Advance chapters on [email protected]/Saintbarbido.
-0-
"The Ashura I know is never not looking for a fight."
Damian's eyes flickered with recognition. That voice.
Slowly, he turned his head.
There, standing in the moonlight, was Shiva. And beside her, katana still at his throat, was Cassandra Cain.
Shiva's expression was blank, but Cassandra's glare carried pure irritation.
Out of all the clients he was expecting, his old teacher and her daughter were definitely not it.
"Lower the blade, Cassandra," Shiva instructed, her tone even. "He's a former student, and I'm guessing he's here on Talia's behalf."
Cassandra hesitated—just for a moment—before stepping back, lowering her weapon with clear reluctance.
Damian straightened his posture, rolling his neck like nothing had happened. "Glad to see you missed me," he said, glancing at Cassandra.
She didn't respond, just kept glaring.
Shiva turned on her heel. "Come inside. We'll talk."
Damian followed, but Cassandra made sure to stay close behind him, as if daring him to try something.
Inside the dojo, the air was warm, heavy with the scent of incense and aged wood. Shadows danced along the walls as candlelight flickered across the sparse interior.
Damian set the wrapped box on a wooden table and stepped back, arms crossed.
Shiva untied the silk covering with practiced ease. Cassandra stood off to the side, arms crossed, eyes never leaving Damian.
With slow precision, Shiva removed the lid, revealing the Dragon Medallion gleaming under the dim light.
Damian tilted his head. "Took a lot of effort to get that. So tell me—why did Talia send me to deliver it?"
Shiva glanced at him before looking at Cassandra. "Because it's a birthday gift. Supposedly."
Damian blinked. "...What?"
Shiva turned to Cassandra, giving her a small nod. "Today is Cassandra's 16th birthday."
Damian processed that for a moment, then frowned. "I risked my life stealing a birthday present?"
Cassandra smirked and pulled the small chalkboard from her waist, quickly scribbling something before flipping it toward him.
"(Correction- Fake present. How did you not know?)"
Damian's frown deepened. "What?"
Cassandra erased the board and wrote again. "(The real Dragon Medallion was lost centuries ago.)"
A slow realization dawned on Damian. He clenched his jaw. "Talia played me."
Shiva cracked the medallion between her hands like it was nothing. Inside, a small red letter unfolded onto the table.
Damian exhaled through his nose as Shiva picked it up.
The letter contained a single word.
"Please."
Shiva's expression darkened slightly before the letter crumbled into red ash in her fingers.
Damian pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is getting real old, real fast. Explanations. Please."
Shiva exhaled slowly, then turned her sharp gaze on him. "Talia didn't just send you here for this."
Damian crossed his arms. "Then what for? To troll Cassandra with a fake gift?"
Shiva studied him for a moment before speaking. "There are forces in this world that defy logic and reason, Damian. Forces that even the strongest martial artists cannot hope to defeat in battle. Ancient demons. Mystic gods. Entities beyond mortal reach."
Damian's eyes narrowed. "You mean supernatural forces."
Shiva nodded. "Exactly. In such cases, the solution is not to fight them—but to seal them away."
There was a pause as Damian processed this.
Shiva continued, "Talia wants you to witness something. Tomorrow, Cassandra will strengthen the seal of an ancient serpent god known as Kobra. It's a duty attached to the Wu-San bloodline. Every 10 years, a member of my clan must bleed on the gate prison to ensure Kobra is not released from his cage. This time, it's Cassandra's turn."
"And I'm supposed to accompany you. So this was her plan all along. This is what she actually meant by Graduation Test." Damian surmissed.
Cassandra's grip tightened around the chalk in her hand. A second later, she aggressively scribbled something onto her board before flipping it toward Shiva.
"(No. He doesn't belong here.)"
Shiva raised an eyebrow. "Cassandra—"
Another quick scribble.
"(This is my moment. Not his.)"
Damian tilted his head, amused. "You're still mad about last year? That I stole away your spotlight?"
Cassandra snapped the chalk in her fingers.
Before she could react further, Shiva cut in sharply. "Enough."
Cassandra's glare was sharp, but she didn't push back further.
Shiva's tone was final. "We leave at dawn for the Mountains. Cassandra, show Damian to his quarters."
Cassandra exhaled sharply through her nose, then turned on her heel.
Damian smirked as she led the way. "Try not to stab me in my sleep, Birthday Girl."
Cassandra ignored him.
-0-
By dawn, they were trekking up the Mountain, headed for the Gate prison.
The air grew colder as they ascended and the forest denser. Shiva walked ahead with Damian bringing up the rear, following behind Cassandra.
He couldn't help note the small changes in her since their last encounter.
