“From now on, pnt as many carrots as you want,” Ats said softly.

  He then released his embrace, stepping back to see the fusion aira’s fabsp;

  “Thanks... My Lord…”

  “Have a nice day,” he added with a faint smile, turning and walking away before she could respond.

  [Two of Mira’s talents have successfully merged: Green Thumb + Perfect Carrot Finder.]

  [alent Unlocked: Nature’s Provider (A)]

  [Mira’s affinity with pends beyond gardening, allowio instinctively nurture crops and locate rare pnt resources.]

  [Pnts grow faster and yield higher-quality produce.]

  [Instinctively locates rare ical pnts, including healing herbs and ented crops.]

  [Two of Mira’s talents have successfully merged: Charmiiator + Too Cute to Resist.]

  [alent Unlocked: Irresistible Charm (A)]

  [Mira’s natural charisma bines with her overwhelming ess, making it nearly impossible for enemies or allies to deny her requests.]

  [In social iions, Mira charm others into l their guard reeing to her terms.]

  [In bat, enemies within a short radius hesitate, redug their attack speed and focus.]

  [Mira has unlocked alent Blooming Frenzy (S)]

  [In moments of desperation, movement speed and attack rate increase drastically. Strikes are empowered with nature’s energy, causing minor explosive bursts that damage nearby enemies. Each successful attack regees a small amount of stamina and slightly heals over time.]

  [Garden’s Blessing (S) - Nature’s Provider (A) - Irresistible Charm (A) - Blooming Frenzy (S) - Hoe Dance (B)]

  Mira received a signifit upgrade oalents, from just a single duplicate summon. sidering that each elite subordinate could be upgraded up to six times, their potential frowth was truly immense.

  However, Ats khat once he exhausted his supply of standard tickets, his progress would likely slow down signifitly. Acquiring more standard tickets wouldn’t be as straightforward as it had been with the generous bonuses he’d received early on.

  As for exclusive tickets, he po save and use them only when a new exclusive character appeared in the bahis approach made sense, but it also meant that getting duplicates for exclusive characters, like Manna, would be exceptionally difficult.

  Today marked the end of the current Reinfort Phase, and he would have to faother defehe final defense against challengers of this season. Afterward, he would still have the opportunity to select oppos for his own offerikes.

  During this phase, any Lord had the option to dee a challenge, accepting minor material losses if they deemed the challeoo powerful.

  But retreating wasn’t in his pns. Every preparation and upgrade he’d made for his subordinates had been geared toward fighting, not bag down.

  Ats and Edrik were at the Bcksmith Workshop, discussing their pns with Baldric.

  “Ha! About eight of them have unlocked their elemental affihat’s goress,” Baldric said with a grin. “Without it, the runes I crafted for them would’ve been useless.”

  Edrik nodded. “Still, Ats, I’ve double-checked. Everyone’s armor and ons are in excellent dition.”

  Ats returhe nod. “And the analysis of tomorrow’s oppo, Edrik?”

  Edrik crossed his arms. “They have strong offensive capabilities, with a Lord who seems to have stayed in this division for quite a while. It’s… a woman.”

  “A woman?”

  Hearing the mention of a female Lord brought Mira’s memory to the forefront of his mind—she, too, had been a woman chosen to bee a Lord.

  He nodded slowly, his thoughts drifting briefly to how cruel these battles had been from the very start.

  “Do you have aation about killing an oppo, if it’s a woman?” Edrik asked.

  Ats shook his head. “In a situation like this, even a woman be strohan a man. Gender doesn’t factor into my decisions here.”

  “Good to hear that,” Edrik responded.

  The day arrived swiftly, and another isnd floated close, signaling the start of the battle. Ats sat on his floating throne, Manna standing silently behind him.

  From the edge of the opposing isnd, a figure emerged—a woman, just as Edrik had described.

  She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with long bck hair streaked with silvery gray and pierg violet eyes. Her high-colred dress, a blend of deep purple and bck, flowed like liquid shadow. She wore long gloves tipped with cw-like ends, adding to her… unique presence.

  This was Serathra of the Eclipsion Reach.

  The womay gaze fixed on Ats as she spoke. “So, you’re my oppohis time, I see.”

  She tilted her head slightly, a smirk tugging at the ers of her lips.

  “You seem capable enough. I expected today’s oppoo at least put up a bit of a fight. Ha! Ha! Ha!”

