Kai and the girls exited the Arcanum, with Scry happily floating behind them.

  “Everyone! We have good news, Eira is free from her Master’s control!” Kai announced.

  Kran was the first to rush over, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Eira, congratulations. I’m truly happy for you,” he said warmly.

  “Thank you, Kran. But this doesn’t change everything... not yet,” Eira replied with a sigh.

  “I know. I’m just glad you’re finally free after all this time,” he said sincerely.

  Nerva approached as Lisa leapt forward and wrapped Eira in a tight hug. She didn’t know the full story, but she could tell it was something good.

  “Sister Eira, congratulations!” Lisa said, hugging her firmly.

  Eira smiled. She’d grown quite attached to Lisa.

  “So, how did you do it?” Xarion asked curiously.

  “Don’t look at me,” Liliya said with a grin. “Our friend Kai has an ability to destroy souls.”

  “What?!” Nerva recoiled.

  Xarion turned to Kai, eyes wide with awe. “Lord Kai, you never cease to amaze me. Truly a dragon’s son,” he said proudly. A member of their dragon lineage showing such strength at knight rank, He might even reach Seraph!

  Xarion silently hoped to witness the full awakening of the dragon bloodline in human form.

  “I’ll be damned... What else are you hiding? Liliya, how strong is that skill?” Nerva asked, visibly shaken.

  “I’m not entirely sure,” Liliya replied. “But even if someone manages to defend against it, they’ll still lose part of their soul permanently. It’s incredibly potent. And the worst part? After the spell broke, Kai absorbed the remaining fragments of soul energy.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t use that on me,” Nerva chuckled nervously.

  “I don’t use it often,” Kai said, his voice heavy. “It’s something I reserve for the worst situations. I don’t need more souls messing with my mind.”

  Seeing the unease on Kai’s face, Liliya quickly changed the subject.

  “What about the sparing match. How did that go?” She asked with interest.

  Zara grinned. “I won!”

  Umbra growled in mock frustration. “I’m still just a poor Spirit Beast.”

  Kai walked over and gently patted her head.

  “Poor Spirit Beast, she says. Who’s ever seen a Tigerhawk with wings, metallic armor, an aura, and the ability to cast Thunderhead Dance, the strongest weather-controlling ability of the lightning beasts?” Zara said with a chuckle.

  Liliya shook her head. “Seriously, Umbra. How did you even get all those skills? Even if you hunted and absorbed legacies from other beasts, they shouldn’t fit you so perfectly.”

  “Girls can have their secrets, you know,” Umbra replied with a sly chuckle.

  Liliya pouted. “One of these days, you will tell me your story!”

  Scry floated closer, laughing. “I told you, if you show us your magic, I can force her and Kai to reveal their secrets.”

  Kai twitched. “Scry, you’re asking for a beating."

  Umbra sprang forward. “Let me!” she shouted gleefully, grabbing Scry and binding him tightly with her shadow whips before tossing him onto her back like a sack of flour.

  Scry squirmed dramatically, limbs flailing. “You’ll regret this!” he declared, just before his form shimmered and turned transparent.

  In an instant, he slipped free of the bindings.

  “Ha-ha! Fools! I am unstoppable!” he cackled maniacally, floating triumphantly above them.

  Lisa clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably. “I love you two!” she cheered.

  Nerva and Kai exchanged a glance, quietly relieved to see Lisa so joyful. It was good to see her smile, especially after everything she’d endured.

  Kai stepped forward, his tone shifting. “Everyone, finish your training within the hour and meet back here. We’re heading to Hansen’s village. We’ve stayed here long enough.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement and dispersed, each heading off to complete their tasks.

  ***

  Kai gathered Bjorn and his men.

  Bjorn stood tall and proud, his massive golden axe strapped across his back.

  “Everyone,” Kai began, “once we reach Hansen’s village, you’ll need to stay there for a while and train. After that, you can choose to return to your own tribe or remain there.”

