The Heart Of Chaos

In a nearby town on the empire's outskirts, amidst the bustling market, two men sat at a table in a local tavern, engaged in a hushed conversation.

"Hey, Kuro, did you hear?"

The man in ragged brown clothes whispered.

"What is it, Dung?"

The other man asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I heard the empire's prodigies are coming to the outskirts to conquer the myths in Doomswood. Leading them is the Son of light, Arthur Pendragon, along with other noble children."

"What? Really?"

Kuro's eyes widened in disbelief.

The man in brown nodded. Without another word, his companion leapt from his seat and bolted out of the tavern, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

"If that's true, I need to set up my shop before they arrive. I might make some crowns off these nobles"

Dung muttered to himself, chuckling as he glanced out the window.

"Lately, I've heard rumors that some commoners have dared to settle in that cursed forest. I can't wait to see how this unfolds"

He added, shaking his head in disbelief.

Deep in the heart of Doomswood, a deafening roar echoed through the dense, shadowy forest as a mythical beast launched a brutal assault.

Upon closer inspection, a towering, muscular man with long dark-brown hair knelt to the ground with a determined look in his eyes.

He let out a blue aura, shroudeding him in pure mantra energy as he planted his hands firmly on the earth.

"Earth Drake! Summon!"

He bellowed.

A glowing blue magic circle materialized beneath him, and from it emerged a colossal Earth drake with golden crystal-like scales adorning its dark body—a Predator-Class II Alpha myth. The creature stood beside him, radiating raw power.

"Fatty! Hurry up!"

A sharp, feminine voice cut through the chaos.

A lithe woman with short purple hair and a slender frame darted into view. She was surrounded by a poisonous purple aura and gripped twin daggers shaped like serpents. Her movements were agile, though her breathing was labored.

"This Swamp shadow-king has ridiculous skin toughness! My poison barely affects it, and I'm running out of stamina. Stealth mode is draining my mantra too fast"

She snapped in frustration as she narrowly avoided a devastating strike from the Swamp shadow-king.

Fatty gritted his teeth, hefting his massive staff—a broken magical pillar brimming with power. He pointed it toward the towering beast.

"Fluffy! Use your first skill: Unstoppable Earth Penetration! Hit it with all your might!"

The Earth Drake, Fluffy, roared in response. Gathering energy, the creature stomped hard, its body growing larger as masses of rock formed across its frame. With a thunderous leap, Fluffy launched itself at the Swamp shadow-king, slamming into it with such force that the ground quaked violently.

Seizing the opportunity, the woman leapt into the air. Concentrating energy into her daggers, she shouted:

"Venom Slashes!"

Raining down a flurry of deadly energy slashes on the beast. But against all odds, the Swamp shadow-king roared defiantly, releasing a shockwave that sent even Fluffy staggering back. Even the Earth Drake faltered under the Ravager Class-III beast's overwhelming power. The beast, enveloped in a terrifying red aura, grinned menacingly.

The beast laughed mockingly.

"Foolish humans. Do you truly think mere Platinum Rankers like you can defeat me? You are nothing but insects."

The roar that followed was so powerful it sent shockwaves through the forest, alerting lower-tier mythical creatures lurking in their lairs. Fatty clenched his teeth, his mind racing.

'Damn it!. It's using the emperors call, If this thing calls reinforcements, we're finished.'

He glanced at the woman, now perched on a tree, breathing heavily.

"Jane, we have to end this now!"

Jane nodded, disappearing and appearing right beside Fatty. The pair stood their ground, releasing a combined surge of energy that lit up the battlefield—a blazing blue aura from Fatty and a malevolent purple glow from Jane.

Fatty turned to Fluffy, placing a hand on its head. Their energies begun resonate deeply.

"I can only maintain this for ten minutes before the backlash kicks in. Fluffy, we need to use Beast Integration."

Fluffy nodded as the Earth Drake dissolved into golden energy essence, merging with Fatty's soul-ore. His blue aura suddenly shifted into a brilliant golden hue, small rocks forming along his arms, while a sigil of the Earth Drake appeared on his forehead. His eyes blazed with golden light, and his strength temporarily soared to the Late Rank of the Gold Stage.

Meanwhile, Jane activated her own trump card. Channeling her energy violently, two clones formed beside her, each radiating the same poisonous aura.

"I can only sustain the Poison Clone Technique for a minute, but the combined poison effect should rival a Diamond Stage peak rank. Let's strike fast!"

