The man behind Ajina trembled—
before slowly losing strength and falling to the ground.
The man standing beneath the tree slowly reached up…
and removed the angelic mask from his face, tossing it aside.
Ajina's eyes widened.
"Wait… that's Aloka—
who knows how many sins he has committed…"
Just then, Ajina's gaze shifted to the masked man nearby.
One of his hands rested on the ground…
while with the other—severed—
he was calmly devouring it.
For a moment, Ajina froze in shock.
Then—
He dashed forward at full speed.
Leaping high into the air,
he drove his blade straight into the man's head—
or rather, he struck .
A violent shockwave erupted.
Ajina landed on one knee,
using his blade for support.
From beneath the mask, something dark began to flow …
and even from the man's eyes, it slowly trickle.
Seeing this, Ajina smiled.
He stood up.
With cold indifference,
he pulled his blade out—
or rather, he withdrew .
As it came free,
the man's head dropped forward…
…and the mask slipped off.
Ajina slowly crouched down…
With a cold, merciless tone, he said,
"I know… you're a spirit."
Then he began to laugh .
Grabbing the man's head, he lifted it slightly—
and the moment he saw the face…
He froze.
Shock filled his eyes—
as if he recognized him.
Before he could react—
The man's body began to crack into glowing fragments…
Piece by piece,
it shattered into shimmering particles—
And in the end,
the spirit dispersed into the air…
vanishing completely.
Ajina shook his head and stood up. The air suddenly fell silent. Looking at Aloka with anger, he said in a low voice,
"Today… I'll make you meet death "
Tears filled Aloka's eyes. Suddenly, he shouted in rage,
"Today I'll turn you into thousands of pieces ! You have killed someone who was like a brother to me! But I'm not alone… I have my power with me!"
At that moment, Aloka dashed forward at an incredible speed. His speed was so great, it felt as if he had become light itself. He drew his blade—
And suddenly—
Darkness covered everything, and Aloka vanished.
Ajina glanced behind him and said,
"You're not playing with a child… you're playing with your own death."
Just then, a beam of light shot straight toward him. Seeing this, Ajina muttered,
"A laser-like light… is it coming from those half-dead wings? No… it's coming from somewhere else…"
Ajina gripped his blade tightly, preparing for battle,
and was just about to attack the masked man in front of him.
A massive blue light descended from the sky and fell upon Ajina.
He looked up—
and within that light, he saw Aloka.
Ajina noticed that Aloka held a blade in his hands…
and from his chest, something had already pierced through.
Without hesitation, Ajina used his blade to propel himself into the air at incredible speed.
In that very moment, his moving blade appeared as if it had already cut through the neck of a giant Garus.
Then—
Ajina severed Aloka's head.
Aloka suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Ajina by the neck.
In the next moment, Ajina felt something sharp pierce him.
The surroundings fell silent.
Aloka's head fell.
Ajina looked at it—
and saw tears in its eyes.
He spoke softly,
"Wounds given by friendship cut deeper than poison… forgive me, my friend. This… this was for your own good."
Dark liquid began to flow from Ajina's mouth.
Moments later, Ajina staggered and collapse backward.
Seeing this, Alpha Core and Jeron Junin rushed toward him.
Just then, a man in a black coat leaped down from a tree and landed on the ground.
There was an arrow in his hand.
Seeing him, Alpha Core shouted,
"What have you done, Torisa?!"
Torisa replied,
"This isn't my fault… it was an accident. I didn't do it on purpose."
Alpha said,
"Forget all that. Take the children and go. We'll handle everything here."
With that, Alpha Core lifted Ajina onto his shoulder and rushed toward the fort.
At the same time, Jeron noticed a man lying near a tree, collapsed on the ground… his hand still slightly moving.
Looking at him, Jeron thought,
"He's still one of the winged ones…"
Jeron lifted the man onto his shoulder and carried him toward the fort.
Meanwhile, the man in the black coat stood there, watching everything, and whispered to himself,
"All of this happened because of me… I'm not worthy of any of this… I'm not even worthy of being a teacher."
Then he said to himself,
"If I let myself break down… we might lose these children to destruction."
He looked toward Vikar and shouted loudly,
"Hey, boy! Come here quickly!"
Hearing this, Vikar ran toward him, slightly frightened.
The man in the coat glanced at Pasito and said again,
"Hey, carry this curly-haired one on your shoulders and take him to the fort."
Vikar nodded and began running toward the fort.
Then the man in the coat raised his voice even louder and called out,
"All of you children, come out! We're heading to the fort!"
Hearing this, Maya, Lina, and Artha stepped out.
The man in the coat looked around in all four directions, then gestured with his hand and said,
"Let's move toward the fort."
He lifted Mara and Yunsa onto both of his shoulders and began walking ahead toward the fort.
Behind him, Maya, Artha, and Lina followed closely.
But—
A question still remained…
How would they reach the ashram from the fort?