"Goddammit, are you kidding me? What now?!" Ethan's eyes went wide with disbelief.
He hadn't expected another threat to show up so soon.
Everyone else on the battlefield tensed up immediately. One by one, they rose into the air, hovering above the ground, their auras flaring as they stared down at the earth below, ready for anything.
A deep crack split open across the ground.
And from that gaping fissure, a massive skeletal hand reached out.
"What the hell…? Where am I? How'd I end up here?"
The voice was raspy—dry and hollow like wind scraping across a tombstone—but laced with a soul-crushing pressure that made Ethan's very spirit tremble.
Then, out of nowhere, a system notification echoed in his mind.
[Warning: A Tier 15 Crimson Ultimate has emerged — The Bone Sovereign.]
Ethan's heart dropped.
The sheer power radiating from this thing was off the charts. Just the energy leaking from that one skeletal hand was enough to make everyone on the battlefield flinch. Even Elira, the strongest among them, instinctively shifted into a defensive stance.
"Lord Holy Fox…? Huh. Guess you're not here either. Did I pop out in the wrong place again?"
The Bone Sovereign muttered to himself, sounding more annoyed than anything. He seemed ready to leave—until he paused.
Slowly, his massive skull emerged from the crack, blood-red eyes glowing in the sockets like twin infernos, scanning the battlefield with eerie, twitching movements.
Ethan took a deep breath and stepped forward cautiously. "Who are you? Where did you come from? What do you want here?"
The Bone Sovereign's eyes narrowed, and a strange, twisted emotion flickered across his face.
"The power you all carry… not bad. You'll make fine offerings for Lord Holy Fox."
That sentence hit like a punch to the gut.
Ethan's expression twisted in shock.
This bastard wanted to sacrifice them? Like they were nothing more than tribute?
The arrogance was unreal.
He steadied his breath, took a step back, and unleashed his power, letting it surge forward in a wave of energy.
But what happened next chilled him to the bone.
The Bone Sovereign didn't even flinch.
He simply raised one hand—casually—and Ethan's attack shattered like glass against it.
"My Lord!" Elira shouted, rushing in.
Her aura exploded outward as she launched a devastating strike straight at the Bone Sovereign.
The impact was massive, the shockwave tearing through the air like a bomb going off. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novelꜰire.net
But the Bone Sovereign didn't even budge.
The attack barely left a mark. He let out a low groan, more annoyed than hurt, and kept climbing out of the earth. His full body was enormous—if he made it all the way out, he'd probably take up the entire battlefield.
"Shit… what the hell is this thing? Don't tell me he's more than just a Tier 15 S-rank?!"
Ethan's face darkened, his expression shifting from disbelief to dread.
This thing… this monster… was on a whole different level.
Way beyond anything they could handle.
They couldn't win this.
"Fall back! Everyone, retreat—NOW!"
Without wasting another second, Ethan gave the order.
"Run? Heh… pathetic little ants. Why struggle so much?" The Bone Sovereign's voice was cold, mocking. "Wouldn't it be better to just accept death quietly?"
As he spoke, his massive skeletal hand reached out, aiming to snatch Elira right out of the air.
But Elira wasn't about to be taken so easily.
"Don't get cocky…" she growled, fury blazing in her eyes.
With a burst of power, she launched a counterattack—her energy surged violently, slamming into the Bone Sovereign's arm with such force that it reverberated through the air. The impact was so intense, it actually blew his hand back—and even severed one of his fingers.
A guttural scream tore from the Bone Sovereign's mouth as he recoiled in pain, his massive form staggering.
And then—just like that—he retreated.
Without another word, he sank back into the depths of the Dungeon, vanishing into the shadows below.
"He ran?" Ethan muttered, breathing heavily, eyes still locked on the spot where the monster had disappeared. "What the hell was that thing? And who the hell is this 'Lord Holy Fox' he keeps talking about?"
Sure, it looked like Elira had driven the Bone Sovereign off—but everyone there knew the truth.
That wasn't a victory.
That thing had barely been trying.
Its power was on a whole different level—stronger than even Ataneya or Elira, both of whom were already Tier 15 monsters in their own right.
Was this guy a Tier 15 SS-rank? Or even SSS?
That was a terrifying thought.
"We've got no choice," Ethan muttered under his breath. "We'll just have to take it one step at a time…"
With that, he gave the order to retreat.
The entire force pulled back to Emerald Castle.
—And so began a long period of recovery and preparation.
During this time, Ethan and his people focused on rebuilding and strengthening their forces. They poured everything into mass-producing standard troops, recruiting new heroes, and expanding Emerald Castle's influence to an unprecedented scale.
Everyone was grinding hard—hunting wild monsters, completing missions, doing whatever it took to level up fast.
And just when Ethan finally felt like they were ready to move again—
The protective barrier around Emerald Castle trembled violently.
A massive crack split open in the earth just outside the castle walls.
The Bone Sovereign emerged once more.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
Floating beside him was a girl—adorable at first glance, with a petite frame and a doll-like face. But in her hands, she cradled a skull… and in the skull's eye sockets, two live snakes slithered and hissed.
The contrast between her innocent appearance and the grotesque object she held was jarring.
And the aura she gave off?
Another Crimson Ultimate.
The moment the defenders of Emerald Castle saw her, a chill ran down their spines.
"She's back… and she brought backup?!" Ethan's face twisted in disbelief.
He instinctively cast a detection spell—and the results made his stomach drop.
That girl wasn't just strong—she was another Tier 15 Crimson Ultimate.
What the hell kind of name was that?
She looked like a child, but the energy rolling off her was anything but innocent. It was twisted, dark, and ancient.
"You idiot," the Bonefiend Maiden snapped, glaring at the Bone Sovereign. "Did you even confirm if these people have the kind of power Lord Holy Fox needs?"
The Bone Sovereign nodded quickly, almost eagerly. "Of course I did. Elemental energy, toxic energy… all of it. It's exactly what the Holy Fox Sovereign is looking for. And among them—there's even a Shadow Fox in the middle of evolution."