As the lower-tier myths closed in, Fatty and Jane charged at the Swamp shadow-king with renewed vigor. Fatty swung his massive pillar with golden energy, while her clones transformed into serpents, their attacks converging on the beast.

The force of their combined strikes flattened the surrounding terrain, dust and debris flying in all directions. But as the dust cleared, the Swamp shadow-king emerged unscathed, grinning mockingly.

"I told you. Humans are nothing but weaklings. Now, perish!"

it roared, unleashing a devastating wave of energy that sent both Fatty and Jane hurtling into distant mountains. Blood spraying from their mouths as their abilities dissipated.

"This... This can't be real"

Fatty muttered, coughing up blood. Jane on the other hand was still in disbelief, gasping for air on the ground, she reflected inwardly.

'Even my Poison Clone Technique was neutralized. What kind of monster is this?'

As the lower-tier myths gathered around, sensing easy prey, the Swamp shadow-king taunted:

"Say your goodbyes, humans. You'll make fine meals for my underlings."

Fatty cursed, blood trickling down his face.

"Where's boss... We really need him right now."

At that moment, three figures appeared on a nearby ridge. One was a young woman with long blonde hair and flawless skin. Beside her stood an older man with glowing yellow eyes, his waist-length white hair and long beard giving him an air of authority. The third figure was a stark contrast—the very aura around him was unsettling.

The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"A Ravager Class-III Myth? Quite the challenge."

Turning to the demonic figure, he instructed.

"Abaddon, handle this your way. Take Ryn with you to assist those two."

Abaddon tilted his head slightly, extending his hand forward as a glowing sigil appeared on the back of his palm, pulsing with dark energy.

"Chaos Dominion: Eternal Graveyard"

He muttered, his voice chillingly calm..

The moment those words left his lips, the air seemed to freeze, and the ground began to tremble. A deep crimson fog seeped from beneath his feet, slowly spreading across the battlefield. The eerie phenomenon caught the Swamp shadow-king's attention.

"What... what is happening?" it growled, glancing toward Fatty with unease.

Moments ago, Fatty's face had been twisted in pain and defeat, but now, a triumphant grin spread across his face. Even Jane, surrounded by lower-tier myths only a few paces away, exhaled a sigh of relief. The ominous black fog blanketed the battlefield, offering her a strange sense of safety.

'You're late'

Fatty thought, locking eyes with the Ravager-Class III Myth. With a grin, he loudly declared.

"Now you're truly doomed! The craziest possible outcome has arrived. One thing is certain—you'll be nothing more than a memory, the former ruler of the Doomswood Forest."

The Swamp shadow-king, initially confused, froze as dark spectral hands emerged from the darkness beneath its feet. The undead began to rise—spectral warriors clad in shadowy forms with glowing red outlines tracing their anatomy.

For the first time, the beast faltered, its gaze shifting back to the figures standing atop the distant mountain.

Abaddon stood unmoving, his crimson eyes glowing ominously in the dark fog beside Ryn and No'el. His voice carried over the battlefield in a cold decisive call.

"Blood Legion, eliminate them all."

The spectral army sprang into action. Though few in number, each Blood Legion proved devastating, effortlessly cutting down five lower-tier myths with a single swing. Legion Mages unleashed destructive spells, and Legion archers rained arrows of dark energy with deadly precision.

Beside him, the older man watched with measured approval.

"Your necromantic prowess has grown impressive. In just three years, the strength of your Blood Legion has reached late Gold Rank. What's your plan for the real threat?"

Abaddon smirked, effortlessly lifting Ryn into his arms. She stiffened momentarily but relaxed, finding unexpected comfort in his grip. With a glance at the battlefield below, his crimson eyes burned with anticipation.

"As a Necro-berserker, I want to face that myth myself. There's no need to call on my general every time —I'll handle this"

With an earth-shattering leap that blasted apart a section of the mountain, Abaddon launched himself toward the battlefield like a missile shrouded in dark energy. In an instant, he appeared before the Swamp shadow-king, whose eyes widened in terror at the sudden arrival of a third human.

'What... what is going on?, where did this things come from?'

It thought, frozen in shock.

Before the beast could process what had happened, Abaddon twisted mid-air and delivered a bone-shattering kick to its face. The force sent the Swamp shadow-king crashing into the ground with enough force to break the ground apart, causing molten lava to seep through the fractures.

