Snehwal summoned his spiritual energy from within — a faint green aura spread around him. He gathered all his strength and tried to break the ropes, but they were no ordinary bindings; they were made of a rare, special metal that could even absorb spiritual energy.
With every struggle, the ropes only tightened further. Snehwal's body strained, yet the bindings held firm — he was completely trapped now.
The old demon stepped forward, and the soldiers parted to make way for him. Standing before Snehwal, he glanced down at the fallen soldiers and said, "Impressive — you do have some skill. But you're a fool. Had you come to me willingly, I might have kept you as a servant."
Snehwal struggled, and the soldiers tightened the ropes around him. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Demon — preying on the innocent and the weak, spreading fear of death… that's all you know how to do."
The old demon laughed and said, "You're strong — why waste your strength on pity for these insects? Wear my mark, and I will give you everything — power, luxury, and life without limits."
Snehwal spat on the ground and growled, "Never."
The old demon stepped closer and placed his hand on Snehwal's head. His palm glowed crimson, and Snehwal cried out in pain as the red light began to burn through him.
Suddenly, a bright light spread across the sky. The old demon looked up, and his face stiffened with fear. He immediately stepped back and raised both his hands, forming a spiritual energy array.
He screamed, "Who are you!"
A faint smile appeared on Snehwal's face — he understood instantly that it was either Master Jins or his beloved Liora.
The next moment, true fear appeared in the old demon's eyes. He screamed again,
"Why are you not attacking?"
Then, a soft, melodious voice echoed through the air — a voice that made Snehwal's heartbeat quicken.
Liora spoke, "What are you waiting for now?"
That was all it took — Snehwal gathered all his strength, jerked violently, and broke free from the ropes. The soldiers ran after him.
Meanwhile, Liora raised her hand, and from the sky descended a mighty thunderbolt — it struck the old demon directly. In a flash, with a piercing scream, his charred bones turned to ash and scattered across the ground.
Snehwal stopped at a distance, then drew his bow. Turning toward the approaching soldiers, he pulled the string back. A glowing arrow of light-green spiritual energy appeared between his fingers — Snehwal smiled and released it.
The arrow sliced through the air, and in an instant, it split into hundreds of arrows. The soldiers froze in fear, but the arrows did not stop.
They pierced straight through their bodies — turning every scream into silence.
Liora landed softly on the ground and immediately began examining Snehwal's body, the way a mother checks her child for injury. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "How could you come here alone? It's a good thing I arrived in time to save you—otherwise…"
Snehwal smiled and said teasingly, "Stop tickling me."
He laughed as her worried hands moved over him, while Liora grew more anxious, afraid that he might still be hurt.
That worry clearly revealed Liora's one-sided affection for him — yet, even then, Snehwal's eyes reflected only pure, genuine friendship and respect for her as a true companion.
Snehwal said, "We need to find the treasure here, goddess, and only then will we leave."
Liora blinked. "Treasure?"
Snehwal nodded. "Yes."
Liora frowned slightly. "But how will we even find it? It could be hidden anywhere… and staying here too long is dangerous! There must still be commanders or some hidden cultivators around."
Snehwal smiled, took her hand, and started walking, gently pulling her along. Suddenly, Liora stumbled on a loose stone and was about to fall, but Snehwal caught her — one hand steadying her by the waist.
Liora blushed, straightened herself quickly, and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
Snehwal replied, "Sorry… but there's someone I can ask about this."
Liora tilted her head slightly, gave a faint smile, and said, "Alright then… let's go ask him."
Both of them moved quietly through the narrow streets. The entire Kankal city was in chaos. People were running here and there, some shouting, "What happened? Who died?", while others thought they were finally free and started running out of the city.
But in all this confusion, Snehwal's mind was focused only on Luna. He held Liora's hand tightly and walked quickly, pulling her along with him.
When they reached the door of the room, both of them went inside.
And there—
Luna was sitting calmly, as if the noise and panic of the city had nothing to do with her. There was a strange stillness around her, like she had cut herself off from the world.
But the moment her eyes fell on Liora—
her calm look changed into a sharp, piercing one.
Liora did not step back. She stared back with the same sharpness. The air suddenly felt heavy, as if lightning was about to strike between them.
Snehwal quickly tried to ease the situation.
"We… just came to ask something," he said, stepping between them.