The Final Showdown

Zen was fighting Taotei alone but was struggling. Taotei spear was induced with elemental arts, making his every blow heavy and hard. Zen fought Taotei as hard as he could, but Taotei always had an advantage.

Taotei said to Zen, "He alone, standing up to him, was impressive." Taotei unleashed attack after attack, stumbling and cracking Zen's sword. Finally, Taotei stepped backwards, planning for a deadly attack. He jumped back, jumped up in the air, and launched a spear attack on Zen vertically. Zen blocked it with his sword, but his sword broke, and Tapetei's sword slashed him from his chest to his stomach. Zen fell, and Taotei said to Zen, "You were a strong opponent, but not strong enough."

Taotei then headed toward others, but while he was walking away, Zen woke up. Unconcious, he said, "I'm not done yet, Taotei." Taotei was surprised and taken aback. Taotei said to himself, "What a wonderful time to be alive. I'm surprised every moment. Zen then opened his eyes, and his left eye color changed."

Taotei was surprised and wishpered 'the cursed one.' What did Taotei mean by this? Zen swiftly dashed and covered the distance of 10 metets, punched Taotei on the stomach, and sent him flying. Taotei was seen back 30 meters. Zen, with mesmerizing hand movements and fire on his palms, threw a fire attack in the Taotei direction.

Taotei realized that his armor wasn't strong enough, so he hailed his spear up and slashed the fire attack in half. Zen had become faster, and his reflexes had become several times better. Along with that, he had become stronger with each of his blows, both hard and heavy.

Taotei and Zen both ran towards each other, and Taotei attacked Zen, but Zen blocked his spear attack, cracking the ground. Zen purple eye had been avtivated. His hands engulfed in fire made his attacks deadly. Taotei used his earth elemental art to create earth golems to assist him. Zen used his water element to take care of the earth golems, making them wet and eventually one-shotting them. Zen, faster and stronger than before, finally stood on an equal footing with Taotei.

They exchanged blow after blow. Taotei, in a fist of rage, used his martial art iron fist and sent Zen flying through the air. Zen Then he ran fast towards Taotei and hit Taotei with his fist, but Taotei blocked with his spear. Taotei's spear cracked.

Their fierce exchange eventually shattered Taotei's spear, forcing them into hand-to-hand combat. The Taotei's spear was an advanced-tier weapon. Taotei used his elemental mastery over earth to encase his hands in rock. In a powerful clash, both Taotei and Zen struck each other simultaneously in the head. Zen was sent flying, while Taotei only slid back a few feet, his heels digging into the dirt. Zen rose to his feet, his right eye now glowing gold while his left remained a vivid purple. This sight triggered a distant memory for Taotei, making him pause. What was the memory that made Taotei pause??

Liam then came to assist Taotei, and with him came Qin Shi, battered and bruised, missing an arm. Liam understood that Qin Shi killed Ors in battle. Liam became furious, as Ors was a brother-like figure to him. Liam then fought the weaked qin shi while the battle between Taotei and Zen continued.

The messenger who arrived with the reinforcements helped the vilagers, and the remaining ones assisted Qin Shi in fighting Liam. Liam praised Qin Shi for his indomitable spirit and said to him, "You truly are a monster, but how did you kill brother Ors?" Qin Shi admitted that it was sheer luck that he just lost an arm instead of his life. Qin Shi, with the reinforcements, fought Liam and the bandits.

Meanwhile, Taotei and Zen fought their battles. Zen was now fully conscious, and his attacks were pure instictical. Zen stood in the clearing, his heterochromatic eyes glowing with intensity. His left eye, a deep purple, shimmered as he focused, feeling the familiar surge of strength and speed coursing through him.

His right eye, gleaming with gold, gave him the ability to control every element without having to go through rigorous training or take exotic elixirs. Taotei is overpowered by zen new abilities. He attacks Taotei with fire, which destroys his armor completely, then uses water to create a small buble, uses wind, and slashes Taotei's hand and leg. Taotei, completely disfigured, resorts to his Trump card.

Tao tei turns into a viscious moster completely of green. He turns big and attacks Zen. Zen was horrified by such a transformation and said, "You've been playing with the dark arts." Zen observed, landing gracefully. "It's corrupted you and turned you into a monster." Zen then dashed to hit Taotei's body, but his hard scales were difficult to penetrate.

