Chapter 313 - Side Quest

Santi sat forward on the edge of his chair, jaw clenched tight, fingers curled so hard around the wooden armrest that it threatened to splinter under his grip.

The feed on the big screen had ended minutes ago, yet the weight pressing on his chest refused to lift.

His daughter—his Ayu—was covered in blood, half her body torn open, deep wounds all over her arms, legs, ribs, and neck. Injuries that would’ve knocked any other fighter out cold, that would’ve left even seasoned warriors broken and unconscious.

But she had kept moving.

Kept fighting.

Stood tall even when her body should’ve collapsed.

And in her eyes—despite the pain, despite the violence—was that same stubborn light he knew since she was a child, the one that used to flare up every time she lost a spar and refused to accept it. It was still there, just sharper now. Stronger. Carried by a body that had become something beyond human limits—something forged in fire and sharpened through countless battles.

Watching her move—bleeding, battered, barely standing—and still pushing forward… it reminded him of the warriors from the old stories. The ones who walked barefoot through fire and mud, who fought through storms with nothing but their fists and will.

The kind who didn’t wait for miracles. They carved their path through pain.

And now… his daughter was one of them.

He felt proud.

More than proud.

But it hurt too—watching her go through that.

A single father could never fully separate pride from fear.

And then there was that boy. Alonso.

Santi exhaled slowly, shaking his head.

He’d warmed up to the kid, honestly. Thought maybe he had guts. Thought maybe he really cared for her. But seeing him hang back, letting Ayu take hit after hit while he circled from behind and struck last? No matter how the commentator tried to explain it—how strategic it sounded or how necessary they claimed it had been—he couldn’t stop that heat rising in his chest.

Didn’t feel right. Didn’t look right.

“That was an intense fight.”

The voice came from beside him—Weng, his old Chinese friend. A man whose debts and struggling family Santi had helped patch up, dragging him into this oversized, unnecessary fancy mansion. One of the few—maybe the only—he could still call a friend in a world where even the king of Thailand was trying to curry favor with him.

Weng had helped during hard times—helped his Ayu. Maybe not for long, since he’d had to return to China, but it was enough to matter, despite his age and financial troubles.

“For my Ayu, it was.”

Weng nodded. “She’s grown. I remember the last time I saw her—she was struggling to break that slab of wood,” he chuckled. “She must’ve been what… eight? Nine? She just kept trying and trying and trying,” his eyes softened with reminiscence. “I remember going back the next day—she’d fallen asleep beside it, her small fist cracked, dried blood on her knuckles… and the slab, it was split halfway through.”

“Heh, I remember that,” Santi smiled. “That’s my Ayu, alright.”

They both smiled softly.

Yet Santi still felt that weight inside him.

His daughter had done so much for him, but… did he deserve it?

After her mom died, he’d brought that bitch into their lives, and later he’d only made things worse with the accident.

He owed so much to his little girl.

Even now, everything they were giving him—the respect, the giant house and land, the wealth, the miracle medicines and tech—it was all because of her.

Her mother… her mother would be so proud if she could see her now.

She had been incredibly strong too, even at the end. Despite the pain, she always smiled. Always sang for her daughter.

But now… now he wasn’t going to make any more mistakes.

Even if every woman in the country would be willing to marry him now—and yes, he’d been showered with gifts and offers—he hadn’t accepted any of it.

He hadn’t accrued debts or made promises either.

Ayu would make her own decisions, live her life exactly how she wanted—and he’d be there, whenever she needed him.

And that lad… Alonso.

Well, whatever.

His Ayu knew what she was doing.

The final scene had shown him holding her from behind, and those eyes… they spoke of more than just attraction.

They spoke of deep trust.

Maybe… that was their Dao. Their path.

Santi smiled.

“Well, Weng, what do you say we go for some drinks? Got some nice stuff,” he said, standing up.

“Sure.”

A shallow cut traced her shoulder.

As she disengaged, her eyes stayed on him.

He looked even more drained than she was after that exchange.

Ayu smiled softly, then sheathed her daggers.

“You really went all out.”

“Well… last spar before you head to the Third State,” Alonso said, blinking as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Might as well make it memorable.”

Ayu shook her head. “That skill of yours… I still can’t sense your strike.”

Alonso chuckled. “Maybe that’s why The Tower named it the way it did.”

“No-Strike? Hmm, perhaps. But I still think it’s unfair it didn’t let you name it yourself,” she said.

“Yeah, right?”

They both fell quiet.

Ayu glanced at him—not just the sweat on his face or the ease in his stance, but the fact he’d pushed himself to the edge just for her. Every single time, she felt how he carefully targeted the weaker parts in her movements, pushing her body to build deeper, more comprehensive muscle memory through spars far more crafted and thought-out than he ever let on. Behind that smile now, she knew he was spent—physically and mentally. His skill had a cost, and fighting at her pace wasn’t easy for him… and yet, here he was, offering her a smile and brushing it off like it was just another day.

Not once had he said ‘this is for you’ or ‘I’ll help you’, or even ‘let’s focus on your stance’. He just… did. Every single time.

A long moment passed before she smiled. “Thanks.”

Alonso met her eyes and let the moment stretch. He took her in—every detail, every breath.

The sweat trailing down her face. The strands of hair stuck to her neck. But more than that, those eyes when they met his, that soft curve of her smile in the silence between them. The way he knew, without question, that she would do anything for him.

Just like he would for her.

No matter what.

It felt… right.

