The dust had barely settled.
Ochieng stood motionless, his figure illuminated by the faint glow of the shattered arena. Around him, nobles, warriors, and martial arts legends alike watched in stunned silence.
This was no ordinary victory.
This was a declaration.
A new era had begun.
The Aftermath of a Storm
Li Xuan lay unconscious in the shattered crater, his once-proud face bruised, his robes tattered. He had been the greatest warrior of this generation—until today.
The referee swallowed hard, then turned toward the stunned audience.
"The match is over! The winner is Ochieng!"
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
ROAR!
The entire coliseum erupted into deafening cheers.
Thousands screamed his name, their voices shaking the very ground beneath them. Merchants, nobles, scholars, and even the most skeptical elders now acknowledged one undeniable truth—
Ochieng was the future.
But Ochieng… remained silent.
His eyes drifted beyond the crowd, beyond the victory, toward the looming shadows at the highest balcony.
They were watching.
The true rulers of the underworld. The hidden emperors of the continent.
The silent war had only begun.
---
As Ochieng stepped out of the ring, a voice stopped him.
"You fought well."
He turned to find Elder Xiang, the legendary headmaster of the Martial Arts Institute, standing before him.
His long silver beard swayed in the wind, and his sharp eyes held a mixture of admiration and… caution.
"You have gained fame overnight," the elder continued. "But power attracts enemies. Be prepared."
Ochieng nodded.
He already knew.
From the shadows, eight cloaked figures watched.
The leaders of the Eight Major Provinces.
Their whispers filled the air:
"This boy…"
"He's too dangerous to be left unchecked."
"Shall we eliminate him?"
But one of them, a woman dressed in a crimson silk robe, smirked.
"No. Let's watch. If he is truly worthy, he will come to us himself."
---
That night, as Ochieng sat in his private chamber, a golden envelope arrived.
Sealed with a dragon emblem.
The Forbidden Gala.
A secret event attended only by the most powerful figures of the continent—mafias, billionaires, underground kings, and martial arts legends.
Only one rule existed.
Survive, or disappear.
Ochieng's lips curled into a smirk.
He had just won his first battle.
But the real war…
was only beginning.
---
The Forbidden Gala was held at The Celestial Tower, a sky-high fortress that overlooked the entire empire. It was said that every deal that shaped history was made here.
The grand ballroom glittered with chandeliers, and the most powerful figures in the world stood in silence as Ochieng walked in.
Some scoffed.
Some smirked.
Some whispered.
"Is this the child who dares to stand among us?"
A waiter approached him with a glass of golden wine.
But just as he was about to take a sip—
A blade shot toward his throat.
Ochieng tilted his head slightly, letting the cold steel pass mere inches from his skin.
The entire room went silent.
A woman in a blood-red dress stepped forward.
She was known as Lady Crimson, the deadliest assassin in the empire.
"Forgive me," she purred, her voice both soft and lethal. "It was just… a test."
Ochieng set his glass down.
His voice was calm, yet it sent chills down the spines of even the most seasoned killers.
"Then I hope you're ready for my test."
Lightning-fast, he struck—
A single flick of his wrist sent the assassin crashing to her knees.
The entire hall gasped.
No one—no one—had ever touched Lady Crimson before.
But Ochieng?
He barely even tried.
A deep voice laughed from the shadows.
"Impressive."
A man stepped forward.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. His very presence suffocated the room.
He was Jin Wei, the leader of the Eight Major Provinces.
"Boy," Jin Wei said, his eyes gleaming, "you have my attention."
---
That night, the world changed.
Deals were struck. Secrets were exchanged. Enemies were made.
But one thing was clear.
Ochieng was no longer just a nobody.
He was a force to be reckoned with.
And soon—
The world would kneel.