Chapter 43 – Ashes Beneath the Sky
Lin Xuan leaned back slightly, posture relaxed, as if the shattered platform of Skyhaven and the horned invaders below were nothing more than an inconvenience. Yet his presence alone anchored the chaos. The trembling air steadied. The pressure that had crushed weaker minds settled into something bearable.
"Alicia. Vaibhav. Shin. Nanao," he said evenly.
The four looked toward him at once.
"Attack."
Alicia hesitated, instinctively taking half a step forward. "Big Brother—?"
"I can't fight them," Lin Xuan interrupted, tone unchanged. "Because of a promise I made to a dead person."
That was all he offered. No explanation. No justification.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then Vaibhav nodded once.
"…Understood."
They moved.
Skyhaven's outer barriers parted just long enough for them to exit, the floating platform humming behind them as the battlefield opened beneath the open sky. Smoke rolled across fractured ground. The Asuras had already spread out—bronze-horned soldiers forming loose ranks, silver-horned warriors hanging back with predatory patience, eyes sharp and calculating.
Vaibhav, Alicia, and Shin plunged straight into the bronze-horned Rank 2 Asuras.
The first impact shook the ground.
Vaibhav drove forward without hesitation, closing the distance before the Asuras could coordinate. His palm thrust forward—
Heavenrend Impact.
Compressed shockwaves detonated from his strike, splitting the air with a thunderous crack. A bronze-horned Asura took the blow full-on and was launched backward, armor fracturing as it skidded across the broken stone.
Vaibhav followed immediately, muscles tightening, energy veins flaring as he stepped in again.
Starbreaker Fist.
The punch landed like a falling meteor, the explosion of force collapsing the Asura's chest inward. Bone cracked. The body slammed into the ground and didn't rise.
Another bronze-horned warrior rushed him from the side.
Vaibhav pivoted, stance widening, weight sinking into his core. His fist arced in a heavy, grinding motion—
Elephantine Strike.
The blow didn't explode outward. It crushed inward. The Asura was driven sideways, boots carving trenches through debris as it skidded helplessly across the battlefield.
To Vaibhav's left, Shin vanished.
Mirage Flow scattered his presence into overlapping afterimages, each step folding perception just enough to confuse the enemy. A bronze-horned Asura swung at the wrong Shin—
—and the real one appeared beneath its guard.
Lightning Kick.
The strike landed without warning, snapping into the Asura's ribs before its brain could register the movement. The body convulsed and collapsed.
Shin didn't stop.
He flickered from target to target, kicks snapping into joints, jaws, spines. When three Asuras tried to surround him, he gritted his teeth and pushed harder, ignoring the burn crawling up his legs.
Lightning Kick Barrage.
It felt like being struck by invisible hammers. Continuous impacts rained down in a storm of unseen blows, bodies dropping one after another as Shin's breath turned ragged. The technique tore through enemy lines—but it tore through his stamina just as brutally.
Alicia stood firm at the center of the chaos.
A translucent curve formed before her—
Ethereal Divide.
An Asura's energy strike slammed into it and rebounded instantly, carving straight back into its caster. The bronze-horned Asura screamed as its own force crushed it from the inside.
Another attack came from above.
Alicia raised her arm slightly.
Void Halo.
The silent circular shield bloomed around her, nullifying the long-range assault completely. The incoming energy vanished as if it had never existed.
She stepped forward and struck.
Heavenrend Impact.
The shockwave rippled outward, shaking the air itself as two Asuras were thrown back simultaneously, their footing shattered.
Beyond them, Nanao moved alone.
She did not charge.
She did not rush.
She clasped her hands. As if praying.
The ground behind her trembled—not violently, but deeply, as if something ancient were waking.
Wood surged upward.
Roots split stone. Trunks twisted skyward. In seconds, a colossal figure manifested behind her—towering, solemn, overwhelming.
A wooden Buddha, vast beyond reason.
True Thousand-Handed Bodhisattva.
Thousands of wooden arms unfolded in layered rows, inscriptions glowing faintly along every limb. The air around the statue warped under the weight of its presence.
The silver-horned Rank 3 Asuras reacted instantly, forming defensive lines, techniques flaring—
—and faltering.
The closer they came, the heavier their bodies felt. Their energy thinned. Their movements slowed, wills crushed beneath an invisible weight.
Wooden hands descended.
They grabbed.
They crushed.