“Alright, take your time with the breakthrough. I guess I’ll see you in… a day or two?”

Ayu nodded. “Yes. Something like that.” Then she grinned. “I want to see if I can beat Chiara this time. I think she’s really close too.”

Alonso blinked and sent her a pulse—a thumbs-up emoji with a cartoonish version of Ayu surrounded by flames.

“You got this.”

Ayu laughed.

She looked at him one last time, then exited the chamber.

Only after the door sealed behind her did Alonso finally exhale, his hand trembling slightly as he held his blades.

Connecting hits with Ayu under Fury wasn’t easy. Even if he redirected most of the force…

He glanced around the chamber. They’d cleared the space for sparring, and it was already showing signs of wear—scorch marks, dents, faint grooves along the walls. No matter how thick the metal was, the strain was real. Still, it was ideal for the kind of 3D movement they couldn’t practice out in the open.

He floated the water container toward him, splashed his face, then took a slow sip.

As he combed his hair back with one hand, footsteps echoed toward him as the door slid open again.

“How are the new blades faring?”

“Great,” Alonso said with a tired smile, nodding toward Imani. “The weight’s a bit over optimal, but a few more SP should balance that out.”

He turned the blade slightly, letting the chamber light catch on the edge.

“But the added conductivity is a big upgrade. And those extra microns you took off the blade’s edge while converging the internal stress lines for durability…” He trailed off, admiring the craftsmanship. “That’s not smithing. That’s art.”

Imani smiled, folding his arms. “Glad you like them. Anyway, Lukas wanted to see you.”

Lukas?

“Sure, let’s go.”

A high-pitched hum vibrated through the floor as they stepped into the main crafting workshop—a wide, high-ceilinged room packed with overlapping tech, dim task lights, and the smell of coolant.

Despite its size, the space felt cluttered and tight. Rows of workbenches overflowed with discarded Meca limbs, partial core housings, and tool racks stacked three levels high. Welding drones buzzed along ceiling rails. In one corner, molten alloy sloshed in a smelter unit, and a mechanical arm moved with eerie precision as it poured narrow streams into fast-cooled molds.

Floating EM discs hovered in place, crackling faintly with active circuitry, and sharp, narrow tools lined the wall like a surgeon’s kit. Dozens of unfinished constructs lay in various stages of assembly—some with reinforced joints, others with open cores humming with energy patterns Alonso didn’t fully understand.

He stepped inside just as a large, skeletal mech suit shifted upright. From beneath it, Lukas rolled out on a hovering board, slid to a stop, and pulled off his sleek black crafting mask.

His blonde hair was messy, his eyes lit with the thrill of whatever madness he’d been working on.

“From your face, I’d say it’s going well,” Alonso said, glancing around.

“Yeah, I just made a small breakthrough on the storage mechanism. Those Xayen were truly smart,” Lukas said, scrambling his hair. “Also, Ayu just passed by—she said she’ll be stepping on the Third Body State soon. That’s fantastic news.”

“Yeah. I’m looking forward to it too.”

“Alright, so… I didn’t want to distract her or Chiara, since they’re both attempting to advance, but I contacted General Noh regarding possible access to their sacred site in the capital—you know, the Xayen ruins there—and while it’s not a direct green light, we managed to reach an agreement with the Ajnal.”

Alonso narrowed his eyes.

Based on recent findings and the data from the three ruins they’d discovered so far, they had triangulated rough coordinates to two more—one beneath the Ajnal capital, and another somewhere in a canyon within the Azcoyatl region, though the latter’s position was far less precise.

They were hoping the capital site would provide clearer coordinates so they wouldn’t have to waste days scanning an eight-mile stretch when the lab could be buried hundreds of meters below the surface.

“So what’s the deal?”

“They want assistance in an upcoming battle at the Western Front, under General K’in. Apparently, they expect two Wardens to appear—and they want us to take down one of them.”

Alonso nodded.

He had half-expected something like that. But the more pressing question was—

“When?”

“We need forces there twelve hours from now, at the latest,” Lukas said, his face tightening. “I don’t want to interrupt Chiara or Ayu. I also need to keep working here, same for Imani. Wang’s new suit isn’t finished yet either. That leaves the question—how confident are you in taking down a Warden, with Arjun and Mei’s squad assisting from range?”

Alonso stayed quiet for a moment. “We’ll manage. But what about you guys here? Can you guarantee your safety while we’re gone?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Lukas grinned. “Even if one or two Wardens show up, we’re ready. I’ve made enough preparations.”

Alonso nodded slowly. “Alright. Then yes—we’ll assist the Ajnal.”

“Perfect. You’ll all go in the floating platform. That’s you, Arjun, Mei, and Camila from the Awakened, plus eight Second Pillar State Azcoyatl Priests. I’ve upgraded Arjun’s sniper over the last couple of days, so with the right timing, one good shot might be all it takes. Mei can cover EM support.”

“Sounds good.”

A pulse came through—specific coordinates to an Ajnal fortress far to the northwest, more than a thousand miles from their current location.

“Is that platform fast enough?”

Lukas just smiled. “More than fast enough. Oh—and you’re free to take the orb for yourself and bring the corpse back. You’ll be in command of the operation, but don’t hesitate to rely on Mei. She’s very, very capable.”

“Alright. See you soon,” Alonso said, giving a wave and nodding at Imani as they passed each other.

“Take care.”

Alonso stepped out of the lab and saw Camila waiting for him at the entrance. She smiled.

“Ready?”

Alonso nodded.

“Let’s go.”