While the crown prince's camp in the Stellar Empire was full of scheming, bla-shifting, and distrust, the atmosphere on the Serpent Empire's side was the complete opposite.
Charles, General Sost, and the others were doing everything they could to prepare for the coming battle.
General Sost stayed at Withered Tree Fortress. He decided to further strengthen its defenses—at the very least, he wanted the outer walls to hold out for as long as possible.
Zara, on the other hand, chose to return to Serpent's Eye Lake Oasis. The Serpent Queen's condition had grown even worse compared to before. As the one the Queen trusted most, Zara felt she had to remain by her side in such a fragile ti.
Everyone respected Zara's decision.
High Priest Kent also chose to go back with her. He believed that Charles and General Sost were enough to handle the battles at the front. His role now was to stay behind the lines and make sure supplies reached the army without interruption.
After Zara and Kent departed, Charles and General Sost finally had an honest conversation.
"To be frank, I never truly trusted you," Sost admitted directly. "It wasn't until you defeated the Stellar Empire's vanguard forces that I finally believed you could be relied on."
Charles gave a small smile at that.
"I can't bla you. If I were in your place, I wouldn't trust an outsider so easily either—especially when that outsider ca from a race you've always fought against."
"As long as you understand," Sost said, letting out a breath of relief. "I just want to make it clear that, in the battles ahead, we must give everything we have and fight as one."
He knew Charles was sharp enough to sense his doubts before. That's why he wanted to say it openly, before the war truly began. At this point, the fate of the Serpent Empire rested almost entirely in Charles's hands.
If Charles held anything back in the next battles, then their empire would surely be destroyed by the Stellar Empire.
"I understand perfectly," Charles replied calmly. "And you don't need to worry. I promised to help protect the Serpent Empire, and I'll keep that promise. What I need from you is to follow my command without hesitation."
He paused for a mont, then suddenly rembered sothing.
"I almost forgot—there's one important thing I need to take care of. Your task now is to keep strengthening Withered Tree Fortress's defenses. As for , I have sothing else I must do. I'll be back by tomorrow morning."
With that, Charles turned and left.
General Sost was puzzled, but he didn't ask any questions. At this point, no matter what Charles chose to do, he had no choice but to trust him.
Charles left Withered Tree Fortress and headed straight into the depths of the Atacama Desert.
The Chrono Rabbit was still trapped there, and its condition was worse than before. Even a mystical beast with the power of ti couldn't withstand the endless frenzy of chaotic ti currents.
The mont it saw Charles, the Chrono Rabbit's eyes widened, staring at him with fierce hostility.
"Don't look at like that. You don't need to keep suffering. If you agree to form a contract with , I'll set you free. Life with will be far better than it ever was with your old master."
Charles chose persuasion before force. He believed that after enduring such pain, the Chrono Rabbit would no longer reject him as firmly as before.
But to his surprise, the Chrono Rabbit still refused outright.
"Why are you so stubborn?" Charles raised his voice. "All my mystical beasts live happily. Were you happy with your master? He never cared about you! When his own life was at risk, he abandoned you without hesitation!"
The Chrono Rabbit's expression shifted at those words.
Seizing the mont, Charles pressed on.
"For a mystical beast, once a contract is ford, you must fight with all you have for your master. But if your master abandons you, then you no longer need to follow that bond. Julian threw you away to save himself. He can't use the contract to control you anymore. Don't you want to grow stronger? Don't you want a better life?"
At last, the resistance in the Chrono Rabbit's eyes faded. It looked at Charles, and then a voice echoed in his mind.
"My master can still bind . Our contract exists within the ti currents. As long as they remain, the contract cannot be broken. If I betray him, the contract will kill instantly—and my soul will be lost forever. But if you can find a way to destroy the contract hidden in the ti currents, then I will gladly beco your mystical beast."
The words left Charles deeply shocked. At the sa ti, he finally understood why Julian could so easily abandon the most powerful beast under his command.
"No wonder he just left you behind and ran. He hid your contract inside the ti currents… what a vile piece of trash," Charles muttered angrily.
Of all things, what Charles despised most were people like Julian.
Normally, the bond between a Beast Master and a mystical beast should be built on cooperation.
If a Beast Master wants to gain the strength of a powerful mystical beast, they must first earn its trust. Only then can their relationship grow close, and only then can both of them improve their strength at a faster pace.
But so Beast Masters are unwilling to show any care or affection for their mystical beasts. Instead, they rely on tricks, lies, or even brute force to force a contract upon them.
Contracts made this way are twisted and cruel. To make sure such contracts cannot be easily destroyed, these Beast Masters often hide them in places no one can reach—inside raging ti currents, or sealed within cursed objects.
Most Beast Masters who use such dark thods co from the Ancient Academy. In fact, Everett, the dean of the Academy himself, openly encourages this practice. To him, it was simply the most efficient way.
"You don't need to worry," Charles said firmly. "I will destroy the contract between you and Julian in the ti currents. And if you still don't wish to form a contract with afterward, then I'll let you go free."
That promise struck the Chrono Rabbit deeply. Never before had it t a master who showed such care.
"If you can destroy my contract with Julian, then I will surely beco your mystical beast. Because you are the best master I have ever seen."
The voice of the Chrono Rabbit returned, gentler this ti.
Charles smiled.
"Then I'll begin right now."
With that, he stepped straight into the ti currents.
The mont he entered, the Chrono Rabbit began using its own powers of ti manipulation to assist him. Of course, by helping Charles, it was also helping itself.
As soon as Charles stepped into the flow of ti, his mind was flooded with countless voices. Most of them were his own—echoes from different points in ti.
In the ti currents, the greatest danger was not physical injury, but the collapse of the mind.
Here, one's consciousness could be dragged to any point in ti. For anyone with a weak will, it wouldn't take long before they completely broke down.
And once the mind collapsed, the person would beco nothing more than a wandering soul, lost forever in the chaos of the world.
The wandering souls would stop at nothing to attack anyone inside the ti currents. Charles was no exception—he, too, faced their assaults.
But he didn't pay them much attention. They weren't strong enough to truly threaten him. And with the Chrono Rabbit's help, he quickly located the contract's hiding place.
It was buried deep within two of the strongest streams of chaotic ti. Anyone who wanted to seize it would have to destroy both.
Charles poured his power into the black gold long knife. That weapon was not only deadly in real-world battles but could also wound things that existed only as concepts. And the ti currents were exactly that—conceptual existences.
Pushing forward under the attacks of the wandering souls, Charles lifted the black gold long knife and struck with all his might at the raging ti currents.
The blade shattered the first and strongest flow. At the very mont it broke, Charles caught a glimpse of a strange vision—Julian, speaking to a young man. In front of him, Julian looked humble, almost groveling.
Who is that young man? Could he also be in the Atacama Desert? If so, he might beco a great threat to later, Charles thought, making a quick judgnt.
But he didn't dwell on it. Destroying the contract was still the most important task.
After a short pause to recover, he swung the black gold long knife again, this ti at the second ti current.
When the final current collapsed, Charles finally grasped the contract.
"I'll destroy it now! You'll never be bound by Julian again!" he declared, turning the contract to ash in his hands.
In that instant, the Chrono Rabbit beca a free mystical beast.
Overjoyed, it leapt and bounded across the Atacama Desert, darting here and there in delight. But soon, it returned to Charles's side.
"I am your mystical beast now. Let's form our contract right away!"
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