At dawn, the first light of the day barely pierced through the crimson haze of the blood moon, casting a soft maroon glow over the forest. The air was cool and still, save for the faint rustle of leaves beneath swift, determined footsteps.
Kanoru and five spirit realm cultivators moved through the dense forest, their forms blurring with unseen speed, leaving barely a trace in their wake. The palisade camp was already far behind them, slowly shrinking from view as they pressed forward.
Kanoru's expression was calm, but his mind was heavy with concern.
He had left behind no other Spirit Lord to protect the camp—a risk he had reluctantly taken. The Red Tiger Forest node was now a valuable stronghold, and without a Spirit Lord to oversee it, it was vulnerable.
To mitigate the danger, he had left behind five Spirit Lord talismans, each infused with the power of his Ten Sky Arrow Kill spell. The talismans could release the full force of the spell once, capable of obliterating a Spirit Lord-level enemy in a single attack.
Though the talismans could not guarantee the camp's survival against a large force, they would be enough to stall or slay a lone invader. His people only needed to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
Fairie City Hall was already aware of the node's liberation. Soon, they would send a force to protect it. Until then, Kanoru's small army had to hold the ground.
His gaze darkened slightly.
If the camp was attacked, he would feel the battle from kilometers away. The elemental fluctuations of a Spirit Lord clash could be detected even from deep inside the gorge. The Spirit Lords in Fairie City would sense it too. They might not rush in immediately, but they would investigate.
And upon realizing that a node was under threat, they would intervene.
Not for Kanoru's people.
Not for him.
But for the node itself—the key to their world's salvation.
He exhaled softly, casting away his worries. His eyes narrowed on the path ahead.
The six of them moved in perfect synchronization, their speed unrelenting. Leaves and twigs stirred in their wake as they glided over the forest floor, their footsteps barely making a sound.
In less than an hour, they emerged from the forest's edge.
Before them lay the gorge—a vast, jagged scar cutting across the land, separating the Red Tiger Forest from the Golden Plain beyond.
The Golden Plain was a boundless stretch of tall golden grass, swaying softly under the everlasting blood moonlight. The rolling fields extended far beyond the horizon, giving the illusion of infinite space.
From where Kanoru stood, the golden landscape glimmered faintly, its beauty starkly contrasting the war-ravaged land they had just crossed.
But there was no time for admiration.
The gorge loomed before them, its sheer cliffs plunging sharply into darkness. A cold wind drifted upward from the depths, carrying the damp scent of stone and flowing water.
Even from above, Kanoru and his team could feel the unsettled elemental energy emanating from the world below.
No place was peaceful anymore.
The Golden Plain on the opposite side was no exception. Even from this distance, they could sense faint pulses of elemental fluctuations—proof that somewhere in that vast expanse, battles were raging on.
The six of them exchanged glances, their expressions sharp and resolute.
Without a word, they nodded in unison.
Then, in a fluid motion, they leapt into the gorge.
The air whistled softly past their ears as they descended, but none of them fell.
Instead, the wind elements stirred, responding to their will.
Kanoru's spiritual space surged, his wind runes shimmering brightly. With a faint pulse of his energy, the currents of air shifted around them.
Wind threads wrapped around their bodies, gently slowing their descent, guiding them downward.
It was no coincidence that Kanoru had chosen these five companions for this mission.
Asuna, Mika, and the other three cultivators were all wind elemental practitioners. Though they could wield other elements, they had all comprehended the wind deeply, making them the perfect team for the task ahead.
The gorge's jagged walls blurred past them as they descended in silence, their figures carried by the soft embrace of the wind.
Eventually, they landed gracefully at the bottom, their feet touching the cool, damp stone.
A thin stream meandered through the gorge floor, its surface dark and still. The light of the sun didn't reach this place, nor did the crimson glow of the blood moon.
But it made no difference.
Even in absolute darkness, Kanoru and his team could see clearly.
After reaching the Spirit Realm, they had developed the ability to see in the dark, their spiritual sense piercing through shadows.
And even if their eyes failed, they would still not be blind.
They were wind elemental cultivators—and with that came the ability to perceive their surroundings through the subtle shifts in the wind.
Every faint ripple of air, every minute fluctuation in the breeze, allowed them to map the terrain with flawless precision.
Asuna tilted her head slightly, sensing the flow of wind waves as they rebounded off the rocky walls.
Mika closed her eyes briefly, letting the vibrations of the current guide her awareness.
Kanoru remained still, his senses fully attuned to the whispering wind around them.
Even in this lightless place, nothing could hide from their perception.
Without hesitation, the six of them moved forward, their footsteps light and soundless, vanishing into the darkness of the gorge.
The cool, damp air clung to their skin as they spread out, each taking a different path. Their spiritual senses extended, mapping their surroundings with the shifting waves of wind, making them keenly aware of every subtle movement.
Upon reaching the bottom of the gorge, Kanoru came to a halt. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, observing the jagged rock walls and the faint shimmer of moisture on the stone surface.
He turned slightly, his voice calm but firm.
"Search all the caves. One of them should lead us to the alien wind source."
Asuna, Mika, and the other three gave a sharp nod before splitting up, each one dashing toward a different cave entrance.
Kanoru, however, did not immediately enter a cave.
