Chapter 141: Dao of Ghost Slaying: Celestial Purge!

The battle between Professor Aanya and the Cult Leader, disguised as Captain Hato, was a clash of overwhelming forces.

The air in the chamber grew dense with energy as the two opponents faced off, their auras radiating power that made the very ground tremble.

Ruchir and his group had cleared the room of cultists, but the real fight was just beginning.

The Cult Leader sneered from behind his mask, his eyes glinting with malice. "You've fought well, but this ends now, Professor Aanya. You will regret standing in my way."

Professor Aanya stood tall, her eyes fierce and determined.

The newly awakened Righteousness Energy coursed through her veins, enhancing her strength and resolve.

"You and your cult have twisted the truth, corrupted the innocent, and defiled what is sacred. I will not let you continue your vile ways."

With a flick of his wrist, the Cult Leader summoned a torrent of water, his elemental magic surging forward like a tidal wave. "Water Dragon's Wrath!" he roared.

The water coalesced into the form of a massive dragon, its serpentine body undulating with immense power as it rushed toward Aanya, jaws wide open.

Professor Aanya did not flinch. Her hands glowed with a soft white light, the Righteousness Energy taking form as she channeled her newfound power.

"Righteous Spirit Shield!" she called out, and a barrier of pure, ethereal energy erupted around her, deflecting the dragon's attack.

The water dragon crashed against the shield with a deafening roar, but it could not penetrate the righteous barrier.

The Cult Leader snarled in frustration, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. "You think your petty righteousness can protect you? You're just delaying the inevitable!"

In response, Professor Aanya's expression hardened. She lowered her shield, allowing the remnants of the water dragon to dissipate into mist.

"This is no mere protection," she said, her voice calm but filled with unshakable conviction.

"This is the power of the righteous, the force that will cleanse this world of your evil."

With a swift motion, Aanya summoned a host of ghostly apparitions, their translucent forms swirling around her like a spectral storm. "Ghostly Vengeance Strike!" she shouted, and the spirits rushed forward, their wails echoing through the chamber as they charged at the Cult Leader.

The Cult Leader braced himself, raising a wall of water to shield against the incoming spirits.

But the ghostly apparitions were relentless, their incorporeal forms passing through the barrier as if it didn't exist.

They slammed into the Cult Leader with an otherworldly force, their cold touch seeping into his very soul.

He staggered back, hissing in pain. "You… you dare to use spirits against me? I'll show you the true meaning of despair!"

Regaining his composure, the Cult Leader gathered his energy, summoning a whirlpool of dark, malevolent water around him. "Abyssal Torrent!" he roared, and the water exploded outward in a vicious spiral, consuming everything in its path.

But Aanya was ready. She raised her hands skyward, her eyes glowing with the intensity of her power. "Exorcising Light!" she cried out.

A pillar of radiant light descended from above, piercing through the darkness of the Cult Leader's attack.

The light burned with the purity of her righteousness, dissolving the abyssal water into harmless vapor.

The Cult Leader was thrown back by the force of the light, his body skidding across the stone floor.

He groaned, struggling to rise as he felt the power of Aanya's attack weakening him.

But his anger only grew stronger, feeding his determination to crush her.

"You're strong, but you're not strong enough to defeat me!" he snarled, summoning a sphere of dark energy into his hands.

The energy pulsated with a sickly glow, filled with the corrupt essence of his dark magic. "Void Rend!" he shouted, hurling the sphere at Aanya.

The sphere cut through the air with terrifying speed, distorting reality as it went. But Aanya stood firm, her gaze unwavering.

She placed her hands together, focusing all her energy into a single point. "Dao of Ghost Slaying: Celestial Purge!" she declared, her voice ringing with authority.

A blinding light erupted from her hands, forming a massive, shining blade of pure righteousness.

With a swift and powerful motion, she swung the blade down, cleaving through the Cult Leader's dark energy sphere as if it were nothing.

The blade continued its descent, cutting a deep fissure into the ground as it surged toward the Cult Leader.

The Cult Leader barely had time to react, throwing himself to the side to avoid being bisected by the righteous blade.

But even as he evaded the attack, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. The power Aanya wielded was unlike anything he had ever faced.

He quickly gathered himself, summoning more water to form a protective barrier around him. But Aanya was relentless.

