Published at 17th of September 2024 6:18 pm

Chapter 91 The Last Shadow: 14 The Gathering Storm

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The chill of the night air clung to Kojiro’s skin as he, Katsuro, and Yui raced through the forest. The quiet of the trees felt oppressive, a stark contrast to the battle that had just taken place. Every step they took toward the village felt heavier, as if the weight of Ryunosuke’s final words bore down on them with each passing moment.

Kojiro's mind churned. The Shattering had already begun — Ryunosuke's last, twisted promise echoed in his thoughts. Could they truly have been too late all along? The possibility gnawed at him, but there was no time to dwell on it. They had to keep moving, to find answers.

Yui kept her pace steady beside him, her expression grim. “Kojiro,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper, “if what Ryunosuke said is true, we need to know how far the Order’s plan has advanced.”

Kojiro nodded, his jaw clenched. “We need to get back to the village and warn the others. If the Shattering has already started, it won’t be long before the world sees the fallout.”

Katsuro, bringing up the rear, spoke up. “The problem is, we still don’t know exactly what the Order’s next move is. They’ve been hiding in the shadows for so long, gathering their strength. Now, everything’s coming together.”

Kojiro didn’t respond. He couldn’t stop thinking about Ryunosuke — his mentor, twisted beyond recognition, willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of his warped ideals. The man who had once been a beacon of strength had become a harbinger of destruction. But there had been moments, fleeting as they were, where Kojiro could still see the man he had admired.

The ground beneath them began to shift as they neared the outskirts of the Hidden Village of the Mist. The ancient trees thinned, revealing the mist-shrouded paths leading toward the village gates. But something felt wrong.

Kojiro slowed his pace, his senses suddenly on high alert. Katsuro and Yui followed suit, their gazes scanning the area.

“Do you feel that?” Kojiro whispered, his voice tight with tension.

Yui nodded, her eyes narrowing. “There’s something off about the chakra flow here. It feels… distorted.”

Katsuro drew his sword, his stance tense. “Stay sharp. This could be a trap.”

They advanced cautiously, their steps quiet as they approached the village entrance. The mist hung thick in the air, obscuring their view of the gates until they were nearly upon them. But when the village finally came into sight, Kojiro’s heart sank.

The gates were open, swinging lazily in the wind. And there were no guards.

Katsuro frowned, glancing at Kojiro. “This isn’t right. Where is everyone?”

Yui knelt to the ground, examining the faint traces of chakra in the air. Her face paled. “Kojiro, this isn’t just any distortion. The Order’s already here.”

Kojiro’s blood ran cold. They had been too late. “We need to move. Now.”

They dashed through the open gates, their senses on high alert, searching for any sign of the villagers. But the streets were empty. The usual hustle and bustle of village life had vanished, leaving only an eerie silence in its place.

Katsuro gripped his sword tightly, his knuckles white. “Where is everyone?”

Yui’s sharp eyes darted around, scanning the shadows. “Something’s happened. The entire village can’t just disappear.”

Kojiro’s heart pounded in his chest as they moved deeper into the village. Every corner, every alley was deserted. The buildings stood like silent sentinels, their windows dark and lifeless. The oppressive mist made it difficult to see more than a few meters ahead, but Kojiro’s instincts told him they weren’t alone.

As they reached the village square, a figure finally appeared in the mist, standing motionless in the center of the clearing. Kojiro, Katsuro, and Yui stopped in their tracks, their weapons at the ready.

The figure slowly turned toward them, revealing a familiar face. Kojiro’s eyes widened in shock.

It was Haruka, the village elder and leader of the Hidden Mist.

“Haruka-sama,” Kojiro called out, stepping forward cautiously. “What happened here?”

But as he drew closer, he noticed something was off. Haruka’s eyes were vacant, her face devoid of emotion. She didn’t seem to recognize them.

“Haruka-sama?” Yui echoed, her voice filled with concern.

