The rooftops blurred beneath Lin Feng's feet.
Wind rushed past him as he moved through the city beside Su Yao and the man from the shadows. Below them, Blackstone City burned with conflict.
Buildings cracked.
Smoke rose.
Fighters clashed in the streets.
The entire city had become a battlefield.
But Lin Feng's attention—
Was elsewhere.
That presence.
Cold.
Ancient.
Watching.
He felt it again.
Only for a moment.
But that moment was enough.
"…You felt it too?" he asked suddenly.
Su Yao glanced sideways at him while moving.
"…Yes."
The man in shadows remained silent for a second longer.
Then—
"…That shouldn't be here."
Lin Feng's eyes sharpened.
"That bad?"
"Yes."
No hesitation.
That answer alone told him enough.
Another explosion erupted somewhere below as two groups clashed in the streets beneath them. Blades flashed. Blood stained the stone roads.
Lin Feng barely looked.
Because now—
Something more important had his attention.
They landed atop another rooftop overlooking the center district.
And finally—
Lin Feng saw it.
The war.
Entire sections of the district had collapsed into chaos. Fighters from multiple factions battled openly across the streets and buildings. Powerful auras collided constantly, sending waves of force through the air.
This wasn't a hidden conflict anymore.
This was open warfare.
At the center of it all—
Three terrifying figures fought above the shattered plaza below.
Faction leaders.
Their clashes distorted the air itself.
Each movement carried immense force. Shockwaves blasted through nearby structures every few seconds, tearing apart anything caught too close.
Lin Feng stared openly.
"…Damn."
Even he had to admit it.
That level of power—
Was different.
"They've stopped holding back," Su Yao said quietly.
"No point now," the man replied.
"The city already broke."
One of the leaders slammed into the plaza below, creating a crater that shattered the surrounding streets.
Another descended immediately after, blade glowing with terrifying pressure.
The third attacked from above.
The collision that followed lit the night sky.
Lin Feng's blood surged.
"…I want that strength."
Su Yao looked at him briefly.
"…You really say things like that at the worst times."
Lin Feng grinned.
"What? It's impressive."
Before anyone could respond—
That cold presence returned.
Stronger.
Closer.
This time—
Everyone froze.
Not from fear alone.
But instinct.
The faction leaders below stopped fighting.
Completely.
The entire battlefield shifted.
Silence spread unnaturally fast across the district.
Even the weaker fighters seemed to sense something was wrong.
Lin Feng's smile slowly disappeared.
"…That's not normal."
"No," the man from the shadows said quietly.
"This is very bad."
Then—
The darkness moved.
At first, it looked like shadows stretching unnaturally across the ruined streets below.
But then those shadows began to gather.
Condense.
Form.
And something stepped out.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Wrapped in black.
Its face hidden beneath layers of shifting darkness.
But the moment it appeared—
The temperature dropped.
Lin Feng felt every instinct inside him scream.
Danger.
Real danger.
Not a strong fighter.
Not a faction leader.
Something else.
The figure looked around slowly.
Almost curiously.
Then—
Its head tilted upward.
Toward Lin Feng.
Their eyes met.
Or at least—
It felt like they did.
And in that instant—
Lin Feng's body tightened automatically.
Not fear.
But awareness.
Because this thing—
Could kill him.
Easily.
The figure smiled.
Not visibly.
But he felt it.
Then—
A voice echoed across the district.
Soft.
Distorted.
Ancient.
"…Interesting."
The single word chilled the entire battlefield.
One of the faction leaders stepped forward immediately.
"Who are you?"
The figure ignored him completely.
Its attention remained on Lin Feng.
"…Not finished."
Lin Feng frowned slightly.
"…What?"
Before he could think further—
The nearest faction leader attacked.
Fast.
Powerful.
Without hesitation.
A massive strike descended toward the dark figure.
Enough force to split apart buildings.
And then—
Everything stopped.
The dark figure raised one hand.
That was all.
The attack froze midair.
Silence.
Then—
The energy shattered.
Completely.
The faction leader's eyes widened.
Lin Feng's expression hardened.
"…No way."
Because that attack—
Shouldn't have been stopped so easily.
The dark figure finally turned toward the leader.
Slowly.
Then—
It moved.
Not fast.
Not explosive.
It simply—
Appeared.
Directly in front of him.
A hand reached forward.
And the faction leader crashed into the ground below with terrifying force.
The entire plaza collapsed.
Shockwaves ripped through the district.
Silence followed.
Complete silence.
Everyone stared.
Frozen.
Because one of the strongest people in Blackstone City—
Had just been defeated instantly.
Lin Feng felt his heartbeat quicken.
Not from excitement this time.
From realization.
"This thing…"
He clenched his fist slightly.
"…is beyond this city."
The man beside him looked grim for the first time.
"…Much further beyond."
Below—
The dark figure slowly looked upward again.
Toward Lin Feng.
Then—
It spoke once more.
"When the seal breaks…"
A pause.
"…find me."
And then—
It vanished.
Just like that.
The pressure disappeared instantly.
The cold faded.
The shadows returned to normal.
But the silence that remained—
Was worse.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone understood.
Something terrifying had just appeared in Blackstone City.
And it had looked directly at Lin Feng.
Cliffhanger
Far away—
Deep beneath the city—
Something cracked.
A sound ancient enough to make the ground tremble.
And in the darkness below—
Something began to wake up.