Her long hair had been cut shorter, and new scars marred her hands and neck. A katana was now strapped to her back—a weapon she never used before.
Damian quirked an eyebrow. "Since when do you use a sword?"
Cassandra didn't answer, but she didn't need to.
A sharp crack echoed through the trees.
A bullet shot toward them.
In a single, fluid motion, Cassandra unsheathed her katana and sliced the bullet in half mid-air.
Damian's eyes widened slightly. "Okay… damn."
More movement.
A group of masked figures emerged from the forest, their bone-white serpent masks eerie in the dim light.
They moved erratically, dressed in deep purple uniforms, their postures almost unnatural as they quickly surrounded them, blades drawn.
Shiva remained still, watching.
"Ghost Dragons," she said calmly. "A cult. A criminal organization. Fanatics who worship Kobra and seek to release him from his prison."
Damian cracked his knuckles with a battle hungry grin, "Fanatics, huh? Hope they are strong."
The Ghost Dragons charged.
Damian and Cassandra moved in unison, their bodies shifting into combat with instinctive precision.
Damian's fist crashed into a ribcage, shattering bones on impact. Cassandra's katana sliced through flesh, her movements merciless and efficient.
Within moments, the last Ghost Dragon of the dozen that ambushed them, collapsed to the dirt with a snapped neck.
Damian grabbed one of their masks and pulled it off. The man beneath was smiling—his face frozen in an expression of euphoria, even in death.
Damian scowled. "Why the hell are they smiling?"
Shiva stepped forward. "Because they are true fanatics."
Damian studied the eerie smile, his brow furrowing.
Shiva's voice took on a lecturing tone. "Martial artists like us endure pain and fight to avoid death. Fanatics like the Ghost Dragons embrace pain as devotion and Death as Matyrdom. Their leader, The King Snake is seen as an Avatar of their god."
Damian exhaled. "Great."
He couldn't imagine being that way. Offering one self to a higher entity, when you could train and cultivate your own being to become stronger and independent from stagnant beings like Gods.
Cassandra signed something quickly.
"(We're running out of time.)"
Shiva turned toward the path. "She's right. We must keep moving. The seal weakens at six o'clock sharp." Turning to her daughter she added, "From this point on, you're on your own. Do not expect or ask for my assistance. Consider this my birthday present to you, Cassandra."
Cassandra's grip tightened on her katana.
Damian glanced at her. "Want my help?"
The icy glare he received was sharper than her Katana edge. But to Damian, she resembled an angry kitten and that made him laugh, which continued their beefing.
The ascent was relentless.
More Ghost Dragons came in waves, not just with blades but guns too. The constant was their masked faces, twisted in rapture as they threw themselves at Damian and Cassandra, seeking death in the name of their god.
Damian fought with familiar brutality, breaking bones, collapsing lungs, ensuring that no one rose again.
Cassandra was a force of nature and smoothness beside him, her katana cutting through the enemy like a scythe through wheat. Yet, no matter how many they felled, more came.
During a brief lull, Damian turned to Cassandra. "You sure you don't want help?"
She ignored him, pushing forward with unwavering focus.
Damian smirked. "If someone attacks me, I'm attacking back. That's non-negotiable."
Cassandra finally had enough and abruptly spun, her fist flashing toward his face.
Damian reacted instinctively, throwing his own punch in response.
Both strikes missed, their heads tilting just out of range at the last second. The force of their near-misses sent shockwaves rippling through the air, disturbing dust and leaves from the ground.
Damian exhaled, his eyes narrowing slightly. 'She's caught up to me.'
Cassandra held up her hands in rapid, sharp movements. "Stay out of my way."
Damian rolled his shoulders. "I'll try not to make you look bad."
Cassandra scowled and turned away, her pace quickening.
They pressed on, battling through more Ghost Dragons until they reached a narrow mountain path, carved into the cliffside.
The drop below was sheer, the clouds thick enough to swallow the world beneath.
It was five o'clock.
Then, a distant roar split the sky.
A helicopter loomed over the ridge, missile launcher aimed directly at them.
"Move!" Shiva ordered.
The missile fired.
The explosion was deafening, the force ripping the fragile path apart. Damian and Cassandra barely leapt to safety, but Shiva—
Shiva was gone.
Damian's head snapped toward the void where she had stood, dust and debris swirling in the air.
Cassandra stood frozen, her body tense, her expression unreadable—but her hands trembled.
Another missile locked onto them.
Damian grabbed an empty gun from a fallen Ghost Dragon and without hesitation, he hurled it.
The gun flew straight through the cockpit window, shattering the pilot's skull.