They pinned silver-horned warriors to the ground, sealing movement, suppressing resistance. Others were swatted aside like insects, bodies breaking before they hit the ground.
Nanao's eyes remained calm.
One silver-horned Asura roared and charged, forcing its way through the suppression field.
Nanao lowered her hands slightly.
The Bodhisattva's arms merged.
Thousands became one.
Palm of Enlightenment.
The colossal palm descended, compressing space, air, and energy into a single point. The Asura's roar cut off mid-sound as the strike forced it to its knees—then into the ground—its will crushed before its body finally broke.
Around them, other powerful cultivators had joined the battlefield. Elemental techniques flared—firestorms, lightning arcs, earthen lances—slaughtering Asuras in brutal waves.
And yet—
Vaibhav felt it.
As bodies fell—Asura and human alike—something was wrong.
The life force rose.
Then vanished.
It evaporated mid-air, slipping away before it could reach him.
A voice echoed in his mind, calm and familiar.
"If you absorb life force, you can grow stronger easily."
"But I don't want you to grow strong that way."
"Power is not something you are given."
"You work for it."
"Die for it."
Vaibhav clenched his teeth, driving his fist into another Asura with a grunt.
"…Understood," he muttered. "Big Brother."
He fought on.
Minutes stretched into a brutal blur.
Then—
The battlefield went quiet.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
Two figures descended from the sky, their arrival bending space itself. The pressure rolled outward in a suffocating wave, pinning dust and smoke to the ground.
Arun Nakamura.
Zhao Kenjiro.
The strongest humans on Earth.
They moved once.
That was all it took.
The remaining Asuras fell—bodies collapsing, life extinguished before resistance could even form.
Silence reclaimed the battlefield.
Ash drifted beneath the open sky.
And somewhere above it all, Lin Xuan watched—expression unreadable—as the promise he carried continued to bind his hands.
The battlefield was wiped clean in a single breath.
Smoke thinned, ash settled, and where horned invaders had stood moments ago, there was nothing left but fractured ground and the fading echo of pressure. The silence that followed wasn't peaceful—it was stunned, as if the world itself needed a moment to understand what had just happened.
Zhao Kenjiro stood casually near the center of the ruined platform, hands tucked into his pockets, posture loose like he'd just finished a morning stretch. Not a scratch marked him.
"Oi," he said, glancing around at the younger fighters. "Nice to meet you again, kids."
His gaze slid to Shin, a corner of his mouth lifting. "And you—been a while."
From somewhere behind the barricaded cultivators, a shaken voice broke the hush.
"That's Zhao Kenjiro! The strongest human!"
Another voice followed instantly. "And Arun Nakamura—the second strongest!"
Arun's head snapped toward the crowd. "Oi! Who said I'm second?!"
Kenjiro laughed, the sound easy and unbothered. "They're just spitting facts."
Arun cracked his knuckles, scowling. "Hey! You bastard. You think you're the strongest? Let's see who really is."
Kenjiro shrugged. "There's nothing to see. It's obvious."
The air between them tightened—not with killing intent, but with something dangerously close. A clash between those two wouldn't need an enemy to level a city.
Before either could take a step—
Someone moved between them.
Shin.
He stepped forward lightly, almost bouncing on his heels.
At some point—no one could quite say when—he had slipped on a black blindfold. It rested snugly over his eyes, stark against his face. And his hair—
Pure white.
Not glowing. Not flaring. Just… white. As if the color had been quietly drained away.
"Iya iya, hanron shinaide yo~ (No, no, don't argue~)" Shin said cheerfully, waving one hand.
He tilted his head, grin wide beneath the cloth. "Daijoubu, daijoubu~ (It's okay, it's okay~)"
Then, playful and utterly unserious:
"Datte kimi yowai mon[1]~ (Because you're weak~)"
The world seemed to blink.
Vaibhav spun around. "Huh?! Where the f*ck did you get that blindfold?! And why's your hair white?!"
Kenjiro raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious now. Arun stared, halfway between offended and confused.
Before anyone could say anything else—
A calm voice cut through the noise.
"You are all too loud."
Lin Xuan — Head of Family — Founder of Obsidian Onyx Guild — Obsidian Onyx Guild 1st Generation — Family 1st Generation stepped forward.
He hadn't rushed. Hadn't appeared dramatically. One moment he was behind them—then he wasn't.
Behind him, others followed in quiet formation.
Dion — Manager Park — Right hand of Lin Xuan — 1st Generation Obsidian Onyx Guild, 1st Generation Family—expression sharp, presence solid, every movement precise.
