Whoosh!

Just then—

Ataneya zipped over to Ethan, stopping right in front of him. "My Lord, what's our next move?"

"Keep fighting!" Ethan answered without hesitation. "Go help the minotaur, Sigral. Take down his opponent, then move on to support Trigath."

"Yes, sir!"

"Understood, My Lord!"

…

In the blink of an eye, Ataneya and her squad charged straight toward the minotaur hero Sigral, launching a brutal assault on the 15-Tier SS-ranked centaur.

Sure, the centaur was a 15-Tier SS-class Crimson Ultimate hero—no doubt about that.

But so was Ataneya.

And she wasn't alone.

She had four other 15-Tier S-class Crimson Ultimate heroes backing her up.

Plus Sigral himself, also a 15-Tier S-class hero.

So what did that mean?

It meant this was a six-on-one beatdown.

This wasn't a fair fight—it was a total steamroll.

They weren't just winning—they were bullying the poor bastard.

And sure enough, just moments later, that massive 15-Tier SS-class centaur was lying dead at their feet, taken down before he could even put up a real fight.

He never stood a chance.

Seeing this, Ethan immediately gave the next order. "Seraphina, absorb his Primordial Force. The rest of you—keep moving. Go help Trigath!"

Seraphina was already close to breaking through to 15-Tier SS-class herself. This centaur's Primordial Force might be just the push she needed.

No point letting it go to waste.

"Yes, Master!"

"Got it…"

…

They split up again.

Seraphina stayed behind, focusing on absorbing the fallen centaur's Primordial Force, while the others rushed off to join the Auric Phoenix, Trigath, and gang up on his opponent.

It's worth noting—

By this point in the battle, the outcome was basically sealed.

The last remaining 15-Tier SS-class Crimson Ultimate hero and the so-called Centaur High King—Lethostar, a 15-Tier SSS-class powerhouse—had both considered retreating.

But their opponents weren't about to let them go.

They were locked down tight.

And sure enough, just a few moments later, the final 15-Tier SS-class Crimson Ultimate hero was dead too—his body crumpled on the battlefield. His Primordial Force didn't go to waste either; it was absorbed by Andona, who was also on the verge of reaching 15-Tier SS-class.

As for the Centaur High King—Lethostar?

He was cornered, no way out.

And soon enough, he was overwhelmed and torn apart in a brutal group assault.

Boom!

With a final blow, Lethostar fell—dead, silent, and gone.

"We did it!"

Ethan let out a breath, relief washing over him.

Then a grin spread across his face—he couldn't help the surge of excitement bubbling up inside him.

Because here's the thing—

They'd just scored another 15-Tier SSS-class Crimson Ultimate hero's Primordial Force. That was huge. After thinking it over for a second, Ethan turned to Ataneya and said, "Ataneya, try using it to evolve—see if you can break through to 15-Tier SSS-class."

"Yes, My Lord!" Ataneya nodded quickly, then began absorbing Lethostar's Primordial Force.

And sure enough, not long after, the system notifications started rolling in one after another:

Ding!

"Player Valkarion, please note: Congratulations… Your Hero Unit Seraphina has successfully advanced to 15-Tier SS-class!"

…

Ding!

"Player Valkarion, please note: Congratulations… Your Hero Unit Andona has successfully advanced to 15-Tier SS-class!"

…

Ding!

"Player Valkarion, please note: Congratulations… Your Hero Unit Ataneya has successfully advanced to 15-Tier SSS-class!"

…

"!!!"

"All of them made it? Hell yes—this is a massive win!" Ethan's face lit up with excitement.

This was a jackpot. Like a gift straight from the heavens.

With this, his top-tier combat force had just skyrocketed. He now had Elira and Ataneya—both 15-Tier SSS-class. Seraphina and Andona—15-Tier SS-class. And then Namyanna, Feylora, and the rest of his 15-Tier S-class heroes…

This was a serious power spike.

"With this kind of lineup, the next phase of the Gate of Carno mission should be way smoother."

He'd made it through the roughest part—the early grind.

Now, he was entering a phase of rapid growth and power consolidation.

Which meant his chances of clearing the Gate of Carno had just gone way, way up.

Then he turned to look at the minotaur hero Sigral and the Auric Phoenix Trigath, smiling as he spoke. "I'm glad you two made the right call. So here's the deal—I'm giving you a shot."

"From now on, you're officially part of Emerald Castle's outer circle."

"Also, I need you to reclaim Lethostar's territory for me. Any issues with that?"

Sigral and Trigath exchanged a glance—

Then nodded.

"No problem."

"But we'll need backup…"

"Fine. Seraphina, Andona—go with them."

"Yes, Master!"

"Understood, My Lord…"

…

Not long after, both of those powerful kingdoms were brought under Ethan's control.

…And word of these events quickly reached the ears of the other Six High Kings of the Gate of Carno.

In one of the grandest, most formidable palaces of the realm—

A monstrous figure sat upon a throne. His body was fluid, like living sludge, glowing with a sickly purple hue. The aura he gave off was wild, violent—downright terrifying.

His entire form oozed venom.

Toxic energy radiated from him in waves, so intense it made your skin crawl just looking at him.

"What? Lethostar and Thyssar—those idiot brothers—are dead? Who did it? Whoever it was, good job!"

"Serves them right! Hahahaha! Now there's no one left to stand in my way. Perfect. Everyone, listen up—prepare for war! I'm going to conquer this entire world. Start the war! Now!"

He roared, his voice shaking the very air.

His power surged, even more terrifying than the Centaur High King brothers had ever been.

This creature was none other than the infamous Venomous High King—Gilrox.

No one really knew what his original race was anymore. But everyone knew two things about him—his poison was lethal, and he was immune to physical damage.

His venom?

Arguably the deadliest in the entire world. Even other 15-Tier SSS-class Crimson Ultimate heroes were wary of it.

As for his immunity to physical damage—yeah, that was just broken. Thanks to his liquid form, most physical attacks barely scratched him.

They were practically useless.

So not only was his offense insane—

His defense was off the charts too.

In a one-on-one fight, neither Thyssar nor Lethostar could hold a candle to him.

The gap was obvious.

...