"Did I miss something?" Igaris asked, puzzled.
"Yes, Master," came a deep, grounded voice—not from Evernight, but from the Mountain King.
Igaris turned, raising a brow.
The massive Earth Golem now stood in a smaller, humanoid form—roughly four meters tall, yet unmistakably imposing. Its stony form flexed with quiet strength, eyes glowing with earthy wisdom.
"They were some audacious humans who dared disturb your peace," the Mountain King rumbled. "We fought back and captured one of them. Now, please... deliver your divine punishment to this mortal."
Igaris blinked in mild surprise at the Golem’s ability to shape-shift. Likely a trait born of advanced Earth Manipulation—fluid form control through terrain mastery. Useful.
But his attention quickly returned to the prisoner.
He stepped forward, his boots brushing the grass.
The man bound before the tree was once a proud, high-ranking Summoner but now looked utterly defeated. His shoulders slumped. Head lowered. The arrogance he’d likely worn like a crown was gone. In its place: silence, and a face shadowed by shame.
"What’s your name?" Igaris asked calmly.
The man flinched slightly, then slowly raised his head.
He was taken aback. The person standing before him, the one commanding these terrifying entities was just a youth? A boy, barely older than an apprentice?
His mouth parted slightly. He looked between Igaris, Evernight, and the Mountain King. They all stood with silent reverence around this young man.
The question echoed in his head, disbelief settling in like fog.
"I... I am Eagle," he said at last, voice hoarse.
"Ohh, do you know Ranger?"
"Ranger? Yes, yes, I Know him. He is my underling."
Igaris’s eyes narrowed. The name sounded familiar. After a little bit of thinking, he remembered. He was the leader of that scum: Ranger. The same person who tried to rape Isador.
The memory of that day surged back: the trembling slap from a powerless Igor, the sickening beatings he received before death.
A storm churned in Igaris’s chest. Disgust. Rage. Guilt.
His eyes turned cold in an instant.
"Advanced Summoner. Fire affinity. Bonded with a Fiery Eagle," Evernight recited behind him, arms crossed. "But not very smart. He tried to run with his tail between his legs."
She turned to Igaris, sensing something shift in the air.
"What do you wish to do with him, my Liege?"
But when she met his eyes—those burning, merciless eyes—Evernight, for the first time, shivered.
Cold. Absolutely cold.
So cold... what happened to him all of a sudden? Is there a story I don’t know?
Igaris said nothing. He walked forward, then bent down to pick up a jagged shard of stone from the ground—broken, sharp, and soaked in dried blood from earlier.
Seeing this, Eagle began shrieking.
"No—don’t! Please! Why are you doing this?! We were just patrolling! Just investigating strange Earthquakes! We didn’t mean—why?!"
A clean, vertical cut slashed across Eagle’s chest and stomach.
His screams turned into a gurgling howl as blood and organs spilled to the earth. The scene became drenched in red, unfolding a gore sight.
Even Evernight raised a brow. She hadn’t expected Igaris to go so far. But then, an amused smile touched her lips. It was sweet and twisted, as if she enjoyed the sight more than she should.
Eagle’s eyes were bloodshot. His mouth opened and closed in disbelief.
He couldn’t understand.
Why me? What did I do to deserve this?
"You... you’re a devil," he spat, tears mixing with blood. His voice was hoarse, bitter, and defeated.
Then finally a reply came from the devil:
"Your crime was raising that despicable Ranger. The same Ranger who once tried to rape my little sister," Igaris whispered, voice like winter wind.
Eagle’s pupils trembled.
"If you hadn’t told me your name, I might’ve let you live. Made you a subject. Broken you slowly. But now... your crime is unforgivable."
He leaned closer, his shadow falling across Eagle’s dying face.
"You don’t deserve to live."
Eagle opened his mouth again but no sound came. Just blood.
His body gave a final twitch, then fell limp.
Igaris remained crouched for a long moment, staring at the corpse with a calm that disturbed even the wind.
He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t satisfied.
His thirst for Vengeance was too big to quench by this small.
Evernight stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder for the first time.
"Do you feel better now?"
Depite the comforting feeling from her warm palm, he didn’t answer.
He only stood up, wiped the blood off his hands on Eagle’s cloak, and turned away.
He moved with quiet resolve toward the fallen beast.
The Fiery Eagle, once a majestic predator of the skies, now lay broken beside its master. Its golden feathers, scorched and dull.
Igaris placed a hand upon its still-warm body. Darkness and platinum light surged from his palm, enveloping the creature in a blinding swirl of magic.
A pulse echoed through the air.
[ Soul-binding Successful ]
[ You have Acquired: Fire Eagle ]
His vision flickered for a moment, then he checked his stats:
[ Name: Igaris Vance ]
[ Power Rank: Champion -1 ]
Six Directional Sense
[ Innate Ability: Infinite Acquisition ]
It had finally happened.
A class of warriors so powerful they could turn the tide of war alone. Even among elite groups, a Champion was a valuable asset. And now, he was one.
But he didn’t allow the moment to swell his pride. His gaze remained calm, collected—dangerously so.
Behind him, Evernight raised her pale hand.
Tendrils of crimson mist, delicate and sinister, flowed from her fingers and pierced the corpse of Eagle.
A faint hiss echoed in the air.
The blood evaporated.
And then... the corpse moved.
Its eye sockets lit up with ember-like glow, veins blackened with cursed energy.
The once-proud Summoner was now a hollow husk, bound to Evernight’s will.
Flesh like parchment. Eyes like coals. Breathless, lifeless... but not dead.
Evernight admired her work with a faint smile. "He’s still useful—just in another form."
Igaris noticed it, but said nothing.
He gazed up at the starry night sky, then to a certain whete his next destination lay.