Chapter 157: Shae Vs Foteyo
"You’re right," The Agent said calmly. "Who you are doesn’t matter anymore. You’re just an unfortunate anomaly—someone blessed with power that should never have existed. A disruption to the world’s balance."
"So what?" Al shot back.
The Agent smiled faintly, though there was no warmth in it—only judgment.
"It means," he said, his voice echoing like a divine decree, "you were never meant to exist."
From his side, the black energy gathered once again—coalescing into a massive, spiraling spear of pure void, its tip aimed directly at Al’s chest.
Al’s eyes widened. He could feel the weight of death itself pressing against him. He tried to channel his energy, to fight back, but it was no use—the surrounding space seemed to crush his power, suppressing every spark of resistance.
"Damn it... what are you trying to do?" he muttered through clenched teeth.
The Agent raised a hand, his tone calm but final.
"As you’ve already guessed... I am the Agent of Death. Death lies within my grasp. And for something that was never meant to exist..." He paused, his eyes glowing. "...Your death is inevitable."
And with a single motion—
The spiral of darkness shot forward.
And just as the black spiral was about to pierce his chest—
The fabric of another world trembled violently at that exact same moment.
---
STAB!
Shae barely dodged a piercing strike from one of Foteyo’s subordinates, the edge of a dark blade cutting a line of air just inches from her throat. She leapt backward, skidding across the jagged ground, maintaining what little distance she could.
"You’re quite nimble for a human," Foteyo hissed, his voice slithering like a serpent in the dark.
"Damn it..." Shae cursed inwardly.
A few moments earlier—
Shae had been trying to find a way to pull Putri out of her meditative trance during the spiritization process. But before she could even think of a solution, her body began to tremble, her heartbeat accelerating as the potion’s side effects kicked in. Emotion—raw and unfiltered—started to seep through her carefully controlled composure.
"The effects are fading... I can’t stay here much longer," she muttered under her breath, voice tense.
Her impatience made her movements sloppy—an error she paid for instantly. Her presence was detected by Foteyo, Daraka, and their underlings.
Sensing Shae’s strong energy, Foteyo and two of his followers immediately gave chase, while Daraka remained behind with two others, collecting the finest corpses for his twisted project.
And that was how Shae found herself cornered—trapped in this desperate situation.
"What should I do now...?" she whispered, scanning the shadowed terrain around her.
Ugh... this place is suffocatingly dark. If I don’t get out of here soon, I’ll die. Especially with this damned potion wearing off... But that girl—can I even pull her out like this? she thought anxiously.
"I have no business with you, Djinn scum," Shae said aloud, her tone cold. "You’d better back off now."
Foteyo chuckled, a sinister laugh echoing from deep within his throat.
"Hahaha. You’re right—you have no business with us... but we have business with you."
"With me? We don’t even know each other!" Shae snapped.
The corners of Foteyo’s mouth stretched into a long, eerie grin.
"Predators don’t need to know their prey before the hunt begins," he said mockingly. "Catch her!"
The two subordinates lunged at once—one with grotesquely elongated, sticky arms that dripped with some vile substance, and the other with razor claws and unnaturally thin legs that propelled him with terrifying speed.
"Shit. They’re insane," Shae hissed, realizing there was no way out but through. She clenched her teeth and raised her hands.
In an instant, two massive curved blades materialized in her grip—glimmering faintly with a pale white hue that cut through the oppressive darkness.
Special Weapon: Dual Heavy Parang – Bangkung
Infusing her Arma energy into the blades, Shae’s weapons shimmered with reinforced sharpness and density. The white glow emanating from them illuminated the black void of the battlefield, providing just enough light for her to see her enemies clearly.
And then—it began.
The battle between Shae and Foteyo’s two subordinates erupted into violent motion, steel and energy clashing in the shadows as the darkness itself seemed to watch in silence.
