Chapter Twenty-Five: The Third Party in the Shadows

"What sort of secret technique is it?" The Fang King strained to control Karrel's mind, his instincts telling him this secret was of utmost importance.

Under the relentless invasion of crimson energy, Karrel's eyes turned blood-red. "The fusion of multiple Templar powers... to break through, all at once, to demi-god."

A glint of understanding flashed in the Fang King's gaze; so this was the real reason Tassadar dared to challenge him. Yet one final question remained. "Where are your companions?"

"On... on the surface of the sea. No—what have you done to me!" At last, Karrel broke free from the Fang King's mental grip, his eyes wide with fury. In a moment of carelessness, he had been controlled, divulging so much information. He had underestimated the Fang King.

Minutes later, the Fang King strode out of the water, smiling at the captured Dark Templar. Karrel and his group had all been sealed by the Fang King's artifact, their powers suppressed, then each locked in a separate cell.

Returning to his quarters, the Fang King pondered whether he ought to flee. After the humiliating defeat at Tassadar’s hands, he was loath to leave so ignominiously. Deep in thought, an idea formed: as long as these people were separated, they could not enact their secret rite, and he could kill Tassadar at his leisure.

He chuckled inwardly. "Tassadar, whatever tricks you have left, you will not escape me again." Absorbing the Dizin—the primal energy from the Dark Dimension, which he called the Gift of the Gods—Fang King grew ever more attuned to the darkness, his strength increasing. "If you want to play, then let us play properly," he mused, his laughter echoing.

Time slipped by unnoticed. Hours later, Tassadar’s group, unaware that their secret had been exposed, arrived at the island indicated by the Fang King.

Tassadar and Zeratul exchanged glances; the calm here was unnatural. On high alert, they entered the island. According to Lisa, the main brain was hidden in a cave within.

Finding the cave, Tassadar’s party advanced cautiously. The corridor was lined with viscous, gelatinous matter, prompting them to float above the ground. After traversing the lengthy passage, they reached a vast chamber, where a monstrous tumor writhed at its center. "If I’m not mistaken, this must be the so-called main brain," thought Tassadar, gazing at the grotesque mass and its web of blood vessels.

In this sealed environment, Tassadar ordered the group to unleash a psionic storm upon the main brain. The Dark Templar could wield psionic storms, though theirs were harder to control—but for Zeratul, it was effortless.

Under the storm’s onslaught, the tumor charred, its connecting vessels incinerated. The group exchanged puzzled glances. Was that all? It seemed almost too easy.

Suddenly, the gelatin beneath their feet erupted, spewing upward. Blood-red light formed cages, trapping them. Zeratul and Tassadar, battle-hardened, narrowly escaped, moving to free the others, when the Fang King’s voice rang out. "Don’t struggle. This is a secret technique I painstakingly developed—it suppresses the strength of those within. Unless your power exceeds mine, you cannot break free."

Seeing the Fang King appear so confidently, Tassadar sensed trouble; the situation was turning dire. Zeratul vanished as soon as the cages appeared, racing toward Tassadar, but just as they were about to reunite, the Fang King materialized beside Tassadar, trapping Zeratul in mid-air. With everyone subdued, Tassadar had no choice but to speak. "Fang King, how did you know?"

Clearly, the circumstances forced Tassadar to reconsider. From what he knew, even if his group attacked together, the Fang King wouldn’t bother controlling them individually unless he knew about the secret rite.

"Hahaha, I must thank my dear disciple for that. Isn’t that right, Karrel?" With a peal of laughter, Karrel, bound tightly, appeared on the cave’s rear wall—it turned out these walls could move, and Karrel’s group had been imprisoned there.

Karrel lowered his head in shame, unable to meet Tassadar’s gaze. Not only had he failed to avenge his enemy, he had ruined Tassadar’s secret operation—a crime deserving a thousand deaths.

Tassadar understood at once. Karrel had sensed the Fang King’s power and, unable to resist, had been captured. He didn’t know how the secret had leaked, but now the focus was on dealing with the Fang King.

"Tassadar, you used to hide in your turtle-shell ship, and I couldn’t touch you. But now you dare stand before me—prepare to die!" The Fang King brushed imaginary dust from his robes, claws extended as he launched his attack.

Tassadar was forced to defend against the Fang King’s assault. As a level eleven psionic, he was only one rank below the Fang King, but at such heights each rank was worlds apart. The Fang King’s twelfth level was near demi-god, while Tassadar’s eleventh was a recent breakthrough. The vast gulf in power meant Tassadar could only defend, relying on auxiliary gear developed by the Academy to barely withstand the attacks.

But all that changed when the Fang King produced his artifact. Holding it in one hand, he struck Tassadar, sending him flying several meters.

Tassadar wiped the blood from his lips, but as he tried to rise, a prison conjured by the Fang King trapped him. Seeing Tassadar in peril, Zeratul struggled free, wielding his warp blade and slashing at the Fang King.

The Fang King dodged with ease. After securing Tassadar, he engaged Zeratul in battle.

This fight was different from the one with Tassadar: defensive, with few attacks. Zeratul would vanish into the shadows after each missed strike, then reappear elsewhere to assault the Fang King. The Fang King, irritated by this harassment, finally unleashed a powerful psionic blast, scattering Zeratul and striking him with blood-red lightning. Zeratul crashed to the ground, then was imprisoned.

"Hahaha! You thought you could defeat me? You’re nothing but ants." The Fang King looked down contemptuously at the fallen warriors. "I thought you had some remarkable secret technique—how disappointing."

As the Fang King laughed maniacally, Tassadar closed his eyes. If the artifact were not in the Fang King's hands, they would never have come for a surprise attack. As long as he held it, the Protoss Empire could never hope to capture him.

The Fang King floated before a Light Templar, beginning his torment. "I know you’re all stubborn. No matter what I ask, you won’t tell the truth. In that case, I’ll simply torture you—hahaha!"

As the Templar writhed in agony, the Fang King laughed in triumph. He wouldn’t kill them quickly; after so many years, he was starved for entertainment. Keeping them alive for amusement suited him well.

"Suffer! Wail! I love the cries of defeated dogs—hahaha!" Listening to their screams, the Fang King delighted himself, accidentally tormenting one unconscious. "Oh dear, we’ve only just begun and you’re already done? Worthless."

He glanced indifferently at the unconscious Templar, then turned to torment another, savoring each fresh cry.

Watching his brethren so abused, Tassadar could no longer contain his fury. He began to commune with the energies of Khala and the Void, preparing to invoke the secret technique he alone could wield: Twilight Judgement.

Ever since Adun’s ascension, many sought to rapidly ascend by fusing light and darkness, but most were obliterated, returning to Aiur’s embrace. The Shadow Council severely forbade ordinary people from attempting the fusion; though powerful, it was perilous, and only the exceptionally gifted could balance it.

Although Tassadar was Adun’s disciple, he had never attempted the fusion—its risks exceeded even those of the Archon's secret rite. But the situation brooked no delay; the Fang King could kill them at any moment.

Closing his eyes, Tassadar felt his spirit rising, swiftly entering the psionic realm.

As the Divine Firstborn, the Protoss could easily connect with the psionic realm—but this was dangerous. Those unable to master overwhelming power could only bring disaster upon themselves and others.

Thus, followers of the Khala invoked orderly psionic power through its restraint; the Dark Templar, following the Void, built their own mental shields, but even so, chaos often brought backlash, making them rarely unleash large-scale storms.

As one who mastered both light and darkness, Tassadar could establish two connections—but he had never dared to call upon both at once.