CHAPTER 569: UMBRAL FAIRIES

"This is bad..." Ethan’s face darkened, shifting between panic and calculation. His heart was racing. Sure, he had Ataneya and Elira on his side—both 15-Tier SS-ranked—but they still weren’t SSS-ranked.

And that made a huge difference.

So now what?

A 2v1?

Even a 3v1?

Their chances were still slim.

Hell, Ethan himself wasn’t even a 15-Tier S-rank yet, let alone SS or SSS.

But just as the dread started to settle in, a sudden idea sparked in his mind. His eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he unleashed all the Primordial Force he’d gathered from the Nethora World—every last drop of it.

And he poured it straight into Ataneya and Elira.

That one move—

It made their opponent’s eyes go wide with shock, pupils contracting in disbelief.

"No way... How the hell do you have that much Primordial Force?!"

"Perfect. That confirms it," Ethan said quickly, nodding. "Ataneya, Elira—go! Use that power and kill him. He’s weak to it!"

"Yes!"

"Understood, my lord..."

...

Ataneya and Elira launched forward without hesitation. In an instant, a barrage of attacks rained down on their enemy. And just as Ethan had hoped, the Primordial Force was devastatingly effective.

A massive surge of devouring energy exploded outward, ripping into their opponent and draining his power like a bottomless vortex. At the same time, Elira and Ataneya’s movements became sharper, more fluid—like they were fighting a training dummy instead of a top-tier threat.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

They clashed hundreds—no, thousands—of times in rapid succession. And with every blow, their enemy looked worse and worse.

He had the raw power of a 15-Tier SSS-ranked warrior...

But he couldn’t use any of it.

He was completely suppressed.

All he could do was take hit after hit.

And finally, just as expected, Elira and Ataneya finished him off together.

Cracks spread across his body like shattered glass, splitting wider and wider—

Until he exploded into fragments with a thunderous crash.

"It’s done!"

"Thank god he was weak to that power... Otherwise, we’d be screwed," Ethan exhaled, finally letting himself relax.

Ding!

"Congratulations, player Valkarion. You have collected 100% of the Primordial Force from the Nethora World. You have successfully completed the Nethora World quest."

"Congratulations! You are now the master of the Nethora World!"

...

"What?!"

Ethan’s eyes lit up with excitement.

He’d just claimed the entire Nethora World?

That meant from now on, his subordinates could come here anytime to farm soul creatures and level up like crazy.

Holy shit.

This reward was insane!

Just as he was about to seal the world and take it with him—

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

...

A series of urgent system alerts popped up.

Something was going seriously wrong in the main world of the Graveyard of Legends dungeon.

His forces were clashing head-on with the local lords.

All-out war had broken out.

"Damn it... Something’s gone wrong out there. I need to get back—fast!" Ethan’s expression turned grim. He’d been so focused on conquering the Nethora World with Elira and Ataneya that he’d left the rest of his team to operate on their own.

That had been a risky move.

Sure, the Graveyard of Legends dungeon wasn’t the most dangerous place in terms of raw power—but it was full of secrets. Like the Nethora World. Like the Gate of Carno. Places crawling with high-level threats.

As long as you didn’t cross paths with them, you were fine.

But if you did?

The difficulty spiked instantly.

And that... was a whole different beast.

Thinking fast, Ethan called out, "Let’s move—Ataneya, Elira, we’re heading out. Something’s gone wrong outside!"

With a flicker of light, he activated his authority as the master of the Nethora World, instantly teleporting all three of them back to the main world of the Graveyard of Legends dungeon.

The moment they landed, Ethan pulled up his system interface and began scanning for the locations of his scattered subordinates.

After a few tense moments of tracking and analysis, he made a decision.

"Elira, head east. Ataneya, go north. I’ll take the south. Gather everyone you find along the way and bring them to this rendezvous point," he ordered, marking a location on the map.

"Yes, my lord!"

"Understood!"

...

They split up immediately, each vanishing into the sky in a blur of motion.

Ethan didn’t know how long he’d been flying when he finally spotted two familiar figures—Feylora and Seraphina.

And they were still locked in combat.

Their opponents? Strange, small creatures with translucent wings—fairy-like, but twisted. They looked delicate, almost fragile, but the power radiating off them was anything but.

"What the hell are those?" Ethan muttered, casting a quick scan spell.

The results came back instantly.

Umbral Fairies—a rare and powerful species, on par with the Forest faction’s elite hidden unit, the Sovereign Fairies. But unlike their forest-dwelling cousins, these ones wielded dark, corrupted magic. Their bodies pulsed with death energy, and their presence alone was enough to make the air feel heavy and oppressive.

"Master, you’re here!" Feylora and Seraphina both turned at once, their expressions lighting up with relief and excitement.

"You two okay?"

"We’re holding on..." Seraphina replied, her eyes flashing. "But these things are a pain in the ass. That dark magic of theirs is messing with us bad."

"No worries. I’m here now—let’s take them down together." Ethan gave a confident nod. He could feel the pressure from the Umbral Fairies, but they were only 14-Tier SSS-ranked Crimson Ultimate heroes. Strong, sure—but manageable.

"Yes, Master!" Seraphina’s eyes lit up. It was like someone had flipped a switch—her power surged, her attacks becoming sharper, faster, more aggressive.

"My Lord, be careful," Feylora suddenly warned, her voice tense. "There’s a bigger one... something way stronger."

"Stronger?" Ethan blinked, just about to ask what she meant—

When the sky above them suddenly twisted and warped.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

A massive spatial distortion tore open in the heavens, and from it emerged a colossal creature—dragonfly-like in shape, but radiating a strange, almost holy light.

At first glance, it looked divine.

But a closer look revealed the truth—its glow was laced with something far more sinister: a twisted, death-aligned energy that pulsed beneath the surface like a heartbeat of decay.

And worse—there was something about that energy that pulled at you, like it wanted to drag your soul out of your body.

Even Ethan felt a moment of disorientation when it appeared.

"Lord Ethan, we need to run!" Feylora shouted, her face pale. "That thing’s on a whole other level! Unless Elira and the others are here, we can’t take it!"

"So it’s another 15-Tier..." Ethan’s expression darkened.

Of course it was. Just his luck.

"You damn invaders are like cockroaches," the creature sneered, its voice echoing like thunder. "Another one come to die? Fine. I’ll oblige. All of you—DIE!"

It struck without warning.

BOOM!

CRACK!

The impact was like a meteor slamming into the earth, obliterating everything in its path. A wave of crimson light exploded outward, painting the sky blood-red for miles.

The power it unleashed was overwhelming—like angelic light twisted into something unholy. At first, it felt warm, almost comforting...

But as it closed in, the death-aligned energy hidden within it surged forward, turning that warmth into a soul-crushing chill.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

For a second, he instinctively considered retreating.

But then he stopped himself.

No.

He wasn’t weak anymore. He was on the verge of evolving again—his power was right at the edge of breaking through.

This might be the perfect chance.

A trial by fire.

With that thought, he launched himself forward.

Skills flared to life around him—blades of energy, shields of force, bursts of elemental fury.

And he slammed straight into the monster, head-on.

...