South Tivian, Bishop’s Square.
On the cold winter night, the host on the stage was delivering the final segment of the event. The lively crowd was cheering, eagerly anticipating the countdown to the final moments of the year. The festive atmosphere in the square was reaching its peak.
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a tall building at the edge of the square, in a smoke-filled attic, Sado had just finished his pre-battle motivational speech. The indigenous people present, after hearing Sado’s words, stood up one by one. They gripped their weapons tightly, their expressions resolute as they looked at Sado.
"Alright, it’s time. Kum and the others are about to begin their sacrifice. We must follow in their footsteps. It’s time to let those white devils taste the power of guns and gunpowder. Even if we die here today, when we return to the Great Soul, our ancestors will welcome us as heroes."
Standing in the center of the attic, Sado declared loudly to the crowd. The indigenous people in the attic responded with shouts of agreement, waving their weapons. Seeing this, Sado nodded with satisfaction, then picked up a rifle and turned to leave the attic. The crowd followed him, and soon, all the indigenous people had exited the attic, leaving only three masked men silently watching the scene.
After the crowd had left, the three men exchanged nods and followed them out. As soon as they stepped outside, they heard Sado exclaim in Spirit Glyph, a language they didn’t understand.
Startled, the three men turned toward the source of the exclamation. They saw Sado standing still, his face filled with disbelief as he stared ahead. Not far in front of him stood the figure of a young man. Under the glow of the surrounding lights, they could see that this man, though dressed in ordinary civilian clothes, had the same brown skin as the other indigenous people. He seemed to be a native from the New Continent as well.
"Kapak! What are you doing here!?"
Using Spirit Glyph, Sado shouted at the familiar young man standing before him, his expression full of surprise. Facing Sado, Kapak responded with a determined look.
"I’m here to stop you, Sado, and all of you who have followed him. Give it up. What you’re doing won’t bring any good to our tribe. If this continues, you’ll only bring greater disaster!"Kapak shouted to the crowd of his fellow tribesmen. Hearing his words, the indigenous people exchanged glances, many of their eyes filled with mockery and disdain.
"Hah, I thought you came here because you couldn’t hold back your hatred and wanted to join our cause. But I never expected you to come here to stop us? Hmph... What a pipe dream! The blood feud between us and those white devils can’t be stopped with just your words!"
Standing in front of Kapak, Sado spoke with an arrogant tone. Kapak swallowed hard, steadied his emotions, and responded.
"I know it’s difficult... but I must stop you all. This kind of revenge is meaningless. It won’t bring any good results, only greater disaster for our tribe. I understand your hatred, but this way of seeking revenge is wrong.”
"Besides mourning what we’ve lost, we should cherish what we still have. So let’s go back now, return to our homeland, and solve the more pressing problems our people face, rather than seeking pointless revenge here that will only bring greater calamity to those who remain."
Kapak spread his hands and pleaded earnestly with the crowd. His words, however, were met with Sado’s scornful laughter.
"Hahaha... Our revenge is meaningless? We don’t need you to define what’s meaningful! Listen, everyone, this man is Kapak from the Tupa Tribe. He speaks the white devils’ language, uses their tools, and knows their technology. He’s not one of us! He’s on their side!”
"Brothers! Don’t believe this kid’s words. Even though he pretends to help the tribe, curing our people and constantly giving out small favors, it’s all a disguise! Though he was born among us, his heart is with our enemies! He may have fooled the Tupa Tribe and even the shamans, but he can’t fool me! I’ve seen through him long ago! He’s a traitor among us!"
Turning to the other indigenous people, Sado spoke with conviction. After hearing his words, many of the indigenous people’s faces showed disgust and even hostility toward Kapak. Some even raised their guns and pointed them at him. Facing the barrels of the guns, Kapak calmly responded.
"If I were really a traitor, I would have brought the white devils’ guards with me by now. But I didn’t. I know you have a lot of grievances against me, Sado, but I can assure you that everything I’ve done has been for the sake of our tribe. What you’re planning to do tonight will only vent your anger, but it won’t achieve anything. The white devils will vent their anger too, and it will be far worse than yours. So while there’s still time, stop this now!"
Kapak spoke earnestly to Sado. Hearing his words, Sado burst into laughter.
"Hahaha... There’s still time? That’s just what you think, Kapak... I can tell you, it’s already too late. It’s already unstoppable. Three of our brave volunteers are already among the crowd below. As soon as the white devils celebrate the New Year, everything below will be engulfed in flames! You can’t stop it!"
