Carter grunted. The thick red aura wrapped around him and he punched at Ranja’s head.

That was enough to cause a shock wave in the water and stopped Ranja dead in his track. He fainted for a few seconds and floated up before extending their distance.

"You?! Elite?" Ranja opened his wide mouth. "I see. So that’s why you changed, Seija. You join the humans."

"I didn’t change. I only found my path again."

"Lies!"

Ranja turned around and swam away. He was not going to waste his time fighting an Elite.

"You’re going no where." Carter said. With the power of Seija, he could speak underway and breathed underway.

And he could move as good as when he was above water. The aura blasted around him and he zipped in the water.

"Serpent Power!" Ranja blurted out before Carter caught up with him.

He grabbed Ranja’s head and dragged it toward an underwater boulder. The same brutal treatment as before. Carter slammed Ranja into the boulder repeatedly until blood leaked out from Ranja’s cracked skull.

Ranja’s tail wrapped around Carter and flung him away.

"Leave me alone!" Ranja dashed away.

Carter zipped through the water and caught up with Ranja again. Another water-shattering punch that made the inside of Ranja mix up. Bubbles came out of his mouth.

"Please! Mercy! I can follow you like Seija!"

Carter grabbed Ranja’s teeth and bolted to the water surface.

The fishermen were finishing up at the shore of Enko River. That’s when they saw a white-haired woman jumped out of the water dragging a large blue serpent with her.

They landed heavier on the shore. The woman on her own two feet while the Serpent flopped pathetically.

"Please! I never did anything to you." Ranja said.

Carter approached him slowly. "Virgin women, huh? What Dark Arts did Ryuja teach you?"

"I..."

Carter held Ranja still and continue to punch into his skull. He did it until his fist caved into the Serpent’s head.

The fishermen ran away. Some stayed behind to watched the event unfold.

"That’s... That’s the Evil Serpent of the Enko River."

Ranja was very resilience. Even with a broken skull and a wide gaping hole. It still had died yet.

"I... I was just doing what was needed..."

"And that has brought you to your own death."

Carter pumped blood to his fist and landed one last punch on Ranja’s skull. His head exploded like a pumpkin.

<+10 Prime Coins>

<Current Prime Coins>: 894

Seija climbed onto the shore. She had returned to her small snake form.

"You really are a savage girl. You fight like a man."

’I am a man.’

Carter placed his hand on Ranja’s corpse. The progress bar appeared on his head. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

[+1 Major Yokai Shard (Awaken)]

The body of Ranja disappointed complete. Only a pool of blood was left on the shore.

A fisherman blurted out, "What? What did you do?"

As Carter turned toward the fisherman, the man covered his mouth and was horrified because of his own action. He was worried that Carter might attack him too.

But what answered him was a soft gentle voice.

"Evil beings need harsh punishment. It has paid for the crime it committed."

The fisherman froze in place, at awe by what the white-haired woman just said.

"Let’s leave, Seija."

"Yes, Mikoto."

Seija turned back to the large Serpent and carried Carter away. The rest of the fishermen walked out of their hiding spots and watched as she left.

"The Evil Serpent died..."

"The Evil Serpent died!"

They jumped in joy and they cheered. The legend of the White Lady spread to the local area. They even got a nickname for her, Chizu Shigara, the Bloody White Lady.

"Where are we heading, Mikoto?" Seija said.

"To Jado, Seija."

"Why? That place is very dangerous. We shouldn’t go there."

"There has to be someone to stop Tenka Ryuja. No one is going to do it. It must be the one."

Seija stayed silent. She understood more the woman on top of her. She was brutal and kind. Maybe she was what Arashi really needed to be unified again.

The Green Serpent carried Carter away under the soft sunlight of dusk. They disappeared toward the direction of Jado.

A few days later, Tenmaru was visiting the tavern that Carter met Constable Nakasuji.

"Did you hear? That same fortune teller just killed the Evil Serpent."

"You’re sure it’s her? It could be anybody!"

"White hair. White clothes. Black mask that covers her eyes. You really think there is another woman like that."

"Well... If you say it like that"

"Remember when she read the future for Constable Nakasuji? The cards lit up. Crazy!"

Tenmaru placed his cup of tea down and looked over.

"Sorry for interrupting. But did you just mention cards?"

Carter had arrived at Jado. This place was very different from Enzan. At least Enzan actually looked like a functional society. Jado was just a den of criminals and the opportunists.

"This place is evil, Mikoto. I can feel it."

"Stay inside my shirt, Seija."

They had gone off the Enko River and walked on land. Seija sometimes popped her head up to look around.

’Where should I begin?’

The path of conquering Jado would be complicated. He could transform into the Eldritch Knight, stack Elixirs on top of Eldritch Armor on top of Adrenaline on top of Terror Corruption on top of the Monster Beneath. He would likely level the entire capital this way.

But what was the point in that? It broke character immersion and wouldn’t allow Carter to grow.

’Fate should guide me. I also want to farm some more Skin Shards.’

Power was still the most important thing. Carter found a clean place to sit down and place the Destiny Deck on the ground.

Seija popped her head out of the shirt, "What is that, Mikoto?"

"This is how we used our connection with Fate. The cards would reveal the webs that can’t see."

Seija nodded along and observed closely.

Carter drew only three cards this time.

’Where should I start? Where can I find more Skin Shards? Show me the way.’

A wind card, a water card, and a grass card appeared. A journey, a resource, and a development.

The cards showed Carter where he needed to go next.