The clash of Shae’s arma-infused blades met the grotesque special techniques of the two Djinn underlings, their powers colliding in a shower of sparks and chaotic energy. From a distance, Foteyo stood motionless, watching the battle unfold with a sharp, analytical gleam in his eyes.
A cursed human... an early-stage demonization form. The humans call them DIAR, he mused silently, his mind dissecting every movement.
An entity parallel to us, the High Djinn—the first evolutionary stage of demonization from the Djinn kind.
The battle grew fiercer by the moment. Within that abyssal darkness, Shae’s form flickered like a ghostly ember. Despite being outnumbered, she clearly had the upper hand. The Djinn with elongated claws had both arms severed, reduced to relying on its predatory fangs and swift legs.
Meanwhile, the other one—whose arms stretched unnaturally like a grotesque web—posed a far greater nuisance. Its hands elongated endlessly, tunneling into the ground, emerging unpredictably from any direction it desired. Worse still, the viscous fluid that dripped from its hands was toxic, and several droplets had already splashed against Shae’s body.
Yet strangely, she remained unfazed.
A faint grin curved her lips.
"I’m under the command of a Queen who specializes in poisons. Toxins don’t work on me," she murmured under her breath, and then lunged forward, slashing once more.
From his vantage point, Foteyo’s expression hardened slightly as he observed his subordinates being overwhelmed.
DIAR — those capable of fighting with their full energy within the realm of the Djinn. In contrast, High Djinn are those who can unleash their complete power within the human dimension. And now, clashing in a third dimension—a neutral realm, where both DIAR and High Djinn possessed an equally higher chance of victory compared to ordinary humans or djinn. Hehe... interesting.
The analysis flowed sharply through his thoughts.
And with a single step—barely audible—Foteyo vanished.
He reappeared above Shae.
Shae sensed the incoming danger but couldn’t react in time.
"Damn it—!"
GRAB!
Foteyo’s massive clawed hand seized her, locking her body in an iron grip.
"Urgh...!" Shae’s cry of pain echoed. Her muscles stiffened as the crushing force closed in, constricting every breath.
This is bad... the potion’s side effects are worsening. Its amplification is wearing off... and now this monster finally moves, she thought desperately, trembling.
If only Master were here... or at least Sa-Ya...
"Haha... I didn’t expect to find a cursed human here," Foteyo sneered, his teeth glinting in the dim light. "You’ll make quite the centerpiece for our little experiment."
Shae didn’t answer—she only struggled, writhing to break free, her fallen weapons lying uselessly on the ground. Her situation mirrored that of Al, who, at that very moment, was also trapped in the grasp of the Death Agent.
"You won’t escape me. So stop resisting," Foteyo taunted.
"Ugh..." Shae gritted her teeth, glaring at him. "What the hell do you want from me, you filthy Djinn?!"
"What do I want?" Foteyo chuckled, his grin widening into something grotesque. "Should I say... your body?"
Laughter erupted from his minions.
"Tch... You think I’d ever be interested in a long-faced freak like you?" Shae spat, her tone dripping with venom.
I have to do something... The potion’s power is fading fast... she thought.
"I don’t need your interest," Foteyo sneered—and with his other massive hand, he grasped her head, preparing to crush it.
Shae’s eyes widened. Death loomed inches away, but she refused to surrender.
Please... let this work.
CRACK!
A scream pierced the darkness—
—but it wasn’t hers.
"AAAGHHH!!"
Both of Foteyo’s arms were suddenly severed cleanly in a single, perfect motion. One of them was impaled by three long blades glowing faintly with energy.
"ARGHH!! WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU WRETCH?!" Foteyo roared, his voice trembling with fury. His pain sent a ripple of panic through the nearby djinn, including Daraka, who had been busy sorting corpses for his grotesque project.
"What’s happening over there?!" Daraka shouted.
But Foteyo snapped back angrily, "Finish your work! Don’t come here! That’s more important—we don’t have much time!"
