Both men came to a halt before them, blocking the narrow woodland path with expressions that shifted between urgency and suspicion. One of them leaned slightly forward, his eyes narrowing just enough to hint he was studying their faces, which were covered with masks, more intently than his casual tone suggested. “Did you see a boy of nearly sixteen years and a girl around twenty?” he asked, his voice firm yet carrying the strain of someone who had been searching for a while.

  Eklavya and Anshvi exchanged a momentary glance. Neither flinched, neither stiffened, neither let even a twitch of recognition betray them. Outwardly, they maintained the perfect composure of two wandering travelers.

  Inwardly, Eklavya almost laughed. The irony was too perfect—these men were looking directly at the two people they desperately sought, and yet they stood there completely oblivious. ‘Looks like they still don’t know anything about us’, he thought, fighting the urge to smirk.

  Putting on an expression of polite concern, Eklavya gestured subtly at the forest path behind them. “No, we haven’t seen anyone pass through here. Did something happen?”

  The second disciple exhaled sharply through his nose, frustration slicing through his voice as he replied, “That damned boy cut off the hand of our young master from the Falling Leaf Sect.”

  The moment he said it, Eklavya felt a spark of mischievous delight ignite within him. He pressed a hand to his chest as if mortified and widened his eyes with calculated theatrics. “What! Who would dare commit such madness? Who would challenge the noble young master of the Falling Leaf Sect—whose talent and modesty are said to be blessings fallen from the heavens? Whoever this culprit is, he must be a mad, shameless, contemptible imbecile. A dullard without a shred of sense. A buffoon believing he can touch the great, untouchable young master! Truly, he must have a death wish. An incompetent fool, a vile reprobate, a sniveling cur!”

  The two disciples nodded vigorously, completely agreeing with every insult that Eklavya hurled. They had no idea that the target of the insults was standing right in front of them. The absurdity of it almost made him break into laughter.

  Beside him, Anshvi maintained a graceful stillness, but inside she was nearly bursting; her chest trembled faintly from the effort of hiding her laughter. Watching Eklavya roast himself while the disciples nodded proudly was almost too good to be real.

  “You two may go,” the first man said with a dismissive flick of his hand. “But if you come across either of them, inform us immediately.”

  Eklavya and Anshvi bowed slightly, nodding with the perfect amount of courtesy, then walked past them. Their steps were smooth and unhurried, but the moment they were beyond the disciples’ direct gaze, the corners of their lips curled upward in identical, restrained smirks.

  They had barely moved ten steps when one of the disciples froze. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open in slow horror. He grabbed his companion’s sleeve, shaking him so hard it looked like he might rip the cloth.

  “Hey—don’t they look like—?” he began, the words catching in his throat.

  The second disciple whipped around. As soon as his gaze landed on the retreating figures, his face drained entirely of colour. “That boy… and the girl! It’s them!”

  But by then, Eklavya and Anshvi were already sprinting away.

  “That’s them! After them!” the disciples shouted, and leaves scattered in a frenzy as they launched into pursuit.

  Eklavya and Anshvi veered sharply off the path and leaped onto the closest tree. Their feet landed gracefully on the sturdy branch, and without pausing, they propelled themselves higher. The forest canopy became their highway, branches blurring beneath their feet as they darted from one to the next.

  “It seems they finally realized we tricked them,” Eklavya said, infusing ki into his legs. His speed surged instantly, the wind whipping past him in sharp currents.

  Anshvi flashed him a small thumbs-up, smirking. “It was worth it. That acting was flawless.”

  Despite Eklavya’s boost in speed, the disciples behind them were persistent, leaping with surprising agility and refusing to lose them. Eklavya pushed more ki, feeling his muscles tighten and heat flood his bloodstream.

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  Anshvi, noticing his effort, matched his pace effortlessly—though he knew she could outrun him without trying. The fact that she was holding back just enough to keep them together was both comforting and slightly humiliating.

  Branches swayed violently under their feet, scattering leaves as they ran. The forest blurred, green and brown streaking past. Then, as they landed on a particularly thick branch, two figures appeared ahead a few meters away, descending from the higher canopy as though they had been waiting.