  “But Master Kai, why can’t we go with you?” asked one of the men who had recently reached Knight rank. “We’re stronger now.”

  Kai shook his head firmly. “It will be dangerous. We’re heading into the monster’s territory this time, and we have no idea what awaits us. I can’t risk your lives.”

  He paused, then added, “Besides, you’ve been gone for a long time. Your families must be worried. If possible, I’ll visit you when I can.”

  Bjorn sighed. “We all knew this day would come. We’re still too weak to repay you, but we’ll train harder than ever. When you return, you’ll see, we’re committed to growing stronger.”

  The rest of the men grunted in agreement.

  Kai smiled. He hadn’t expected the frightened men he once saved to grow into such loyal followers. He respected them; they were honest, and they had heart.

  “When we reach the village, I’ll help you settle in and prepare some training materials. I want you all to become strong enough to protect your homes and your lives with your own hands,” Kai said, his voice ringing with conviction.

  “Yes, Master!” the seven men shouted in unison.

  Nerva stood off to the side, watching with a smile. He’d make a fine commander, he thought. A natural leader. Men trust people like him with their lives. He reminds me of Theodor.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Xarion stepped up beside him. “Quite the sight, isn’t it? In such a short time, they’ve accepted him as their leader.”

  “Indeed,” Nerva replied. “I truly hope he becomes an ally of Fallhaven. Imagine an army with both Theodor and Kai on the same side.”

  His eyes gleamed with ambition.

  “Haha, true,” Xarion chuckled. “Brother Theo would like him, but their personalities might clash. Both are as stubborn as old mule beasts.”

  Nerva’s expression darkened slightly. “You might be right. Only time will tell.”

  ***

  Hansen and Thrope had disappeared for a while. It took them a few hours to locate their Moa birds, which had fled far from the clearing after the tremors and noise of the recent battles.

  Thankfully, Hansen managed to track them down with the help of his Sparrow beast.

  They led the birds back into the clearing near the Arcanum.

  “Alright, we’re ready. Luckily, all our birds are in one piece,” Hansen sighed in relief.

  Kai approached one of the Moas and gently petted its head. He had never seen beasts like these before; they looked like oversized emus. Some creatures really do resemble Earth animals, he mused.

  Nerva smiled. “Let me show you, my birds.”

  He whistled sharply, and five shadows appeared on the horizon, descending at incredible speed.

  Five golden-white Royal Gryphons landed with piercing screeches. The Moa birds rustled nervously and backed away, instinctively sensing the presence of apex predators.

  Umbra heard the commotion and strode out.

  The gryphons puffed up their chests and spread their wings wide, posturing as if to declare themselves the strongest beasts present.

  Umbra chuckled. Her dark wings unfurled, casting a shadow over the gryphons. She released a pulse of mana laced with lightning.

  The gryphons twitched and lowered themselves, cowering before Umbra. Her aura radiated the unmistakable power of an Abyssal Thunder Gryphon, one of the most dominant races in the Gryphon lineage.

  Without a sound, they prostrated before her, as if recognizing her as their queen.

  “I’ll be damned,” Nerva muttered. “They don’t even respect me this much, and yet they bow to you, Miss Umbra?”

  “Haha, they know who the alpha beast is,” Umbra said with a grin.

  “Alright, how are we doing this?” Zara asked, stepping forward.

  “Lisa and two others can ride with me and Umbra,” Kai suggested.

  “Each Gryphon can carry two riders, and we have five, more than enough space,” Nerva added.

  After some discussion, it was decided: Lisa and two beastmen from Bjorn’s group would ride with Kai on Umbra. Hansen’s party had their own mounts, and one man would ride with each member of Nerva’s group.

  Bjorn insisted on riding with Lucius, who reluctantly agreed.

  Scry transported the Arcanum into his inner world and floated upward.

  Umbra expanded to five meters in length, allowing Kai, Lisa, and the two beastmen to climb onto her back.

  Liliya watched in awe. “You can even change your mass? Wow!”

  Umbra smiled but said nothing.

