Settled within the deadliest battlefield of Aganth, the human forces were desperately fighting back against the unending horde of monsters.

Such an ominous atmosphere took a bit of time to adjust to mentally. Yet such a bloody situation affected Jynnette differently. She took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with such a foul odor. Taking out one of her twin daggers, she dashed forward, slaying another Revelation Stage monster before her.

Tensions were only rising as even more bodies filled the land. One could no longer find a speck of what it had been before. Only a graveyard remained.

The scale of the battlefield on the frontlines was rising. The beasts that came from the Hallowed Gap were surging out with ferocity never seen before. Their bodies were tired and exhausted yet the sharpness of their claws and fangs didn’t diminish.

After decapitating another one of her foes in one singular slash, Jynnette breathed out, finally finishing her part for the day. It had been a gruesome 48 hours of non-stop battle. She hadn’t stopped for a single moment except for this moment.

Her eyes glanced back at the ruined city of Aganth, no longer having the elegance that it previously had. Most commoners were likely dead. Countless buildings were either broken due to the conflict or burned down to a crisp cinder. Taking her leave, she went back to the Reuge Institution.

As one of the last bastions in Aganth left, it served as her current headquarters. Although it was a bastion, the aftermath of the constant onslaught still reached it. The ominous weight of despair was palpable. A balance that was on the precipice of shattering everything apart.

"This is it! Men, ready yourselves!" Weston's voice was heard even deep into the frontlines. He was one of the sole figures keeping Aganth afloat.

White flashes of light illuminated the city as Weston finally broke through the delicate balance. It had been a tough battle but he finally managed to get a firm grasp on their defenses. He, among the other Ascendant Realm experts, breathed a sigh of relief.

“We finally managed to buy enough time for Miss Hease.” Another similarly old man was ecstatic. “Quick thinking letting her create a teleport gate amidst the chaos. This way we can at the very least escape with our lives.”

“Fortunately so…” Weston turned his gaze away. A lie. A complete and utter lie.

Miss Hease, Jynnette's mother, was already dead. She had died to Alyur long ago. With her not appearing this entire time, this was the best way to keep morale up. The only way he could control the situation was to try and hold out this lie for as long as possible.

“Mother should be nearly done.” Jynnette’s sudden interruption made everyone’s gazes land on her.

“Fantastic news! We can take a break for the time being. The safety measure we have in place should last us a few days.”

A relatively young-looking lady tilted her head and placed it on her hand. “Overdrafting the barrier’s power and condensing all the magic to reinforce the current situation. What happens if Miss Hease fails?”

Another young man smacked her on the head. “Don’t be so cynical. Miss Hease is one of our strongest. She can’t fail us. Jynnette, tell her.”

Repressing her urge to show any emotion, Jynnette showed an emotionless expression. “Mother won’t fail something so easy.”

“See? We’ll be fine.”

The others might be far too relaxed to notice the repressed emotion swelling up within Jynnette but Weston could. She had always been someone verbal about what she wanted and desired, even to the point of using violence if anything didn’t go her way. Ever since Miss Hease’s death, Jynnette became much less confrontational.

Expressing his thanks to the experts willing to help him out, Weston brought Jynnette away. He took her to his own office to converse with her.

“So what’s the plan here exactly?” Jynnette’s stern and emotional side finally burst out. She had been keeping it in this entire time, using violence to numb her mind. “Reinforcements won’t arrive in time to save us. The barrier will last at most three days. Countless men are dying on the frontlines, we’re slowly losing everyone. The Monster Faction’s out to disturb us, making us delegate even more people to handle the internal conflict. Then there’s that blood-siphoning magic that I know you aren’t responsible for. Face it, we can’t survive this, Alyur’s going to kill everyone here, and there’s nothing you can do.”

She had spent most of her time slaying from beast to beast. She might’ve had the most kills under her hand at this point. Except for the general gist of the situation, she didn’t know the specifics. News of what had happened to her students hasn't reached her ears yet.

Weston kept his expression from drooping. Who else but him understood the severity of the situation? The only thing letting him keep everyone here were the countless lies he spewed.

“Before we go on… I need to tell you this-”

“Reporting in, Sir Weston, a letter came from the Monster Faction. It’s very urgent!”

Weston received the letter and promptly made the messenger leave. “What a coincidence… a brutal one at that.”

Clearing his throat, Weston opened the letter and read the contents out loud. “Weston, you have one last chance. If you don’t concede to our demands then we’ll tear Xeril limb from limb. Here’s a small gift to prove our words.”

