"Ash Phantom: The Legend Reborn"

"This chapter contains some parts from the previous one. Due to time strain, I couldn't prepare a full, fresh chapter. I didn't want to leave you waiting, so I posted this to keep the flow going. The next update will be a proper continuation. Thanks for your patience and support."

1st para is from future chapter you can read..

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High above the glowing skies of Baku, the eagle soared, its wings slicing through the night wind. Below, Ana and Ryzin tilted their heads up, eyes fixed on the creature as it circled. Ana's brows narrowed in curiosity.

"What are you planning, Aazin?" she asked, her voice sharp yet intrigued.

Aazin only smirked, his tone calm and dangerous. "Wait… and watch."

The eagle's path turned toward the Royal Palace, where laughter echoed across the high balcony. Inside, two old friends stood together—Ravi and King Velmore, their reunion warming the halls of stone and firelight.

Ravi grinned, rolling his shoulder as if remembering a past life. "We'll do swordfight again… just like the old days."

Velmore's heavy crown shifted as he laughed. "Sure. I was about to ask you the same."

Neither of them noticed the dark shadow passing above. The eagle hovered, its beak opening wide, and within its throat a ball of fire began to churn. The sound hissed, a low fusssttt that thickened the air with heat.

But the two men still spoke, their voices calm and unbroken, unaware of the incoming blaze.

Ravi's smile dimmed. He lifted his head slightly, eyes narrowing. "Velmore… someone's interrupting us."

Velmore followed his gaze, and in that moment the fireball swelled.

On the other side of the balcony, Vivi's face turned pale. Panic gripped her as she screamed, "Fire! Look—there's fire!"

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Alvin nodded, gripping Shamrico tightly as if it were his own heart.

Ranjan threw off his jacket, rolled his sleeves up, and, without another word, jumped.

The cold wind caught his hair as he plunged toward the ocean. Dub!

Beneath the surface, a colossal shadow emerged. A giant… no, a titan of the deep—an elephant-fish the size of a fortress, twenty meters wide. Its eyes glowed like molten gems, and its mouth was lined with sword-like teeth that could tear a ship in half.

In front of it, Ranjan looked no bigger than an insect.

From the depths, the monster surged upward, the pressure shaking the very water. Ranjan's eyes widened for a second… then he smiled.

Raising one hand above his head, his voice echoed through the deep—"Marinda Strike!"

The sea around him churned violently as a massive energy sphere began to form, pulling in the raw power of the ocean itself. It swirled with dark and pink hues, radiating a terrifying force.

"Now die, monster…"

With a sharp flick of his wrist—Fussssshhhhh!

A titanic beam shot forth, slicing through the water like the wrath of a god. It struck straight through the monster's head, the force so dense it could have carved a hole clean through a mountain.

The ocean lit up with the blinding light of destruction.

Ranjan swam upward, cutting through the water with powerful strokes. His hand caught hold of a rope dangling from the side of the ship, and he began climbing, each pull slow and deliberate, muscles tense from the battle.

As he stepped onto the deck, he tugged at the buttons of his shirt, tearing it open before slipping it off completely. His hair, soaked and heavy, clung to his face.

With a slow tilt of his head to the left—splash—water sprayed in a graceful arc.A sharp flick to the right—splash—more droplets flew like scattered stars in the wind.

The crew stood frozen, their eyes locked on him. Every breath he took seemed heavier, each drop of seawater sliding down his skin telling the silent story of the monster he had just slain.

The massive, lifeless body of the sea monster slowly rose, its bulk breaking the surface of the ocean with a deep, rolling whummm. Blood and foam swirled in the waves around it.

Alvin, still holding the Shamrico close, glanced at one of the deckhands."Go," he said firmly, his voice cutting through the cold wind. "Get some meat from it… this will be a great reserve for the journey."

The man nodded quickly, already gathering tools, while the rest of the crew stared in awe at the sheer size of the kill.

********

Somewhere..

High above the crashing waves, on a black mountain torn apart by storms, a man sat. Around him — skulls the size of ships, broken bones of beasts no one dared to name. The wind howled, but he didn't flinch, his eyes lost somewhere on the horizon like he was staring straight into fate.

His body was a fortress — muscles carved like old stone, scars slashing across his skin, each one a story of something that had tried to kill him… and failed. A long coat, torn and burned at the edges, swayed behind him like the flag of some forgotten war. His hair fell heavy over his shoulders, black with streaks of silver like it stole colors from the storm itself.

