Then— for a few moments, a heavy silence spread across the room. Bound within the spiritual vines, Jury and Lith were pressed down on their knees on the ground— humiliation, anger, and exhaustion all visible on their faces at once. Snehwal slowly walked toward them. The sound of his footsteps created a faint echo on the stone floor. He stopped in front of them… looked at them for a few moments… then said in a calm voice,
"I… will release you tomorrow."
Both Yakshinis' eyes immediately stirred.
"But…"
he continued— "in return, you will also have to give up something."
Their mouths were still sealed with spiritual locks— so they could not speak. But their bodies jerked slightly— as if they wanted to resist.
Snehwal extended his hand forward. A faint green aura of spiritual power radiated from his palm.
"Help me reach the middle level of the fourth stage… and I will let you go."
Hearing this— both of them struggled even more. Anger flared in their eyes. But Snehwal had already sat down in front of them. He closed his eyes— and focused his consciousness. The very next moment— a pulling force began. Spiritual energy from their bodies slowly started flowing toward him. But… this was not easy.
Both Jury and Lith were deliberately destabilizing their consciousness. They were resisting their power— refusing to give it. The energy kept breaking apart and scattering. Sweat appeared on Snehwal's forehead.
He opened his eyes. Now there was coldness in his voice,
"You have no choice."
He leaned slightly forward— looking into their eyes as he said,
"If you don't agree… I will call Lily back… and hand you over to her."
After a brief pause, he added in a slower but more dangerous tone,
"Then she won't hesitate at all to cut you into pieces with her sword."
That alone— was enough.
At the same time, the same thought arose within both Yakshinis, "This… is the better option."
Slowly— they stopped resisting. Their bodies became still. Their consciousness calmed down. And at that very moment— the flow of spiritual energy suddenly became smooth. Now Snehwal used their pure soul power. Light began running through his veins.
But there was already a massive reserve of energy inside him— the powers of the spiritual stones— which he had gathered for Lily. He began absorbing them together as well. The room gradually filled with light.
Two different auras— Lith's… blue… and Jury's red spiritual power— began merging with each other. Time passed. The night deepened. The flow of energy showed no sign of stopping. Jury's body started trembling. The veins on her forehead bulged. Finally— in a mixture of anger and exhaustion— her consciousness faltered… and she swayed forward. She had lost consciousness.
Her head hung down— her breathing became heavy. Lith's condition was not any better. Her entire body was drenched in sweat. The fire of humiliation burned in her eyes.
A scream rose inside her mind, "I… a Yakshini… and this happened to me…!"
Her pride… her ego… everything had been crushed. But the process continued. The night slowly passed.
And when the first ray of morning sunlight entered through the window— at that very moment— a tremendous burst of energy suddenly erupted from Snehwal's body.
Boom!!!
The air trembled.
His consciousness rose upward— and he broke through his level. He had now entered the middle level of the fourth stage.
But— his journey was not yet over. There was still a vast amount of energy from the spiritual stones remaining inside him— which had not been fully digested. His body was filled with that power— like a dormant volcano waiting to awaken from within.
And on the ground— two defeated Yakshinis… one unconscious… one burning with humiliation…And before them— stood a new, more powerful Snehwal.
Whose future… would now never remain the same as before.
Snehwal slowly opened his eyes. After a whole night of cultivation and spiritual energy absorption, his entire body felt heavy like metal forged in a blazing furnace, yet powerful from within. He stood up, rotated his neck from side to side, and took a long stretch while inhaling deeply. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
"Come on… now it will be fun to watch the competition," he said with a light laugh, as if the previous night had been nothing more than a small exercise for him.
At that very moment, behind him, Lith Yakshini suddenly began to struggle. The spiritual chains binding her hands and feet started to glow faintly. Exhaustion was clearly visible on her face—her forehead drenched in sweat, hair disheveled, and in her eyes burned a fading yet still alive spark of anger. She was trying to say something… perhaps a plea, perhaps rage… perhaps both. But her lips were still sealed with a spiritual lock.
Snehwal looked at her and smiled slightly—a smile that held less mercy and more the pleasure of control.
"I did promise to release you today," he said in a slow but clear voice, "but… I will choose the time according to my own will."
There was no loudness in his words, yet they carried such weight that the listener's will would naturally bend.
Hearing this, Lith slowed her movements. For a brief moment, disappointment flickered in her eyes. Then she lowered her head—as if she had surrendered from within. Her energy was almost depleted now, and she no longer had the strength to resist.
Nearby, Jury's body lay limp. Her head was tilted to one side, hair scattered across her face. Whether she was truly unconscious or merely at the edge of awareness was difficult to say. But it was clear that the night had broken both Yakshinis.
Snehwal looked at them for a moment. A brief seriousness appeared in his eyes. He took a deep breath—as if stabilizing the surging power within him. Inside his body, the energy of the spiritual stones was still circulating—uncontrolled, intense, and only partially digested. A faint burning sensation ran through his veins, yet that same burning also gave him a sense of strength.
"Today's match…" he said while looking toward the window, "…will be interesting."
The first rays of morning were spreading across the horizon. From somewhere in the direction of the competition grounds, faint screams of prisoners could be heard. And slowly, an expression of confidence—almost dangerous—spread across Snehwal's lips.