CHAPTER 565: UNDERGROUND CAVERN

When Elira saw what was happening, her reaction was lightning-fast.

"Ataneya, go! Take it down—now!" she shouted sharply, her voice cutting through the chaos. Without wasting a second, she unleashed a barrage of devastating innate abilities, each one more powerful than the last, slamming into the enemy with overwhelming force.

Ataneya didn’t hesitate either. The moment she saw Elira move, she snapped into action.

"Vmmm!"

"Vmmm!"

"Vmmm!"

In an instant, all six of her tails flared to life, radiating raw, primal energy. Power surged from her like a tidal wave, centered entirely around her. With the boost from her tails’ Primordial Force, her strength skyrocketed—reaching its peak in a heartbeat.

"Foxfire Burst!"

"Thunder Judgment!"

BOOM!

A violent explosion of energy erupted from Ataneya, tearing through the battlefield like a storm. The enemy didn’t stand a chance—caught in the blast, their body was obliterated on the spot, killed instantly.

"It’s over..." Ethan finally let out a breath of relief. No matter how you looked at it, that had been a legit Tier 15, S-Class Crimson Ultimate hero. He’d expected it to be a serious problem—but in the end, they’d taken it down cleanly, without a hitch.

"My Lord, I need a moment," Elira said as she landed beside Ethan, her tone serious. "There’s still some residual energy from the Skytear Demon Moth clan lingering here. If I can absorb it, I might be able to evolve again—this time into a Tier 15 SS-Class Crimson Ultimate hero."

"Seriously?" Ethan’s eyes lit up, excitement surging through him. He nodded quickly. "Alright, go for it!"

"Mm." Elira didn’t waste any time. She immediately began absorbing the lingering energy with everything she had.

Ethan and Ataneya stood by quietly, waiting.

Time passed—how long, they couldn’t say.

Then suddenly, a soft chime echoed in Ethan’s ears—the unmistakable voice of the system.

Ding!

"Attention, Player Valkarion: Congratulations. Your Hero Unit, Elira, has successfully evolved to Tier 15, SS-Class."

"Yes!" Ethan pumped his fist, grinning wide. They’d done it. With Elira’s evolution, their top-tier combat strength had just taken a serious leap forward.

But then—

"My Lord, I want revenge."

That was the first thing Elira said after waking up.

Ethan blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, what?"

Then it hit him—Elira must’ve inherited more than just power from the Skytear Demon Moth’s necklace. She’d absorbed some of their lingering emotions too... including their thirst for vengeance.

She wasn’t just a bystander anymore—she’d taken on their cause, their pain.

But Ethan didn’t mind. After all, they were here to grow stronger, to evolve—and that meant fighting.

He nodded. "Alright. Let’s go. Who knows what we’ll find out there?"

And with that, Ethan, Elira, and Ataneya set off again—hunting, fighting, pushing deeper into the world of Nethora.

Eventually, their path led them to one of the most dangerous regions in the entire realm—what seemed to be the very heart of Nethora itself.

Everywhere they looked, rivers of molten lava stretched endlessly across the land. The air was thick with the presence of dark magic, and fire-born creatures—spawned from pure arcane energy—roamed freely. The environment was brutal, the danger constant.

But for Elira and Ataneya, it was perfect.

Especially for Ataneya.

After all the battles they’d fought, her evolution progress had already reached over 80% of the way to SS-Class. It wouldn’t be long now before she broke through.

And when that happened, Ethan would have not one, but two Tier 15 SS-Class powerhouses under his command.

Even better—Ataneya, like Elira, had the ability to hunt and absorb the power of her enemies.

Which meant her path to evolution?

It wasn’t just possible—it was inevitable.

And so, their hunt continued.

They launched into a relentless campaign of pursuit and slaughter, tearing through the core region of Nethora in a brutal push for power. From the moment Ataneya’s evolution progress hit 80%, it took them less than half a day to push it past 95%—at the cost of two massive Tier 15 S-Class wild beasts.

Then came the real grind.

It took nearly two full weeks of scouring the most dangerous corners of the core zone before they finally tracked down three more colossal Tier 15 S-Class monsters. Each one was a nightmare in its own right, but they brought them down one by one.

And with that, Ataneya’s evolution progress finally hit 100%.

The transformation began.

One day passed.

Then two.

Then three...

It was clear from the start—Ataneya’s evolution was taking way longer than Elira’s. Whatever power she was unlocking, it was on a whole different level. It wasn’t until the fifth day that Ethan finally heard the familiar chime in his ear.

Ding!

"Attention, Player Valkarion: Congratulations. Your Hero Unit, Ataneya, has successfully evolved to Tier 15, SS-Class."

And just like that, Ethan had his second Tier 15 SS-Class Crimson Ultimate hero.

With both Elira and Ataneya now fully evolved, the power of his Emerald Castle had taken a massive leap forward—this wasn’t just a boost. It was a game-changer.

"My Lord, I did it!" Ataneya said, her voice practically glowing with excitement. "Thank you... If it weren’t for your guidance, I don’t even know how long it would’ve taken me to reach this level."

Ethan smiled. "Ataneya, how strong are you now? Can you show me?"

"Of course!" she replied without hesitation.

She glanced around, scanning the area for a moment—then, in a blur of motion, she vanished.

Less than thirty minutes later, she returned.

Dragging several corpses behind her.

And not just any corpses—one of them was a Tier 15 S-Class monster.

Wait... what?

She’d flown out, hunted down a high-tier beast, killed it, and made it back—all in under half an hour?

That was insane.

So this... this was the true power of a Tier 15 SS-Class Crimson Ultimate hero?

Absolutely terrifying.

"My Lord," Ataneya said suddenly, her tone shifting slightly, "I found something interesting. Want to check it out?"

Ethan blinked, caught off guard. "Oh? Where? Yeah, let’s go."

With two SS-Class monsters at his side, Ethan felt unstoppable. There wasn’t a place in Nethora he didn’t feel confident exploring now. Whatever was out there—treasures, secrets, hidden bosses—he was ready for it.

They set out immediately.

It didn’t take long before they arrived at the location Ataneya had discovered.

A small, unassuming entrance to an underground cavern.

It didn’t look like much from the outside...