In his hand, he held a jagged iron spear, the tip still stained with the blood of a sea leviathan. His other hand rested lazily on a massive horned skull — its hollow eyes stared at the ocean below, just like him.

And then, he smiled. Not wide. Just enough to make the air colder.The kind of smile that promised nothing but ruin.

Draven Skulltide — Captain of the Vaiven Tideborns.The greatest tideborn of this era.

He sat high on his mountain of bones, the ocean far below roaring like a beast in chains. The skulls of sea monsters and land titans lay scattered around him — silent trophies of his endless war against the world.

Beside him stood Maisen, his left hand. A man wreathed in a faint, ominous red glow, like his very skin was forged in molten rage. Tall. Bald. A massive scar ran across his face like a river of violence. His stare — cold, fixed, and heavy enough to crush a man's breath — locked on Draven.

"Draven," Maisen said, his voice rough as rusted iron. "We have word from our spy. A mid-tier tideborn group… the Litos… they've reached Moa Island. Rumor says they've taken Shamrico."

Draven's gaze shifted slowly, his eyes dark as a deep-sea trench. When he spoke, his voice rolled out low and heavy — like the echo of a blue whale in an endless ocean.

"Shamrico…" He let the name linger in the air. "Mmmph. Kids like them can't hold Shamrico. That book… it will slip from their hands, just as it did from ours. And when it does… Moa will vanish again. Its location will change, as it always does."

Above the jagged cliffs, the sky swarmed with massive winged beasts — creatures with tails like battering rams, each beat of their wings shaking the air. Upon their broad backs sat the riders of Vaiven, armored and armed, their banners fluttering like the wings of vultures circling prey.

Draven sat on his throne of bones, the wind snapping at his long, tattered coat. His eyes drifted to the horizon as he spoke, voice deep and slow, like a tide pulling the world down.

"This world is cursed," he said. "Something happened long ago… something dark… something powerful. The secret we carry could shatter all of Winland. Better it stays quiet."

Maisen adjusted his stance, the red glow around him shifting like embers in a dying fire. His voice was steady, but sharp."We have doubts about certain children… we suspect they may be Ash Phantoms. Seven are already dead, but a few remain — protected, hidden. One from Baku City… one from Ryuki City… and one from Rompo. These three still breathe, and we lost three of our hunters trying to end them."

Draven's gaze hardened."Be quick. Someone among them will soon grow into a nuisance. Crush the neck before the voice can speak."

Maisen nodded."One of our spies in Ryuki City reports that the boy Auren Ryuki has left the city. We don't yet know his destination. But… there is more. I placed a spy aboard the Litos ship in the past. He sent word before vanishing — a child killed Yidan of Litos on the Ninth Premium Ship, en route to Baku from Ryuki. This makes me even more certain… Auren is an Ash Phantom. And now… he is heading for Baku."

Draven leaned forward, his gaze cold as stone."Two bulls… one arrow. Kill both of the children we see as threats. Send Ryzin and Aazin — and give them backup. I want them dead."

Maisen gave a slow nod, the crimson light across his skin pulsing faintly."Ryzin and Aazin… yes. Those brothers are perfect for this. Their speed… the way they kill without a whisper — it's something we value. But…" He paused, eyes narrowing. "We should also keep watch on Litos. They'll be after Auren too. What's your command about them?"

Draven's voice rumbled like distant thunder."Where are they now? Are they on the Turtle side… or Elephant? Where's their base?"

Maisen replied without hesitation."Last we know, they were sighted in the Eletle Ocean."

At Draven's hand, a swirl of dark mist formed, twisting into a small cloud. It burst silently, leaving behind a cup of deep amber alcohol. He sipped slowly, voice calm and heavy.

"Eletal… the great ocean between Elephant and Turtle. A hotspot for Tideborns." His gaze narrowed. "They're far from us for now. We'll finish them later. But if they send anyone to Baku… kill them. On this journey, I've destroyed more Tideborns than I can remember." He scratched his ear lazily. "I've even lost count."

Maisen chuckled. "Yes… maybe one hundred twenty-seven Tideborns."

Draven tilted his head, his voice dropping like a drumbeat. "You say one twenty-seven?" He set the cup down. "No. One twenty-eight."

Maisen's grin didn't fade. "I know the number. It's one twenty-seven."

Draven opened his palm — a small trident materialized, its silver edge dripping with faint blue light. Without warning, he hurled it upward. The weapon vanished into the clouds, slicing through the air at impossible speed.

Maisen's eyes followed it. "What is it?"

Draven's lips curled into a low, cold laugh. "I said… one twenty-eight."