The helicopter veered wildly, the gunner inside jolting in surprise. His reflexive squeeze of the trigger sent the missile firing into the interior of the chopper.
A heartbeat later, the entire aircraft exploded in a burst of flames and shrapnel.
Damian lowered his arm, exhaling through his nose.
Cassandra still hadn't moved.
His voice was sharp. "Keep moving."
She didn't react.
He stepped closer. "You want to break down? Fine. But do it after the mission. Finish what she started. Then grieve."
Cassandra's fingers curled into fists.
Damian's voice dropped lower, deliberate. "Or are you going to let those bastards get what they wanted?"
That did it.
The rage in her eyes ignited into something lethal. Without another word, she turned and kept going.
Damian followed.
At the peak of the mountain, the Serpent God's Gate, massive and imposing loomed tall, its ancient stone weathered by time.
Before it stood a hundred Ghost Dragons, their chants echoing across the mountaintop.
At the forefront, King Snake stood, his robes adorned with golden serpent motifs. His mask, unlike the others, bore intricate fangs curling around the jaw.
"Welcome," he hissed, his voice dripping with anticipation. "You are just in time to witness the emergence of a god."
Damian took a step forward, but Cassandra's hand shot out, stopping him.
She exhaled sharply, eyes locked on the cultists. Then, for the first time in her life, she spoke.
"Mine. All mine."
Her voice was low, unfamiliar to words, raw from disuse.
Then, she moved. And Damian understood she'd been sandbagging. Her sword skills were on par with her Mother. And that was the highest compliment he could think of.
Cassandra descended upon them like a hurricane, her katana flashing through the enemy ranks. She tore through the Ghost Dragons, their bodies crumpling before they even realized they were dead.
Five minutes.
Damian didn't lift a finger.
King Snake watched in growing horror as his army collapsed like paper before the girl in black.
Desperate, he pulled a gun and aimed at her.
"Oh no no no, monsier. You don't interrupt a Lady's performance."
Damian flicked up a small stone with his foot, then with a kick, sent it soaring through the air.
The peeble slammed into the barrel of King Snake's gun just as he pulled the trigger.
The weapon exploded in his hands.
King Snake howled in agony, clutching the bleeding remnants of his fingers.
Then, his cry was cut off.
Cassandra's katana pierced his skull, the blade sliding clean through his chin and out his forehead.
She didn't stop moving.
With seconds to spare, she reached the Dragon-shaped seal at the base of the gate.
A single bleeding cut on her cheek was the only injury she had sustained from the one sided battle.
She touched the dripping blood and wiped it across the seal in the middle of the gate.
The stone trembled and groaned.
Then, with a final boom, the portal sealed shut once more.
Silence fell over the mountaintop only to be cut apart by soft applause echoing through the air.
Cassandra turned sharply, her blade still raised.
From the path below, Shiva ascended the steps, untouched.
"Well done, Cassandra," Shiva said, a hint of pride in her voice. "You've made me proud. You've proven yourself a true Wu-San."
Cassandra slowly sheathed her katana.
Her breath hitched. Then, without warning, she ran forward and slammed into her mother, hugging her fiercely.
Shiva blinked. Then, with a soft chuckle, she patted Cassandra's back. "You're not acting like a warrior."
A pause.
"…But I'll allow it this once."
Cassandra pulled away, wiping tears before turning to an unsurprised Damian, her eyes sharp.
She reached for her chalkboard and wrote furiously.
"You knew about this? That mother was still alive?"
Damian smirked. "Shiva wouldn't be my master if she died so easily. And we're back to that eh?"
Cassandra scowled and scribbled again.
"Talking's a chore. Why didn't you say anything?"
His smirk widened. "You told me to stay out of your business."
Cassandra glared. Then, with deliberate slowness, she wrote two more words.
"I hate you."
Damian laughed.
She shoved past him, her steps sharp and irritated.
Shiva lingered for a moment, watching them both without a word. Then she turned to Damian and lightly bumped her fist against his chest.
"Ashura," she murmured. An acknowledgement that he hadn't forgotten what she'd taught him.
A surprised Damian met her gaze, then nodded.
Shiva turned and followed Cassandra down the mountain, leaving Damian alone.
For a long moment, he stared at the Serpent God's Gate, the air around it still heavy with something unseen.
During the battle, in that brief instant—
Something had reached out to him.
And his Ashura powers had surged in response. A challenge.
Damian exhaled slowly, his fingers twitching at his side.
Whatever it was…
It wasn't fully gone.
He wondered if this was what Talia wanted him to witness. That there was always a bigger fish. Too bad, to Damian he only saw more targets to dominate.
Fuck seals and banishments, his fists would do the talking.