Dark clouds covered the sky, yet an eerie and profound silence filled the atmosphere.
Within that strange silence, a shadow resembling a young boy sat on a bench, a book resting in his hands.
But the most shocking part was that the boy himself was burning in flames.
He sat there peacefully, a faint smile on his face, his eyes fixed upon the pages of the book.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the garden, turning one of the pages.
Yet strangely, not even a speck of black ash had stained the book.
The entire garden was engulfed in flames. The boy's skin had already darkened beneath the harsh glow of the fire, yet his eyes remained completely focused on the page before him.
The heat surrounding the garden was intense enough to kill anyone who remained there for too long. Vashuki's muscles were beginning to peel away, almost like a snake shedding its skin.
Suddenly, it was as if a flood of lightning descended from the sky, crashing into the ground and tearing through everything in its path.
Then, a figure tore through the sky and descended toward Vashuki.
Without hesitation, he brought his katana down toward Vashuki's head, driving it in with such ease that it seemed like nothing more than an ordinary task to him.
The impact was immense.
It was as though the entire sky trembled from the force of the strike. A powerful shockwave erupted from the point of impact, spreading through the air and shaking the heavens themselves.
Vashuki seemed completely unaffected by the attack.
The man remained suspended in the air, his appearance resembling that of a king. Around him, grains of red sand from the Red Moon drifted upward, disappearing into the sky.
Makhulu watched the scene from afar, a faint smile resting on his face. He already knew that everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned.
The man spoke calmly.
"A thousand defeats are acceptable…"
He took a deep breath, as though preparing to prove his words.
"…before a single, magnificent victory."
Suddenly, an enormous amount of water began pouring from the clouds, as though the sky itself were collapsing.
The falling water gathered together, freezing and twisting into the shape of a colossal scorpion.
The man looked at the creature.
"This… is the Ekani White Scorpion."
Suddenly, Vashuki looked toward the man, his face still scorched from the flames.
The katana suddenly tore through his head.
Yet Vashuki remained serious.
"Who are you?"
The man answered without hesitation.
"Goat… Darshaka."
Suddenly, the flames engulfing Vashuki's body went out.
His green eyes slowly returned to their normal color.
"AAAAH…!"
Vashuki screamed.
Darshaka slowly pulled his katana back.
At that very moment, the enormous scorpion shot downward from the sky, thrusting its razor-sharp stinger toward the ground.
BOOM!
The impact was so powerful that even the air seemed to tear around Vashuki.
The scorpion was so enormous that it seemed capable of covering the entire sky.
Vashuki suddenly fell backward, spreading his arms wide.
The movement of the clouds had changed. It was as though a human who had once manipulated water had now gained the ability to command the entire sky.
But Vashuki was not going to die so easily on his knees. After all, he carried the bloodline of the Great Goat—Valmik.
Suddenly, droplets of Vashuki's blood began moving away from his body in an unnatural manner, as though an invisible force were pulling them outward.
The droplets spread through the air, gradually forming the shape of a web.