executed by us.”
Ken turned his head toward them slowly. His gaze still harbored the residual sharpness from his confrontation with Raden, causing the air around the two youths to tense up once more. Ken gave an exceptionally subtle nod.
”Yes… I am aware. Your brother just met with me.”
Arung cast a fleeting glance at Wisa, gathering the remnants of his courage to collect on the promise. His voice sounded somewhat stuttering as he parted his lips. “So… does that mean Lord Ken will honor his vow and consider accepting the two of us as disciples?”
Ken did not immediately answer the cheap inquiry. He strolled slowly, closing the distance, until the shadow of his majestic robes fell to eclipse the bodies of the two youths. Ken’s gaze pierced the layers of their souls, causing Arung to swallow hard, turning pale, unable to hold eye contact, while Wisa forced himself to stand tall, challenging the intimidation even as cold sweat began to drip slowly down his temples.
”Hmm…” Ken murmured softly, shattering the torturous silence. “You have indeed proven that your tongues can be trusted. But to be elevated and survive as my disciples… are your mentalities genuinely prepared to be pulverized? My absolute warning is this: my tempering methods are exceptionally cruel, brutal, and utterly devoid of humanity. I employ them because I absolutely refuse to hatch weak disciples who will end up as losers on the battlefield.”
Hearing that psychological challenge, Wisa actually raised his head. His gaze now blazed, radiating the inferno of burning resolve.
”I am absolutely prepared to face your hell, My Lord! I swear I shall prove that my bones and blood are worthy to serve as your weapon!”
Seeing his comrade seize the stage, Arung hurriedly nodded his head vigorously, even though his visage still radiated a deathly pale aura.
”M-me too, My Lord! I swear I will never retreat!”
For several seconds that felt eternal, Ken merely left them suspended in silence, analyzing their guts. Until finally, a faint smirk signifying absolute acknowledgment surfaced at the corner of his lips.
”Excellent. In that case, prove your drivel. Extend your right wrists. I shall implant a seal tattoo as absolute proof that from this moment onward… the lives of you two officially belong to me.”
”As you command, My Lord!” they answered in unison, their voices trembling with unadulterated enthusiasm. The two immediately thrust their right wrists into the air.
Ken raised his palm. A thin stream of Qi radiating a golden luminescence erupted from his fingertips and absorbed into the skin of their wrists, forging the Star Seal Rune formation. Identical to the ritual he performed upon his previous disciples, the magical crest glowed brilliantly, stinging their skin for a heartbeat before finally sinking and vanishing into their bloodstreams.
”The synchronization of souls is complete. From this exact second… your destinies are absolutely tethered to me.”
”Thank you for this grace, Master,” the two expressed simultaneously, automatically substituting their title of address.
Wisa then lowered his hand and asked again, his tone now significantly more tranquil, befitting an official disciple. “What directives must we execute next, Master?”
”For tonight, you have squandered enough of my time. Return to your dormitories. Tomorrow night, after the tournament’s uproar subsides, meet me covertly at my pavilion. If there are no further idiotic questions, you may dismiss yourselves.”
”Understood, Master,” they replied in unison.
Wisa bowed once more, then raised his visage and tossed one final, cautious inquiry. “Master… aside from the two of us, do you already possess other inheritors of your martial arts on this continent?”
Ken stared at the youth without a second of hesitation. “Yes. With the addition of your names tonight, the inheritors of my legacy on this continent officially number exactly five individuals.”
”We understand, Master. In that case, we beg our leave,” Wisa stated, offering a closing salute. The two youths pivoted and walked briskly away, abandoning the ice arena.
The moment they were sufficiently beyond Ken’s radius of perception, Arung immediately exhaled a phenomenally long sigh of relief, then smirked exceedingly broadly, overflowing with arrogance. “Hahaha! Finally, my reckless decision to forcibly embed myself into the Earth Kingdom Team’s delegation did not end in vain! From the very beginning, my instincts whispered that the God of War would undoubtedly melt and accept me as his disciple!”
Hearing that narcissistic babble, Wisa merely shook his head and flashed a faint smirk saturated with profound disgust. Hhh… look at this pampered brat. To think that starting tomorrow I must share my torture and learn to survive alongside this narcissistic insect. Let us merely hope the gods are benevolent… so that he doesn’t die prematurely and hinder my path later, Wisa mused, accelerating his footsteps into the freezing night.