NOVEL WEB Chapter 23: Seeking The Storm Cult
The Crimson Ash pulsed faintly in my hands, its eerie glow casting shifting shadows against the cave walls. It was more than a relic—it was a key to something bigger. I could feel it, thrumming beneath my skin, whispering of buried power and forgotten wars.
But power alone wasn't enough. I needed allies.
Kai-Hoon's forces had doubled. The Imperial Cult was setting traps within traps. And the Crimson Ash, as powerful as it seemed, was still a mystery.
I had three objectives:
1. Decipher the Crimson Ash's power before it consumed me.
2. Recruit the scattered rebel factions before Kai-Hoon got to them first.
3. Strike the Imperial Cult before they set their next trap.
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Gameplay Choice: Who to Recruit First?
✓The Iron Fang Mercenaries – A brutal band of exiled warriors who only fight for the highest bidder. Could we persuade them to join the rebellion?
✓The Ghost Blades – A rogue assassin faction with a grudge against Kai-Hoon. If we could earn their trust, they could be deadly assets.
✓The Storm Monks – A hidden order of monks that once guarded the empire's ancient relics. If anyone understood the Crimson Ash, it was them.
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Step 1: Deciphering the Crimson Ash
I didn't have time to waste. Every second I held the relic, I could feel it gnawing at the edges of my mind. The power was raw, unrefined, and dangerous. If I couldn't control it, it would consume me.
I turned to Xue. "You said your faction steals relics because they hold power. What do you know about this one?"
She eyed the relic warily. "The Crimson Ash isn't a weapon—it's a lock."
I frowned. "A lock?"
She nodded. "Long ago, the empire's greatest warriors wielded relics like these. But after the Great Sundering, their power was sealed away. The Ash is a key, but you don't know what it unlocks yet."
That didn't sound good. "And if I force it open?"
She gave me a dry look. "You might not like what you find."
I exhaled sharply. Great.
If this relic was a key, then I needed to find what it unlocked before it destroyed me.
That led me to the Storm Monks.
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Step 2: Seeking the Storm Monks
The monks lived deep within the Tempest Peaks, an isolated range where the wind howled like spirits in mourning. Few dared to cross it, not only because of the treacherous paths but because of the storm guardians—massive stone golems said to protect the ancient temples.
>Gameplay Mechanic Introduced: The Tempest Peaks Trial
°Players must traverse deadly wind tunnels, solve ancient puzzles, and defeat storm guardians to reach the monastery.
°Combat encounters involve using the environment—dodging lightning strikes and using wind currents for mobility.
The climb was brutal. The wind cut like knives, and the path was barely visible under sheets of rain.
Then, the first guardian emerged.
A towering stone figure, eyes glowing with lightning, its massive fists crackling with energy.
I barely had time to react before it swung swiftly at me
>BOSS FIGHT: The First Guardian of the Tempest Peaks
>Weakness: Exposed sigils on its chest and back.
>Strategy: Use the wind currents to gain height, striking weak points mid-air.
Xue and I fought side by side, dodging the guardian's devastating attacks. I leaped onto a rock, using the wind to propel myself higher—just enough to slash at its sigil.
The guardian shuddered, cracks spreading across its body.
One last strike—BOOM. It collapsed into rubble. We pressed on.
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Step 3: The Truth of the Crimson Ash
When we finally reached the temple, the monks were waiting.
An elder stepped forward, his gaze piercing. "You hold the Crimson Ash."
I nodded. "I need to know what it is."
He gestured to the temple doors. "Then step inside. But be warned—knowledge has a price." Inside, the truth unraveled.
The Crimson Ash was once wielded by the empire's first warrior-king.
It wasn't just a relic—it was a fragment of his soul, bound by blood and war.
To unlock its full power, I would have to complete the "Rite of Ashen Blood," a trial that no one had survived.
>Gameplay Mechanic Introduced: The Rite of Ashen Blood
✓Players must battle illusions of past warriors, reliving their battles and absorbing their techniques. Failure means being lost to the Ash forever.
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Step 4: Striking Back at the Imperial Cult
With the truth in hand, I had my next move.
The Imperial Cult had set a trap with the false counter-artifact. Now, it was time to turn the tables.
I sent word to my remaining forces: we would strike first.
Kai-Hoon and the Cult thought they were in control. It was time to prove them wrong.
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Next Mission Preview: The Deadly Trap & The Cult's Fall
°Bae Kae sets an ambush for the Cult's high priests.
°The Rite of Ashen Blood begins—will he survive?
°New allies arrive, but so do new enemies.
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>New Mission The Rite of Ashen Blood & The Imperial Cult's Fall
The temple chamber was cold, dimly lit by flickering torches. The Storm Monks surrounded me in a silent circle, their robes rustling like whispers of the past. The Elder Monk stepped forward, his gaze heavy with warning.
