At this mont, Naga Swordmaster Kairos was completely consud by despair. His face had gone ghostly pale, and even his long, sinuous tail—usually swaying with confidence—was trembling ever so slightly.
That subtle shake said it all: he was terrified.
The next second, he looked at Ethan with sheer panic in his eyes, a flicker of pleading and submission buried deep in his gaze.
Then, his voice quivered as he spoke, "R-Respected Lord Valkarion... I—I think there might’ve been so kind of misunderstanding between us. Really, we could sit down and talk this out, right?"
Ethan couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh, shooting him a look that practically scread, "Are you serious?"
A misunderstanding? The Soulbind Shackles were already activated—there was no going back from that. Even if, by so miracle, this had all been a mistake, once those shackles were triggered, there was no stopping until blood was spilled.
No chance in hell.
From this point on, soone was bound to end up royally screwed.
With that thought, Ethan didn’t even bother replying to Kairos. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Seraphina, Cicero, and the others, a cold smirk playing on his lips.
"This guy’s all yours. Go all out—tear him apart. And if the opportunity presents itself... let Seraphina land the killing blow. She’s close to her second awakening. I want to see that happen as soon as possible."
The mont he said that, the group exchanged quick glances, then nodded in unison.
Sure, so of them felt a twinge of envy at how much Ethan favored Seraphina—but not a single one of them resented it.
First off, everyone knew the bond between the Lord and Seraphina. They weren’t just close—they were family. The closest kind.
Plus, Seraphina and Cicero were the oldest veterans of Erald Castle. They’d been there from the very beginning, through every hardship and every triumph. Even Elynn, the head steward, couldn’t quite match their legacy.
So yeah, it made sense.
And second, they all understood the bigger picture. Pouring resources into Seraphina and pushing her to her second awakening was the smartest move for Erald Castle’s future.
Just look at Elyra.
She was "only" an orange-tier Legendary Hero, and after her second awakening, she’d beco an absolute powerhouse. Now imagine what Seraphina—a Crimson Ultimate-tier Hero—could do after her second awakening.
She’d be unstoppable. God-tier. Ga-changing.
"Don’t worry, Master! Leave this bastard to us!" Seraphina roared, her voice echoing with draconic fury. Without wasting another second, she charged straight at Kairos.
The others followed right behind her, and in an instant, the battlefield exploded into chaos.
Kairos might’ve been stronger than Thalric, the Naga Swordmaster from the Crimsonstar Kingdom—but against Seraphina, Cicero, Auremax, and Kyros, who were now attacking with ruthless precision and overwhelming force?
He didn’t stand a chance.
He was outnumbered, outmatched, and completely overwheld.
Blow after blow rained down on him. He couldn’t even fight back—just took the punishnt, helpless and broken, as despair swallowed him whole.
It didn’t take long.
With a thunderous roar, Seraphina’s massive dragon claw tore through his chest, crushing his heart. A split second later, she smashed his skull into oblivion.
Kairos died right there on the battlefield—defeated, destroyed, and forgotten.
Ding!
"Congratulations! Hero Unit under player Valkarion—Green Dragon Seraphina—has reached Level 45."
Ding!
"Congratulations! Hero Unit under player Valkarion—Green Dragon Cicero—has reached Level 39."
Ding!
"Congratulations! Hero Unit under player Valkarion—Unicorn Elyra—has reached Level 56."
...
With the brutal death of Naga Swordmaster Kairos, a massive wave of experience points surged through the party, split among Seraphina, Cicero, and the others. Everyone leveled up to varying degrees—but unsurprisingly, the biggest winner was Seraphina.
She jumped straight from level 41 to 45 in one go.
Just ten more levels to go, and she’d hit her second awakening.
"So close... just ten more levels!" Ethan clenched his fist, eyes gleaming with excitent as he muttered to himself.
But before he could get too caught up in the mont, Seraphina swooped over, looking more than a little annoyed.
"Master, that guy’s dead and he’s not even trying to co back. What now?" she huffed, clearly frustrated. "Seriously? One death and he chickens out? That’s it? What a coward."
Ethan chuckled, trying to soothe her irritation. "Even if he did co back, he’d just get killed again. Can’t really bla him for not wanting to go through that."
Honestly, he’d expected this outco. It wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Ding!
"Attention, player Valkarion: Your enemy, Naga Swordmaster Kairos, is currently in soul form. If he does not choose to resurrect within ten minutes, the Soulbind Nexus will automatically open an exit."
Under normal circumstances, when soone dies inside the Soulbind Shackles’ Soulbind Nexus, there are two possible outcos:
One—resurrect, get killed again, resurrect, get killed again... repeat three tis. After the third death, they’re forcibly ejected from the Nexus, usually with their power severely crippled.
Two—die once, and refuse to co back.
In that case, the Soulbind Shackles lock them down permanently. No freedom, no escape.
Now, whether it’s worse to be killed three tis and walk away broken, or to be imprisoned forever after one death—that’s up for debate. Depends on who you ask.
But either way, both options suck.
Being trapped inside the Soulbind Shackles is way worse than any prison. There’s no light, no people, no sound—just endless gray nothingness.
A bleak, empty void.
Stay in there long enough, and you’re bound to lose your mind.
Ethan glanced at the spot where Kairos had fallen, then casually shrugged and called out, "Hey, Kairos. You gonna co out and talk? ’Cause if I leave now, who knows when I’ll think of you again."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the air shimred and pulsed with energy. A soft hum filled the space, and then—right in front of them—a massive spectral form began to take shape.
A soul-bound version of the deep-sea Naga slowly materialized, glowing faintly in the dim light.
...
[Kairos]
Right-hand general under Sea King Maelthorak
Current Status: Soul Form
Level: 70
Race: Deep Sea Naga
...
The mont Ethan saw the status screen, he couldn’t help but grin—hell, he almost burst out laughing right then and there.
"Damn... dropped four levels from just one death?"
He let out a low whistle, clearly amused.
"Talk about unlucky. That’s rough, buddy."
...
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