Aji hurried directly toward the temporary residence assigned to the Sky Squad. Upon arriving, he was greeted by Lao and Gayatri at the main gate.

"Is something wrong? Did something urgent happen?" Aji asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Follow us, Aji," Lao instructed. Aji complied, and the three of them stepped into the inner living quarters provided for their stay while waiting for their weapons to be completed. The other members of the Sky Squad were still testing their new armaments out on the martial arts grounds of Linggar Emas.

"It's like this, Aji," Gayatri said, lowering her voice. "I feel a pervasive dark energy surrounding all of Linggar Emas, including the Golden Crane Academy."

Aji nodded in understanding. Gayatri possessed a unique sensory ability that allowed her to detect the sinister presence of the Demon Lord's forces stationed throughout Linggar Emas. Aji had sensed it as well—he knew the dark energy lingered across the city—but he had refrained from mentioning it earlier to avoid causing widespread panic among the squad.

"Whether you believe it or not, Aji, the dark energy in this city is exceptionally dense," Gayatri added, her tone laced with hesitation, fearing she might sound paranoid.

Aji looked at Gayatri and Lao, both of whom seemed anxious to convince him. Meeting Gayatri's clear eyes, he noticed her head covering—a staple of her usual attire—concealing her hair as always.

"How many can you sense, Gayatri?" Aji pressed, seeking confirmation. While he could feel the presence of dark forces, he could not gauge their exact numbers as precisely.

"It's terrifying!" she breathed. "This is the first time in my life I've felt an energy signature this overwhelming. They are vast in number and command immense power."

Her report confirmed his suspicions: the secret armory housing the mass-produced weapons forged by the Golden Crane Academy was undoubtedly still located somewhere within Linggar Emas. Hearing Gayatri describe such a formidable force only reinforced his determination to locate the key intelligence and secure concrete evidence.

"And what's more, Aji—"

Swoooosh! CRASH!

Before Gayatri could finish her sentence, a table beside them exploded into splinters. Before they could react, Aji blurred upward. A split second later, a figure crashed heavily onto the shattered table, squirming in intense pain.

Aji had detected an intruder spying on them. The scout possessed formidable stealth abilities that masked his presence from normal senses, but Aji had reacted instantly, striking the spy down mid-air.

Lunging forward, Aji grabbed the black-masked figure by the collar. Gayatri and Lao stood stunned for a moment before stepping closer as Aji held the intruder firm.

"Speak! Who sent you?" Aji demanded coldly.

The assassin writhed in pain, but his eyes narrowed venomously. His jaw twitched sharply.

"Damn it!" Aji barked, releasing his grip.

A second later, the scout's eyes locked wide in death. He had swallowed a lethal capsule hidden near his back teeth—a standard suicide protocol among dark force scouts to prevent interrogation upon capture.

Inspecting the motionless assassin, Gayatri knelt to check his pulse and pressed against his neck. The man's skin was rapidly turning blue.

"He swallowed poison," Gayatri observed grimly, looking up at Aji. "Who are these people, and what do they want from us?"

"They're making their move," Aji replied. "We need to conceal this body immediately so we don't raise suspicion."

Gayatri and Lao nodded in agreement. While they couldn't fully grasp the grand scope of the situation, they understood that the forces of darkness were executing a covert operation—and the entire Sky Squad was now under active surveillance.

They stowed the body out of sight, covering it beneath a large storage crate. Afterward, they set off to rejoin the rest of the Sky Squad to warn everyone to exercise extreme caution.

Aji realized he had to act swiftly. His most direct lead was Rakuta—he needed to find out who Nasura was and locate him immediately. The incident with the scout had to remain hidden so the enemy wouldn't realize their operative had been compromised.

Every movement had to be carefully monitored from here on out. The squad needed to report any suspicious activity without delay.

Upon being briefed on the situation, Commander Gonan grew deeply suspicious as well. Why were dark forces operating so openly within Linggar Emas? What were they plotting that granted them free rein within the Golden Crane Academy and across Sengturi's domain?

By that afternoon, every remaining weapon commissioned by the Sky Squad was finished, with the exception of Aji's, which required a few more days due to its intricate specifications. Aji visited Rakuta to check on its progress. The chief blacksmith explained that the weapon's unique internal mechanisms were exceptionally challenging, demanding extra time to complete.

"Master Rakuta, how can I find Nasura?" Aji asked abruptly.

The sudden question caught Rakuta off guard. No one had ever asked to meet Nasura before. Had Nasura committed another misdeed? Rakuta knew Nasura only casually through their business interactions when Nasura brought production blueprints and orders for mass weapon forging.

"Did he harass one of your female comrades? Or... did he bother your lover?" Rakuta asked carefully.

Aji remained silent, surprised by the assumption. Was Nasura known as a serial harasser?

Interpreting Aji's silence as confirmation, Rakuta shook his head. "I knew it! That man is a scoundrel. He constantly harasses women—even married ones. That's his specialty, throwing money around to prey on women."

Rakuta frowned, remembering a past incident. "He once harassed one of my female workers, and I confronted him over it. He just laughed in my face and tried to insult me with hush money. I was furious, but I'm just a blacksmith here."

"I see," Aji said calmly. "I intend to settle the score with him. Can you tell me where I can find him?"

Rakuta hesitated briefly, but his resentment toward Nasura won out. "Alright. I'll give you directions. When you find him, give him an extra thrashing on my behalf!"

Aji offered a subtle smile. The path ahead was becoming clearer. This lead could prove instrumental in dismantling the power base of the Demon Lord, Shura.

It was time to move. Aji had to execute his plan before the enemy caught wind of his intentions, knowing the dark forces wouldn't hesitate to take drastic measures. If they suspected Nasura might break, they would silence him immediately—and if Nasura died, the trail of evidence would go cold.

Aji needed a flawless strategy to capture Nasura and force a confession implicating Drakos and his son, Sengturi. He could not afford to let the dark forces outmaneuver him. His best course of action was to continue playing the part of an inexperienced newcomer, keeping the enemy off guard by letting them underestimate him. That was the path forward.