On the outskirts of the ancient temple ruins, dusk hung heavy in the air, shrouded in a dark gray haze, as if the earth itself had ceased to breathe. The atmosphere was thick, carrying the scent of scorched ashes and ancient blood—an eerie silence suffocating everything before the approaching storm.
Xiao stood at the edge of the sacred arena, now nothing more than the shattered remnants of its former sanctity. His eyes burned with fury and determination. His body was smeared with blood—some from his enemies, some his own. But that only hardened him further, as if pain had become the fuel that drove his soul forward.
"He has returned..." he murmured under his breath, his words echoing like the whisper of a spirit unearthed from its grave.
From the midst of the ruins, light began to condense into a single point. It was no ordinary light, but a fusion of gold and deep crimson. Suddenly, it erupted, revealing a formidable presence, forged from the ashes of hell and the radiance of the heavens. It was none other than *the Lord of the Ancient Curse*, a being summoned from forgotten ages, the embodiment of the blood curse that had coursed through Xiao's veins since birth.
But this time, it was no mere shadow slipping into dreams, nor a spectral force seeping into his body in battle… Now, it stood before him in full form, with both body and soul, laughing coldly.
"Xiao... Do you think you can escape your fate?" the entity spoke in a resonant, layered voice, carrying the whispers of a thousand cursed souls.
Xiao tightened his grip around the hilt of his broken sword—the blade that had melted in the battle of the previous chapter, yet still retained traces of *the Crimson Wolf's* energy. The weapon was far from pristine, but he didn't need a flawless blade. What he needed was a will that refused to shatter.
"I am not running from my fate… I am the one who will rewrite it!" Xiao roared, leaping toward the entity amid a swirling storm of explosive winds.
His burning fist collided with the manifested curse, unleashing a surge of energy that shook the ruined walls, shattered the remaining pillars, and trembled the ground beneath them. This battle transcended mere flesh and spirit—it was a struggle between what was and what should be.
"You are nothing but remnants of a bygone era!" Xiao shouted, each strike carrying the weight of his pain, his solitude, and his relentless losses.
But the entity was not weak. Every time it received a blow, it laughed, as if this was the ritual it had long awaited—the key to its complete resurrection. In a fleeting moment, a circle of ancient symbols emerged around it, engulfed by tongues of black fire.
"Xiao… You were the key… Through you, I shall be reborn!" the entity proclaimed, driving its own hand into its chest as blood spilled forth, forming a mysterious gateway.
Xiao instinctively stepped back, but there was no fear in his heart. He had faced shadows before—but today, he was ready to extinguish them forever.
Gathering the last remnants of the *Crimson Wolf's* energy, he raised his hand toward the heavens. In that instant, a *colossal red eye* materialized above him— *the Wolf's Eye*, carved into the sky with crimson fangs of light.
"In the name of blood and fire… In the name of my mother and father… In the name of everyone I have lost… *I will not let you return!* " Xiao roared, before lunging with a force that tore through time and space, driving straight into the heart of the entity.
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