Bang!

Bang!

…

In an instant—

Andona and Elira unleashed their terrifying, god-tier abilities all at once!

"Umbral Detonation!"

"Soul of the Abyss!"

…

"Gate of Heaven!"

…

BOOOOOOM!

It all happened in the blink of an eye—

The Bone Sovereign, an Imperfect 16-Tier powerhouse, was obliterated on the spot by the combined assault of Elira and Andona.

But that wasn't even the craziest part.

Right where The Bone Sovereign had fallen, a radiant orb suddenly appeared—glowing with pure, unfiltered Primordial Force!

The moment Ethan saw it, his eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, he shouted, "Ataneya, go! Now!"

Of everyone under his command, Ataneya was the closest to breaking into 16-Tier.

If she could absorb that Primordial Force and evolve right here, right now—

That would be a total game-changer.

Whoosh!

At that exact moment, Ataneya reacted instantly.

She shot forward like a bolt of lightning—

And in one swift motion, swallowed the glowing orb whole!

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

…

A blinding light of evolution exploded around her.

It happened so fast, so smoothly—

Ataneya had done it.

She had broken through.

She was now a full-fledged 16-Tier being, radiating an overwhelming, sky-shaking aura.

"My Lord, I did it!" Ataneya cried out, her voice trembling with excitement.

"Congratulations, Ataneya…" Ethan grinned, his own voice brimming with exhilaration.

With this, they now had three 16-Tier powerhouses on their side.

Emerald Castle's strength had just skyrocketed.

"Shit! She really evolved…"

"What now? Do we keep fighting?"

"No way. Three-on-three, we're at a disadvantage—and honestly, I can feel it. They're stronger than us."

"Then we bail. Now."

Without a second of hesitation, the other two enemy 16-Tier elites turned and ran—

Tearing open a spatial rift and vanishing without a trace.

The woman who had been with them glared furiously at Andona, her eyes burning with frustration—

But she didn't say a word.

She just turned and left.

As the last of them disappeared, everyone finally let out a breath of relief.

Emerald Castle had pulled off a massive win today.

But let's be real—

They'd just faced off against three 16-Tier enemies.

If those guys had decided to go all in, to fight to the death…

Emerald Castle might not have come out of it unscathed.

So yeah—

This was the best possible outcome.

"It's over…" Ethan muttered, shaking his head. Then, with a wave of his hand, he commanded, "Go. Clean up the mess."

"Kill anyone who didn't manage to escape."

"Yes, sir!"

"Understood!"

…

What followed was nothing short of a one-sided massacre.

With Ataneya, Elira, and Andona—three full-fledged 16-Tier powerhouses—leading the charge, wiping out the remaining enemies was almost too easy. They tore through the stragglers like a storm, leaving no one alive.

And during the cleanup, Feylora, Cicero, and Seraphina all broke through as well—each of them reaching the SSS-level of 15-Tier!

With that kind of momentum, Ethan's team dove deeper into the dungeon, sweeping through floor after floor. It was only now that they began to grasp just how massive this place really was.

To put it bluntly—

Everything they'd explored so far?

Probably didn't even make up one percent of the dungeon's true core.

Yeah. Let that sink in.

But the constant battles weren't for nothing. The team kept growing stronger, and one by one, they all reached the SSS-level of 15-Tier.

Eventually, every single member of the squad had surpassed that threshold.

And then—

They got their fourth 16-Tier powerhouse: Namyanna.

She'd always kept a low profile, never one to show off. But her potential? Her strength? Undeniable. After all the relentless fighting, she finally broke through—ascending to 16-Tier.

Which meant that now, Emerald Castle had four 16-Tier monsters on their side.

But just as they were starting to feel unstoppable, the dungeon threw them a curveball.

One day, the ground suddenly began to rumble—deep, thunderous tremors shaking the earth. Then, out of nowhere, a massive creature shot into the sky, wings spread wide like a giant eagle, hovering high above them.

"ROOOAAAR!"

BOOOOOOM!

Its aura was overwhelming—like a blazing sun hanging in the sky. There was no mistaking it: this thing was a legit 16-Tier beast.

And the worst part?

It wasn't alone.

Not even close.

VMMM!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The creature's body lit up with blinding light, and in the next instant, the entire sky and earth seemed to ignite. From beneath the ground, hordes of creatures began to emerge—crawling, flying, stomping their way into view.

And among them?

Eight more 16-Tier powerhouses.

Eight.

The sheer scale of it was soul-crushing. It didn't even feel real.

It was madness.

Ethan's first instinct?

Run.

Get the hell out.

But facing a force like this, even running felt like a fantasy.

And then—

All hell broke loose.

The battle erupted in an instant, chaos exploding across the battlefield.

But just as things were spiraling out of control, something even more terrifying happened.

The ground shook again—this time with a force unlike anything before. A surge of power blasted into the sky, and then… it appeared.

VMMM…

A figure emerged—so powerful, so divine, it felt like the world itself held its breath.

She hovered in the air like a celestial being, radiating an aura of sacred majesty. Behind her, twelve fox tails floated gracefully, each one shimmering with elemental energy that rippled through the air like waves of raw magic.

…

BOOOOOOM!

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

"What… what the hell is that?!"

Ethan's breath caught in his throat. His chest tightened as a wave of raw, unimaginable power rolled over him. Just the ripple of it—just a flicker—felt like it could tear the entire world apart.

And the moment she appeared…

Every single creature in the dungeon—friend or foe—dropped into reverent silence. Heads bowed. Knees hit the ground.

The respect they showed her wasn't just fear—it was worship.

"This form… could it be…?" Ethan's eyes widened in shock. "Is this the one they mentioned before? The so-called Holy Fox Sovereign?"

His voice trembled as he instinctively cast a detection spell.

But—

Nothing.

Every line of data came back as: "???"

Ethan's scalp went numb.

He could read 16-Tier beings without a problem. Even the most powerful ones. But this?

This was something else entirely.

There was only one explanation.

She was above 16-Tier.

Seventeenth Tier?

Or… even higher?

The thought alone made cold sweat pour down Ethan's back.

But thankfully—

She didn't seem interested in attacking.

Or maybe… this wasn't even her real body?

"Just have some fun," the Holy Fox Sovereign said casually, her voice soft but echoing like thunder across the battlefield.

The moment those words left her lips, the entire dungeon seemed to ignite with energy.

The 16-Tier monsters around her roared in unison, their eyes blazing with bloodlust.

"Yes, Lord Holy Fox!"

"ROAR!"

"ROOOAAAR!"

"RAAAAH!"

…

"Kill them all! Go!"

And just like that—

The horde charged.

The battlefield exploded into chaos as every last one of them surged toward Ethan and his team.

The real fight had just begun.

...