Beneath Elbaf's howling skies, a pair of deep eyes suddenly opened, like the omen before a thunderclap.
That gaze pierced through layer upon layer of mist, sharp enough to seem capable of tearing the air apart as it fixed directly on the distant horizon.
Jin An stood atop a massive rocky platform in Elbaf. His black cloak snapped in the wind, and his fingertips trembled slightly—not from fear, but as a sign that his fighting spirit was about to boil over.
His senses seemed to be torn open by an invisible pressure. A familiar, bone-chilling aura, like the awakening of the most ancient beast in the abyss, swallowed the entire land.
"That guy really is strong."
His voice was low, yet it carried the power to pierce through the storm.
Jin An's pupils contracted for an instant, his gaze so profound that it seemed to seek the truth beyond the heavens.
His heartbeat was steady, yet every beat seemed to accumulate violent power.
He could feel the ground trembling faintly. Even the tides seemed to sense the unease, as distant waves surged madly toward the shore, as though trying to flee some disaster that was about to descend.
He slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles tightening beneath his glove with a barely audible crack.
He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
Imu—the mysterious being hidden behind the curtain of the world, the existence that made the entire world tremble beneath his shadow—had finally stopped hiding and appeared on the battlefield.
Amid the howling wind, the warriors behind him also sensed the abnormality permeating the air. They stopped what they were doing and looked into the distance. Some held their breath, their fingers around their weapons turning white with tension.
Amatsuki Toki, standing below the battlefield, quietly