As he spoke, Sado took out a pocket watch and glanced at it. To ensure the timing of this operation was precise, he had even learned how to use this device.
"The time is almost here! Only a few seconds left! Turn around now, Kapak, and witness the bloody gift we’ve prepared for those white devils!!"
With madness in his eyes, Sado held up the pocket watch and declared to Kapak. He then took two steps forward, turned around, and raised the watch, addressing the indigenous people.
"Come, everyone, let’s count down the final moments together. Let this traitor witness our resolve!"
As he spoke, Sado began counting down in Spirit Glyph, synchronizing with the host on the stage below. His expression was even more excited than the celebrating crowd below, like a fanatical believer who had found his purpose, shouting loudly.
"Watch closely, Kapak! Witness the tragedy about to unfold! Then ask yourself if you could have stopped it!
"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Behold!"
In sync with the host’s countdown, Sado roared at Kapak and the other indigenous people. In his script, a deafening explosion was supposed to erupt from the celebrating crowd, with raging flames and screams of agony underscoring his words, making Kapak and the others understand what was truly worth pursuing.
Whoosh~ Boom!!
At the moment the countdown ended, a loud noise indeed erupted from behind Sado. Hearing the sound, Sado’s lips curled into an exaggerated smile, his face filled with madness and triumph.
However, Sado soon realized something was wrong. He noticed that Kapak’s face showed no shock, only calmness. On the other hand, the indigenous people who had followed him were filled with astonishment. The light reflecting on their faces wasn’t the fiery red of flames but a kaleidoscope of colors. The sounds from the crowd behind him weren’t screams of agony but unprecedented cheers of celebration.
Realizing something was amiss, Sado turned around abruptly. Instead of the towering flames he had expected, he saw colorful fireworks blooming in the night sky. Instead of a crowd writhing in pain and screaming, he saw a sea of people cheering and celebrating under the host’s lead.
"What’s going on? What’s happening!? Where’s the explosion!? Where’s the anger Kum and the others promised!? Where is it!?"
Looking at the celebrating crowd below, Sado roared with confusion and anger. Beside him, Kapak calmly replied.
"They’ve left. They’re not down there anymore. Before coming here, I found Kum and the others. I convinced them to abandon this meaningless sacrifice. They said they realized there were still things they cherished in their tribe and didn’t want to die here. So they left…”
"Oh, and if you don’t believe me, I have their talismans here. They also asked me to persuade you to stop this now."
As he spoke, Kapak took out several handmade talismans made of small wooden boards strung together. These were traditional talismans of the New Continent indigenous people, each tribe and even each individual having their own unique designs.
These talismans were genuine. After Adèle used her abilities to awaken the survival instincts of the three suicide bombers and made them leave, Dorothy didn’t just leave them be. She secretly tracked their location and later sent Kapak to find them. Kapak helped them disarm the bombs and directed them to a designated hotel, promising to take them back to their homeland later.
Originally, Dorothy had wanted Kapak to persuade the three to come here and help convince Sado and the others. However, the three, now filled with a desire to live, were afraid of Sado’s retaliation and refused to come. Kapak had no choice but to take their talismans as proof and let them go.
Under the glow of the fireworks in the sky, everyone could clearly see the tribal symbols on the talismans, which matched those of the three would-be bombers!
Seeing the talismans in Kapak’s hand, the indigenous people were momentarily stunned. They exchanged uneasy glances, their faces filled with uncertainty.
Sado had always used the three bombers as examples in his speeches, holding them up as models for the others to follow. He had used their willingness to sacrifice themselves as a rallying point, urging his followers to emulate them.
But now, the opening act of revenge that was supposed to be initiated by the three bombers’ sacrifice had vanished. Kapak, holding their talismans, claimed they had abandoned their mission and were preparing to return home. This had a profound impact on Sado’s followers.
The power of role models is immense, whether for good or ill. Since Sado had set the three bombers up as examples, their deviation from his plan had an immeasurable effect.
"Lies! Deception! Everything he’s saying is a lie! Kum and the others’ hatred couldn’t have been shaken so easily! The white devils must have found out about our plan and captured them! Now they’ve sent this traitor with their talismans to deceive us! Don’t listen to him! Let’s kill him first, then shoot into the crowd! Avenge Kum and the others!"
Seeing the wavering among his followers, Sado shouted urgently, pointing at Kapak and ordering his followers to attack. The followers hesitated but raised their guns.
Facing the guns pointed at him by his fellow tribesmen, Kapak showed no fear. He took out a small pipe from his pocket and calmly said.