Daraka hesitated, unsure, but finally complied. The darkness made it impossible to see clearly, though faint light radiating from Foteyo’s wounded body showed he was in genuine agony.
Meanwhile, Shae had already withdrawn to a safe distance. Her body pulsed with a wild, black aura swirling chaotically around her. Her crimson-tinged eyes glowed ominously.
It’s been a while since I’ve used Helos... But if I push beyond this, I might lose control.
The four blades surrounding her hovered midair. They were no longer weapons she gripped—but extensions of her will. Two were her original white blades, while the other two emanated a blood-black hue.
She had used the brief opening during Foteyo’s grip to draw her third and fourth blades from her dimensional storage, stabbing him with the cursed pair while telekinetically directing the other two to sever his arms.
Foteyo’s rage was palpable, but even amid his fury, his mind continued analyzing. His pupils narrowed, the iris shifting to a bright green, granting him sight into energy flow itself.
Two standard blades... and two cursed ones. So she’s using that black energy now. Incredible. Her transformation is evident—a massive surge in raw power. A practitioner-level weapon user... and a Calamity-tier Helos user. Haha. Her pure and dark energies are still far from balanced, but even so, this is remarkable. And those weapons... fascinating, he thought coldly.
Then his expression darkened further.
But... it seems she can’t unleash her full potential yet. Is she restraining herself? Or... is something else at play?
A smirk crept across his lips.
"I see now. I thought you were just a weakling who happened to overpower my men. But I was mistaken. Haha... it seems I can have a little fun while waiting for that shaman to finish," Foteyo declared with a menacing grin.
In an instant, the severed arms began to regrow—muscles twisting, bones knitting, skin reforming until they looked entirely unscathed.
Regeneration?! Shae’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Even with my first seal released... I’m not sure I can win against him. And now he has regeneration—one of the most broken abilities imaginable. What the hell should I do?
There was no time to ponder.
Foteyo’s form blurred—vanishing into motion too fast for the eye to follow—and the battle began anew.
Foteyo’s hulking frame bent low, his four eyes spinning wildly like the mad wheels of fate themselves. Each breath that escaped his throat came out as a serpentine hiss—long, drawn, and chilling—echoing like the whisper of a snake slithering through a cavern of bones.
Shae steadied her stance, the four blades orbiting behind her, rotating in a deadly pattern that carved a blood-black halo into the air. The atmosphere trembled with the metallic hum of her weapons and the oppressive surge of dark energy emanating from her Helos.
Whoosh!
Foteyo vanished from sight.
Shae’s eyes widened instinctively—she leapt sideways just in time—
BOOM!
The ground where she had stood exploded into shrapnel and dust, torn apart by Foteyo’s descending palm—a strike that fell like a hammer of divine punishment.
"That speed...!" Shae gritted through her teeth as her body slammed into a massive boulder. The surrounding Helos quivered violently, reacting to the crushing wave of Foteyo’s overwhelming aura.
The High Djinn reappeared in front of her, his movements heavy yet rhythmic—like the drums of war heralding calamity. Each step distorted the air itself. His elongated arms twisted and lashed around him, striking from multiple directions with terrifying speed.
Shae spun midair, crossing her two cursed blades in a defensive arc—
CLANG!
The impact roared like thunder. Though she managed to parry, the collision sent her flying once more. Foteyo’s skin, now layered in a shimmering black energy, had hardened—his defense was far stronger than before.
Even so, her blades had bitten into him.
"Arghhh...!" Foteyo howled, a stream of viscous black liquid—his blood—splattering across the ground. "Your weapons are... insufferable, cursed human," he hissed through clenched teeth. "But it won’t matter. Your death... was already written."
He slammed one massive hand into the ground.
From beneath the cracked earth, black roots surged upward like veins of darkness, piercing the soil and wrapping tightly around Shae’s legs.
"Damn it—!" she gasped, attempting to evade, but the potion’s side effects had dulled her reflexes. The roots seized her, binding her in place just as Foteyo’s other hand came crashing down.