Pulling the letter out, there was a pinky finger that had been sent over. It didn’t matter whether it was Xeril’s or not, the severity of it was clear for everyone here to see.

Jynnette didn’t expect this sudden turn of events. She had just assumed that Sammuel, Xeril, and Ian were fighting weaker beasts. Far behind where she fought. Even if that wasn’t the case, they would just be hiding away somewhere.

Jynnette took a step back. She didn’t know how to react. Thoughts of what she should do propped up within her mind. A student she had taught for less than a month was now in a precarious situation.

“You didn’t respond. Were you waiting for my input?”

“He is your student. You seemed to favor this one so, what do you want to do?”

“... We can’t even protect ourselves.”

“...”

Weston finished this conversation. They were on a timer. A timer until their demise. Weston had no plan on what he could possibly do to change the tides. It seemed as if their deaths were certain. The wrath of a Great Being wasn’t something any mortal could ever bear.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“It’s a difficult request but I need you to accept it.” Weston’s tone was grim but it was something that was somewhat hopeful. “Blood being siphoned away at this scale has the traces of a Great Being, specifically a Great Spirit. I think… it might be someone here to help us out.”

“At this point, what does that even accomplish? If it’s a Great Spirit then it’s already contracted to someone. Seeing as they haven’t dealt with Alyur yet, it’s either they’re on our side and are too weak to do anything, or they aren’t affiliated with us at all.”

“At this point… I’ll take any bit of hope I can. If we’re going to die like this then we might as well find anything to find solace in.”

Jynnette grew furious. “Why not just find the Hatchling? And end everything once and for all.”

“I would if I could.” Weston’s voice turned low. He was speaking from his heart. “The Monster Faction’s been trying to find the Hatchling this entire time, they’ve ravaged the entire city just to search for the damn thing! Now they want to go ravage the last bastion we have!” At the end of his speech, his voice roared.

“I haven’t seen the slightest trace of the Hatchling in all of my time here! Eleven years? I have no idea what those lunatics are talking about! How the hell could the Hatchling have been here for eleven whole years?” Weston raised his hand and threw the parchments and documents on his table to the floor.

“Just how the hell could the Monster Faction have known it's been here for eleven years? I haven’t seen anything in my entire time here! And I’ve kept a watchful eye over everything! Now everything’s going downhill! I’ve been trying my best to keep the facade up but it’s all falling apart. Can’t you see that, Jynnette? Who else but me understands just how royally fucked we are?!”

Seeing the always calm and brave face that Weston wore finally crumble apart forced her to understand the severity of the situation. It was over. There wasn’t anything they could do.

Breathing in. Breathing out. Weston took deep breaths, trying to regain his composure. His back was against the wall. All the stress that had been building up within him finally broke out.

“Now, please. Will you go check out who’s the contractor of the Great Spirit?”

