The night draped the Demon Cult's fortress in layers of shadow and silver moonlight. Torch flames flickered on the distant walls, casting moving shapes that danced like restless spirits. Inside the cult's sprawling compound, silence reigned — broken only by the distant thud of patrol boots and the low murmur of night guards exchanging words.
Riku sat alone in a dim corner of his private chamber, Wonryuo's scent still lingering in the air from earlier. She was asleep now, curled beneath a blanket, her expression serene. Their earlier time together had been… grounding. For all his power and schemes, moments like that made him feel tethered to something real.
But tonight wasn't for comfort.
His mind replayed the events of the last few days — the wind spirit awakening, the towering beast's transformation, the barren lands left behind where the Blade School had once stood. In the original novel, nothing like this had happened. Every step he took now was breaking away from the story he knew, creating something entirely his own. And now… he had a quest.
Five elements. Ice and wind were already his. Fire awaited deep within the imperial underground chambers, guarded by layers of traps and seals. Thunder called from the storm-wracked peaks of the North Mountains. And earth… the novel had never revealed its location, which made the hunt all the more thrilling.
The path ahead was dangerous, but the reward? Immortality in the upper realm.
He rose silently, his black robes swaying around his ankles. Wonryuo stirred slightly at the movement, but did not wake. He watched her for a moment longer, then whispered, "I'll be back. When I return, things will be different… for both of us."
He didn't take the main gate. That would be foolish. Instead, Riku slipped out through one of the passageways beneath the eastern wall — a tunnel known only to a handful of assassins and old operatives. The narrow, damp corridor reeked of earth and mildew, and each step was taken with measured care to avoid the loose stones that might echo.
Emerging into the dark forest beyond, he took a deep breath. The cool air stirred faintly at his command, and a shiver of satisfaction ran through him. The wind spirit's gift was still raw, still unstable — but even now, he could feel the threads of air coiling in his grasp, enough to choke the breath from a man if he willed it.
This was only the beginning.
---
The Great Guardian, who had followed him from the battlefield, caught up silently from the shadows.
The Guardian hesitated, then nodded. "Then I'll see you back to the fortress when you're done."
"I won't be coming back tonight," Riku replied. "There are… other matters."
---
Riku went to nearby forest to create wood clones and change their shape to animals to send them to different part of nation to look for earth spirit .
By the time the he returned toward cult territory, the first hints of dawn were touching the horizon. Riku didn't approach the gates — he simply used the same hidden route to slip back inside. The sentries never noticed.
Inside his quarters, Wonryuo was awake, her eyes fixed on him the moment he entered. "You were gone," she said softly, not accusing but questioning.
Riku crossed the room and took her hand. "I had things to prepare. Soon, the envoy from the Murim Alliance will arrive. I need to be ready for what comes next."
She studied him for a long moment, then leaned into his shoulder. "Promise me you'll not to something reckless."
He nodded. "I promise. And when I'm done… I'll be more than just the cult leader. I'll be untouchable."
---
When she finally drifted back to sleep, Riku sat cross-legged in the center of the room. His mind focused inward, on the powerful fusion he'd been cultivating — his Sage Body intertwining with the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. The strain was immense, but he could feel the threshold nearing. Power surged through his chakra pathways, and in his mind's eye, patterns of tomoe twisted and evolved, merging into rippling rings of ancient design.
Rinnegan…
The name alone carried weight — a power feared across worlds. And with it, combined with his sage-enhanced body, he would wield an authority no mortal could match.
The air around him grew heavy with spiritual pressure, the flicker of his wind and ice elements reacting to the changes within. His vision swam with shapes — the blueprint of a destiny he was forging with his own hands.
Outside, the cult fortress slumbered. But somewhere beyond the horizon, the envoy of the alliance was already on the move.
And Riku… would be ready.