Chapter 21 – The Art of War

The Unseen Enemy

The Outlands at night were eerily silent. The sky, an endless void of deep purple and black, flickered with distant supernovas and swirling nebulae. Yet, despite its beauty, the air carried a weight—an unshakable tension that gnawed at my senses.

I sat cross-legged on the cracked earth, eyes closed, focusing on the presence inside me—the countless warriors of the past who had lent me their strength. Their voices were fainter now, waiting. Observing.

Taro had stopped training for the night, but my mind refused to rest.

Something was coming.

Something I couldn't see.

I clenched my fists. "You feel that?" I asked, opening one eye to look at Korr, who sat a few feet away, sharpening his blade.

Korr's grip tightened. "Yeah. And I don't like it."

Taro stood a few meters away, staring at the horizon. His arms were crossed, and his usual smirk was nowhere to be seen.

"When warriors like us sense something before it happens," he murmured, "that means the battle has already begun."

I frowned. "You think it's Xyros?"

Taro exhaled. "No. If it were him, we wouldn't be sensing him. He'd just be here."

That was what unsettled me most.

Xyros was a known threat. But this? This was something else.

Something ancient.

And it was watching.

---

Strategic Preparations

"I'm done playing defense," I muttered, standing up.

Korr raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what's your plan, strategist?"

I turned to Taro. "You taught me how to fight smart. To think like a commander, not just a warrior."

Taro nodded. "Go on."

"Then it's time we stop waiting for them to make the first move." I cracked my knuckles. "We go hunting."

Korr let out a dry chuckle. "Hunting what, exactly? The feeling in the air?"

I pointed at the distant mountains in the Outlands—the Ruins of Ok'Theris.

"That's where we start."

Taro raised an eyebrow. "And why, pray tell, should we go digging around an abandoned wasteland?"

I took a deep breath. "Because this power inside me… it's connected to the past, right?"

Taro nodded slowly.

"Then I'm willing to bet those ruins hold something we need. Knowledge, a weapon, something. And if Xyros is playing the long game, that means he hasn't found it yet."

Korr rubbed his chin. "That's… not a terrible plan."

Taro grinned. "Well, damn. The kid can learn."

I smirked. "Then let's move."

---

The Ruins of Ok'Theris

The journey to the ruins was anything but smooth.

The Outlands were notorious for unpredictable terrain, massive energy storms, and very unfriendly creatures.

Case in point—

"WHY IS IT ALWAYS A GIANT SANDWORM?!" I shouted, flipping mid-air as a massive scaled beast erupted from beneath the cracked ground.

Its segmented body twisted, fangs the size of Saiyan warships gleaming in the low light. It let out a shriek that vibrated the very air.

Taro, standing on a boulder, smirked. "Would you prefer it be a shadow demon?"

Korr, blade in hand, dodged a swipe from the worm's tendrils. "Less talking, more killing!"

Fine by me.

I launched forward, golden energy crackling around my fists. The voices of the fallen whispered strategies in my mind.

Go for the joints.

Avoid the frontal strike—aim for the sensory nodes.

I moved instinctively, dodging another attack before slamming my fist into the worm's plated hide. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through its body, but—

It absorbed the hit.

My eyes widened. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."

The worm let out another shriek. Then—its scales shifted.

Korr landed beside me. "Did it just… adapt to your attack?"

Taro smirked. "Oh, that's adorable."

I gritted my teeth. "Yeah? You wanna take over, Mr. Smug?"

Taro rolled his shoulders. "Gladly."

He blurred forward—then vanished.

The worm recoiled, its body shuddering, as a barrage of invisible strikes slammed into its core.

Taro reappeared on top of its head, cracking his knuckles. "Lesson time, kid. Sometimes, brute force isn't the answer."

I frowned. "What'd you do?"

Taro grinned. "Instead of fighting it head-on, I disrupted its nervous system. You see that little glowing nerve cluster near its third segment? That's where all its motor functions are regulated."

The worm spasmed—before its entire body collapsed.

I stared. "…I hate how easy you made that look."

Taro smirked. "And that's why I'm the teacher."

Korr sheathed his blade. "Enough distractions. The ruins are close."

I exhaled. "Right. Let's move."

---

The Hidden Vault

The entrance to the Ruins of Ok'Theris was massive—carved into the side of a mountain, its ancient Saiyan inscriptions barely legible after centuries of decay.

But what caught my attention?

A massive door at the center of the ruins—pulsing with energy.

Korr frowned. "This… is a vault."

Taro's expression turned serious. "Not just any vault. This predates even the Saiyan civil war."

I took a step forward, pressing my hand against the door.

The moment I did—

A shockwave rippled through my body.

My vision shifted.

And suddenly—

I wasn't in the ruins anymore.

---

Echoes of the War

I stood in the middle of a battlefield.

Saiyan warriors clashed with Shadow Saiyans, their golden and dark auras colliding like supernovas.

At the center of the chaos—

A man stood.

Tall. Cloaked in a war-torn cape. His golden eyes burned like dying stars.

The warrior from my vision.

He turned, looking at me.

"You are closer than you think," he said, his voice a low rumble.

I clenched my fists. "Who are you?"

The battlefield around us blurred. The warrior's expression remained unreadable.

"The one who sealed the First Shadow."

My breath hitched.

"But now," he continued, "you must decide."

"Decide what?"

The warrior raised his hand—pointing toward the vault door in the real world.

"You are not the first to come here. And you will not be the last."

A chill ran down my spine.

Something was inside that vault.

Something dangerous.

Something waiting.

The vision faded—

And I was back in the ruins.

Taro and Korr were staring at me.

"You okay?" Korr asked.

I exhaled. "No. But we're about to open that vault anyway."

Taro grinned. "Now that is the Saiyan way."

I stepped forward, my hand glowing with golden energy.

And then—

I pushed the vault open.

---

Next Time on Ancient Legends…

What's inside the ancient vault?!

The warrior from Akuma's vision—who is he?!

And is the First Shadow closer than they think?!

Find out next time on Ancient Legends!