Jynnette turned around. “Fine.”

~~~

From within the molten flames in the center of Aganth lay a man carrying the burden of purification. Sadin’s eyes were sunken as everything around him was immensely blurry. It was difficult to even have a conscious thought right now.

Before him was a crystal-clear droplet of water. It shimmered as if the corruption of the world couldn’t taint it. The purity of such was only exaggerated by the eerie red mist surrounding it. Such a pure item was so miraculous that its

“Naia, I offer you.” Sadin held this droplet of water and raised it up. From beyond the void, the very air shattered, creating a force that let an interdimensional creature pass through. It was the very Great Spirit of Water, Naia.

“Naia, long time no see.” Slyph giggled, such a reunion was rare despite their long-lived life. “I see you’re still blue as ever.”

Naia, scoffed, not bothering to answer to Slyph’s fragmented avatar. It wasn’t even worth responding to such an insignificant piece. Her graceful blue skin shined through even through such a red atmosphere. Her dress was decorated with flowing fabric, similar to the waves and rivers of the world.

“You finally did the bare necessity to gain my favor. I half-expected you to seek me out sooner.”

“Cure me,” Sadin spoke through gritted teeth. The poison coursing through his veins was taking a massive toll on his body. It wasn’t lethal enough to kill him but it was severe enough to render him incapacitated for a long time.

Naia tilted her head, looking down on Sadin. “You know, the last person that spoke to me like that was around… five hundred or so years ago? Have you mortals forgotten what happens if you taunt a Great Being such as myself?”

“Here’s your offering.” Sadin threw the pure crystal water droplet up to her.

Naia received the offering with a keen expression. Although this wasn’t the greatest offering she had gotten, it was one of the oddest ones. “Very well. As much as I would love to refuse you, you do have… certain beneficial trait that’s useful to me. Just like Sylph, I can only use the power of a Great Being in this world.”

“Just do it already. I’ve heard it all already.”

Naia merely waved her hand, letting a few sparkles of water sprinkle over Sadin’s body. Sadin’s previously bloody eyes returned to normal and his poison-inflicted body was fully cured. His very essence was being purified to an unbelievable degree.

Naia observed her current situation and snickered. “It seems like Diablo, the Great Spirit of Fire, hasn’t been summoned yet. It’s really curious how despite your rampant use of his power, you haven’t offered him anything yet. Is this what you humans call… saving best for last? Hmm?”

“I wouldn’t have summoned any of you if I didn’t have to.” Sadin regretfully said. “Just leave your avatar already and go away.”

“If that’s what one of my contractors desires, so be it.” Naia’s blue eyes shined bright, seemingly being the only things left in the world yet blinding enough to cause any gaze towards it to look away. When Sadin reopened his eyes, a small version of Naia appeared before him.

“What a curious place..” Naia turned her gaze towards the distance, where Alyur was constantly ramming at the barrier of Aganth. “Quite a situation you have if I do say so myself.”

“It only gets more fun from here!” Slyph went over and placed her hands over Naia’s shoulders. “This human’s going to go on another killing spree.”

“I’ve grown bored of one-sided slaughter. You know this.”

“That’s what makes this fun, watch how far he’s willing to go just to be on the same level as them. He’s using multiple blessings from multiple Great Beings! Ah, it’s always a sight to behold!”

At this point, Naia’s curiosity was piqued. “Doesn’t that tear you from the inside, mortal?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Sadin replied with a frown. Yet the overbearing strain on his body, as he used the blessing from multiple Great Beings, was great. If not for [Perfect Affinity], his body would’ve already crumbled away into dust as multiple immense powers raged within him.

“That reminds me of something, I’ve been hearing some news of quite an interesting traveler. It’s been said that he has been the most blessed by any other world. The power to be anything. Quite an interesting concept, wouldn’t you say?”

“So what?” Sadin ignored Naia’s words. She didn’t seem to be annoyed at Sadin’s words but instead acted as if she was looking at an ignorant fool.

“I hope you will never meet such a monster. He will take and he will steal, and no one can take them back. It will be such a shame to have such a good pawn.” Naia mysteriously laughed as Slyph felt weirded out that Naia expressed any other emotion than contempt and forlornness.

~~~

Within the chaotic frontlines where humans and beasts fought to the bitter end, was a singular man fighting on as if his very life depended on it. Most of the weaker soldiers had already fallen leaving only the elites behind.

Sammuel stretched his limbs, he had finally made his move. Raising his sword at his opponent, he went all out.

[Blessing of Domination | …]

[Blessing of Moonlight | …]

[Flowing Swordsmanship: First Form | …]

This two-headed jackal before him was decapitated twice without being able to fight back once. With one last kill, Sammuel finally achieved what he was after.

[Assimilation Requirements:

Condition Cleared: Defeat 100 beings with a Combat Power of 1000 or higher | Reward: Increased Card Drop Rate

Condition Cleared: Reach 100% Card Drop Rate | Reward: Passive healing will increase in speed

Condition Cleared: Gain a Blessing | Reward: Increased Ego Fusion Efficiency]

The last one was a quest he had already finished yet hadn’t unlocked up to now. Despite all of this, there was one thing that Sammuel grew curious about. It was something that made him question if this was fate.

[Condition: Let the Hatchling (Marie) free | Reward: Ego Overdrive

Ego Overdrive - ???]

“A… personalized quest and… question marks?” Sammuel was stuck. This had never happened before. “I was going to do it regardless. Now that I’ve gained even stronger [Ego] I can finally start making my move. I might only be in the Awakened Stage but I’m confident I can finally match a Revelation Stage opponent. I can finally make my move.”

Sammuel inconspicuously traveled deeper into the horde and cut apart anything that stood before his way, there was nothing that could stop him. He was walking beyond where the Awakened Stage beasts were… to where the Revelation Stage beasts were.

“Why bother fighting grinding up all the way to peak when I can just skip levels?” Sammuel looked at the creature before. Never before had he seen such a savage monstrosity. Such a monster was a wolf that had metallic skin. Its outer hide was tough and its fangs and claws were sharper than even Sammuel’s blade. It was still prime for action, not even being injured in the slightest.

Yet there was hope, this particular had a weakness that Sammuel could exploit. With such a juicy reward waiting for him, there was no reason for him to hold back. It was the opportunity to use everything he had been saving up this entire time.