Abimanyu muttered to himself as though, deep down, he greatly admired Raksa Wangsa’s prowess.
Clang ...!
The sword Abimanyu suddenly swung was immediately parried by Raksa’s steel hand.
Whoosh ... Boom .... Crash ....
Raksa Wangsa landed a punch squarely on Abimanyu’s chest when an opening appeared in his defenses, causing a small explosion.
The sword slipped from Abimanyu’s hand, while the thunderous force of Raksa Wangsa’s punch sent him flying far backward.
“Cough ...!”
Abimanyu coughed up blood, showing that Raksa Wangsa’s thunderous punch had struck his internal organs.
“You really are incredible ... Raksa Wangsa! I surrender! I should have protected your family instead of following Bimasena’s orders!” Abimanyu said with a smile.
Raksa Wangsa was startled by Abimanyu’s confession, but he couldn’t simply trust the sweet words of this Demon Sword Swordsman.
“He must be using that famous trick of his again,” Raksa Wangsa thought.
“Can you help me up, Raksa?” Abimanyu asked as he held out his right hand.
“You can stand on your own. You don’t need my help!” Raksa Wangsa replied, still suspicious of Abimanyu’s words.
“I’m only asking you to help me up as a sign of peace between us ... I can help you stop being hunted by Bimasena! All you have to do is pull me up as a sign that you trust me!” Abimanyu urged.
Without suspicion, Raksa immediately reached out to lift Abimanyu up.
Creeeak ...
Suddenly, Raksa Wangsa felt something cold pierce through his body.
The Demon Sword was lodged in Raksa’s abdomen, likely ending his life on the spot, because the sword was highly poisonous and instantly fatal.
It turned out that Abimanyu had hidden his Demon Sword behind his back. The moment Raksa let down his guard, Abimanyu’s left hand seized the sword and stabbed him without hesitation.
“Abimanyu ... why did you kill him!” shouted Abinawa Adyawangsa, who had just arrived at the scene.
“He knew nothing about the Red Lotus Relic. So what reason did I have to let him live?” Abimanyu said without a trace of guilt.
“The leader will be furious if he finds out that you’ve killed the only clue to finding the Black Lotus Relic,” Abinawa said again.
“Stay out of my affairs, Abinawa! I know you love Sahira too! Even that strike from your Demon Palm was what killed her ... If I report you to the leader, he’ll finish you off on the spot,” Abimanyu threatened.
Abimanyu’s words made Abinawa’s face turn slightly pale. He then left without bothering Abimanyu again.
The Red Lotus Sect was the largest sect in Kintamani City, a city located among the great island chains of Nusantara.
Although the sect followed a dark path, not a single city official dared interfere with its existence.
The founder of the Red Lotus Sect was a demonic-path swordsman known as the Demon Claw Swordsman, whose name was Bimasena Citraprasada.
No one knew Bimasena Citraprasada’s origins. Was he human, or was he one of the many demons found in this Mortal World?
Bimasena had three sect administrators he trusted completely:
Abimanyu Mangkubumi, who was known as the Demon Sword Swordsman.
Sahira Wicaksena, who was known as the Lightning Whip Swordswoman.
Abinawa Adyawangsa, who was known as the Demon Palm Swordsman.
These three pillars supported the sect and succeeded in advancing the Red Lotus Sect until it earned the respect of every faction, even though it was not a righteous sect.
Nusantara was only one of several great island chains found in the Mortal World. Many sects were founded in Nusantara rather than in the other island chains.
Nusantara was the seat of government of the Mortal World Kingdom, so the center of all swordsman activity was also located in this great island chain.
Sahira Wicaksena was an extraordinarily beautiful swordswoman. Bimasena Citraprasada loved Sahira deeply and wanted to marry her, but Sahira rejected the Red Lotus Sect leader’s wishes.
The female swordswoman chose a righteous-path swordsman named Raksa Wangsa as her lover instead. She had already given her heart to the Thunderclap Hand Swordsman.
Naturally, this choice enraged Bimasena. It wasn’t Sahira’s rejection that angered him, but her choice of a righteous-path swordsman when she herself followed the dark path and belonged to the Red Lotus Sect, which also followed the dark path.
The leader of the Red Lotus Sect immediately demoted Sahira. She had originally been one of the Sect Pillars, but was reduced to an ordinary sect member.
Sahira didn’t care about Bimasena’s punishment and continued her relationship with Raksa Wangsa, who later became her husband.
Bimasena eventually gave up and stopped interfering in Sahira’s affairs.
Sahira and Raksa’s marriage was eventually blessed with a daughter named Kirani.
After Kirani’s birth, the couple’s lives came under threat as slanderous rumors about them began to spread.
Sahira and Raksa eventually fled the Red Lotus Sect.
But Bimasena had no intention of letting them go, because Sahira was carrying something the Red Lotus Sect wanted.
The relentless pursuit eventually claimed Sahira’s life when she fought desperately to defend her family from the Red Lotus Sect’s pursuit.
After Sahira’s death, Raksa’s nature changed. He became harsh and cruel, protecting Kirani in his own way by forbidding her from having any contact with the outside world.
They often moved from place to place because the Red Lotus Sect continued hunting them to obtain what it wanted.
Crash!
Bimasena threw down the staff he had been holding. He would not stop pursuing this family until he obtained what he wanted—the thing Sahira had taken away!
“Just you wait!” Bimasena hissed.