CHAPTER 692: YOU DARE STEAL MY POWER?

Ethan’s breathing quickened instantly.

This was basically a dungeon event—and not just any dungeon. The reward? "You may randomly designate one subordinate to reach the same Tier." That was insane.

But...

The power radiating off this thing was on a whole different level. Even if he threw the entire Emerald Castle army at it, there was no guarantee they’d win.

Still, the demon was clearly asleep.

Which meant this was the perfect window.

"Feylora," Ethan said sharply, eyes locked on the floating monstrosity. "Try absorbing its energy. See if you can pull it into yourself."

She was the first person that came to mind. If anyone could handle this kind of dark energy and redirect it into their forces, it was her.

Feylora didn’t hesitate for a second.

She stepped forward cautiously, her movements precise, her aura steady. As she reached out and placed her hand against the demon’s swirling, shadowy form, something incredible happened.

The terrifying, chaotic Dark Energy that had been pulsing off the demon like a stormfront suddenly surged toward her—drawn into her body like water down a drain.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

The air trembled with each pulse.

Ethan’s eyes lit up. "It’s working!"

Without wasting a second, he rushed forward and grabbed Feylora’s arm, linking himself into the energy stream.

A torrent of Dark Energy slammed into him, flooding his veins with raw, unfiltered power.

But it was too much.

The energy was wild—untamed, violent. Just the two of them couldn’t handle it.

One by one, the rest of the Emerald Castle elites stepped in, placing their hands on Ethan’s back, forming a chain to help distribute the load.

Even then, the energy was overwhelming.

At first, it felt like their bodies were being torn apart from the inside. But slowly—slowly—they began to adapt. Their cores stabilized. Their auras expanded.

And then came Elira.

For her, this wasn’t just power—it was nourishment.

The dark energy was like a feast laid out just for her. As it poured into her, her body swelled with strength, her muscles tightening, her aura flaring like a black sun.

Her Tier shot up—straight to the peak of 18.

And it didn’t stop there.

She was on the verge of breaking through to Tier 19.

Ethan’s heart pounded with excitement.

It was working. It was really working.

He and Feylora doubled down, pulling harder, drawing more and more of the demon’s energy into themselves and their allies.

The demon’s power was draining fast.

But then—

RRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

A deafening roar shattered the sky.

The grotesque, floating demon head suddenly twitched—and then its massive eyes snapped open, glowing with pure, ancient rage.

"You filthy insects... You dare steal my power?!"

Its voice was like thunder wrapped in venom, shaking the very air around them.

"You court death."

The demon was awake. And it was pissed.

Everything around them shattered into a chaotic storm of fragments.

Then, slowly, a strikingly handsome figure began to rise from the depths of the abyss.

The power radiating from this guy was absolutely terrifying—he was already at mid-19Tier.

Ethan’s pupils dilated in shock.

That level... there was no way they could take him on.

"RAAAHHH!"

Just then, Elira let out a fierce shout.

In that instant, her power surged—she’d just broken through to 19Tier.

Ethan blinked, stunned—not because Elira had suddenly leveled up, but because the system’s reward from earlier was starting to feel... underwhelming.

He already had one subordinate at 19Tier. Sure, once the mission was complete, he’d gain two more at that level, but still... it felt like a bad deal.

Maybe if they managed to take down this Demon Lord, a good chunk of his army could evolve straight to 19Tier on their own. In that case, the reward—"Player may instantly level up to 19Tier and designate one subordinate to do the same"—wasn’t exactly generous.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Elira’s power exploded outward as she launched herself into the sky.

She hovered high above, summoning the spectral form of the Skytear Demon Moth, which came crashing down like a meteor.

"VMMM!"

"BOOOOOOMMMMMM—!"

The Demon Lord, still floating in the distance, slowly lifted his head. He raised a hand into the air, and a glowing six-pointed star array materialized in front of him. Power surged from it, clashing head-on with the Skytear Demon Moth’s phantom.

THOOM!

The collision of their powers was cataclysmic. The sky cracked open, and lightning rained down in a relentless storm, striking the earth with deafening force.

But even then—

Elira’s strength wasn’t quite enough.

She had just reached the early stage of 19Tier... and that clearly wasn’t going to cut it.

After a brief struggle, the force of the clash sent her flying backward.

Ethan’s heart jumped. He was about to rush in to help when—

Feylora grabbed his arm.

"Master," she said quickly, "I think I can still siphon his power—but I’ll have to do it quietly."

Ethan blinked, then noticed what she was holding.

A withered vine, pulsing with dark energy—energy that was clearly being drawn from the Demon Lord himself.

It looked like the vine was part of the Demon Lord’s actual body.

Ethan’s eyes lit up. He stepped back, grabbed Feylora’s arm, and unleashed his own absorption ability.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Dark energy surged into both of them in a violent torrent.

The power was overwhelming—so intense that even after all the energy Ethan had absorbed before, his insides still felt like they were being turned inside out.

Then, suddenly, Feylora’s power erupted.

A brilliant light burst from within her, sweeping out in all directions. Her aura shattered through its limits, rocketing her straight into early 19Tier.

High above, the Demon Lord froze for a split second—then his expression twisted in fury.

He could feel it—his energy was being drained at an impossible rate.

"You filthy little insect! You dare steal my power from the shadows?! DIE!"

With a furious roar, he raised both hands. Dark energy swirled in his palms, condensing into a massive sphere—black, warped, like a collapsing star.

He hurled it down with a snarl.

The air screamed as the sphere tore through it, space itself trembling in its wake.

But Feylora didn’t flinch.

She shot upward, straight into the path of the dark sphere.

And then—

"BOOOOM!!"

Light swallowed the sky.

The ground split open. The air twisted. Shattered stone and raw energy exploded upward like a volcanic blast.

When the shockwave finally cleared, Feylora’s body was already hurtling through the air, trailing a long arc as she was violently thrown back.

...