One week after Master Vitjendra left the village to continue his mission—tracking down traces of the Raksha, who had begun terrorizing life across Javadipa and Nuswantorra.

Nazzares had pushed his training to the extreme. Without using mystic energy to enhance his physical strength, he trained relentlessly. Unknowingly, within a month, his body had grown rapidly in height.

Kandhita, who often accompanied her lover's training, was baffled by the methods he used. "What kind of training is this? Now that the Master isn't watching, he's pushing himself to such an extreme." She worried about her fiancé, as his training seemed almost unreasonable.

As she watched Nazzares train, boredom crept in. She thought about taking a walk along the river.

"Nazzares, I want to go for a walk for a bit. I'm getting really bored here," Kandhita called out, asking for permission.

"Alright, but don't go too far," Nazzares replied, his focus never wavering from his training.

"Okay."

Moments later...

Nazzares continued his mystic energy observation training. He attempted to expand his domain perception, sensing everything around him—from the trees, rocks, and flowing water to small animals and mystical beings like tree spirits and other mystical creatures.

However, as he concentrated, he suddenly felt a mystic energy presence approaching Kandhita. Upon deeper observation, he realized—it was a Raksha.

"Damn...!! I have to hurry...!"

Without hesitation, Nazzares dashed toward Kandhita’s location at full speed.

"KANDHITA, WATCH OUT!" he shouted, his voice filled with urgency as he sprinted with extraordinary speed.

Kandhita turned around—only to be faced with a horrifying creature.

"AAAAAHHH!" she screamed, realizing the monstrous being before her.

SRAKK!

A sharp claw strike slashed across her arm. Though she instinctively tried to dodge, she wasn’t fast enough.

Seeing the attack land, Nazzares' fury ignited. He instantly accelerated, charging toward the Raksha with pure rage.

"HIAAAGHH! DON’T TOUCH KANDHITA!" he roared, his fist surging with mystic energy as he struck the creature with full force.

BLAM!

The Raksha was blasted backward, crashing into the trees.

Nazzares immediately rushed to Kandhita’s side.

"Kandhita, are you okay?!" he asked anxiously, his hands trembling as he inspected her wound.

"Yeah, it's just a small scratch. It doesn’t hurt much," Kandhita replied, holding her injured arm.

"What! A little scratch!" said nazzares with burning anger. Then he turned to the raksha with an angry glare.

The Battle Begins

As he hugged Kandhita, who was crying in fear, Nazzares turned around and told her to hide immediately. His emotions, already at a peak, caused his mystic energy to surge uncontrollably.

Nazzares stepped slowly toward the Raksha, but his sharp eyes were fixed on the creature, which was starting to rise after taking a heavy blow from him.

Tap, tap, tap: The sound of Nazzares' footsteps echoed with menace, accompanied by his mystic energy swelling uncontrollably.

The Raksha, seeing Nazzares approach, howled in fury with an ear-piercing roar, "HRAAAGKGKH!"

Without further hesitation, Nazzares dashed toward the Raksha at lightning speed, striking it with a punch reinforced with mystic energy.

BLAMM

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The Raksha was hit squarely by the blow. However, it quickly retaliated, swiping at Nazzares with its razor-sharp claws.

The battle raged between the trees, each exchanging blows. Nazzares, unaccustomed to direct combat, found himself struggling due to his lack of experience in hand-to-hand fighting.

After a few moments, they were both sent flying in opposite directions.

BRAKK..!!

"Looking at its form, it seems like just a regular Raksha, not a high-level one... Alright, I'll finish it with one blow," Nazzares said, his gaze filled with rage.

Nazzares focused on concentrating his mystic energy, channeling it into the punch he was about to deliver.

"I haven't fully mastered this mystic technique. All I can do is send a stone flying," Nazzares thought to himself, though with some doubt.

By channeling his energy and technique into his punch, Nazzares prepared for the final strike that would determine the outcome.

WUSS: The sound of mystic energy flowing intensely into his fist.

In the gentle breeze, Nazzares swallowed and focused, then his body shot forward at an almost invisible speed.

WUSS

His focused punch exploded with immense power, followed by a loud "BAM!" that echoed in the air. The Raksha, trying to avoid it, was too late, and a loud "CRACK!" rang out as Nazzares' punch struck its body.

The punch, infused with mystic energy and his technique, destroyed the Raksha's body, reducing it to ruin.

Kandhita, who witnessed this, immediately ran toward Nazzares, crying loudly, and hugged him tightly.

"I’m scared..."

