Chapter 52: The Shadow of the Final Piece
The canyon was silent.
Too silent.
The kind of silence that made even the wind feel afraid to move.
Moonlight spilled across jagged cliffs and broken stone pathways as Lee Kung, Mia, and Sio Jun moved cautiously through the darkness.
The note remained clenched in Lee Kung's hand.
Every second that passed tightened the knot in his chest.
Harris was here.
He had to be.
After everything they had been through, after weeks of searching and countless dead ends, this had to be the breakthrough they needed.
Mia walked beside him.
"You think he's really here?"
Lee Kung nodded.
"I can feel something."
Sio Jun sniffed the air.
Her silver eyes narrowed.
"I smell fear."
Mia looked toward her.
"Harris?"
The werewolf nodded.
"And blood."
Lee Kung immediately increased his pace.
The others followed.
The deeper they ventured into the canyon, the darker the surroundings became.
Even the moonlight struggled to reach the canyon floor.
Strange shadows stretched between rocks.
The air felt heavier.
Almost alive.
Then—
A scream echoed through the canyon.
"HAAAAA—!"
The sound froze all three in place.
Harris.
It was Harris.
Lee Kung recognized the voice instantly.
"HARRIS!"
Without hesitation he broke into a sprint.
Mia and Sio Jun followed immediately.
The scream came again.
This time weaker.
Painful.
Desperate.
"H-help!"
Lee's heart nearly stopped.
"HARRIS!"
The three raced through the winding pathways.
Jumping over rocks.
Sliding around corners.
Following the voice.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until finally—
They reached a massive open clearing.
And there he was.
Harris.
Chained to a stone pillar in the center of the canyon.
His blue hair hung over his face.
Bruises covered his body.
Dark chains wrapped around his wrists.
His head hung low.
Motionless.
"HARRIS!"
Mia gasped.
Lee immediately ran forward.
Sio Jun right behind him.
For a brief moment relief flooded his chest.
They found him.
They finally found him.
But then—
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The Dragon King's Sword vibrated violently.
Danger.
A warning.
A massive warning.
Lee's instincts screamed.
STOP.
Yet his emotions pushed him forward.
"Harris!"
The chained figure slowly lifted its head.
A smile appeared.
A smile that didn't belong to Harris.
The world seemed to stop.
The blue hair vanished.
The bruises disappeared.
The chains dissolved into smoke.
And standing there—
Laughing—
Was Lee Kang.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
The canyon echoed with his laughter.
Mia froze.
Sio Jun immediately growled.
Lee Kung stopped moving.
His expression went blank.
Then the anger came.
Pure anger.
Weeks of searching.
Weeks of worry.
Weeks of pain.
And this had all been a game.
Lee Kang's laughter only continued.
"Oh brother..."
He stepped away from the pillar.
"You should've seen your face."
The shadows around him twisted.
"You actually believed it."
Lee Kung's body trembled.
Not from fear.
From rage.
His grip tightened around the Dragon King's Sword.
Red lightning crackled around him.
The canyon floor cracked beneath his feet.
"Where."
Lee Kang smirked.
"Where what?"
Lee's eyes glowed crimson.
"WHERE IS HARRIS?!"
The entire canyon shook.
Even Mia stepped backward.
The sheer force behind his voice sent loose rocks tumbling from the cliffs.
Lee Kang merely smiled.
"Still alive."
That was all he said.
Still smiling.
Still mocking him.
Still treating everything like a joke.
Something inside Lee finally snapped.
Enough.
Enough lies.
Enough games.
Enough running.
Enough disappearing.
Enough watching people suffer.
Enough.
Red lightning exploded around him.
BOOOOOOM!
The canyon floor shattered beneath his feet.
Lee Kang's smile finally faded.
For the first time—
He realized his brother wasn't holding back anymore.
Lee Kung vanished.
A sonic boom followed.
The air itself tore apart.
Lee reappeared directly in front of Lee Kang.
Sword raised.
Eyes burning.
The blade aimed directly for his neck.
"STOP TOYING WITH ME!"
The attack was lethal.
Not a warning.
Not a threat.
A strike meant to end the fight.
Even Lee Kang looked shocked.
The speed.
The rage.
The killing intent.
For a split second he genuinely thought he was about to die.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
A dark figure crashed between them.
The impact sent shockwaves across the canyon.
Lee's blade struck darkness instead of flesh.
A powerful force erupted outward.
The collision launched Lee backward.
He crashed through several stone pillars before stopping.
Dust exploded into the air.
Mia gasped.
"LEE!"
Sio Jun immediately entered a fighting stance.
The dust slowly settled.
A figure stood between the brothers.
Tall.
Dark.
Surrounded by black energy.
Its body appeared almost human but was covered in living shadows.
Purple cracks glowed beneath its skin.
Its eyes burned with violet light.
Lee Kang relaxed.
A smile returned to his face.
"Perfect timing."
The shadow figure slowly turned.
Its eyes locked onto Lee Kung.
Then—
The shadows began peeling away.
Mia's eyes widened.
"No..."
Sio Jun froze.
"What the hell?"
Lee slowly stood.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
His eyes narrowed.
Because he knew that face.
He knew it very well.
Black hair.
Purple eyes.
The same calm expression.
Gin Morino.
But this wasn't the Gin from school.
This wasn't the boy who sat beside him in class.
This wasn't the student who fought him in the tournament.
This was something else.
Something far darker.
Gin's entire body radiated corrupted energy.
Darkness flowed from him like smoke.
The ground beneath his feet slowly blackened.
Lee stared at him.
"Gin..."
Gin's expression remained unreadable.
For several moments nobody moved.
Then he finally spoke.
"You weren't supposed to attack him."
Lee laughed bitterly.
"You kidnapped Harris."
Gin looked away.
"I know."
"You lied to us."
"I know."
"You spied on us."
"...I know."
Lee pointed his sword toward him.
"Then move."
Gin didn't.
The canyon became silent once more.
Lee Kang watched the scene with amusement.
Like a spectator enjoying a play.
"Interesting, isn't it?" Lee Kang said.
"The Final Piece standing against the Hero."
Mia stepped beside Lee.
Magic energy formed around her hands.
Sio Jun joined them.
Silver markings appeared across her skin.
The battle lines were drawn.
Yet Gin still didn't move.
His eyes remained fixed on Lee.
And for the first time—
Lee noticed something.
Guilt.
There was guilt in those eyes.
Regret.
Pain.
Fear.
Emotions that shouldn't exist in someone completely loyal to darkness.
Lee noticed it.
Mia noticed it.
Even Sio Jun noticed it.
But Lee Kang didn't.
Or perhaps he simply didn't care.
The corrupted warrior raised one hand.
Instantly hundreds of shadow soldiers emerged from the canyon walls.
The darkness itself came alive.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Then thousands.
Their glowing eyes filled the cliffs.
The entire canyon transformed into an army.
Mia's face went pale.
Sio Jun cursed.
Lee simply tightened his grip on his sword.
Because suddenly he understood.
This had never been about Harris.
This had never been about a rescue.
This was bait.
A trap designed from the very beginning.
And they had walked directly into it.
Lee Kang spread his arms.
"Welcome, brother."
The shadows behind him roared.
"To the beginning of the Balance War."
The canyon erupted with dark energy.
And as armies gathered around them, Lee Kung realized one terrifying truth.
This battle would decide far more than Harris' fate.
It would decide the fate of every realm.
And standing between him and victory...
Was Gin Morino.
The Final Piece.
The friend he never truly had.
The enemy he never wanted.
And the battle had only just begun.