  Her arrogance filled the air as she stood her ground.

  “Let me face her,” Manna said.

  “Yeah, sure,” Ats replied with a faint smirk. “I’m still not used to beheading women.”

  This was the reality of the Lord Battles: kill or be killed. There was no room for hesitation, no mercy for anyone.

  The battle began as four portals appeared, o each side. From these swirling rifts emerged eroops—but something about them was unusual.

  Each soldier was cloaked in a dark aura that seemed to pulsate and writhe around them.

  “What’s happening to them?” Ats muttered, narrowing his eyes.

  “That’s the Dark element,” Manna expined. “More specifically, it’s an advanced form: Corruption. Poisonous, toxic dark energy that taints everything it touches.”

  Even as she spoke, Edrik was already issuing ands. “Fall back behind the Fme Beas!” he shouted, direg the troops to retreat to the line of bzing beas.

  There were 16 in total now, their fiery glow serving as both a defense and a rallying point.

  “ Lyrassa ter the effects of the Corruption?” Ats asked.

  Manna smirked. “I’ll cut through their forces and find that bitch. When she’s dead, the Corruption will dissipate, and victory will be ours.”

  “Be careful,” Ats said firmly.

  Manna’s smirk. Without another word, she leapt gracefully from the floating throne, desding toward the battlefield.

  Edrik’s voice crackled through Ats’s earpiece.

  “The Corruption has less impa those with a base affinity for Dark Element,” Edrik expined. “On our side, Manna, Raze, and Master Kurogasa have high affinities for it. And, of course, you do as well.”

  “Thanks for the info,” Ats replied with a nod. “We’ll hold round and prioritize le attacks for now.”

  The battle erupted in full force as the eroops unched a swift and aggressive assault.

  Manna, Raze, and Kurogasa each held their respective sides, their dark elemeance giving them an edge against the corrupted forces. Meanwhile, Ats moved his floating throo the fourth side of the battlefield, where Edrik and Kaida awaited his support.

  The Fme Beas unleashed a barrage of fireballs toward the enemy forces. The intense heat and fiery bsts caused the opposing troops to falter, hesitating for a moment.

  Seizing the opportunity, Ats activated his Stormcaller’s Amulet. A deafening crash of thunder roared across the battlefield, apanied by streaks of lightning. The shockwave tore through the enemy ranks and scattered them in chaos.

  Many lost their focus uhe bined assault of fire and lightning.

  “This is our ce!” Edrik called out.

  The she fighters surged forward, closing the distance. Meanwhile, the le units provided c fire, keeping up the pressure from a safe distance.

  [Epic - Bloodlink and (Active) Lv. 1]

  Empowers nearby allies with a vampiric aura that enhances lifesteal and grants mineion.

  [Elite - Duskbound Presence (ditional Passive) Lv. 1]

  Exudes an intimidating aura that weakens the attack power of nearby enemies and boosts critical strike ces when surrounded by multiple foes.

  [Epic - Bloodrush (Active) Lv. 1]

  eling vampiriergy into muscles, grants a surge of speed, enabling swift, precise movements through enemies with rapid agility.

  [Epic - Lifebound Shield (Passive, Defensive) Lv. 1]

  Creates a natural barrier that absorbs a portion of ining damage and verts it into health regeioime.

  [Epic - Elemental vergence (Active, Versatile)]

  Temporarily fuses two elements for powerful bined effects.

  Ats activated his set of skills, his body being shrouded in a dark energy. The aura pulsed and surged, enveloping him pletely. His spear, now crag with energy, radiated with a bination of his Dark Element and Fire-based on.

  He had traihis teique just the day before—a fusion of Dark and Fire Elements eled into his on. With a swift motion, Ats lunged forward, his spear bzing with dark fmes as he charged directly into the enemy ranks.

  [Hellfire: Fmes that e not only the body but the soul.]

  [Elite - Flurry of Spears Lv. 2]

  His movements became fluid, the spear thrusting and slig with precision. Each strike sent enemies crumbling to the ground, their bodies vulsing as if their very souls were being ripped from them.

  Amidst the anna’s pursuit finally bore fruit. She slipped past the corrupted forces with the grace of a shadow, her sharp eyes narrowing as she spotted her target—the opposing Lord, Serathra of the Eclipsion Reach.

  “Reckless! Such a reckless move!” the girl excimed, her ughter ringing out in a manisettling tone.