DUARR!!
A shockwave ripped through the battlefield. Rocks shattered, and dust spiraled high into the air. Shae was hurled violently backward, her body half-buried within a web of fissures.
"Ugh..." Her breathing was ragged, vision swimming in and out of focus.
The sound of Foteyo’s hiss grew closer—slow, deliberate, predatory.
Shae’s body trembled, not from fear, but from the worsening backlash of the potion. Every attempt to circulate her Helos only caused it to rebel, flooding her veins with pain as the energy turned against her.
"Why... now?" she whispered weakly.
Her eyes shifted upward. Floating above her—just beyond reach—was Putri’s meditative form, still suspended mid-spiritization.
"You’re finished," Foteyo whispered coldly, voice like a curse carried on the wind.
His massive fingers—three thick as steel pillars—closed around her head and pressed her into the ground.
Crack...
"Tch... you think... I’ll just give up?" Shae forced a smirk, blood trailing down her lips.
Her crimson eyes burned brighter, though her limbs trembled violently. The telekinetic control over her blades faltered—two of them fell, clattering against the broken earth.
Foteyo leaned closer, his half-shadowed face revealing only the glint of his venomous green eyes.
"So this is it? After all that power surge, I expected more of a show. You’re ending too soon," he mocked in disdain.
Shae gritted her teeth, straining to resist the crushing weight on her neck.
Crack.
A small bone gave way.
Her vision blurred; the air grew thin. Her consciousness flickered like a dying flame.
The potion’s effect... it’s almost gone... Should I... use it?
The Helos surrounding her twisted into chaotic spirals, spiraling out of control—unfocused, volatile.
Foteyo lifted her up to eye level, fingers tightening, ready to crush her skull in one motion.
"I told you before," he hissed, voice low and venomous, "A predator doesn’t need to know its prey."
Shae’s half-closed eyes gazed up at him in fading clarity.
I can’t even channel my energy... I can’t even go berserk now... Is this... really my end?
"Tch... how disappointing," Foteyo sneered. "I expected more from you. Guess I overestimated your kind. Die, then. Hahaha!"
But before his laughter could echo—
FLASH!
A brilliant golden radiance tore through the darkness, illuminating the entire area in warm, blinding light. The pitch-black battlefield was suddenly painted gold, revealing everything that had once been hidden.
"Huh? What’s this?!" Foteyo’s eyes darted upward, confusion flickering in all four pupils.
"What’s going on, Lord Foteyo?!" shouted Daraka from afar.
But Foteyo couldn’t answer. His attention snapped back to Shae, suspicion clouding his mind.
Had she done this? No—it was impossible. A being like her couldn’t produce a phenomenon of such magnitude.
And yet, Shae was already unconscious, her limp form glowing faintly under the descending light.
Her body was completely defenseless—awaiting fate.
Until—
SWOOSHH!!
Multiple streams of golden energy streaked down from the sky. Two of them shot directly toward Foteyo, while another arced upward, striking the levitating Putri mid-spiritization.
The golden lights moved too fast to react.
Foteyo had only a heartbeat to flinch before one of the beams engulfed his arm—
—and tore it clean off.
"ARGHHHHH!!" His roar of agony shook the ground.
"What’s happening over there, Lord Foteyo?!" Daraka screamed, panicked.
His subordinates rushed toward him, but Foteyo didn’t respond—his body convulsed as he tried to regenerate, yet the golden light suppressed his ability, searing his flesh with divine agony.
"ARGHHH... WHAT IS THIS?!" he bellowed, eyes bulging in pain and disbelief.
There was no answer—only that relentless brilliance.
The radiant light enveloped Shae’s broken body and the other spiritizing figures, lifting them toward the sky, pulling them away in streams of divine energy.
And what happened next—
would remain a mystery.
A secret that would only be unveiled in the stories yet to come.