Without warning, Haruka raised her hand, and a pulse of dark chakra rippled through the air. Kojiro barely had time to react before the ground beneath them cracked, black tendrils of energy erupting from the earth and snaking toward them.

“Move!” Katsuro shouted, diving out of the way just as the tendrils lashed out.

Kojiro and Yui leapt back, narrowly avoiding the attack. But something was wrong. The energy emanating from Haruka wasn’t her own — it felt twisted, corrupted.

“She’s being controlled,” Yui said, her voice tense. “The Order must’ve gotten to her.”

Kojiro’s heart raced. If the Order had infiltrated the village and taken control of Haruka, then the rest of the villagers were likely in danger — or worse. He gripped his sword tightly, his resolve hardening.

“We have to stop her,” he said, his voice steady but filled with urgency. “If the Order’s using her, there might still be a way to break their hold.”

Haruka’s body moved unnaturally, as if being puppeteered by some unseen force. The tendrils of dark energy lashed out again, striking with deadly precision. Kojiro deflected one of the attacks with his sword, while Yui threw a series of kunai, attempting to pin Haruka’s movements.

Katsuro rushed forward, his blade flashing in the dim light as he aimed to disable Haruka without causing lethal damage. But every time he got close, the tendrils of dark chakra blocked his path, forcing him to retreat.

“She’s strong,” Katsuro grunted, dodging another strike. “We need a plan.”

Kojiro’s mind raced. The dark energy was unlike anything he had ever encountered. It wasn’t just chakra — it was something deeper, more insidious. Whatever the Order had done to Haruka, they had twisted her very essence.

“We can’t overpower her like this,” Yui said, her voice tense. “We need to disrupt the connection.”

Kojiro’s gaze flicked to the tendrils of energy that snaked out from the ground. They seemed to originate from the same dark power they had felt at the altar. If they could sever that connection, they might be able to free Haruka.

“I’ll draw her attention,” Kojiro said, determination flashing in his eyes. “Katsuro, Yui — find the source of that energy and break it. I’ll hold her off.”

Katsuro nodded. “We’re on it.”

Kojiro sprinted forward, charging toward Haruka with his sword raised. The tendrils lashed out at him, but he deflected them with swift, precise movements. Haruka’s lifeless eyes followed his every move, and he could feel the weight of the Order’s dark influence pressing down on her.

But Kojiro refused to give up. He wasn’t going to let the Order take everything — not his village, not his comrades, and certainly not his people.

As he engaged Haruka, Yui and Katsuro circled around, searching for the source of the dark energy. Yui’s sharp eyes scanned the ground, tracing the path of the tendrils back to their origin.

“There!” Yui shouted, pointing to a dark, glowing symbol etched into the ground near the center of the square. The symbol pulsed with an unnatural light, radiating dark energy.

Katsuro didn’t hesitate. He charged toward the symbol, his sword raised high. With a single, powerful strike, he brought his blade down on the symbol, shattering it into pieces.

The effect was immediate. The tendrils of dark energy recoiled, and Haruka’s body went limp, collapsing to the ground. Kojiro rushed forward, catching her before she hit the earth.

“Haruka-sama,” Kojiro whispered, gently lowering her to the ground. Her eyes fluttered open, the dark haze that had clouded them slowly lifting.

“K-Kojiro…” she rasped, her voice weak but filled with recognition. “You… must stop them…”

Kojiro’s heart clenched. “We will,” he promised, his voice steady. “We’ll stop the Order.”

Haruka’s eyes closed again as unconsciousness claimed her, but Kojiro knew that time was running out. The Order’s influence had already reached the heart of the village, and the Shattering was imminent.

“We have to move,” Kojiro said, standing up and sheathing his sword. “If the Order’s already this far, there’s no telling what’s next.”

Yui and Katsuro stood beside him, their expressions grim but resolute.

“Let’s end this,” Katsuro said, his voice filled with determination.

Kojiro nodded, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the storm was gathering. The final battle was drawing near, and everything they had fought for would be decided in the moments to come.

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