  Two wore the uniformed armour of the Falling Leaf Sect. One was merely a practitioner warrior, but the one beside him radiated unmistakable pressure. His aura pulsed outward like heat from a forge, thick and oppressive. He was a five-star Grandmaster.

  Eklavya’s stomach dropped slightly. “It seems the young master is determined to capture me no matter the cost.”

  Both newcomers who were about a hundred meters far lowered themselves into battle-ready positions, blocking the path with unwavering focus. At the same moment, the disciples chasing from behind closed in rapidly, cutting off escape.

  Anshvi drew a long breath and summoned her spear with a single fluid motion. The weapon materialized in her hand, its familiar metallic hum resonating faintly in the air.

  “Don’t stop,” she said, her tone cool and composed.

  Eklavya expected her to defend, but instead, her posture shifted. Her stance lowered, her centre of gravity dropped, and a sudden, sharp intensity lit her eyes. He recognized this type of stance—he had seen this before. This was not a defensive stance. This was the beginning of one devastating offensive technique.

  Her fingers tightened around the spear’s hilt. “Wind Whirlpool Spear.”

  The world seemed to hold its breath as her ki surged outward, bending the air around her. She leaped high into the air, spinning once—and the spear spun with her, forming a spiraling vortex that grew louder, sharper, and more violent with every rotation.

  The spear shot forward with such force that the very atmosphere warped around it. Wind burst outward in a controlled storm, gathering dust, uprooting soil, and dragging leaves by the thousands.

  Eklavya felt the shockwave before he even processed the visual destruction.

  The spear carved through the forest like a blade through water. A hundred-meter-long crater ripped itself across the terrain, shredding trees, uprooting ancient trunks, and tossing splintered bark through the air. The earth trembled violently as a raw echo boomed across the woods.

  Eklavya halted mid-run, stunned. His breath caught at the sheer devastation the attack had brought. He leaped down into the crater, landing beside Anshvi, who descended with controlled grace, her expression calm yet razor-sharp.

  “That… was the power of a five-star Grandmaster?” he asked, unable to mask the awe in his voice.

  She shook her head slightly. “That was only a restrained version. If I used my full strength… around a kilometre of the forest would be gone.”

  Goosebumps rose across his skin. The crater beneath their feet felt like a reminder that the girl casually standing beside him—smirking slightly at his stunned expression—was an entirely different level of monstrousness.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, though his tone held more bewilderment than accusation.

  “If we can’t escape while surrounded, then we’ll create our own path,” she replied simply. “Kill them first. Escape afterward.”

  There was no boast or exaggeration in her voice. It was a decision stated as plainly as describing the weather. “I’ll fight too,” Eklavya said without hesitation.

  Her eyes flicked toward him, he was also ready to fight, the faintest trace of amusement curving her lips. “I will handle the Grandmaster and the three-star warrior. You only need to deal with the rest and run.”

  “No,” he said, straightening. “We’re escaping together. I’m not leaving you behind. I will deal with all this minion you will fight with the grandmaster warrior” A brief silence passed between them. Then she nodded once, accepting it without argument.

  The forest shifted as the disciples reached the crater’s edge. The practitioner warrior was heavily injured, his clothes shredded and stained with blood. Only the intervention of the Grandmaster had saved him from being annihilated by Anshvi’s earlier strike.

  The five-star Grandmaster stepped forward. His aura surged like a rising wave, thick enough to make the ground vibrate faintly. Even the air seemed to distort around him.

  Eklavya inhaled slowly. He could not face such power—not with his current strength.

  He closed his eyes briefly and reached into the depths of his sea of consciousness. The metal token lying there pulsed faintly, an ancient artifact carrying dormant soul power. He touched it with his mind.

  A soft hum echoed within his spirit. He drew upon it.

  Soul energy rushed into him like a torrent. His veins pulsed, burning with intensity. His mind sharpened as the world became clearer and more vibrant than before. ‘I have to borrow the soul power again.’

  The Grandmaster stepped fully into the crater. The three-star master warrior and one-star master warrior followed. Behind them, the injured practitioner readied himself shakily. Above them, the canopy trembled under the pressure of converging auras.

  Eklavya exhaled once, letting the soul energy settle into his limbs. The battle was unavoidable.

  ...

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