"I’ve said it before. If I were a traitor, I would have brought the white devils’ guards with me by now. I came here to stop you all, not just out of my own will, but also with the blessing of my teacher, Uta. Uta does not want you to continue this foolish act. He wants me to bring everyone back."
As Kapak spoke, the indigenous people began to murmur among themselves, mentioning "Uta" and "Great Shaman Uta."
Shamans are the most respected figures among the indigenous tribes of the New Continent. Whether they are chiefs or warriors, all indigenous people hold shamans in the highest regard. Shamans are the guides of all New Continent tribes.
Among shamans, there are also ranks. While each tribe usually has one shaman, the title of Great Shaman is rare. It’s said that many Great Shamans wander the land, with only a few staying in specific tribes for extended periods. Uta of the Tupa Tribe is one such Great Shaman, renowned among the eastern tribes.
The prestige of shamans, especially Great Shamans, is immense among the indigenous people. Hearing Uta’s name, the crowd grew even more hesitant. Seizing the moment, Kapak continued.
"If you don’t believe that I was sent by Uta, look at this. This is his pipe. Uta can imbue objects he’s used for a long time with a part of his soul, extending his spirit into them. To convince you to return, Uta gave this to me."
Kapak then lit the tobacco in the pipe with a match, took a puff, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. The smoke, influenced by some mysterious force, gathered in the air and formed the face of an old man—Uta’s face.
"Sha… Shaman Uta..."
Seeing the smoke-formed face, Sado’s eyes widened, his voice trembling. For the first time, his expression showed a hint of wavering. The smoke-formed face glanced around and sighed softly before speaking.
"Come back, Sado... Bring everyone back. While there’s still time, go home..."
Uta’s voice was calm and gentle as he addressed Sado and the others. Just as the crowd was about to respond, something unexpected happened.
From behind the crowd, three black shadows darted out, dispersing the smoke that had formed Uta’s face and charging toward Kapak at high speed. Upon closer inspection, they were the three masked men who had been standing silently among the indigenous people!
These three were none other than the overseers sent by the Eight-Spired Nest to monitor the indigenous people’s actions. They had been silently observing the group, ensuring they carried out their mission.
The overseers’ task was simple: to ensure the indigenous people attacked the crowd at the designated time, creating chaos to cover the Eight-Spired Nest’s true assassination attempt while also serving as scapegoats afterward.
The three overseers had been watching Sado and the others, thinking everything was going according to plan. But then Kapak suddenly appeared. Since Kapak was also an indigenous person, they initially didn’t intervene, assuming he was a straggler who had rejoined the group.
Not understanding Spirit Glyph, the overseers couldn’t follow the conversation between Sado and Kapak. It wasn’t until much later that they realized Kapak wasn’t here to rejoin the group but to oppose Sado. For some reason, he was causing the indigenous people to hesitate and consider abandoning their mission.
Though they couldn’t understand the conversation, the overseers could see that the indigenous people were losing their resolve. Their mission seemed to be failing because of this unexpected young man. After a quick discussion, the three decided to act, immediately moving to kill Kapak.
All three overseers were Shadow-path Apprentices, with speed far surpassing that of ordinary people. Working together, they were confident they could easily kill Kapak. Kapak, as a Silence-path Apprentice, couldn’t defeat even one Shadow-path Apprentice in a direct fight, let alone three.
Thus, armed with daggers, the three overseers rushed past the crowd, charging at Kapak at high speed. It seemed Kapak would be struck down in an instant.
But at that moment, a strange sound echoed from the darkness.
"Meow~"
Following the sound, a shadow even faster than the overseers pounced down from the attic roof, attacking the three. The overseers, relying on their quick reflexes, dodged, but one failed to evade and was knocked to the ground, letting out a piercing scream.
Startled by the scream, the crowd stepped back in fear, their eyes turning toward the source of the sound. Under the glow of the fireworks, they saw a black figure crouching over the fallen overseer. The figure’s hand, shaped like a claw, was buried in the overseer’s neck. As the body twitched, the overseer gradually stopped moving.
After finishing its prey, the figure slowly raised its head. The crowd saw the face of a woman wearing a half-mask over her eyes. Behind the mask, her glowing vertical pupils were terrifying.
In the eyes of the crowd, Nephthys, clad in a black coat and with the wild spirit residing within her, pulled her blood-stained hand from the overseer’s neck. Like a predator, she lightly licked the blood from her fingers. Then, cat ears and a tail emerged from her head and back, her vertical pupils fixed on the remaining two overseers as if they were prey.