"You have chosen to walk the path of the Rite of Ashen Blood—a trial no mortal has conquered. If you fail, your soul will be swallowed by the Crimson Ash."
I exhaled. There was no turning back.
"Begin."
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>Gameplay Mechanic: The Rite of Ashen Blood
✓Players must fight spectral warriors of the past, absorbing their skills through battle.
✓Each opponent represents a different fighting style, forcing players to adapt.
✓The deeper the trial goes, the stronger the visions become—until the final battle against the First Warrior-King himself.
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>Phase 1: The Blade of the Fallen General
The chamber shifted around me, the walls dissolving into a battlefield of ash and fire. I was no longer in the temple—I stood in the past, surrounded by the corpses of fallen warriors.
A figure loomed before me—a spectral shaped warrior clad in crimson armor, his sword dripping with ghostly embers.
"I was General Zhen, the first to wield the Ashen Blade. If you wish to claim its power, you must take it from me."
Then, he moved fast—too fast.
>Combat Mechanics Introduced: Adaptive Duel
Zhen's attacks changed mid-fight, forcing me to react on instinct.
He feinted, switched styles, even threw sand to blind me before striking.
I had to analyze his patterns, countering at the right moment.
The fight was brutal. Every swing of his sword carried the weight of an empire.
But I had learned to fight in the shadows.
As he lunged forward, I sidestepped, ducked low, and drove my dagger into his ribs.
Zhen froze. Then, slowly, he smiled.
"You fight like a king," he whispered, before fading into the ash.
His blade remained. I reached out, feeling the power seep into my veins. One warrior down.
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>Phase 2: The Phantom Archer of the North
No time to rest. The battlefield shifted again, and I found myself in a frozen wasteland.
Whispers. Then—a flash of light.
An arrow streaked toward me. I barely dodged, the ice cracking beneath my feet.
High above, perched on a crumbling ruin, was the Phantom Archer.
"Speed and precision. No brute strength will help you here," she taunted.
She rained down arrows, each one curving mid-air. Unfair.
>Combat Mechanics Introduced: Precision & Reflex Training
I had to dodge in real-time, predicting the arrows' altered trajectories.
The battlefield was shifting—ice crumbling, forcing me to keep moving.
The only way to win was to deflect her own arrows back at her.
I counted her shots. One… two… three…
NOW! I swung my blade, deflecting her own arrow straight back at her. It pierced her chest.
She let out a breathless laugh. "Well played."
Her bow dissolved into the wind, but its knowledge burned itself into my mind.
Two warriors down. One left.
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>Phase 3: The First Warrior-King
The wind died. The battlefield crumbled into darkness.
A deep voice rumbled from the void.
"You have come far, but you are not ready."
A figure emerged—taller than any man, clad in a nobsidian armor, his sword humming with raw energy.
The First Warrior-King.
He raised his blade. "Let us see if you are worthy."
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>BOSS FIGHT: The Ashen Tyrant
The king's strikes could not be blocked, only dodged.
His presence drained my stamina, forcing me to manage my movements carefully.
Each hit I landed only made him stronger.
This wasn't just a fight—it was a test of survival.
He came at me like a storm, every slash tearing through the air with a force that could break mountains.
I was losing. Then—I understood. This wasn't about winning. It was about enduring.
I changed tactics, moving like a shadow, dodging instead of countering.
If he struck—I stepped aside. If he lunged—I faded into the dark.
Seconds stretched into minutes.Finally, the king halted.
His sword lowered. His fiery eyes locked onto mine.
"You have learned."
He knelt—and in that moment, the Crimson Ash exploded with power.
I gasped as knowledge poured into me, centuries of forgotten techniques, lost arts of the empire's greatest warriors.
The Rite of Ashen Blood was complete.
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>Cut to: The Imperial Cult's Ambush
No time to celebrate, yet. The monks' temple shook violently. Then an explosion.
I stumbled forward, the doors bursting open as cult assassins flooded in.
Their leader, a masked figure in dark robes, stepped forward.
"You thought we wouldn't follow you?" He gestured to the monks, now surrounded. "Hand over the Crimson Ash, or everyone dies."
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>Gameplay Choice: How Do We Handle the Ambush?
1. Stand and Fight – Take on the assassins directly, showcasing the new skills from the Rite.
2. Escape and Regroup – Use stealth to slip past them, setting up a counterattack later.
3. Turn the Tables – Trick the assassins into an ambush of our own.
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Next Mission Preview: Breaking the Cult's Hold
°Bae Kae makes his move against the Imperial Cult.
°The truth about their connection to Kai-Hoon is revealed.
°A final war council is held—preparing for the rebellion's biggest battle yet.