Following the battle in the Old District, a state of extreme tension gripped Iron Rock City.
The torches atop the city walls remained lit throughout the night, and the number of patrolling soldiers had doubled. The Demon Hunter Guild was in a state of high alert; weapons and maps cluttered the main hall as hunters spoke in hushed, urgent tones about the previous night's events.
Lin Ye sat at a wooden table in the corner. The tea before him had long since gone cold, yet he had barely touched it. The memories of the battle replayed in a loop in his mind. The shadows. Every shadow on that street had responded to him. The sensation left him both staggered and deeply unsettled.
Su Li sat across from him. She had been watching him for a long time. "You're thinking about last night," she said.
Lin Ye nodded. "Those people called me a Forbidden Book holder," he whispered. "Maybe they weren't wrong."
Su Li was silent for a moment before replying softly, "Power itself is not inherently wrong. What matters is how you choose to use it."
Lin Ye looked up at her. Su Li's gaze was steady and calm. "I believe in you," she said.
The words were simple, yet they caused a faint tremor in Lin Ye's heart.
Just then, the guild doors swung open and Reg walked in, his expression exceptionally grim. "Everyone, gather round!"
The hall fell silent instantly as dozens of Demon Hunters turned their attention toward him. Reg spread a map across a central table. "The Shadow Council has entered Iron Rock City."
The air in the room seemed to freeze. Someone let out a low curse.
Reg continued, "The assassins from last night were merely the vanguard. Their true objective has yet to appear."
Irene stood by his side and added, "We just received word. Strange ritualistic marks have been discovered in the West Warehouse District."
Lin Ye frowned. "A ritual?"
Reg nodded. "A summoning circle."
A wave of commotion rippled through the hall. Summoning circles were the one thing Demon Hunters loathed most; they invariably signaled the arrival of something far more dangerous.
Su Li looked at the map. "What are they trying to summon?"
Irene shook her head. "We aren't certain yet."
"But one thing is for sure," Reg said, his voice dropping an octave. He raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the room. "They are here for the Forbidden Book."
As he spoke, his eyes landed—inadvertently or not—directly on Lin Ye. Several others in the hall noticed the look. The atmosphere turned subtle and tense. Lin Ye could feel the weight of those gazes, but he remained silent.
Suddenly, Su Li spoke up. "Then we'll just have to stop them."
Her tone was perfectly calm, yet it brought a renewed silence to the hall. Reg looked at her for a few seconds, then nodded. "We move out tonight."
Night descended quickly. The sky over Iron Rock City was choked with dark clouds, and the moonlight was nearly invisible.
The West Warehouse District was a sprawling area filled with old wooden crates and derelict buildings. The air smelled of damp rot. Reg led a dozen Demon Hunters as they slipped quietly into the district, with Lin Ye and Su Li following close behind. The streets were quiet—unnaturally so.
Suddenly, Su Li stopped. "Blood," she said, pointing to the ground. A dark crimson trail ran through the gaps in the cobblestones, leading deep into the heart of the warehouses.
Reg's expression turned cold. "Prepare for combat."
They pressed on. When they reached the center of the warehouse complex, everyone halted at once. A massive black runic circle was etched into the ground, the runes writhing slightly like living organisms. The air was thick with the stench of abyssal energy.
Standing in the center of the array was a man. He wore a long black robe, his face veiled in shadow. He seemed to have known they were coming and slowly raised his head.
"Welcome," he said. His voice was gentle, yet it sent a shiver down everyone's spine.
Reg gripped his sword. "Shadow Council."
The man nodded slightly. "You've arrived just in time." His gaze bypassed everyone else and locked onto Lin Ye. It was the look of a predator finally cornering its prey. "The host of the Book of the Abyss."
Lin Ye's heart sank.
The man offered a thin smile. "I have been searching for you for a very long time."
The temperature plummeted. In the next heartbeat, the runic circle erupted with black light. Shadows surged from the ground like countless grasping hands.
Reg roared, "Everyone—to arms!"
The true storm had finally broken.