After several more hunts, the number of Golems under Igaris’ command had increased to 57. And his power rank had risen to Elite - 9, just a step away from the Champion Rank.
The reason for such rapid growth could be attributed to the rich essence contained within the Earth Golems.
His Inner World, also known as the Acquisition Space, had expanded to a 500-meter radius, now filled with lush greenery and structured settlements for his growing army.
It was currently evening, just the right time to summon the Undead.
The entire Golem territory began to shake violently, as if the very earth itself were enraged.
"Master, the Mountain King is enraged!" roared Granitus in his deep, gravelly voice.
"Ohh? Where is this Mountain King?"
"There!" Granitus pointed.
Igaris’s calm expression faltered the moment he saw what Granitus indicated.
In the distance stood a massive, towering hill—broad, tall, and wild.
"Are you sure that’s the Mountain King?" Igaris asked, a trace of solemnity in his voice.
Granitus nodded solemnly.
The hill was nearly 50 meters tall, sprawling with vegetation and teeming with wildlife.
It was difficult to believe such a colossal creature could even exist.
If that entire mass were to rise from the earth... who knew what kind of monster it would become?
The idea of continuing forward made Igaris hesitate.
He glanced at Evernight and asked, "Can you handle it?"
She was now a Champion -9 powerhouse, the one with the highest chance of standing against the Mountain King.
Evernight rolled her eyes. "I figured you’d ask that. Yes, my strength has increased. But I’m not confident I can defeat it. I can definitely buy you some time to escape, though," she said.
"Escape? Who said I wanted to flee?" Igaris tilted his head in confusion, then a fearsome smirk spread across his face. His entire body radiated an unyielding temperament.
Noticing this, Evernight’s surprise turned into amused madness.
"Fufufu... My Liege, you’re so reckless." She paused and smiled sweetly. "But I attitude of yours."
By then, the rumbling only intensified. The massive creature was rising.
Alongside it, more and more Earth Golems began to awaken, as if commanded by some unseen force.
With guttural roars, they marched toward Igaris and his group.
Igaris extended his hand and declared,
The words had barely escaped his lips when a dark aura seeped out from behind him, manifesting into over 2,000 undead knights standing in disciplined rows.
At the very front stood Malthius, the Commander Undead, wielder of the Godslayer Sword Style. Beside him stood Dred and Alpha, as if they had already established an internal hierarchy among themselves.
Their eyes were hollow and lifeless, yet their bodies radiated resolve, ready to throw themselves into battle even if it meant their end.
Igaris glanced back, noticing a lot of them had advanced by a few stages in rank.
While the named ones:
Malthius was now Champion - 5.
Dred had reached Elite - 6.
Alpha stood at Elite - 4.
"Malthius, you’re coming with us!" Igaris commanded, leaving the rest to confront the oncoming wave of Earth Golems thundering their way.
Malthius moved forward without saying a word, but it was clear he understood Igaris—not just through mental command, but through spoken intent.
Together, Evernight, Malthius, and Igaris sprinted toward the Mountain King, whose towering silhouette loomed darker under the fading crimson light of the setting sun.
The Mountain King stood like a titan. Its eyes glowed with eerie green energy as it glared down at the three ants beneath its feet.
With a sudden burst of green light, the earth responded to its power. Massive rock boulders and jagged earth spikes erupted from the ground, hurtling through the air and gleaming with a deadly glow.
Evernight spread her radiant white angelic wings. Her twin curved black horns radiated ominous darkness beside them, giving her an almost demonic majesty.
Using her wings, she darted between the incoming boulders and spikes, her movements fluid and elegant.
Malthius dashed forward with incredible agility, the mark of a true-born warrior. His blackened greatsword rested in one hand as he raced ahead.
In a sudden flash, he struck—
A single clean slash cleaved an Earth Golem in two, a precise and deadly blow from his Godslayer Sword Style.
Igaris was impressed.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!"
Suddenly, a massive rock boulder came spinning straight toward him.
He couldn’t pull off a flashy sword slash like Malthius.
So he unfurled his Gale Wings and leapt into the air just in time.
The boulder crashed into the ground beneath him, sending wind and dust whipping past his cheek.
Wiping the grit from his face, Igaris pressed forward, following behind the two Champions acting as his guards.
They were there to back him up until he reached the Mountain King—and brought it under his control.
A clean plan, but one that demanded perfect coordination and flawless execution.
Fortunately, the duo were doing their job well.
Evernight conjured Golden Chains of Judgment and swung them to shatter incoming boulders midair.
Malthius cut down the deadly earth spikes with surgical precision, each slash clean and lethal.
Still, a few projectiles slipped past them and hurtled toward Igaris.
He immediately activated [Spin-Shell Burst], encasing himself in stone-like armor as he dodged, using its momentum to roll out of harm’s way.
On the other hand, his army was doing well, steadily subduing the hundreds of Earth Golems.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly—until they got close to the Mountain King.
The mountain let out an enraged roar that shook both air and earth.
Frightened howls from low-tier beasts echoed in the distance, as if they sensed a looming catastrophe.
Igaris frowned. He couldn’t quite tell what kind of attack the Mountain King was preparing this time.
But then, his expression shifted.
In a flash, something changed.
Before he could react, he found himself completely encased in a thick prison of stone—trapped within a statue-like formation.
He was the only one caught.
Immobilized, and alone.