Onkie’s strength turned the battle and quickly brought it to a close. She was a small mountain of muscle, a ball of furious fur. Against such a force, the rock skin lizards had no way to attack and also no way to defend.

Three lizards were slain while one escaped. Onkie took care of two while Boba counted for one. The brown boa had terrible combat ability in the past but that was no longer the case. As long as it could get its sinewy body around a target, victory would be slow but certain.

Blue didn’t achieve any kills but its performance was not too bad. Its control of water was much better and it could produce more rain than before. This meant it had potential, that its soul sense and ability to control Eternum were both adequate. All it needed was more training and a higher soul cultivation.

Being able to control and emit Eternum outside of their bodies was the hallmark of the adept rank. Ensouled that could do so at the novice rank were considered especially talented. The price for them was sky high as there was only demand and no supply. Companies and organizations that bred Ensouled would often keep the best for themselves or their friends. Even if one was sold, one had to have the connections to buy it.

Zachary’s ember cat had been such an Ensouled. With Yaoyao as his only adept rank summon, Flare was still stuck at the peak of the novice rank. Even so, it could use all the abilities of an adept rank ember cat and more. He missed Flare and others too. All of his summons were taken away and he had no idea where they went. Some of them probably had new owners by now. It was a terrible thought and he tried not to dwell on it.

Right now, he still had to deal with the strange turtle.

“Sugo, come back,” Zachary said and palmed the corresponding soul orb on his summoner’s belt.

Sugo turned into a ray of light and returned to its home where it was safe. Only a piece of half-eaten seaweed remained, lodged in the turtle’s mouth.

“Waa?” The turtle opened its mouth in surprise, the piece of seaweed falling out.

Its face was surprisingly expressive.

It then extended its neck to look around for more food before turning toward Zachary with an accusing glare, its eyes narrowing as if it didn’t appreciate his action at all.

“Wan! Wan!” It let out a series of guttural sounds.

Zachary’s brow furrowed, “Are you a turtle or a dog?”

“Wan! Wan!”

“Whatever. Onkie, see you can fight it.”

“Onk!”

Onkie stomped the ground and charged. Understanding the intention of her summoner and also eager to avenge her friend Sugo, Onkie aimed for the turtle’s head.

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“Waah.” The turtle let out a sharp cry and pulled its head into its shell.

Even its four legs were pulled in, leaving behind an oblong shell with edges that formed a roughly octagonal shape. Each scute on the shell was covered in green moss that formed strange spiral patterns. It was the most curious turtle shell he had ever seen.

He was reminded of a species called the mossy diamondback. It was the only one he knew of that also grew moss on its back but it was one uniform patch that covered the entire shell instead of individual patterns. The mossy diamondback also could never grow so big, even if it increased in rank. However, the biggest issue wasn’t whether this turtle was related to a mossy diamondback or some other species. The issue was that it was a turtle and he didn’t think his summons could defeat its shell.

“Onkie, try to attack it. But be careful, don’t hurt yourself.”

Onkie acknowledged and stalked toward the unmoving shell. She circled it several times without finding an opening. She ultimately decided to jump on top where she proceeded to bite and scratch at the mossy layer.

After a long while, Onkie laid down on the moss, exhausted and panting heavily. She hadn’t managed to deal any damage at all. Instead, she found the shell quite comfortable and almost fell asleep.

“Onkie!”

“Urr?” Onkie scrambled to her feet, remembering where she was.

She glanced at Zachary in embarrassment.

Zachary was also at a loss. He patted his head and tried to think of what to do. He wanted to capture this beast. He knew that if he let it go, he would regret it for the rest of his life. The problem was that he had no way to wound it.

Outside of the rocky beach, they were surrounded by fallen stone statues that had slowly crumbled with the passage of time. Some pieces of stone were massive and impossible to move. Others were smaller so maybe he could use them. It was an idea and better than nothing.

He first gathered vines and tied the turtle to the trunk of a tree that was below a particularly large slab of stone. The beast briefly stuck out its head but pulled it back just as quickly. Still, it didn’t struggle or try to run which made things easier.

He then found the biggest piece of loose stone that he could move. He made a sling for Onkie and let her pull it up to the higher vantage point. Looking down at the turtle shell, they were at least one story above the ground. At this height, such a heavy piece of stone could do a lot of damage. Even Onkie and Whiskers couldn’t bear such a strike.

“Alright!”

Zachary rubbed his right hand with dust so that he could get a good grip. He made sure he had a spare summoning orb in his belt so he could capture the turtle before it suffered too much. With everything ready, he summoned all of his strength and hugged the stone block with one arm. Slowly and straining his muscles to the limit, he managed to lift it. Then, he leaned over the edge, took rough aim, and let go, giving it a solid push as he did so.

There was a moment of silence. The stone made no sound as it gently tumbled through the air. It almost seemed to move in slow motion as his eyes followed its trajectory, as it fell right on top of the turtle shell.

Kang!

It was like an explosion. The noise echoed around the stone chasm that surrounded the lake, making it seem far louder than it actually was. The heavy stone split into multiple fragments, producing a loud cloud of fine dust. The target was obscured and it was impossible to tell if it was wounded or how badly.

Then came a gust of cool wind, carried from the jungle far above. It swept across the underground lake and the lonely island, causing the dust to drift apart and reveal a strange scene. The turtle was looking up at him with a curious expression. It was completely unharmed beneath a semi-transparent dome of pure Eternum. This shield glowed with a light green color akin to new sprouts in springtime and emitted a deep aura of strength and vitality, as if nothing in the world could hurt this ancient existence.