Nazzares embraced his future bride and said, "It's alright, the Raksha is dead." He tried to calm her down. After that, Nazzares hurriedly took Kandhita back to his house for immediate treatment.

A few moments later...

At Nazzares' home, Abail treated Kandhita’s wounds by applying healing herbs and channeling mystic energy into her injuries. Over time, the wounds disappeared without a trace, as they weren’t too deep.

"I didn’t expect a Raksha to show up again in this area," Abail said to Nazzares while sucking on his pipe.

"Perhaps it’s because Master Vitjendra left, they dare to appear. There’s no powerful figure to scare them," replied Nazzares, gazing at his fiancée sitting nearby.

"That makes sense. For now, Kandhita shouldn’t accompany you while you train," Abail said with concern.

"I think that's a good idea," Nazzares agreed with his father’s advice.

A few days later..

Nazzares was haunted by an overwhelming sense of guilt. He blamed himself for not protecting Kandhita faster, and the feeling drove him deeper into despair. The disappointment and regret only strengthened his resolve.

To make up for his failure, Nazzares decided to train harder than ever before. His already extreme training intensified to super-extreme levels.

Every day, he pushed his body and mind to the limit, testing his physical strength, combat skills, and mental endurance. He trained relentlessly, regardless of time or weather, determined to gain power to protect Kandhita.

Early each morning, Nazzares began with deep breathing exercises, followed by strenuous physical training, running through rugged terrain, and intense martial arts practice. Even at night, he continued to train, honing his mastery over the mystic energy taught by his mentor, trying to perfect every movement and energy flow.

One week later, Kandhita had fully recovered and returned to normal. She resumed her usual tasks, cooking for Abail’s family and even helping him prepare healing potions. She was now beginning to understand the world of healing.

"After what happened yesterday, I’m still in shock," Kandhita said, recalling the previous day's events.

"I'm sorry. If I had been quicker to react, none of this would have happened," Nazzares responded, still feeling guilty.

"No, it’s not your fault," Kandhita said, hugging Nazzares, sitting together behind the house.

"Kandhita, have you thought about what you want to pursue in the future? After we marry, we will go to the capital and study at the Majapahit Academy," Nazzares asked, the thought crossing his mind.

"Hmm... I think I want to develop my healing skills. After helping your father so much, I’ve become more drawn to the field of healing," Kandhita replied, having spent the past three months learning from Abail.

"I’m glad. I’ll leave all the healing to you," Nazzares said with relief, happy to share the responsibility of making medicinal potions with Kandhita when there was a lot to do.

"Yes, even father taught me how to control mystic energy using paper seals and apply it to heal wounds. It’s fascinating," Kandhita said with a smile as she spoke of her healing process.

Nazzares and Kandhita spent time together, discussing their future after marriage.

However, in the middle of their conversation, Abail suddenly called for Nazzares.

"Nazzares, come here!"

"Yes, Father, I’ll be there," the son replied.

Kandhita continued to learn how to concoct medicines and read the royal manuals given by Abail.

"I have something for you. Actually, I wanted to give this to you on your birthday, but I forgot," said Abail.

"Well, I’m not surprised," Nazzares replied, understanding his father’s forgetful nature.

Abail took out a very old wooden box and opened it, revealing a black-bladed sword (a machete) that was extremely sharp.

"This is the Abisheka sword, forged by the greatest mystic weapon smith across Nuswantorra, Mpu Tantular," Abail told Nazzares.

"Mpu Tantular??" Nazzares responded, confused at the name he heard.

"Yes, he was the greatest iron smith from the Dwarf race," said his father.

"Is he really that amazing?" Nazzares responded skeptically, with a sleepy expression.

"Of course, you fool," Abail said, annoyed at his son's expression.

Kandhita, hearing the name Mpu Tantular, interrupted, "Yes, I’ve read about him! Even one of his weapons can cost hundreds, even thousands of gold coins."

"Heee, is he really that great?"

The Abisheka sword would be passed down through generations of the Abisheka family. Since Nazzares was the last generation to inherit it, his father decided to give it to him, as he had accepted his fate as a Fatalis.

"Alright, I’ll protect this grandfather’s sword with the utmost care," Nazzares said as he held the sword.

Nazzares accepted the sword and vowed to use it to protect those he cared about.

Days passed, and Nazzares increased the intensity of his training, both physical and mystic techniques.

Now, Nazzares began to understand his mystic techniques. He concluded that his power could control objects, strengthening and weakening them. This was his conclusion after intense training and several battles with Raksha.

"At least, that’s what I’ve concluded so far."

To Be Continued...