Alicia’s subconscious mind was abruptly awakened. Her eyes glowed softly as she found herself standing within an ethereal astral plane—an expanse of pure, blinding white. In the distance stood a figure, looking at her with a gentle, reassuring smile.

It was her grandfather, Yonan.

"I am going to show you my ultimate power. Today, this strength becomes yours."

Alicia watched in utter disbelief as her grandfather demonstrated his martial arts before her eyes. She observed every single movement with rapt attention, tracking each step Yonan executed. Whenever she attempted to call out to him, however, he gave no response.

The projection was non-communicative, acting out its sequence in a fixed, mechanical manner—much like an instructor demonstrating a technique to a student without engaging in conversation. Yet the power Yonan displayed was awe-inspiring. Explosive strikes, controlled breathing techniques, and seamless energy flows fused together in perfect harmony.

To crown the demonstration, the elder Yonan drew a blade, executing the techniques of a high-tier spellsword whose magical arts were channeled directly through a sword artifact. It was a terrifyingly profound display of absolute mastery.

Just as Alicia’s awe reached its peak, she snapped back to reality, finding herself once more in the secluded training chamber. The memory of the forms shown by her grandfather was vividly etched into her mind, while a surging reservoir of energy churned within her frame. The skill seal contained a massive pulse of power that had integrated straight into her core.

Alicia felt her body overflowing with an unprecedented level of strength. She was forced to sit in deep meditation to process and refine the immense energy left by the skill orb, slowly synchronizing it with her own core. Absorbing such power required time; she had to make it entirely her own before she could safely attempt the complex movements and techniques preserved in her memory.

First, she had to master this internal power—only then could she begin practicing the martial forms she had witnessed in the vision.

Determined to grow stronger, Alicia felt silent tears stream down her cheeks. She deeply missed her grandfather's face, yet in the vision, he had looked past her as a stranger, existing merely as a hollow memory meant to pass down his martial legacy.

Though brief, the encounter offered her a small measure of comfort. Now, the responsibility of restoring her family’s legacy rested squarely on her shoulders. She would avenge every insult and humiliation ever directed at her lineage.

The descendants of Yonan would rise again to honor his name. With her eyes narrowing in fierce determination, Alicia resumed assimilating the energy from the personal skill crystal she had swallowed.

Two days passed, and more than half of the custom armaments ordered by the Sky Squad were completed. The squad members were thrilled with their new equipment, which had been meticulously forged and embedded with magical energy artifacts by master craftsmen.

Rakuta personally handed over the finished weapons to the squad members. He radiated pure joy, deeply honored to play a direct role in equipping the Sky Squad for the battles ahead by personally supervising the forging process.

Several members immediately began testing their specialized weapons out on the field, while others waited patiently for their armaments, which required more intricate craftsmanship and additional time to complete.

Aji knew his own custom order would take longer than the rest; he had intentionally submitted a complex design. This was a deliberate part of his strategy, granting him the necessary time to investigate further and gather irrefutable evidence tying the Golden Crane Academy to the forces of darkness.

That afternoon, Aji headed out to a local eatery for lunch. He received a signal through his ring—Aaman had news to share. Rejoining his comrade for a meal, they took extreme precautions this time, communicating strictly through subconscious resonance.

Aji constructed a powerful mental barrier around them, allowing them to exchange thoughts via telepathic waves without risking interception. While Aaman lacked the ability to generate such a barrier himself, he could easily receive and process the incoming mental signals.

Aji's capabilities are truly boundless, Aaman thought to himself in quiet admiration.

Have you identified any locations capable of housing a massive stockpile of weapons? Aji’s mental message echoed directly in Aaman's mind.

Aaman understood the prompt immediately. A few days prior, Aji had tasked him with scouting the geographic map of Linggar Emas for potential sites that could serve as temporary, large-scale weapon armories.

Having thoroughly analyzed the city's terrain, Aaman presented three plausible locations: first, the far eastern edge of Linggar Emas, which housed the main cavalry stables for the city's military forces; second, a deserted village nestled between two massive mountain peaks to the west; and third, the dense forest bordering the northern edge of the city—an uncharted woodland rumored to be infested with wild beasts and haunted by unnatural spirits.

Those were the three prospective locations Aaman had pinpointed.

Additionally, Aaman addressed the matter of "Nasura"—the individual Rakuta claimed had been issuing direct orders to the forge. After cross-referencing military and academy records, Aaman had found no record of any soldier or Golden Crane Academy disciple bearing that name.

Aji fell deep into thought. Could Rakuta have lied to me? The chief blacksmith had explicitly claimed that all production orders were handed down directly by Nasura. Who was this elusive figure, and why did his name draw a complete blank in official intelligence reports?

To expose the Golden Crane Academy's treason, two key pieces of evidence were now required: first, locating the elusive Nasura who managed the forge orders and commanded Rakuta; and second, discovering the secret cache holding the mass-produced armaments Rakuta had admitted to forging.

Aji knew the forces of darkness were preparing a massive offensive, which naturally demanded a vast arsenal of high-grade weaponry. Their goal was clear: to weaken the continent's righteous martial forces. Turning away ordinary buyers under the guise of being "overloaded with orders" was simply a cover story.

Having concluded their telepathic exchange, Aji and Aaman parted ways, acting like casual acquaintances going about their day. Communicating through subconscious resonance waves—a rare and sophisticated form of magic—had allowed them to converse in complete security.

Aaman felt confident in their approach. If mass-produced armaments truly existed, a facility of that scale would be impossible to hide entirely once located—and its discovery would serve as the ultimate proof to expose the Golden Crane Academy's corruption.

As Aji walked back toward his comrades, he suddenly felt a subtle trace of dark energy observing him from afar.

It seemed the enemy was actively monitoring the Sky Squad's movements. They were on high alert, but Aji could clearly sense their covert presence in the distance. Detecting their sinister aura only hardened his resolve to eradicate the Mondu once and for all—just as he had slain the Black Lion upon emerging from his long seclusion.

To cripple the dark forces, Aji needed undeniable proof to dismantle the Golden Crane Academy—the very institution that had secretly sheltered the Black Lion for years.

Suddenly, the signal on Aji’s ring flared once again. A new message had arrived—an urgent update from Lao and Gayatri.

What could have happened to them?