She advanced, her aura growing ever stronger. The ghosts she had summoned earlier reappeared, their forms coalescing into a fearsome army behind her.

"This is the end for you," Aanya said, her voice calm and resolute. "Your corruption has spread too far. It is time to cleanse this world of your darkness."

With a powerful thrust of her arm, she unleashed her most devastating attack yet. "Dao of Ghost Slaying: Divine Judgment!" The spirits surged forward, merging into a single, colossal entity.

This spectral being, glowing with an ethereal light, wielded a massive sword of pure righteousness. It raised the sword high, then brought it down with the force of a thunderclap.

The Cult Leader's water barrier shattered under the impact, and he was thrown back by the sheer force of the attack. He crashed into the far wall, the impact cracking the stone around him. The mask he wore was knocked askew, but he quickly adjusted it, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"How… how can this be?" he muttered, his voice tinged with fear. "I am the leader of the cult! I am invincible!"

But even as he tried to rally himself, Aanya advanced, her eyes cold and determined. "Your time is over," she said, her voice like ice. "No mask can hide the truth. No darkness can stand against the light."

With one final effort, the Cult Leader summoned his remaining strength. He gathered the water around him, forming a swirling vortex. "Final Gambit: Ocean's Fury!" he roared, hurling the vortex at Aanya with all his might.

But Aanya was undeterred. She summoned her own energy, the righteous power within her burning brighter than ever.

"Dao of Ghost Slaying: Spirit Cleansing Strike!" she shouted, unleashing a wave of pure, white energy that collided with the Cult Leader's attack.

The two forces clashed in the center of the chamber, creating a blinding explosion of light and energy. The ground shook, and the very air seemed to crackle with power.

For a moment, it seemed as though the two forces were evenly matched. But then, slowly but surely, Aanya's righteous energy began to overpower the Cult Leader's dark magic.

The Cult Leader's vortex faltered, then collapsed entirely as Aanya's attack surged forward, slamming into him with unstoppable force.

He screamed in pain as the energy washed over him, burning away the darkness that had corrupted his soul. His mask, unable to withstand the power of the attack, shattered into pieces, revealing the face beneath.

Ruchir and his group, who had been watching the battle from the sidelines, gasped in shock as they saw the face of the Cult Leader for the first time. They knew this man. They had fought alongside him before. 

For a moment, there was only silence in the chamber, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Professor Aanya, her breath heavy but steady, stared at the man before her, the pieces of the mask still scattering to the ground. The realization of who she had been fighting against slowly dawned on her.

Ruchir's voice broke the silence, trembling with disbelief. "It's… it's you?"

As the last shards of Captain Hato's mask clattered to the ground, the chamber plunged into a stunned silence.

Ruchir, Garret, and Robert stood frozen, their minds reeling with disbelief.

The face before them—a face they had known and trusted—was that of Captain Hato, a man they had admired, respected, even looked up to.

The man who had been the embodiment of justice, a paragon of duty within the Four Spirit Empire, was now revealed as the Cult Leader they had been battling all along.

Ruchir's thoughts swirled in a chaotic storm.

How could this be? Captain Hato, our senior, the one who always spoke of honor and duty—how could he be the mastermind behind such evil?

His heart pounded in his chest, the bitter taste of betrayal rising in his throat.

Garret, usually full of bravado, was left speechless. He took a step back, his eyes wide with shock. "No... it can't be him," he muttered under his breath. "It doesn't make sense. Captain Hato was… he was one of the good ones."

Robert, ever the sarcastic observer, found no words of mockery. His usual sharp tongue fell silent as he struggled to process the truth before him.

He had admired Captain Hato's efficiency, his commitment to the law, his ruthless pursuit of justice. Was it all a lie?

The internal conflict within each of them grew, their thoughts colliding with the image of Captain Hato they had held in their minds.

How could someone so seemingly righteous fall so far?

Ruchir clenched his fists, his voice finally breaking through the silence.

"Captain Hato," he began, his voice laced with anger and confusion, "why? Why would you do this? What could possibly drive you to such... madness?"

Garret stepped forward, his shock turning into a mix of frustration and anger. "We followed you, respected you! How could you betray everything you stood for?"

Robert, his voice tinged with bitterness, added, "You were supposed to be one of the good guys. Was all that talk about justice just a façade? Were you wearing a mask all this time, even when you weren't?"