Ethan and his crew were already racing full-speed toward the Citadel of the Fallen Angels, the stronghold of the Angel of Death. And they’d done it—they’d secured the magic orb that represented the Angel of Death’s power, one of the legendary Ten Orbs.
Without wasting a second, they took off again.
Their next targets? The domains of the remaining three Overlord-class powerhouses.
Time was everything now, and they were moving fast.
Sure, each of those territories was guarded by massive armies of regular troops, but to Ethan and his team, those forces might as well have been made of paper.
At this point, they were so powerful that even going head-to-head with the Overlords themselves wouldn’t necessarily mean defeat. And since they were pulling off sneak attacks instead of frontal assaults?
It was practically a guaranteed win.
And just like that, one after another, they infiltrated all three domains and snatched up the orbs representing each Overlord’s power—without anyone catching them in time.
Volkris and the others eventually realized what was happening. But by the time they tried to rush back and stop it?
All it took was a small window of time—
And their home bases had already been looted clean.
There was nothing they could do to stop it.
"Alright," Ethan said, eyes narrowing. "Next up—the so-called Forbidden Zone."
With nine of the Ten Orbs now in his possession, Ethan turned his attention to the one place they hadn’t been able to access before. Maybe the reason they couldn’t get in earlier was because they hadn’t collected enough orbs. But now?
So, without hesitation, Ethan made his way toward the Forbidden Zone. And this time, just as he’d hoped, he passed through without a single obstacle.
"No resistance at all... Guess that really was the reason," he muttered to himself.
The place he entered was a dead, empty void.
Everything around him was still and lifeless, like a stagnant pool of water. At the very center of it all was a small, black spring, quietly bubbling. Beside it sat a tiny stone.
Its wings shimmered with every color imaginable.
Nothing. Just silence.
But then, the butterfly suddenly spoke.
Its wings flared with brilliant light, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a stunning young girl.
"Who are you? How did you get in here? And how did you break the seal’s power?"
He hadn’t expected this.
The terrifying creature that had supposedly been sealed away in this forbidden place... was a girl?
A confused, innocent-looking girl?
What the hell was going on?
Before he could even process what was happening, a violent shockwave of battle erupted outside the Forbidden Zone. Ethan opened his mouth to speak, but the explosion cut him off.
"What the...?" His brow furrowed.
He could sense it—Ataneya and the others, the ones he’d left to guard the entrance, were under attack.
"Looks like I need to check this out..."
He muttered under his breath, then turned to the girl, his voice calm but firm.
"I don’t know who—or what—you really are. But right now, you’re free. My people are under attack out there, and if you’re willing... I could really use your help."
Ethan wasn’t about to underestimate her.
The fact that she’d been sealed away in a place ?
That alone said everything.
Whoever—or whatever—she was, she was dangerous. No doubt about it.
"Alright then..." the young girl said with a soft smile. And in the very next moment, she casually raised her hand and pointed forward.
The seal surrounding the Forbidden Zone shattered like glass.
"You... you—?! No way! How could you break the seal?! That’s impossible!"
"Elira... You... you...!"
A furious, panicked roar echoed from outside. Volkris and the other two Overlords had just arrived—and the moment they saw her, their pupils shrank to pinpricks, their faces going pale with horror.
Their voices trembled with raw fear.
In that instant, it was obvious—this wasn’t just surprise. This was terror. Deep, soul-shaking terror.
"Long time no see, Volkris... and the rest of you," Elira said with a gentle smile, her tone almost playful.
Then she slowly floated toward them.
That single movement alone—
Was enough to make all three of them tremble violently, their skin crawling, their bodies frozen in place.
"N-No! Don’t come any closer!" Volkris stammered, backing away in panic.
"Elira! Please—we’re sorry! Just... spare us!"
"We had no choice back then! Your power... it was too much. It was throwing the entire world out of balance! We didn’t want to seal you—we had to!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Elira tilted her head, still smiling. "Then why are you so scared now?"
And with that, she vanished in a blur. The source of this content ɪs NoveI★Fire.net
A storm of overwhelming power erupted from her body, shaking the very air. It was like a tidal wave of destruction, crashing down on everything in its path.
Even Ethan, Ataneya, Namyanna—and the strongest among them, Andona—couldn’t help but flinch, their eyes wide with shock.
"She’s... she’s insane..."
Volkris and the others were Overlord-class beings—top-tier monsters in their own right.
They were nothing more than punching bags. Elira was tearing through them like they were made of paper, unleashing all the fury of someone who’d been locked away for far too long.
They weren’t even in the same league.
And just like that, it was over.
All three of them lay defeated, crumpled and broken.
Elira shook her head slightly, then turned to Ethan.
"You freed me," she said softly. "So as a reward, I’ll give you their power. And... I don’t really have anywhere else to go right now. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll stick with you for a while."
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand again.
Volkris and the other two Overlords suddenly convulsed—then exploded into bursts of light. From the remains of their bodies, three glowing, crystalline cores of pure magical energy emerged, each one pulsing with immense power.
Ethan stared for a moment, then nodded.
He turned to Namyanna and said, "Namyanna, try absorbing one of them. See if it works."
"Yes, my lord," she replied, stepping forward.
She examined the three cores for a moment, then reached out and picked up the one that radiated a chilling, icy aura—the power of the Ice Centaur.
The moment she touched it, the crystal flared with light.
A surge of magical energy exploded outward, flooding the area with raw, elemental force. The sheer pressure of it nearly knocked everyone off their feet.
The icy power fused instantly with Namyanna’s own oceanic magic, creating a terrifying new force—cold and deep, like a frozen sea in the heart of winter.
"Looks like it worked," Ethan said with a grin.
Then he turned to Ataneya and Andona.
"Alright, your turn. Pick one each. Don’t let this go to waste."
These cores might not be on the same level as the Ten Orbs, but they were still the essence of Overlord-class beings.
And a golden opportunity to get even stronger.