Anika — Left hand of Lin Xuan — 1st Generation Obsidian Onyx Guild — 1st Generation Family—arms crossed, eyes bright with mischief and irritation in equal measure.
Yan'er — 1st Generation Obsidian Onyx Guild — 1st Generation Family—calm, composed, gaze already scanning for injuries.
Prabhat — 1st Generation Obsidian Onyx Guild — 1st Generation Family—hands in his pockets, relaxed but attentive.
Hannah Park— 1st Generation Obsidian Onyx Guild — 1st Generation Family—heels clicking softly, curiosity shining behind an easy smile.
Arjun — 1st Generation Obsidian Onyx Guild — 1st Generation Family, Theo — 1st Generation Obsidian Onyx Guild — 1st Generation Family, Daichi — 1st Generation Obsidian Onyx Guild — 1st Generation Family, Vivan — 1st Generation Obsidian Onyx Guild — 1st Generation Family—each stepping into place as if this were routine.
Shin's blindfold vanished without anyone noticing. His hair darkened again, black returning with thin red streaks threaded through it like embers beneath ash.
Kenjiro looked at Lin Xuan, amusement fading into something more measured. "You're still keeping that promise?"
Lin Xuan nodded once.
"A dead person's wish deserves respect."
The words landed quietly—yet they carried more weight than any declaration of power.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Zhao Kenjiro exhaled, the tension in his shoulders loosening. "Tch… figures." He glanced at Arun with a crooked grin. "Guess we're not proving the who's stronger today."
Arun looked clearly dissatisfied, but he stepped back anyway. "You're lucky," he muttered—not clear who he meant.
Around them, the remaining cultivators began to disperse. Emergency teams moved in to secure the area. The barriers protecting civilians dissolved one by one, replaced by stunned murmurs and shaken relief.
The crisis was over.
Lin Xuan turned slightly. "We're leaving."
No one argued.
Engines soon hummed to life.
Cars rolled out in quiet formation, headlights cutting through lingering dust and smoke.
Dion drove Lin Xuan's car.
In the back seat, Yan'er sat to the left, posture composed despite the long day. Lin Xuan sat beside her, calm as ever. Anika clung lazily to his right arm, chin resting against his shoulder as if nothing extraordinary had happened.
In another car, Prabhat took the driver's seat. Hannah Park sat beside him, laughing softly as she brushed her hair back, clearly enjoying herself far more than anyone expected.
Vaibhav's car followed close behind. The vehicle ran on auto mode, gliding smoothly along the road. In the back seat, Alicia leaned against Vaibhav, her head resting on his shoulder. Vaibhav tilted his head slightly toward hers, eyes closed. Neither spoke. Exhaustion claimed them both.
In the fourth car, Arjun drove while Vivan sat quietly in the passenger seat. Theo and Daichi occupied the back—Daichi still chewing something, Theo scolding him without real anger.
And then there was the fifth car.
Shin's.
It peeled away from the formation, turning onto a different road.
Nanao sat beside him, hands folded in her lap. The city lights reflected faintly in the windshield as silence settled between them—comfortable, not awkward.
When they reached her house, Shin parked and cut the engine.
"…Today was weird," Nanao said finally.
Shin laughed softly. "That's one way to put it."
She smiled, unbuckled her seatbelt, then hesitated. "Be careful, okay?"
He nodded. "Always am."
She stepped out, waved once, and disappeared inside.
A moment later, Shin drove off again, the city stretching ahead of him.
Home greeted him with noise.
The door had barely closed before Akari's voice hit him like a barrage. "Do you have any idea what time it is?!"
Shin winced. "Good to see you too."
Hinata—younger sister—who is now twelve-years-old—ran straight into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Shin-nee! You're back!"
He ruffled her hair. "Miss me?"
Their father sat quietly at the table, arms crossed, saying nothing.
Shin glanced at him. "Old man. Why aren't you drinking tea?"
Hinata answered instead, matter-of-fact. "We ran out of tea leaves."
Shin burst out laughing, loud and genuine, the tension finally draining from his body.
Akari scolded him some more. Hinata refused to let go for a while. Eventually, the house settled—lights dimmed, voices softened, doors closed.
The night crept in gently.
Above the city, the sky was clear again.
Ashes drifted away, unseen.
And for now—
Peace held.
[1] Was this scene just for fun and not serious??? 😑🤨