malereader x hells paradise

Chapter 22: Tao in Full Force

Y/N's POV

The air crackles with energy, thick and oppressive, making it hard to breathe. Every inch of my skin feels electrified, like the island itself is ready to burst into chaos at any moment. It’s different now—Tao. I can feel it, pulsing around us, threading through the earth and the very air we breathe. The others feel it too, their movements more cautious, more deliberate.

I grip the hilt of my blade, feeling the cool steel under my fingers, trying to focus. The sound of our footsteps against the earth echoes in my mind. Ahead of us, the trees part slightly, giving way to an open space—a clearing. The perfect place for an ambush. I glance at Sagiri, who gives me a barely perceptible nod. She knows it too. The feeling of something lurking just beyond sight is undeniable.

Yuzuriha is the first to speak, her voice low but tinged with amusement. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say they’re waiting for us.”

“They are,” I say, my eyes scanning the shadows. I know who is waiting. One of the Lord Tensen. Ran.

The name alone sends a chill down my spine. The Lord Tensen are no ordinary enemies. Each one we’ve faced has pushed us to the brink, and we barely scraped through with our lives. Ran is different, though. More ruthless. More… unpredictable. This fight won’t be like the others.

We edge forward, step by step, the tension between us thickening. Yuzuriha’s grace, Sagiri’s discipline, Nurugai’s fierce determination—they’re all with me, but even so, the air feels heavier now, like the island is bending under the weight of the power we’re about to confront.

Suddenly, a low, resonating hum cuts through the silence. It vibrates deep in my chest, a sound I recognize all too well: the flow of Tao, surging and coiling. My muscles tense, every nerve in my body screaming at me to prepare.

Then, he steps into view.

Lord Tensen Ran.

His appearance is striking, even more than the others—ethereal, with features that shift subtly, almost like he’s more energy than flesh. His skin gleams with a faint, iridescent glow, and his eyes burn with an intensity that sets my teeth on edge.

“You’ve come far,” Ran says, his voice soft, but it echoes through the clearing as though amplified by the island itself. “But this is where your journey ends.”

There’s no hesitation. He moves faster than my eyes can track, a blur of motion as he closes the distance between us. I barely have time to react, instinct pulling me back as his fist crashes into the ground where I stood a second earlier, sending a shockwave through the earth. The ground trembles under the force of his blow.

I roll to my feet, heart pounding, and dart to the side, avoiding his next strike by a hair’s breadth. His speed is unbelievable. But worse than that, I can feel his Tao, the energy radiating off him in waves, crushing down on us like a physical weight.

“We can’t match him like this,” Yuzuriha calls out, her voice strained. “He’s controlling the Tao around him.”

I already know. Every movement I make feels sluggish, every breath labored. Ran’s Tao is overwhelming, suffocating. It’s like trying to fight with a boulder strapped to my chest.

Sagiri slashes at him, her blade slicing through the air, but Ran anticipates it easily, stepping aside with fluid grace. He flicks his wrist, and a burst of Tao sends Sagiri flying back, her body slamming into a tree with a sickening thud.

“Sagiri!” I shout, rushing to her side. She groans, pushing herself to her feet, but she’s hurt. We’re running out of time. We need a way to fight back, something to break his control over the Tao.