"Why do you fight, Zen? I can still accept you into my group." Taotei taunted, deflecting a series of rapid strikes. "What drives you to oppose me? Why not join hands?"

Zen's eyes hardened. "Because someone has to stand against monsters like you."

Taotei gave an evil laugh and attacked Zen with brute force. Zen faced Taotei full of fury and took a lot of damage. Taotei's mouth glowed with an eerie light. He opened his mouth, sending out a wave of dark energy. Zen countered by channeling the wind magic in his sword, creating a barrier that deflected the attack.

"Not bad," Taotei acknowledged, panting slightly. "But can you handle this for long?"

The battle raged on, with each warrior pushing themselves to the limit. Taotei's new transformation had given him raw power and devastating attacks, but Zen's speed, precision, and elemental infusions kept him together. Finally, Taotei and Zen decided that it was time to end this. They both prepare for the final attack. Zen, with a burst of speed from his purple eye, dashed forward, and Taotei, too, charged at full speed, and both clashed. 

Taotei fell to his knees, clutching his wound. Taotei turned back into his normal state. Taotei, wounded and kneeling, looks up at Zen with a mixture of defiance and resignation. Zen asks Taotei any last words, Taotei? Taotei gets emotional and starts talking about his backstory.

Taotei said, "He once served as an officer in the Bureau of Justice." He was a litenent and was tasked with a mission to research a shaman who was practicing occult practices. He was promised a promotion if he succeeded and was cautioned, as many people who researched the case disappeared mysteriously. Taotei kept on lecturing on the matter.

"I've uncovered something troubling," Taotei reported to his superior, Commander Ling. "The shaman, Kushin, is conducting rituals that defy natural law. We must intervene."

Commander Ling, a stern figure known for his unwavering sense of justice, listened intently. "Proceed with caution, Taotei. This matter is sensitive. Report directly to me."

Weeks of clandestine surveillance revealed kushin involvement in rituals that bent reality itself. Yet, as Taotei compiled his findings, he discovered a disturbing truth—the Bureau, including Commander Ling, was complicit in these dark practices, seeking to harness Kushin's forbidden arts for their own ambitions.

"You betrayed us all!" Taotei confronted Commander Ling, his voice laced with betrayal and disbelief. "You used me to further your own agenda!"

Commander Ling's expression remained stoic, a mask of calculated indifference. "You were a means to an end, Taotei. Nothing more."

Enraged and betrayed, Taotei was branded a traitor by his former comrades.His wife and children got executed, and he was captured and subjected to cruel experiments that fused him with summoning arts. Taotei transformed into a monstrous being. In a violent uprising, he broke free from his captors and killed the shaman Kushin, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

Taotei growled, his voice now distorted by the darkness that coursed through him. "But I will have my reckoning."

From that day forth, Taotei vanished into the shadows, hunted by both the bereau and those he once called allies. A fugitive haunted by his past, he roamed the wilderness as a bandit who could transform into a monster. Taotei founded the Night Raiders for people like him.

Taotei encountered young Leon in the heart of darkness, amidst the very place he himself had fled—an underground labyrinth of betrayal and experimentation orchestrated by the Bureau of Justice. The boy, with his wide eyes and tentative trust, reminded Taotei of his own lost innocence and the brutal truths of their world.

"You saved me," Leon whispered one evening, his voice barely audible in the shadows that surrounded their secluded camp. Taotei, haunted by his past, saw in Leon both a chance for redemption and a responsibility he could not ignore. As they journeyed together, Taotei became a father figure to Leon, teaching him the art of survival and nurturing his natural talent for archery.

Leon, plucked from the Bureau's clutches, knew little of his origins beyond the scars that marked his body and the fragments of memory that haunted his dreams. Taotei shielded him from the horrors of their shared past, focusing instead on fostering a sense of belonging within their bandit group. Together, they roamed across distant lands, their reputation as skilled outlaws growing with each daring escapade.

Their band grew, with each member drawn to Taotei's leadership and Leon's burgeoning prowess with a bow. They expanded to a hundred members.