For a moment, the battlefield fell silent. Even the myths stared in stunned disbelief at what had just transpired. Still carrying Ryn, Abaddon descended like a bomb, landing with an explosion that obliterated the nearby myths in an instant.

Ryn, still cradled in Abaddon's arms, could only watch in awe. Her thoughts raced.

'No matter how many times I see this, his supernatural display of power never ceases to amaze me... he's so cool.'

Her musings were interrupted when Abaddon gently placed her on the ground and turned his attention back to the Swamp shadow-king, which was already stirring, rising from the rubble despite the devastating blow.

"Take care of the others"

Abaddon ordered.

"I'll handle the myth."

Ryn nodded, sprinting toward Jane. Fatty, now relieved, allowed his usual jovial demeanor to resurface despite his battered state.

"Boss!"

He shouted, his voice full of sarcasm.

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

Abaddon glanced over his shoulder, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"You never stop with this nonsense, do you? But seriously... even using beast integration didn't work? And two temporary late-Gold stage ranks together didn't stand a chance either, huh?"

Fatty's face grew serious as he nodded.

"Yeah. It's unbelievable. It truly deserves to be the ruler of Doomswood. It didn't even fight us head-on... I think it has more than one beast soul core. You'd better be careful."

Abaddon nodded, shifting his gaze back to the Swamp shadow-king. Ryn rushed over to Fatty, handing him a glowing green potion.

"Take this"

Fatty examined it, his eyes widening in surprise before snatching it eagerly.

"Wow, Ryn! Your alchemy skills are insane! You're at the peak of the Diamond stage, but you made a Legacy-grade energy recovery potion? That's unreal!"

Ryn gave a modest smile.

"We're all under the same teacher, Fatty. If you, a Platinum stage, can use Beast Integration techniques meant for Common Ranks and body-enhancement techniques, then nothing about us is exactly normal. Just take it and recover."

Fatty quickly drank the potion, his energy beginning to restore. Meanwhile, Abaddon strode toward the Swamp shadow-king , which had fully risen from the rubble, roaring in fury.

Above the battlefield, five flying ships hovered, carrying a group of Rankers. At the forefront stood a young man in golden armor, his long blond hair and deep blue eyes gleaming in the light of the rising sun. Beside him stood two others—a stern, older man with short blond hair and blue eyes, and a stunning woman with flowing blond hair and the same piercing gaze.

Arthurian Pen Dragon, the elder brother of the legendary Arthur, crossed his arms as he watched the battle unfold with a calm but curious expression.

"I can't believe anyone would be foolish enough to challenge a Ravager-Class III Myth at the Platinum rank. Still, for Platinum rankers, they've done impressively well to survive this long."

Arthara, the beautiful mage with a charming constitution body, smiled.

"Senior Brother, why are we just observing from here? Can't we just drive those dead weights away? Afterall we're here on behalf of the noble house"

Arthurian shook his head with a dismissive smile.

"Let's just watch. It's far more entertaining this way."

Arthara sighed, her attention shifting back to the figure below—a boy in black calmly walking toward the Swampshadow-king, unarmed. Her eyes narrowed In disbelief.

"Facing such a Ravager-Class III myth as a Platinum stage ranker would require a tier six Legacy-grade weapon or artifact to increases the chances of survival, but the one walking with no weapon? In hand, is it bravesness or stupidity."

Turning to look at Arthurian with sly grin. Arthurian let out a sigh of defeat before turning his attention to Arthur, who, standing with the famous Excalibur in hand, he continued to pay vivid attention to the event unfolding below without batting an eye.

"There's something odd about this. Those undead... they're unlike any necromancy I've seen before. They don't resemble the usual skeletons. And that boy... why can't I sense any mantra energy from him?"

Arthur muttered to himself, visibly shaken and disturbed by what he was witnessing. Meanwhile, aboard the other ships, the prodigies watched on with amusement.

No'el, currently stationed at the nearby ridge tilted his head upward with a smirk, stroking his beard.

'Quite the audience we have gathered. Good... now show them, Abaddon. Show them what my descendant is capable of.'

On the battlefield, Abaddon stood a few paces from the Swampshadow-king, calmly removing his cloak. Their eyes locked as the beast growled.

"You... how dare you strike me!"

Cracking his knuckles and neck, Abaddon didn't reply. Instead, he shifted into a primal stance, his body radiating a wild, untamed energy.

The Swamp shadow-king rage boiled over.

"You think you can defeat me? You merely caught me off guard! I'll make you regret it, human!"