A soft sigh escaped Samael's lips as he speared a glance at the tower over the horizon. Meanwhile, he sat on the dead body of an abomination, its vile blue blood staining Samael's clothes.

Samael was surrounded by multiple corpses of monsters, some of which he was familiar with, while the rest were new discoveries.

Rising to his feet, Samael tucked away Crimson Raven as he strode forward, leaving the chaos behind.

Samael has continuously kept improving and moving. He faced all the challenges before him with great resolve.

If anything, what this place taught him was patience. The ability to withstand and wait for the right moment to strike.

Today marked the start of the second month of his stay. Since leaving the forest of Liliac two weeks ago, Samael's voyage seemed to have breezed by him.

The days and hours seemed to drift away like the wind carrying the earth. Eventually, they would stack up, and weeks would go by unnoticed.

Everything has been uneventful. Aside from the occasional encounter with monsters and the training, Samael found all else fleeting and boring.

However, he remained focused on his objectives, making sure to keep his gaze in front of what truly mattered.

The monsters were growing stronger by the day. Each mile Samael crossed was a step closer to his final destination.

Taking out his map, Samael traced his finger over his location.

Soon, I should reach the great canyon of Eve. What awaits me is yet to be confirmed, but I must remain sharp, Samael thought.

If his estimations were correct, he should arrive there in the next three days. From there, if his travels were smooth, he should reach the ancient grounds of Uria, where the tower of Leo rests, in a week.

Samael has been greatly preparing for the final battle that awaits him. He does not know the full power of this "winged beast," but if it was able to lay waste to a civilization, no matter how weak, it was still a force to be reckoned with.

While wiping the blood off his clothes, Samael kept his pace consistent.

As he travelled forward, Samael watched the skies darken and the hellish heat be replaced by the freezing cold.

Samael would occasionally rest, meditating under the guidance of the moons above him, further strengthening himself.

Afterwards, he would continue his travels even amidst the darkness and the stars, blending with the shadows where he belongs.

Samael had no fear of the unknown. He was not bound by what is considered normal by mundane people. So he leverages this and excels further.

The lack of light was never a problem for him, for the darkness was his light. The monsters lurking within it were nothing but creatures who dwell in it, but Samael? He was born in it, created by it,.

So even in the lonely night, he goes. Marching towards his sole goal and purpose. To answer the call, yearning for him.

Consumed by his mission, even the harrowing night was but a mere moment as the sun once again greeted the horizon. Its golden glow encompasses all before it.

Samael, unaffected by its celestial power, remained steadfast, braving all the dangers this world could offer.

He was nothing short of a calamity, for wherever he goes, death follows.

With each step he takes, a corpse will fall. By now, it was almost fascinating how these creatures kept attacking him when the ones before them could not even lay a scratch on Samael.

Samael may not know it, but as the bloodshed and the mountains of corpses he decimated piled up, a change within him was beginning once again.

As for what this change may be, he shall know when the time is ripe.

On the second day, Samael has begun to notice the change in his surroundings. He was now going downward. It was a clear indication that he was nearing his second destination.

As he traversed the rugged terrain and shattered wasteland, he faced off with adversaries reaching the rank of Metamorphosis III.

These were creatures that were soon to ascend and become stronger.

Samael knew that with each passing moment, the stronger and more violent the trials ahead of him would be.

But he has gotten used to it.

So he kept his pursuit.

Jumping over the rocks and steep hills, Samael soared even closer.

He crossed bridges, jumped over ravines, and slid down hills of stones. He did not stop, even when the sun reached its peak. Even more so when the night casts shadows over the hills and peaks.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Samael did not tyre; he did not buckle, nor did he falter. He kept his eyes peeled at the front, watching every single second as he inched closer and closer.

Samael finally arrived when the golden glow of the third day shone before his face.

The great canyon of Eve.

I have arrived, Samael thought.

It was quite a marvellous sight. Such a bizarre formation. It was as though the seas had parted and solidified.

As his journey ended, another one began. The final march towards the Tower of Leo.

Taking a large breath, Samael set a foot forward, beginning his journey once more.

***

Back at Stellaris camp.

Around three days have passed since Ajax infiltrated Lucas's abode. There he discovered the odd behaviour of the man.

However, Lucas had caught on. He has become even more cautious and paranoid.

Returning to the man's place, Ajax found out the presence of several traps instilled within.

But, as Ajax suspected, Lucas remained quiet. He did not tell a single soul of the incident that occurred, as it might incite Timeus to ask about his place.

Due to this, Lucas's complexion had worsened. Dark circles marred his eyes, and he had grown thinner.

It was obvious that what Ajax did had put him on edge. Perhaps at this moment, Lucas was asking himself, Just how much did the burglar know and see?

Ajax would leave that for him to ponder about.