  The rest of the group mounted behind Nerva’s party and took to the skies on their Gryphons.

  “Everyone, we’ll move as fast as we can. Follow us!” Hansen shouted as he and his crew took off on their Moa birds, heading home.

  Kai and the others soared above them, following closely. He released his spirit sense once more; he wasn’t taking any chances.

  ***

  Deep within the Florians’ castle, a red monstrosity collapsed to its knees, clutching its chest.

  The air around it pulsed with unnatural energy.

  “AAAAAA! Who stole parts of my soul?” Florian’s scream echoed through the stone halls.

  His newly created grey monsters rushed to his side, attempting to help him up. But with a violent lash of his tail, he hurled one into the wall, killing it instantly.

  The others froze, their instincts screaming not to move.

  The pain was unbearable. Something had completely destroyed fragments of his soul, pieces he used to cast his Soul Chains. Normally, when one of his higher monsters died, their soul energy would return to him, stronger than before.

  Even in death, they served a purpose.

  But not this time.

  This time, something had happened to Viper. Her crystal heart had shattered like the others, but this time, parts of his soul were destroyed along with it.

  Whatever she encountered had to be terrifying.

  “Whoever… whatever it was… I will make them pay,” Florian growled, his voice trembling with fury. “This pain… AAAAAAA… this pain, I’ll make them taste it.”

  Madness clawed deeper into his mind.

  Since returning to his castle and evolving, Florian had been creating monsters relentlessly. He used everything he had, every part, every core. For the most promising ones, he even injected syringes filled with his own mutated blood to enhance them further.

  Aside from Rhino, he now had two more higher ones, stronger than the nine that had perished. He named them Longhorn and Lion.

  Longhorn was a grotesque fusion of human parts and the core of a Divine Beast: the Icehorn Goat.

  This creature, evolved to master ice mana, had a sturdy body and formidable horns. The resulting mutation resembled a man-goat hybrid, long, powerful goat legs, a human torso, and a goat’s head crowned with icy horns.

  Its mind was completely warped, capable only of obeying Florian’s commands.

  Lion was forged from human remains and the soul-core of the Bloodmane Scarlet Lion. Like Longhorn, it had the lower body of a beast and the upper body of a man. Its head bore a majestic mane, its back pierced by red spikes protruding from its mutated spine.

  The two knelt silently before Florian, who raged through his laboratory.

  “You two, go hunt. Humanoids, beasts, I don’t care. I need more. Your brother Rhino should be finishing off one of the western tribes.” He laughed maniacally.

  With guttural growls, the two monsters departed.

  Still trembling, Florian returned to his latest project.

  He needed something to unleash alongside Rhino, something mindless and destructive.

  His vision crystallized when he discovered the core of an Abyssal Mamba, one of the more aggressive Tier 8 snake beasts. It wasn’t the strongest, but it was perfect for his purpose.

  He continued stitching together body parts he had collected, forming a soulless female-like vessel.

  Into it, he inserted the Mamba’s core, then connected five tubes of glowing green liquid.

  The mysterious fluid surged through the body, filling its veins and organs. No one knew where Florian had obtained it, or how he created it. It was his most tightly guarded secret.

  The liquid fused the core with the human system. The body twitched violently as life returned to it.

  Before it could awaken, Florian stabbed it with a syringe of his mutated blood, binding it to his will and mutating it further.

  Dark scales erupted across its skin. Its spine elongated, sprouting a slick, serpentine tail. The creature shrieked as its eyes and mouth snapped open.

  Two fangs grew from its jaw, and its tongue split into a serpent’s fork. Its eyes, reptilian and wild, burned with rage and lunacy.

  “I will call you Mamba,” Florian whispered, his voice dripping with malice. “Your mission is simple: kill our enemies at all costs.”

  The snakelike monster hissed and roared, but it could not rebel under Florian’s complete control.

  ***

  As Kai and his group traveled, they had no idea what horrors Florian was preparing to greet them, born from a broken mind and a soul torn apart.?

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