As dust and earth still billowed high into the air,
the sound of sirens began to wail loudly across various parts of Tirta Negara City.
WUUUUUU– WUUUUUU–
The city's residents, who had been hiding, began to slowly emerge,
their faces filled with both fear and relief.
Some ran away from the ruins,
while others stared in horror at the lifeless body of a giant, one-horned buffalo lying in the middle of the city.
"My God... that beast is really dead..."
"Who is that old man...?"
"He fought that giant monster all by himself...!"
Whispers of fear and awe spread through the crowd.
Elsewhere, the city's security forces in high-tech armor swiftly encircled the area.
They activated an additional holographic safety field to prevent civilians from approaching.
"Quick, set up a perimeter around the impact zone!"
shouted one of the security captains, his advanced helmet glowing with tactical symbols.
Soon after,
a special unit bearing the emblem of the Emergency Response Division arrived,
carrying the most advanced medical equipment.
They were healers and medicine specialists, a fusion of cutting-edge technology and spiritual healing techniques.
"Over there! That old man!"
cried one of the medics, pointing to the elder's body lying at the edge of the rubble.
Several healers immediately leapt toward the old man's location.
They tossed a small spherical device into the air—
wuuung...
—and in an instant, a light-blue healing field enveloped the old man's body.
"Vital signs critical, but he's still alive! Prepare a high-grade regeneration serum!"
one of them yelled as he checked the elder's pulse.
Several small syringe-like devices injected healing energy into the elder's fragile body,
infusing him with glowing spiritual energy.
Meanwhile,
security drones hovered overhead,
scanning from above to ensure no further threats emerged.
The atmosphere remained tense,
but gradually began to stabilize.
People started calling out for their loved ones,
while security forces evacuated the lightly wounded from the debris.
Atop a tall building,
Baskara remained still, observing everything.
His eyes were not fixed on the buffalo or the old man,
but rather on one figure:
Dinda.
"No matter what, her safety comes first..."
Baskara muttered inwardly,
before disappearing once more into the shadows,
moving to watch from a closer distance.
Just as he turned to leave the rooftop—
BOOMM!!!
another explosion rocked the night in Tirta Negara.
A column of gray-black smoke rose high at the edge of the city,
farther away from the earlier chaos.
The smoke blotted out the stars in the night sky.
Baskara's eyes narrowed.
That direction...
was near the Atmadewa family residence.
"Just finished with the one-horned buffalo, and now another problem arises,"
he thought, eyes sharp and focused on the smoke.
Before he could move,
the ground rumbled again.
BRUUUMM... BRUUUMM...
A colossal creature slithered swiftly between the buildings:
a massive, dark-brown three-headed serpent,
each of its eyes glowing with a fierce red light.
The serpent coiled around a skyscraper with agile movements,
its claws tearing through concrete and steel like brittle twigs.
From its three mouths,
dark green flames erupted—
not ordinary fire,
but toxic flames that caused anything they touched to rot instantly, releasing thick, poisonous smoke.
With sharp perception,
Baskara quickly assessed the danger.
"Toxic fire... this is worse than the buffalo,"
he murmured coldly.
The threat from the serpent was far more severe.
Not only did it burn buildings,
but the toxic smoke could kill citizens within minutes if left unchecked.
It didn't take long
for a surge of spiritual energy to arrive.
Several glowing lights streaked from different directions.
Silhouettes of high-level spiritual practitioners in special robes appeared,
immediately forming a massive energy net formation around the area.
Above the sky, a man in a robe bearing the emblem of the Division of Spiritual Beast Subjugation raised his hand.
Behind him, at least five other practitioners stood ready to strike.
"Don't let it spit any more fire!"
he shouted.
Meanwhile, Baskara—both alert and curious—
leapt nimbly from rooftop to rooftop,
gliding like a shadow through the city.
He aimed to get closer to the battle zone,
but kept a safe distance so as not to interfere.
From afar, he saw the serpent attempting to devour the attacking practitioners.
One of its heads spewed fire into the air,
while another smashed a building into dust.
"A level-four serpent, and already in its mid-stage...
plus poisonous power...
This is real trouble,"
Baskara analyzed inwardly.
Yet his eyes stayed sharp,
not only watching the battle—
but seeking something else:
Was there a connection between this chaos and Sekar's abduction?
Because all of this felt too coincidental,
too organized,
and perhaps…
not a coincidence at all.
Baskara hid behind a large rooftop column,
his eyes faintly glowing in the dark,
awaiting the next moment.
In the middle of Tirta Negara's ravaged night,
the three-headed serpent coiled around a skyscraper.
Its mouths spewed poisonous flames that blackened the sky.
The atmosphere grew more terrifying.
Above the ruins,
THREE SOUL-DENSE PRACTITIONERS streaked through the air,
their auras blazing like red embers in the dark.
Each wore black robes embroidered with patterns of suns and dragons—
the insignia of combat practitioners from the Tirta Negara Meditation Hall.
They formed a triangular formation,
blocking the serpent from three directions.
"Final Flame Raft Formation, prepare!"
cried the lead practitioner, his voice as loud as a hammer striking a gong.
The three immediately activated their techniques:
The first formed a Dusk Soul Spear — a blackish-red light spear.
The second unleashed Lodra's Thunder Fang — thunder claws shaped like an ancient lion.
The third cast Sukmanta Quake Dome — a dome of energy glowing brick-red.
BUUUMM!
The spear shot forward, piercing the serpent's left head,
while the thunder claw struck the right head with hurricane speed.
WHUARRGGHH!!
The serpent roared in fury, its three heads thrashing violently,
crushing surrounding buildings into rubble.