It was no longer a secret that the Blood Lightning Monster had slain a fifth evolution stage monster on his own.
The aftermath of the battle stirred a massive commotion, but Souta had no ti to dwell on it—he left the area imdiately.
Soon, he arrived at Ekatoe City.
Beyond the jagged "Welco" sign, the city stretched out like a graveyard of steel and concrete. Houses leaned toward each other as if whispering secrets, their windows hollow and black.
A hot wind swept through, the only sound breaking the silence. Shattered glass littered the pavent, glinting faintly in the sunlight like tiny warning flares.
He stepped forward. Each footfall echoed louder than it should have.
Not a single soul remained in Ekatoe City. Everyone had already gone.
"Are you sure you can still move?" Saya’s voice echoed in his mind.
"Yeah, it’s not a problem. Though... it would be troubleso if I ran into another enemy," Souta replied.
The battle against a fifth evolution stage monster had taken its toll. It wasn’t sothing his body could endure often.
Thanks to his regeneration, the wounds and injuries he had sustained were already gone. But his energy was a different story—his reserves were nearly depleted. Only a faint amount remained in his monster orb and his [Nebula Heart].
Even so, his total energy was already comparable to that of a fifth stage being. It wasn’t surprising, given that the [Nebula Heart] resided in his body. If he had relied solely on his monster orb, he would have exhausted all of his best feram long before defeating Yin.
On top of that, the power granted by his equipnt was far from trivial—it was a trendous boost.
Before long, Souta reached a cetery. He walked through the gates and stopped before two particular tombstones.
Yenxa and Eilish lay here.
"I’ll be leaving for a while," Souta murmured, his eyes fixed on the graves. "It may take a long ti before I return... but I promise I will."
He had only co to visit them one last ti before his departure. The days ahead would be perilous, and neither he nor his companions could afford to remain in one place for long.
Souta stood before the tombstones for several minutes before finally turning away. His flesh twisted and contorted, reshaping his features in an instant.
Swoosh!!
With a burst of speed, Souta left the abandoned city—his appearance now entirely different.
He knew there was no way to completely hide from the enemy this ti. With so little preparation, and with the traces left behind by tens of thousands of people, it was impossible to conceal everything.
Still, he followed the path the people of Ekatoe City had taken, erasing what traces he could along the way. He knew it wouldn’t hold for long, but even a little ti bought for him and his people was worth the effort.
By his calculations, the enemy would likely find them within two or three days. The demons especially—those relentless hunters would not allow them to slip away again. It had taken them long enough just to uncover traces of Alice; now, they would never release her from their grasp.
At the very least, Souta thought, no God-rank beings should be coming for his head.
Souta’s plan was to divert the enemy’s attention by using one of the Guardian Fortresses. Ordinary people had no ans to defend themselves, so they would remain hidden in the Involin Forest. If he made his presence known at the fortress, the large-scale investigations would shift toward him instead of the civilians.
After more than seven hours of travel, Souta finally spotted a Guardian Fortress hovering in the sky.
This fortress would serve as the beacon, drawing in those who hunted him.
It floated nearly a thousand kiloters above the surface. Below lay a small lake surrounded by rolling hills, with the nearest city three kiloters away. The location was also far enough from the Involin Forest to avoid drawing attention to the people hiding there.
Souta ascended into the air, openly releasing his energy so the inhabitants of the fortress would know it was him.
He landed on the deck, where Torkez erged to greet him.
"You’re back," Torkez said with a smile. "I’ve already prepared a room for you to recover in. We’ve also completed part of our preparations."
Torkez already knew Souta had fought an intense battle against a fifth stage monster—he had seen it himself through the projection in the sky. He understood well that Souta was exhausted.
Souta gave a brief nod and stepped into the building. "Initiate it. Draw their attention. Don’t bother hiding our identities. The more eyes on us here, the less chance anyone will track Alice and the others to the Involin Forest."
Torkez followed closely behind, silently agreeing with his words.
Not wasting any ti, Souta secluded himself to recover his energy. Inside his room lay a fifth evolution stage monster orb, along with several third stage orbs he had stored for this purpose.
He picked up the fifth stage orb as his artifacts floated into place behind him.
"I just need more ti," he muttered. "If I can recover fully, I’ll be able to use all my equipnt skills again."
During the battle, he had already unleashed nearly every skill at his disposal—save for [Harvester of the Soul] and [Soul Blood Mode]. He knew that once those abilities were exposed to the public, the situation he faced would escalate to an entirely new level.
He was fortunate that Goddess Athena had bestowed her blessing upon him. Without it, he might have been forced to use [Soul Blood Mode].
"For now, I’ll focus on refining my skills and recovering my energy."
Souta closed his eyes, driving the vajra sword into the floor beside him. His thoughts drifted back to his clash with Yin, the fifth evolution stage monster.
His [Archetype: Great Blood of the End] was imnsely powerful—one of his strongest trump cards. But even so, he realized now that it needed to evolve further, to reach a higher level.
An interface appeared within his mind:
[Archetype: Great Blood of the End] – An Archetype created by the Blood Lightning Monster. Derived from the Archetype Vajra Extremity and infused with a touch of beastly instinct, it gave birth to a new and formidable Archetype. Currently in its incomplete form. (Completion Rate: 12%)
Ever since erging from his previous seclusion, the system had acknowledged the Archetype, even allowing him to track its progress.
The blueprints for the next forms were already clear in his mind. All that remained was to refine, enhance, and complete them.
[First Form: Great Tribulation of the Blood Lightning]
[Second Form: Blood Lightning Piercing Through the Heavens]
The second form of his Archetype specialized in piercing damage. Its power carried a high chance of breaching defenses, capable even of tearing through the barriers of a fifth stage monster. Proof of its strength already existed—he had slain one only hours ago.
The next form, however, was a defensive type.
"I need to master this one as soon as possible..." Souta muttered.
...
While Souta recuperated, Torkez had already set the plan in motion. The nearest city was now aware of their presence.
The experts of Astros prepared themselves for the coming battle. Their leader had accomplished the impossible—slaying an enemy no one believed could be defeated. They couldn’t allow themselves to falter now; they had to prove worthy of the history Souta had created.
Torkez stood on the deck, staring at the landscape below.
A massive green dragon approached him from behind. "Is everything ready?"
"Yeah. We can expect enemies within the next few hours. What about the Involin Forest—was it secured?" Torkez asked, turning his head slightly toward Doranjan.
"Yes. There’s nothing to worry about there." Doranjan nodded. Still, his expression darkened. "But I can feel it. My dragon instinct tells danger is near. This battle will test whether we can survive."
"Our enemies vary in strength," Torkez admitted, his eyes shifting toward the gathered experts of Astros. "...And our forces are far smaller by comparison. We only have a few SSS-rank experts to call upon."
The enemy’s numbers stretched into the millions. And worse—this was only a single faction among the many that wanted them destroyed. So were demons, but others were people who despised them, venting their hatred on Souta and blaming him for the war.
Even so, Astros would not bow. Their numbers might be few, but their resolve—and their leader—were greater than any army.
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