“P-please, forgive me! Let me go. I have a family!”

“I don’t care...”

**CRACK!**

I silenced him for good, driving the grand keris. Shrouded in the dark shadows of Lord Mada, deep into his chest. I turned around to face my men, who stood ready to march toward the next battlefield.

“We press on! There are still plenty of generals left for us to slaughter!”

“YES, MY LORD!” My army roared with fierce enthusiasm, whipping their horses back into a gallop.

I let out a sharp whistle, and my shadow horse materialized right before me. Mounting the beast, I closed my eyes until I located the position of one of the Arok clan generals.

Something suddenly flashed through my mind.

“You are a Light Order,” an unseen voice whispered. But I ignored it. Probably just my imagination.

Found him.

I spurred my shadow horse forward, kicking it into a frantic sprint. The wind slammed violently against my face. I couldn’t afford to disappoint Lord Mada. Where would my pride be if I failed to execute the targets he had named?

When we reached the Arok clan’s territory, I found their vanguard already lined up in battle formation, bracing for the clash.

“ATTACK!!!”

My troops let out a deafening battle cry right behind me. Looking up at the sky, I saw a swarm of arrows already raining down on us. However, the mages at the rear shielded me with an invisible barrier, causing the arrows to clatter harmlessly to the ground.

I glanced back at the mages. One of them met my gaze, offering a faint nod and a slight smile. Now, it was my turn to move...

As I closed the distance with the front lines of the Arok clan, they swarmed together, trying to overwhelm me. I leaped off my shadow horse. The creature dissolved into dust, instantly blinding the enemy soldiers who were rushing to attack.

Right then, I drew the twin swords from my waist. I slaughtered them ruthlessly until they collapsed into heaps, drenched in blood. I didn’t spare a single one, ensuring no one could ambush me from any angle.

I spun on my heel, swinging my blades in a wide arc, turning myself into a human meat-grinder. Dozens of them began backing away in sheer terror. The archers, in particular, kept scrambling backward to avoid me.

Heh. Where do you think you’re going, idiots?

As the archers scattered blindly, I hurled several throwing knives from my pockets, sending them screaming in pain. I pressed forward, and right there in front of me...

I faced the Arok clan general.

“Armor that thick is meant for a coward, not a general,” I mocked.

The general stayed silent, offering no reply. I was certain he was trembling inside that heavy iron suit. Gripping his greatsword, he slammed it into the earth, sending currents of electricity crackling across the ground in all directions, killing several of my men.

The blinding glare of the lightning obscured my vision. Damn it, what is he doing?

Suddenly, a wave of intense heat radiated behind me. My instincts were right—he was already at my back, aiming to slice me in two. Fortunately, I managed to dodge his swing. The sheer force of his strike split the earth open, leaving a crack that stretched for several meters.

I locked a fierce gaze on him. My hands and feet moved like a hurricane.

As the general braced himself to parry my attack, I dashed right past him to his rear. My blades were set to pierce his back, but he spun around instantly, blocking with his greatsword.

Damn it, he’s fast...

I sprinted and leaped directly at him, launching myself high into the sky. Up in the air, I spun my body repeatedly like a tornado. Only this time, I pushed my rotation even faster.

The foolish general held his ground, desperately trying to withstand my spinning assault. Slowly but surely, I noticed his sword beginning to crack.

I stopped spinning abruptly, channeling a surge of powerful energy to combine my twin blades into a single weapon, focusing the raw power right into the tip of the steel.

And...

The general’s sword shattered completely. Utter confusion washed over his face, and he scrambled away to avoid me.

“RALLY!” he roared at the top of his lungs. His remaining troops immediately fell back, closing ranks around their general.

Bastard... what a cheap move...

His men formed a tight circle around me. While half of his rear guard turned to face me, the front half continued to hold off the assault from my own army.

He pointed a finger at me. “Cow-ard.”

Arcs of lightning surged from his fingertip, striking me dead-on.

“ARGHH! AKH!”

You bastard! What the hell is he doing? I couldn’t move a muscle. He walked casually toward me, keeping up the continuous shock. My hands lost all strength, barely able to hold onto my weapon.

“You’re nothing but a lackey to a foolish king who doesn’t even care about you. You’re useful, not valued. It’s truly pathetic,” the general sneered right in my face.

I curled my lip into a smirk. “You... you think you’re not Ken Arok’s puppet? You’re nothing more than a pig in iron armor.”

Above us, the sky suddenly darkened. A thick fog rolled over the battlefield, making the enemy soldiers cough violently.

“Lord Mada... thank you for hearing me.”

“Hold your positions! You won’t be stopped by a little fog!” the general barked.

One by one, the faces of his soldiers began to rot, their bodies growing weak until they collapsed.

The general looked around frantically, searching for whoever had summoned the dense black mist.

“What’s wrong? Panicking now?” I mocked.

He glared at me, but the electrical shock only intensified.

“ARGH!”

BASTARD! He still wouldn’t let me go.

**Click.**

Instantly, the entire enemy army dropped dead. Out of the heavy fog, Lord Mada slowly materialized.

“Gajah Mada?! How did you-” The general’s words cut short as black smoke penetrated his thick armor. The wretched electric shock finally released me.

Lord Mada walked forward calmly and ripped off the general’s helmet. He glanced back, looking in my direction.

“Dipo, finish the job.”

The general slumped over, completely powerless, just as Lord Mada dissolved into dust.

I approached the general, pointing my blade straight at his face. He was trembling.

“Where is Ken Arok?” I demanded, glaring down at him.

“He... Ha... HAHAHA! HAHAHAH!! Over my dead bo-”

He was better off swallowing my sword than talking...

I looked back, seeing many of my own men lying lifeless, drenched in blood. Stepping over their corpses, I summoned my shadow horse.

“Troops, fall back!”

—-

Back at the palace, I went straight to Lord Mada’s throne room. He sat there, posture perfectly straight, staring at me just as he always did.

“Lord Mada, I-”

He raised his hand, and my mouth instantly clamped shut. A faint smile played on his lips.

“Continue your search,” he said quietly.

“Yes, my lord.”

At his word, I turned to leave. Just as I was one step away from exiting the gates, I-

“Ugh...”

I looked back. Lord Mada had thrown a dagger from across the room. The blade was buried deep in my stomach.

“W-w-why, m-my lord?”

My lips trembled, stained with blood.

“Weak. Utterly weak... you belong among the common foot soldiers, not as my right-hand man.”

“But, didn’t I...?”

My legs gave out. The last thing I saw was absolute darkness...

.

..

...

“Dipo.”

What was that voice? It echoed in my ears.

“Dipo...”

What is that? Why does it have wings? I couldn’t see its face clearly. It reached out a hand toward me. And why couldn’t I speak?

“Dipo, you are given a second chance,” the echoing voice said.

What? What second chance?

“With this, I grant you the power of light to do good. Misuse it, and hell awaits you.”

Why? Why me? And what is that? What is...? The light grew brighter. And brighter.

Until...

All I could see was pure, blinding white...