In the face of adversity, their bond deepened, anchored by trust, loyalty, and a shared determination to forge their own path in a world where survival often meant forsaking one's humanity.

One day, under the cover of night, Taotei's band of outlaws launched a daring raid on the Bureau of Justice caravan. Amid the chaos and clashing blades, they discovered a young boy named Ors, a child of fourteen with features hinting at his semi-giant heritage. Taotei, hardened by betrayal and driven by compassion, freed Ors from his captivity.

"You're safe now," Taotei assured Ors, his voice a steady reassurance amidst the tumult. "You're with us."

Ors, initially wary, soon found solace and friendship among Taotei's band. Leon, quick to embrace Ors as a younger brother, showed him the ropes of their nomadic life in the wilderness.

"We're lucky to have found you," Leon remarked one evening, sitting by the campfire with Ors. "You're like family to us now."

Ors, his eyes reflecting gratitude and a newfound sense of belonging, nodded quietly. "Thank you," he murmured, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Together, under Taotei's watchful guidance, they navigated the challenges of their outlaw existence. Ors, though young, proved resourceful and eager to learn, contributing to the band's survival with his growing strength and agility.

As they traversed the rugged terrain, their bond deepened—a makeshift family forged in adversity, united by their quest for justice and freedom in a world where power often lay in the hands of the unjust.

Taotei and his group traveled around the mountains in order to gain and collect herbs for their use.

While traversing a dense forest in the mountains, Taotei's band stumbled upon Clog and Laim, two brothers who emerged from the shadows of a burnt-out village. Their eyes burned with a mixture of sorrow and defiance. They were the only survivors of a ruthless bandit raid that had left their home in ruins.

Taotei showed them pity and offered them food and to join them, but "We don't need your pity," Clog declared, his voice tinged with bitterness as he faced Taotei's wary band.

Taotei, recognizing the fire in their hearts, offered them a chance for vengeance. "Join us," he proposed, his gaze steady yet empathetic. "Together, we will kill those bandits."

Clog and Laim hesitated, but the promise swayed them. With gritted determination, they joined Taotei's ranks. Guided by their shared thirst for retribution, they tracked the bandits to their mountain stronghold, slaughtered them all, and put their heads on spikes to set an example. 

Clog and Laim fought with ferocity, their loyalty to Taotei's cause forged in the crucible of righteous fury and newfound camaraderie. They soon became the most feared and srongest bandit group in the province of Karnail. 

The Taotei story really moved Zen. Taotei said to Zen "All of the members of my group were victims," Taotei began, his voice steady and filled with conviction. "I gave them shelter and a purpose to live for. They were lost, and I provided them with direction and hope." 

Zen nodded, acknowledging Taotei's point. "You did give them a home and a cause, Taotei, but we are all victims of our circumstances, and overcoming the victim mentality is what we should strive for. Fighting and pillaging won't give you any redemption, Taotei. You have to have a just cause, and you have no just cause but pure malice and hatred for the world."

Taotei's expression softened, a flicker of uncertainty crossing. "And what do you propose, Zen? What should we be fighting for?"

Zen said to Taotei Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We must fight for justice. Zen adds that corruption destroys even the corrupt, and you are an example of it, Taotei. You let your hatred consume you; your contempt for the world is the reason for your defeat. We must fight for justice, said Zen at last. 

Taotei was silent for a moment, contemplating Zen's words. "It's a noble vision," he admitted quietly. "But can we truly achieve it in this unforgiving world?"

Zen smiled with a glimmer of determination in his eyes. "We won't know unless we try."

Dawn finally broke over the horizon, casting a golden hue across the village. The remnants of the battle lay about, and the ruckus ended with the night. Zen kneeled beside Taotei, who lay gravely injured, his breath shallow and ragged.

The bandits had been defeated, but the cost was countless innocent deaths. Liam had fallen at the hands of Qin Shi and his reinforcements.

"Zen," Taotei murmured, his voice weak, "there's something you need to do. Can you kill Commander Ling and avenge us and countless others? He is the one who corrupts the system. But be aware that Commander Ling is an advanced, one-level fighter and a formidable one at that."

Zen said, "I'll fulfill your dying wish, Taotei, and usher in justice."

 With a final, contented breath, Taotei closed his eyes, and a new day ushered in.