CHAPTER 690: NOW’S THE PERFECT TIME

"Ahhh!"

Caedor let out a sudden roar as he burst out from a tangle of vines, his body surging with power. That energy condensed in an instant, forming a massive broadsword in his hands. With a furious cry, he brought it crashing down.

"Damn you! You filthy thieves! I’ll slaughter every last one of you! Die!"

Andona blinked forward in a flash, her holy sword already slashing through the air to meet his strike head-on.

The clash unleashed a shockwave of raw, violent energy that rippled through the entire hall, shaking the walls and floor with a deafening boom.

Her wings, etched with ancient rune arrays, weren’t just for show—they stored power and emitted a terrifying devouring aura. That allowed her to absorb energy at an incredible rate. Right now, she was already at the peak of Tier 18.

And in that moment, she was more than capable of going toe-to-toe with Caedor.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them had exchanged dozens of blows midair, neither one gaining the upper hand.

Andona wasn’t just any warrior—she was the Queen of Angels. And now, after absorbing so much raw power, her strength had exploded to terrifying new heights.

Caedor, though also at the peak of Tier 18, was still just a treefolk by nature. His race didn’t possess any overwhelming innate power. So even though he was slightly stronger than Andona in raw stats, the gap was closing fast—and the fight was starting to drag into a stalemate.

Time passed—how long, no one could say—and slowly, Caedor began to falter. He stumbled back several steps, retreating into a corner, chest heaving as he gasped for breath.

"Ahhh!"

"No! I won’t accept this!"

He stared in horror as the vines he’d painstakingly cultivated—vines that could absorb the power of others—began to wither and die before his eyes.

It felt like his heart was being ripped apart.

He’d been so sure this was it—his chance to break through to Tier 19 and finally rule the entire Umbral Abyss. But now, someone had swooped in and ruined everything.

With a violent cough, he spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly pushed himself upright. A surge of dark energy erupted from deep within him, coalescing in midair into a blood-red orb that pulsed with ominous power.

RUMMMMMMBLE—

"If I can’t have this power... then no one can!"

With a snarl, he hurled the orb to the ground.

BOOM!

The moment it hit, a wave of hellfire exploded outward, roaring to life with the intent to burn everything in its path to ash.

But then—

Whoosh!

Just as the flames were about to engulf the hall, Ataneya darted forward, stepping right into the inferno. Her tails flared behind her, glowing with terrifying energy as they whipped through the air—and to everyone’s shock, they began absorbing the hellfire, pulling it into her body.

"Damn, it’s been ages since I’ve come across flames this potent," she said with a sly grin. "Thanks for the gift. I needed this to level up again."

She chuckled softly, her voice smooth and dangerous.

Behind her, fifteen massive tails shimmered with a molten glow, swaying like rivers of lava.

And just like that, the hellfire vanished—completely consumed.

"What... what the hell?!"

Caedor’s eyes went wide with disbelief.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

He stumbled backward, panic overtaking him, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. But before he could even react, a wave of bone-chilling frost swept in from the side—freezing him solid in an instant, encasing him in a block of ice like a grotesque statue.

Namyanna strolled forward, casually twirling her trident.

"The energy your vines absorbed... it’s soaked in a powerful killing aura. That kind of essence is incredibly useful to me," she said, her voice calm and curious. "Think you can get your hands on more of it?"

Caedor stood there, frozen—both literally and figuratively—his mind spiraling into chaos.

All three of them... they were Tier 18 now. Peak Tier 18.

And the power radiating off them? It was monstrous. Absolutely overwhelming.

But the thing was... when they first entered the hall, they weren’t even close to this level. They’d seemed weak—insignificant, even. And now? After absorbing his power, not only had they evolved to a higher Tier, but even their racial traits had undergone some kind of transformation.

Everything he’d worked so hard to gather... all of it had been stolen right out from under him.

While he stood there, drowning in regret, the last of the vines in the hall withered away into dust, crumbling into nothing.

Over on the Emerald Castle’s side, nearly everyone had leveled up.

There were now several individuals at the peak of Tier 18.

Which meant one thing—Emerald Castle had just become the most powerful force in the entire Umbral Abyss.

Caedor had once waged war against other factions just to boost his own strength. And now? Most of those factions were already wiped out.

If Emerald Castle wanted to, they could launch a full-scale assault on the remaining forces. It wouldn’t take long before they ruled the Umbral Abyss completely.

Ethan stepped forward, stopping right in front of Caedor.

His hand lit up with a surge of energy as he grabbed Caedor by the throat.

"Tell me—where did you get those vines?"

Caedor looked like he was about to cry.

With a long, defeated sigh, he reached into his robes and pulled out a folded map.

"Here. This place. It’s home to a lot of Sylvan Elves. I found the vines there."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed as realization dawned.

No wonder Feylora had been able to absorb the vines’ energy so easily. They’d come from Sylvan Elf territory all along.

"Well then," Ethan said with a satisfied nod. "Thanks for the info."

"And goodbye."

Without hesitation, he conjured a glowing energy sphere in his palm—and slammed it straight into Caedor’s chest.

BOOM.

"What are you doing?!" Caedor gasped, eyes wide with shock. "I told you what you wanted! Why are you still trying to kill me?!"

Ethan sneered. "Because you’re useless to us now. Just dead weight. Why would we keep you around?"

Caedor’s eyes bulged, stunned by the betrayal.

The energy sphere detonated inside his chest, obliterating his heart in a single, brutal blast.

With Caedor dealt with, Ethan stretched his arms overhead, cracking his neck as he stood tall.

A dark, murderous aura surged from his body, thick and suffocating.

RUMMMMMMBLE—

"This is it," he said, voice low and commanding. "Now’s the perfect time to unify the Umbral Abyss. Mobilize everyone—we’re launching a full-scale assault on every remaining faction."

...