Instead, he stood still, closing his eyes briefly. With a faint pulse of his spiritual energy, he sent thin tendrils of wind through the gorge, allowing them to weave and drift along the jagged walls.
The wind swirled and returned, carrying with it the faint echoes of the terrain.
When he opened his eyes again, he knew.
There were twenty-four caves scattered along the gorge floor.
Satisfied with the information, he strode toward one of the cave entrances.
Before entering, he traced a sharp mark into the stone outside the cave with his wind-infused finger, a simple symbol indicating that someone had already entered.
Without looking back, he stepped inside.
The cave tunnel was narrow and winding, the ceiling barely tall enough for him to walk without lowering his head. The stone walls were rough and uneven, with sharp protrusions jutting out in places.
As he walked deeper, his eyes caught a glimmer of orange embedded in the cave wall.
Frowning slightly, he stepped closer, placing his palm on the cool, damp stone.
The orange mineral glowed faintly, its surface smooth and crystalline. Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly—he could feel a faint trace of elemental energy emanating from it.
Without hesitation, he drew back his hand and with a sharp motion, he punched the wall, sending a faint shockwave through the stone.
A large chunk of rock broke away, falling to the ground with a dull thud.
Kanoru knelt, picking up the bright orange stone now freed from the wall. He rolled it between his fingers, feeling the faint, almost imperceptible thrum of energy pulsing within it.
"Elemental energy stone?" he muttered softly, his eyes narrowing with interest.
He couldn't immediately identify the element within the stone, so he decided to probe it further.
Focusing his spiritual energy, he let a small thread of his power seep into the stone, attempting to analyze its elemental composition.
The moment his energy entered, the stone violently exploded in his hand.
A sharp blast of force erupted, causing Kanoru to instinctively jump back, his body shifting into a defensive stance.
The explosion did not harm him—the force was too weak to pierce his defenses—but the sudden, unexpected detonation had caught him off guard.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at the fragments scattered across the ground.
"The stone reacts with energy..." he muttered, his gaze darkening with realization.
Stepping forward again, he balled his fist tightly and delivered a strong punch into the cave wall where the stone had been embedded.
The rock fractured instantly, sending large chunks tumbling down.
Among the fallen debris, he spotted several more orange stones, scattered in the rubble. His eyes drifted back to the cave wall, now exposed, revealing more clusters of the mineral.
Kanoru's brow furrowed slightly.
"This entire cave is filled with it..."
He knelt and picked up another orange stone, clenching it in his hand. With a swift motion, he crushed it into fine powder, allowing the faint grains to drift through his fingers.
No explosion occurred.
But when he let his spiritual energy seep into the powder, it detonated violently, scattering into the air with a sharp pop.
His lips curved into a thoughtful frown.
The stone itself was inert—physically harmless.
But the moment it came into contact with energy, it became volatile.
"It doesn't react to force, only to energy..." he mused, his mind already racing with possibilities.
Bombs. Traps. Spell amplifiers. Even single-use weapons.
The practical applications of the orange stone were endless, but now was not the time to experiment.
Forcing the thoughts aside, he turned and ventured deeper into the cave, his footsteps steady and sure.
The passage twisted and narrowed, forcing him to sidestep jagged outcroppings as he moved. After several minutes, he reached a dead end.
Clicking his tongue in slight annoyance, he turned back.
Rather than retracing his steps completely, he took a side passage he had noticed earlier.
The new path led him through several winding tunnels, and after a few more minutes, he emerged outside—through another cave entrance.
He glanced back at the new cave opening, quickly carving a mark into the stone, indicating that it had already been explored.
Without pausing, he moved on, entering another cave and repeating the process.
One by one, he searched each cave, meticulously marking the entrances and exploring their depths.
Kanoru continued his search, moving swiftly through the twisting cavern passages. His steps were light and soundless, his sharp eyes scanning for any trace of the alien wind source.
He found more orange stone veins, thick and gleaming, their faint shimmer reflecting his silhouette as he moved. With every vein he passed, his fingers itched with the urge to gather more of the volatile stone, but he pressed on, his focus unwavering.
Cavern after cavern, he searched.
But there was no sign of the alien wind source.
Finally, while moving deeper into the cave system, he entered a wide, open cavern.
For a brief moment, hope flickered in his eyes.
"Could it be here?"
Without hesitation, he strode forward.
But as soon as he stepped inside, he froze.
His sharp senses prickled with warning, and his eyes locked onto the massive figure at the far end of the cavern.
A Red Tiger.
Its massive form lay partially curled on the ground, its thick, blood-red fur matted with dried blood, and several jagged scars marred its body. Its breathing was slow but labored, a faint, pained growl escaping its throat.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the tiger, his spiritual sense instinctively brushing over its aura.
The tiger was in the spirit realm—a spirit realm warbeast.
But despite its might, it was clearly injured, most likely having come here to heal itself in solitude.
When the tiger's eyes slowly opened, they briefly locked with Kanoru's.
The beast's gaze was heavy with pain but filled with the sharp intelligence of a spirit realm creature.
Kanoru knew that spirit realm warbeasts possessed wisdom equal to any human, and could communicate through spirit messaging.
Without hesitation, Kanoru sent a message through his spirit, his voice calm and genuine.
"Do you need help?"
The moment the message reached the tiger, it suddenly leapt at him, its massive body lunging with wild ferocity.