Chapter 67: Tragic Meeting

The war room of World Guidance was filled with tension. The walls hummed with mana-powered devices, holographic maps displayed shifting battlefronts, and an eerie silence gripped the strongest warriors in the organization.

Jin Shang stood at the center, arms crossed, his gaze locked on the image of Ferris—the first confirmed member of the Demonic Cult.

"He's just one," Jin muttered. "Which means there's more."

Park Hae In leaned against the table, scanning the reports. "Ferris wasn't trying to win that fight. He was testing us."

Chris Walker cracked his knuckles. "Then we should test them back. Burn their base to the ground."

Kaelros smirked. "If we could find it."

Lilian narrowed her eyes. "They wiped out Sector 17. No trails, no survivors. This isn't a normal cult."

Jin sighed. His fingers tapped against the table. Something didn't add up.

The Ranker Association had been the strongest force before they collapsed. Yet, this Demonic Cult seemed to be even more dangerous.

" Of course it is the backbone of them" Jin told. " But I don't know what are their intentions ? My instincts say they are not here to claim this power."

A deep silence followed.

Then, Hae In exhaled. " Jin i have some thing to show you but I think You're not going to like this."

" Of course I will see. Just give me." Jin told.

She handed Jin a separate file. A different symbol was stamped on the cover.

Suddenly Jin's eyes darkened. He didn't not expect this.

It was the so familiar emblem.

The Amethyst Serpent— as if he saw it before.

Jin's grip tightened. "Explain."

Hae In hesitated, then spoke. "When we are searching for clue then found a letter in Sector 17. Then we found a pic." She handed him a pic where two couples hold their children.

" But unfortunately when I went your cabin to discuss about this but you were not there then i saw your family album and when I was seeing more pic then.." she stopped for a moment then she started.

" Then i saw same pic from your album book . Jin, Can you tell us exactly what is relationship between you and this guy."

A sudden chill filled the air.

Jin's world stopped for a moment. Then he told, His voice was barely a whisper. " He is my father."

He had searched for years. His mother never spoke of him where he was ? His records were erased. He was a ghost.

Jin's voice was quiet, but deadly. "Where is he?"

Hae In hesitated. " Kaelros and Mr. Singh already encountered with him. He told himself the leader of Demonic Cult."

The words hit like a sledgehammer.

The room remained frozen.

Chris Walker's eyes widened. "Wait. What?"

Lia raised an eyebrow. "Jin's father is their leader?"

Lilian whispered, "That doesn't make sense…"

Jin remained silent. His mind spun.

His mother had hidden it. Had she known all along? Had she been protecting him from this truth?

Hae In continued. "We don't know why he leads them, but it's confirmed. Your father isn't just alive, Jin. He's the one orchestrating everything."

Jin exhaled slowly. His emotions twisted—anger, betrayal, confusion.

Then, he grinned.

"Perfect."

Hae In blinked. "Jin—"

He cracked his neck, his Byonder-level aura distorting space. "I've wanted to meet him. Now, I get to kill him."

A heavy silence followed.

Lilian finally spoke. "What's the plan?"

Jin turned to Lysander. "How fast can you track their movements?"

Kaelros grinned. "Give me a day."

Jin nodded. "Do it."

Chris Walker smirked. "And when we find them?"

Jin's voice was ice-cold. "We burn them down."

The hunt for the Demonic Cult had begun.

[Twelve Hours Later]

Kaelros stood before a massive holographic map. His fingers tapped the air, adjusting coordinates.

"Got it." His voice was confident. "Their hideout is deep in the Abyssal Zone, a region even the Ranker Association avoided."

Jin frowned. "The Abyssal Zone?"

Kaelros nodded. "A place where normal mana. Only Abyssal Energy flows there."

Lilian narrowed her eyes. "Jin, that means…"

Jin sighed. "That means my Abyssal Power will be stronger."

Hae In crossed her arms. "It's a trap."

Jin smirked. "Of course it is."

Chris grinned. "But we're still going, right?"

Jin's eyes gleamed. "Obviously."

[Abyssal Zone – Entrance]

The landscape twisted into something unnatural. The sky darkened, tendrils of black mist slithered across the ground. Whispers echoed in the air.

Jin stood at the front, World Guidance's elite behind him.

A massive fortress loomed in the distance.

The stronghold of the Demonic Cult.

Jin's fingers curled into a fist. His Abyssal Power reacted to the energy in the air.

Kaelros exhaled. "Yeah. This place is cursed."

Chris Walker grinned. "That just makes it more fun."

Lilian's gaze sharpened. "Stay alert."

Jin took a step forward—

And the shadows moved.

From the mist, figures emerged.

Hundreds of cultists in black robes. Their eyes glowed red. Their presence warped reality.

Then, from the fortress—

A man stepped forward.

Tall. Overwhelmingly strong.

Jin's heart pounded.

His father.

The man smirked. "You've grown, Jin."

Jin grinned back.

"This is the part where I kill you."

His father laughed. "You can try."

The battle had begun.

Without hesitation, he vanished.

Space cracked as Jin teleported behind him, his fist coated in Abyssal energy, ready to erase the man in a single blow—

But before he could even strike—

BOOM!

A shockwave ripped through the battlefield.

A single backhand slap sent Jin flying.

Crack.

His body crashed into the ground, the sheer force shattering stone and warping air.

Blood dripped from his lips. His body felt heavy.

Jin tried to move, but his father was already in front of him, looking down with disappointment.

"You're still weak," his father muttered. "Pathetic."

Jin clenched his teeth, his pride burning.

Then—

A silver flash.

Lilian appeared beside her father, her sword slicing directly toward his neck.

Her speed was inhuman. A perfect assassination strike.

Yet—

Her blade stopped mid-air.

He caught it with two fingers.

A smirk played on his lips as he turned his head toward her. "I see... my daughter has guts."

The words froze the battlefield.

Lilian's eyes widened.

Jin's breath caught.

Chris, Kaelros, and Hae In all tensed.

"…Daughter? I am not the daughter of a devil." Lilian's voice was cold.

His father's smirk remained, but he didn't answer.

Lilian's grip tightened around her sword. "Answer me, you bastard. Why did you betray us ? Why did you leave our mom? Why did you choose this path?"

But without saying any word suddenly he launched a devastating blust. The light spread and covered the whole area and a huge explosion occured.

Finally dust was fading, Jin moved. He saw his team members were very injured. Thy looked like they can't blow any strike. Jin became shock to see their situation. He could not believe they were easily defeated by him. He realized there were a huge power gap between them.

Not wasting any time his power surged, space bent, and in an instant—

Jinand his team teleported.

A flash of dark energy, and World Guidance vanished from the battlefield.

Jin's father watched them disappear. His smirk lingered.

"Interesting," he murmured. "Very interesting."