NOVEL WEB Chapter 24: Cult's Warlord
Ashes and Betrayal – The Imperial Cult's Ambush & Bae Kae's Counterattack
>The Ambush Begins
The temple trembled as the explosion ripped through the ancient stone walls. Dust and debris rained down, the flickering torches snuffed out by the force. The monks around me scattered, their normally calm faces twisted in shock.
I heard a sharp whistle cut through the chaos. Then blades flashing in the dark. The Imperial Cult had found me.
From the temple's shattered entrance, hooded assassins poured in like a black tide and cloaks flowing, their curved daggers gleaming under the fractured moonlight. Their leader stepped forward, his face covered by an ornate silver mask.
"The Crimson Ash is not yours to wield," he said. "Hand it over, and your deaths will be swift."
I exhaled slowly, shifting into a combat stance. No more running.
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Gameplay Mechanic: Combat in Total Darkness
✓The temple's torches are destroyed, forcing players to fight by sound and instinct.
✓Players must rely on environmental cues—whispers, footfalls, flickers of movement.
>New ability unlocked: "Echo Strike" – Attack in sync with enemy movements to land precision blows.
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>Phase 1: Fighting Blind
A dagger whistled past my ear, slicing into the stone pillar behind me.
I moved swiftly.The assassins attacked as a unit. Silent, efficient, and deadly. One jumped high, another lunged low. Their blades moved in perfect rhythm, like a dark symphony.
I ducked, weaving through the barrage. My Instinct took over.
One step forward—and I dodged. Twist left and counter their attacks. Then, I spin, with my dagger to the throat—kill.
The first assassin dropped silently.
Their leader clicked his tongue. "You see well in the dark. But do you see everything?"
Suddenly, a sharp crack rang out. The ground split beneath me.
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>Phase 2: The Temple's Collapse
The explosion had weakened the structure. The floor beneath us caved in, plunging us into the temple's underground catacombs.
I landed hard, rolling to absorb the impact. Dim red light pulsed from the walls—veins of ancient power weaving through the stone.
The Cult leader descended slowly, stepping onto the broken ground as if he owned it.
"This place will be your tomb," he murmured.
He raised his hand. The crimson veins in the walls flared violently—and suddenly, the corpses entombed within the catacombs began to move.
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>New Enemy Type: The Crimson Wraiths
°Resurrected warriors bound by the Imperial Cult's dark magic.
°Immune to normal weapons—must be fought using the Crimson Ash's power.
°Unpredictable attack patterns—phasing in and out of reality.
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>Phase 3: The Crimson Wraiths' Onslaught
The dead rose in droves. Ancient warriors in rusted armor lurched toward me, their hollow eyes burning with crimson fire. Their swords dripped with spectral ash, each strike passing through normal steel like smoke.
I had no choice.
I gripped the Ashen Blade tightly—and let its power flow through me.
A rush of heat—visions of the past seared into my mind. The forgotten battlefields, the emperors who once wielded this power, the endless cycle of war and betrayal.
As i stepped forward, the ash ignited into live immediately.
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>New Combat Ability: Ashen Fury
°Imbue weapons with the Crimson Ash, making them effective against supernatural foes.
°Time slows when attacking—allowing for precise counterstrikes against phasing enemies.
°Successive kills increase power, but prolonged use drains stamina.
The first wraith swung at my head. I ducked low, letting the strike pass through empty air.
My counterattack was instant. The Ashen Blade flared, slicing through its spectral form—and for the first time, the wraiths screamed. More came. I moved like fire on the wind, cutting them down one by one. Each kill strengthened me.
The cult leader watched in stunned silence.
"You… you're no mere rebel," he whispered, and then he ran off.
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>Phase 4: The Chase Through the Burning Temple
Well, i wasn't letting him escape so easily.
>Gameplay Sequence: High-Speed Pursuit
°Players must chase the cult leader through the crumbling temple ruins.
°Avoid collapsing debris, burning beams, and surprise ambushes from remaining cultists.
°Choose between shortcuts—dangerous but faster routes, or safer but slower paths.
The temple was coming down. Flames slowly licked the walls, turning ancient scripture to ash.
The cult leader sprinted ahead, leaping over broken pillars, dodging through narrow passages. And I was right behind him..He kicked over a brazier—a wall of fire erupted in my path.
>(Gameplay Choice: Find another route OR risk running through the fire?)
I plunged through the flames. Pain flare through my bones, but I kept moving. He was almost within reach. We burst onto the temple rooftop, the night wind howling around us. He turned, panting, a single dagger left in his hand.
"You're too late," he sneered. "Kai-Hoon already knows about the Crimson Ash. The empire will not fall to a pretender."
I didn't hesitate, anymore. Asingle slash and his body crumpled.
The Imperial Cult's grip on this temple was broken.
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>Aftermath: Preparing for the Counterattack
The surviving monks emerged from the ruins, battered but alive. The temple was lost, but the power of the Crimson Ash was now fully mine.
