[Soul-binding Successful]
[Acquisition Successful]
[Species: Mountain Golem (King)]
[Power Rank: Master - 4 ]
[Abilities: Earth Manipulation]
Igaris collapsed to the ground, completely drained after successfully acquiring the creature.
His skin was cut and bruised in several places, and the recent battles had pushed him beyond his limits. The moment the acquisition was complete, his body gave out, and he lost consciousness.
The towering Mountain King, now bound to him, watched in confusion for a moment. Then a panicked expression crossed its rocky face.
Without hesitation, it shrank down into a humanoid form and stepped closer, eyes glowing with concern as it knelt beside its fallen master.
As the dust settled and calm returned to the battlefield, Evernight and Malthius approached.
Evernight stared at the now-humanoid Mountain King, stunned. Not by its physical transformation, but by the shift in its presence.
This massive creature had become one of Igaris’s obedient pets.
Her crimson and golden eyes flicked toward the now humanoid Mountain King, who stood motionless like a worried child awaiting orders. Gone was the monstrous aura that once emanated from the towering being. Now it emanated something else entirely—subservience.
Suddenly, the Mountain King turned to the duo.
"Are you also the master’s servants?"
Malthius didn’t respond.
Evernight sighed and nodded. "Yes, we are. Unfortunately."
"Unfortunately?" The Mountain King frowned, clearly displeased by her response.
"It should be our fortune to serve a mighty master like him. He is the One. He is the Worthy," it declared with fanatical devotion.
Evernight rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know."
The Mountain King gave her a sideways glance. "You regret serving him?"
"No," she said after a moment. "But I pity anyone who stands against him."
Then she glanced down at Igaris, a faint smirk touching her lips.
"Even unconscious... that ego of his still lingers in the air."
The Mountain King slowly sat beside Igaris like a loyal hound by its master’s side, never breaking its gaze from the surroundings.
The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, casting the world in twilight.
Afterward, they carried Igaris’ unconscious body and placed it on a stone bed conjured by the Mountain King.
The other beasts ceased their fighting and gathered in a wide circle around Igaris.
Evernight and the Mountain King fell into an awkward silence. With no one else to talk to, she found herself oddly bored. Granitus was nearby, but he rarely spoke unless absolutely necessary.
She glanced around curiously.
There were nearly 2,500 beasts, all waiting quietly for a single human to wake up.
Many of them could easily kill Igaris, yet none made a move.
That invisible binding, the soul connection, held them in place. Even her.
She had never encountered such an anomaly before.
’But... what should I do now? If they now decided to go war against the Mecha Users, it means they are getting involved. And with my current strength, I can’t stop them.’
She looked up at the night sky, her shimmering Violet eyes reflecting a worry born from ancient times.
’Father... your daughter will not give up. I will save your descendants, even if it means erasing every last one of the Summoners. I swore it—the Holy Descendants shall be wiped out.’
Her voice trembled, not with fear, but with conflict.
’But why am I bound to this human? Why him? I don’t understand. And how things will unfold from here... even I can’t see.’
Time passed in heavy silence, until it was shattered by a group of intruders barging onto the scene.
"Undead Knights? Earth Golems? Griffins? Fire Spirits? All of them... together?"
A woman’s gasp echoed through the clearing.
"What’s going on here, Drago?" she asked a bulky man draped in a robe embroidered with dragon scales.
"I don’t understand either, Maya." Drago muttered, his brows furrowed.
"And what are they surrounding?" asked a sharp-eyed man standing beside a blazing Fiery Eagle.
Drago remained silent, his eyes scanning the unnatural assembly of magical beasts—yet he couldn’t make sense of it.
"Let’s check it out," he finally ordered.
Their voices, and more importantly, their presence, already reached Evernight’s keen senses.
She turned slowly, an amused grin curling at her lips.
There were five Summoners in total, and each one radiated a power that suppressed Evernight’s current state.
Still, she stepped forward confidently, flanked by Malthius on her left and the Mountain King on her right.
Maya’s eyes widened the moment they landed on the woman leading them.
"No... a Fallen Angel, to be exact," Drago corrected, his tone growing grim.
"But, leader... she’s really beautiful, isn’t she?" muttered another Summoner, his gaze lingering with thinly veiled lust. "Why don’t we take her?"
"Shut up, Eagle," Maya snapped, her glare sharp enough to cut. "Can’t you think with anything other than your lower half for once?"
"Hahaha! Well said, Maya," laughed a couple behind them in sync, seemingly entertained by the bickering.
Drago, however, kept his focus.
"What’s a Fallen doing here?" he asked, eyes narrowing as they locked with Evernight’s.
"Yeah... In this concealed Hollow Plains, there’s no way she arrived by normal means," Maya added, her voice firm and eyes sharp.
"More importantly, we haven’t seen an Angel in centuries. It’s like the gods abandoned us. So the arrival of this Fallen one is... suspicious. We should take her to the Supreme Ones, Drago."
Evernight’s eyes gleamed with dangerous amusement. A smile tugged at her lips.
"Fufufu... You five are trying to bully this poor, little angel? That’s not very fair." Her voice dropped to a mock-fragile tone as she clasped her hands together, acting the part of a delicate fallen damsel.
Of course, none of them bought it. The fake tears in her eyes were just another part of the act, and everyone here saw right through them.
Then, without warning, her smile shifted.
Her eyes turned razor sharp, cold and brilliant. Her hands lowered, and her fingernails stretched into obsidian claws that pulsed with malevolent energy.
The curse power radiating from each claw was suffocating with pure darkness condensed into five razor-tipped promises of death. One touch could damn a soul for eternity.
"But I must remind you," she said softly, a dangerous grin spreading across her face, "if any of you take a single step forward... I will kill you. Even if I don’t really want to right now."
She said it like a joke, but no one laughed.
"Hahaha... how cute," Eagle scoffed.
The others followed suit, chuckling without fear.
They underestimated her words as farts, and now they would have to pay the price.