Not to be outdone,
the serpent struck the ground,
sending out a wave of poison rippling like a tsunami in all directions.
The Soul-Forged Meditators spun in the air,
dodging the venomous blast with lightning-quick leaps,
then retaliated:
The Twilight Spear of the Soul pierced the tough scales on the left head, inch by inch.
The Vajra Fang of Lodra smashed into the right eye, splattering thick black blood.
The Soulquake Dome of Sukmanta shrank ever tighter, suppressing the serpent's movements.
But the serpent thrashed wildly,
shattering their triangular formation,
then coiled around a skyscraper and slammed it into the ground.
KRAAASSSHH!!
Shards of concrete and steel flew everywhere.
One of the meditators was wounded — a small hole in his chest from the poison —
but he still stood, breathing heavily.
"Unite your breath, clash your souls!"
shouted the leader of the meditators.
Then the three of them soared forward,
unleashing the ultimate technique of the Meditation Hall:
The Giri-Angin Strike — a wave-pulsing soul impact.
The Flaming Mace of Surya Lodra — a sweeping fiery mace-shaped energy.
The Final Chant of Sukmanta — an explosion of mantra that shatters the enemy's soul.
ZWAAAARRRR!!
BRUUUMMMM!!
TUUUUUMMMM!!
The serpent's body convulsed violently,
two of its three heads exploded into black mist,
and its thick blood poured out, forming a small river down the city streets.
Until at last,
with a final roar, the serpent collapsed to the ground.
BOOMMM!!
The earth quaked hard, forming a new crater,
as dust and poisonous smoke billowed into the sky.
But before the meditators could breathe easy,
from the serpent's ruined body,
a shadowy figure slowly emerged,
taking the shape of a man with pure malevolent aura.
Baskara, watching from behind the rubble,
observed with sharp eyes.
"Someone is orchestrating all of this from behind the curtain…"
he murmured to himself,
a thin, mysterious smile on his lips.
A sinister laugh echoed from the dark figure,
lively yet chilling to the soul.
"Hahhahaha… Did you enjoy my little gift?"
he spoke mockingly,
his voice like a demon's whisper in the heart of a storm.
One of the Soul-Forged Meditators, still on guard,
angrily tried to strike.
But before he could move,
the shadowy voice halted them again:
"Pointless."
he said coldly, flatly.
"I'm merely a fragment of memory implanted in this serpent's body. Your attacks will strike nothing but emptiness."
They froze.
The shadow smiled faintly,
then slowly vanished into the air like night smoke swept by wind.
But before the three meditators could react any further—
BOOMMM!!
a massive explosion rocked the Atmadewa family estate.
Smoke and light from battle flared in the sky,
a clear sign of a grave danger.
"Damn! That looks like the Atmadewa compound!"
cried one of the meditators, face pale.
"The young master is in danger — we must go!"
But their leader quickly held them back:
"No! Not all of us!"
he shouted.
"Someone must purify this serpent's corpse, or its poison will spread across all of Tirta Negara!"
They exchanged quick glances.
"Alright! We'll head to the Atmadewa compound!"
"You — handle the corpse! Can you do it?"
The remaining meditator nodded with resolve.
"Of course. Go quickly! Don't let harm befall them!"
In an instant, the two figures shot into the sky,
leaving one meditator who began forming a purification mudra.
Elsewhere,
amid the rubble and rising smoke,
it was at that moment Tirta Negara truly felt like it was entering a dark night.
This was no random assault.
There was a hidden hand that had long awaited this moment.
Since the old conflict, when great noble families were weakened by the central government,
when legendary warriors had fallen and only pawns remained...
Now,
in this moment of Tirta Negara's noble families' weakness,
the grand plan was being set into motion.
These waves of attacks —
from the one-horned ox to the three-headed serpent —
were just preludes to something far darker.
And the eye of the storm now turned toward the very heart of power:
The Atmadewa Family.
Baskara watched the two meditators flying at high speed toward the Atmadewa residence.
But before they could arrive, he had to decide on his next move.
That serpent corpse couldn't be left unattended.
He made a quick decision to approach — but he would need a disguise first.
Swiftly, Baskara descended via the balcony of a nearby building,
grabbing a piece of clothing left in a corner.
Without hesitation, he covered his face with the cloth and crept toward the meditator who was focused on the serpent's corpse.
With his Silent Step Technique, he moved like a shadow,
blending with the roaring night wind.
Even his breath was soundless, as if he were just part of the darkness itself.
Getting close,
he struck the meditator's shoulder with perfect precision,
causing him to collapse unconscious without resistance.
"Hmm… this serpent is massive," he thought while examining the creature's huge body.
Baskara then pulled a black hide from his pocket,
which shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
In one motion, he pressed it onto the serpent's body,
and in a flash, the entire beast was absorbed —
its entire mass consumed by the black hide.
Wasting no time, he turned around and activated Silent Step again,
vanishing into the night,
leaving the unconscious meditator atop the ruined building.
Far away,
Baskara floated between skyscrapers, moving swiftly to a safer location.
"At last… the serpent's corpse is mine,"
he whispered inwardly, with a hint of satisfaction.
But as he pulled down the cloth covering his face,
something felt wrong.
It was stuck.
He had to exert more force to remove it — it was unusually tight.
After some struggle, he finally yanked it off—
"DAMN IT!!!"
"You've got to be kidding me!!!"
Turns out, upon closer inspection,
the cloth he'd wrapped around his face…
was a man's underwear — the loincloth he'd grabbed earlier off the balcony!
Baskara couldn't contain his frustration —
not only was the act humiliating,
but the fact he had to wear that was infuriating.
He quickly scanned the surroundings to ensure no one had seen him,
then hastily concealed himself behind a building.
But deep inside, the irritation lingered.