I turned to my allies.
"This ends soon. We strike the Imperial Cult before they can regroup."
>New Objective Unlocked: Assault on the Cult's Fortress.
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>Next Mission Preview: The Cult's Last Stand
✓Bae Kae leads a full-scale assault against the Imperial Cult's hidden fortress.
✓The truth behind their connection to Kai-Hoon is finally revealed.
✓A new enemy emerges from the shadows—one even more dangerous than we imagined.
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>New Mission: Shadows Within—The Betrayal Before the Raid.
>Prelude to War
The temple's ruins still smoldered behind us, but there was no time to mourn the destruction. The Imperial Cult had been dealt a heavy blow, yet they still remained a force lurking in the shadows.
Ahead of us, across the mist-shrouded valley, lay our next target—the Cult's hidden fortress, the Obsidian Keep.
This was where they hoarded their darkest secrets. Where they conducted their forbidden rites. Where Kai-Hoon's grip on the empire had first begun.
And I was going to burn it to the ground.
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>New Objective: Assault on the Obsidian Keep
°Infiltrate the cult's fortress using multiple strategic paths.
°Choose between a full-frontal assault or a stealth approach.
°Eliminate key targets before they can summon reinforcements.
°Secure the Crimson Archives, which hold the cult's deepest secrets.
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>Phase 1: The Gathering of Forces
In the days leading up to the attack, I met with my key allies—generals, spies, and rogue warriors who had all sworn themselves to my cause.
Commander Jang Wei, my field strategist, laid out the possible attack routes.
Katsuro, the Blademaster, polished his twin sabers, ready for another blood-soaked battle.
Mei Rin, the Shadow Whisperer, returned from her scouting mission with grave news.
"Something is wrong," she murmured. "The Cult is expecting us."
I frowned. "Explain."
She tossed a bloodstained scroll onto the table. A warning letter.
"They know the date of our attack. The routes we planned. Someone has betrayed us." The room fell into silence.
Someone within my inner circle had leaked our strategy to the enemy.
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>New Gameplay Mechanic: The Hunt for the Traitor
✓Players must interrogate key figures and uncover inconsistencies.
✓Collect evidence from hidden messages, intercepted letters, and overheard conversations.
✓Make a choice—publicly expose the traitor or use them to feed false information.
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>Phase 2: Unmasking the Betrayer
I locked eyes with my closest advisors. One of them had sold us out. I began my interrogation.
Jang Wei swore he never let the battle plans leave his sight.
Mei Rin confirmed that the scouts operated in secrecy.
Katsuro was oddly silent, his fingers tapping the hilt of his blade.
Then came the slip. A single phrase spoken by Katsuro. One detail about the enemy's defenses that only the traitor should have known.
I drew my blade before he could react. Steel met steel in a blinding flash.
"You should have run when you had the chance."
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>Boss Battle: The Duel with Katsuro, the Fallen Blademaster
°Katsuro fights with unpredictable, dual-saber techniques.
°He has access to Cultist shadow magic, warping his movements.
°Players must counter his relentless aggression while managing stamina.
✓Victory unlocks the option: Execute him or spare him for information.
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>Phase 3: The Aftermath of Betrayal
Blood painted the floor. Katsuro knelt, panting, his weapons broken.
"Why?" I demanded.
He chuckled bitterly. "Because you were never meant to win this war." His words sent a chill through me. There was something deeper at play. The Cult hadn't just prepared for our attack—they had orchestrated the entire conflict from the beginning.
But there was no turning back now. We march at dawn.
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>New Mission: The Siege of the Obsidian Keep
>Phase 1: The Battlefield Awakens
As the first light of dawn touched the horizon, my army stood at the valley's edge.
The Obsidian Keep loomed before us—black stone walls, cursed banners fluttering, the sky above twisted by dark magic. The Cult had fortified themselves well. Then, the gates creaked open. And monstrous figures stepped forth. The Imperial Cult had unleashed their darkest creations—warriors infused with cursed relics, their bodies twisted by unnatural power.
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>New Enemy Type: The Ashen Sentinels
°Corrupted warriors wielding ancient relics.
°Can absorb attacks to unleash devastating counterstrikes.
°Defeating them grants temporary relic powers for the player.
And the battle began. Explosions rocked the valley as my forces clashed against the Cult's corrupted warriors. Arrows rained from the fortress walls. Siege weapons thundered.
I led the charge. Blades flashed, shadows moved, and blood painted the battlefield.
This wasn't just a battle for vengeance anymore. This was a battle to decide the empire's fate.
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>Next Mission Preview: The Final Ascent – Reaching the Crimson Archives
°Bae Kae and his elite warriors break through the fortress gates.
°A powerful Cult warlord awaits at the heart of the keep.
°The truth about Kai-Hoon's connection to the Cult is finally revealed.