Unfortunately, no matter how sure Ajax was, he still did not have the appropriate evidence to punish the man.

He did not have any knowledge about what the sphere he found was, nor did he have any proof of how the man was connected to all of it.

Due to this, Ajax had no choice but to observe and prepare.

By now, he was fairly sure there would be nothing else he could get from Lucas. The man had essentially put himself in lockdown.

So now, Ajax could only prepare for the siege that was to come. He could only hone himself and be strong enough to handle the burden of this war.

The production and preparation of the war machines were nearing their final stages. Ajax had seen them stored within the camp; they were practically ready.

The warriors in training were now almost done. They know their positions and the missions they must accomplish.

Everyone was simply waiting for Timeus's verdict, and the full-on siege would commence.

***

Samael's footsteps echoed off the great canyon as he marched ahead.

He kept his senses up, making sure to pay attention to even the slightest change in the wind.

Samael did not know what to expect, which made him a bit more cautious than normal.

The canyon was a great ambush spot; not only can aerial attacks succeed, but so can ranged ones, as the canyon offers high ground to enemies.

With that in mind, Samael made sure to stay by the shadows, stealthily making his way through without alerting anything.

As he kept his pace, the darkness soon befell the canyon, engulfing it in shadows.

Due to this, Samael decided to take a rest and wait the night out, as he stayed under a large boulder.

There, Samael meditated while keeping his focus on his surroundings.

As the morning arrived, what he feared had come.

Samael's focus was shattered as he felt multiple presences above him, circling him like vultures.

Sparing a glance up, Samael saw multiple winged abominations flying in a circular pattern.

Samael's brows furrowed as he watched them, unsure of how to proceed.

He did not have many aerial skills capable of taking down these creatures. His void fire was simply not fast enough to handle these creatures.

That leaves Samael with one option. Lure them down.

Stepping out of the shade, Samael released a loud roar. With the help of his ability [Encompassing Voice], luring the attention of the creatures hovering above him was but a walk in the park.

With one glance, the abominations dove down with haste, jetting through the wind with their sharp beaks pointed at Samael.

Knowing these were birds, Samael swiftly rolled to the side, avoiding the attack of the beast before it flew up again, confirming his suspicions.

Watching another one approach him, Samael uttered.

"Void Bind."

As the creature swept by Samael, he threw the chains at the neck of the beast as he allowed himself to be dragged up.

Noticing Samael, the creature flailed wildly, attempting to throw him off, but to no avail.

Samael tightly held on to the onyx's black chains as he rose higher and higher.

Seeing Samael on their brethren's backs, the other winged bastards swiftly came to aid their kin.

Spotting the approaching monsters, a smirk made its way to Samael's visage as he chanted.

"Hover blades."

Instead of three, four black daggers manifested in Samael's hand, rotating calmly over his wrist.

As the birds inched closer and closer, Samael tightened his grip as he swung up, letting go at the right moment and catapulting himself up.

Free from Samael's grasp, the bird he rode took a sharp turn, taking advantage of Samael's weakness in the air.

A fool it was.

Converging his essence at one point, Samael released a large amount of essence at once, creating a small force.

Utilising that force, Samael rotated mid-air, narrowly dodging the beak of one abomination as he threw one of the daggers after it.

The black dagger streaked in the sky, hurling with speed as it impaled the winged beast.

However, Samael was not done yet.

Using Void Bind yet again to latch unto the birds, Samael swung around the sky, confusing the abominations with his actions.

Keeping his calm, Samael swung his arm, greeting an approaching beast with a dagger and bisecting its head in two.

Using the momentum of his swing, Samael threw his hand forward as he uttered.

"Void Cleave."

Two dark waves erupted from his hand, tearing a winged abomination in two before cutting the wings of the one behind it.

Seeing its comrades die, the last remaining abomination refrained from approaching Samael, patiently waiting for him to fall down and die.

However, as Samael reached near the cliffs, he threw another Void Bind, swinging by just fine as he landed down.

Enraged, the winged beast released an ear-piercing caw as it dove down with utter ferocity.

This time, Samael stood still, waiting for the beast to reach him.

Seizing the opportunity, the abomination suddenly sped up, impaling Samael and throwing him back.

Or at least, that's what it thought.

"Mirage."

The abominations eyes widened as Samael's figure glitched before fading away.

In its confusion, a black axe cleanly severed its head as its corpse fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Return," Samael said as Crimson Raven flew in an arc before nesting in his hands.

It was over.

Coming closer to the dead birds, Samael could not help but wonder just how much stronger the winged beast was in the Tower of Leo.

This won't do, he thought.

If he were to fight such a creature, Samael would need to improve his void cleave. He must increase its speed and strength to the best of his ability.

Not only that, but Samael needed to accomplish one more thing.

He needs a skill to beat the beast resting on the ancient grounds of Uria.

Time was ticking, he must get to work.