The two cloaked men stood only a short distance away from Forte and her children, who were still frozen in fear. Everyone in the village watched as if in a daze. This was the first time they had ever seen someone use synergy. They had always assumed the stories were just that—stories. They never expected it to actually be real. And if these people existed, then that meant synergy existed too. The villagers couldn’t fully process this—it was simply beyond their comprehension.

  Forte gently pushed her frozen children behind her to protect them.

  “What do you want?” Forte asked sharply. She already knew they were after her and had a good idea why, but she wanted confirmation.

  One of the cloaked men stepped forward and began to speak.

  “We want you to come back to the sanctuary. If you refuse, we won’t hesitate to take your life. That was his order, so choose.”

  She looked at the men, then at her children. She didn’t want to go back—but with her kids there, she had no choice. Her eyes landed last on Deniz. His expression no longer reflected fear. In fact, he looked calm. This sparked something within her. Deniz was different. He had potential—great potential.

  She shook her head and sighed. What she was about to do wasn’t the best option… but she had faith in her son. Especially after everything she had witnessed today.

  “I’m not going back. So if there’s no other choice, then I’ll put my life on the line for what I stand for,” said Forte. Even if it cost her life, she wouldn’t back down.

  “Your loss,” the same man replied.

  He pulled back the hood of his cloak to reveal short blonde hair and a trimmed beard. He had a deep voice and bright blue eyes like a calm ocean. He was a very handsome man—and clearly older than Forte.

  A purple aura began to cover his body as he walked forward. His aura rushed toward Forte in an attempt to instill fear—but it failed. A blue aura burst from Forte, pushing back against his. It was a clash of power, a clash of aura. A wave of blue and purple engulfed the entire village.

  A fight between beings who had entered the Second Awakening was about to begin. A battle of the ages.

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  From Deniz’s perspective, this was a fight between two great existences—and it could be a valuable learning experience. He might come to understand more about synergy through this.

  Rhitta and Rhosa were extremely worried about their mother. They had never seen her fight before, and the two cloaked men didn’t look like good people. Deniz held both of his sisters close, prepared to run if needed. The villagers watched the clash of synergy, stunned. They never would’ve guessed that Forte—the kind woman who read them stories—could wield such mythical power. Perhaps that was why she had told them those stories in the first place.

  The blonde man and Forte dashed forward simultaneously, each summoning a weapon in their hands. The blonde man summoned a golden rapier, and Forte summoned a blood-red double-sided spear. They were only a foot apart when their weapons clashed, creating a massive shockwave that blew everyone back.

  The blonde man raised his left leg and tried to kick Forte, aiming to push her away so he could use his rapier-based fighting style. Forte narrowly dodged the kick by jumping backward.

  The man settled into a stance—one foot positioned ahead of the other in a forward-leaning posture. This gave him greater reach with his rapier. He began to swing rapidly and with surgical precision.

  His attacks were so accurate that they started to slice the skin on Forte’s face, causing blood to trickle down. In just a second, she had multiple bleeding scratches. He was better than her with weapons. Forte came to that conclusion quickly—not just from his attacks, but from his movement and control. She was rusty after sixteen years of peace. But she was waiting…

  She was waiting for the perfect moment—to block one of his strikes and counterattack.

  As the blonde man continued his rapid strikes, she dodged as many as she could. Still, she was getting hit every few swings. She couldn’t keep this up much longer.

  Finally, when the man aimed a swing at her face, she countered with her spear, deflecting the rapier to the side. This disrupted his stance and left him vulnerable. His eyes widened in shock—he didn’t expect that.

  Forte seized the opening and thrust her spear into his chest. The blade pierced through his body, and blood spattered as she pulled it back out. The man looked at her and simply laughed. Despite being stabbed, it wasn’t a fatal wound. It hadn’t hit any vital organs.

  They were just a few feet apart when he suddenly raised his rapier—and threw it at her.

  She had a split second to react. Whether to dodge or deflect it, she chose neither. Instead, she reached out and grabbed the blade mid-air. It cut into her hand, but she managed to stop it. Blood streamed down from her grip and splattered onto the ground.

  The blonde man grinned menacingly. This had been unexpected… but it still fell within his plan.

  He pointed at the sword—and it exploded.

  The rapier detonated in Forte’s hand, shrouding the area in smoke. When the smoke cleared, Forte’s hand was gone. It had been blown to pieces.

  That explosion was the trigger.

  It awakened Forte’s original self—the side of her she had hidden from her children. The side that had once made her one of the most feared people in the sanctuary over sixteen years ago.

  Her aura exploded, covering the entire village and completely overshadowing the blonde man’s. This was a psychotic aura, raw and terrifying. She hadn’t fought in sixteen years, so she had expected to take serious damage. But now that her kids were here, she wouldn’t stop fighting—no matter what.

  Blood poured from the wound where her hand used to be. But instead of despair, she wore a maniacal grin. This was the real Forte. The one few had seen. The one that had once struck fear into the hearts of many.

  The real battle was about to begin.

  What awaits in the clash between these two beings of the Second Awakening?