Their supernatural speed became meaningless when every path led back to their executioner.

Arthur appeared beside each Gullfaxi in turn, his katana ending their lives. The pseudo-legendary blade carved through their necks making their deaths as swift as their packmates'.

[You have slain a Level 24 Gullfaxi (Superior-rank)]

[You have slain a Level 24 Gullfaxi (Superior-rank)]

The clearing fell silent except for the sound of blood dripping from Arthur's katana onto the grass below. Ten superior-rank creatures lay dead around him, their combined experience absorbed into his advancement progress.

Arthur checked his status expectantly, only to find that he remained firmly at level 24. The experience gain, while substantial, hadn't even brought him close to the threshold needed for level 25. Each advancement became exponentially more difficult, and the leap to second-order awakening required far more than even this level of combat could provide.

"Still not enough," Arthur murmured, wiping his blade clean before sheathing it. "Level 25 is going to require something much more challenging than this."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

After the final Gullfaxi collapsed, Arthur approached each fallen creature, his eyes landing on the dropped loot. The familiar shimmer of epic-rank items caught his attention as he moved between the corpses.

The first body yielded a pair of horseshoes that seemed to phase in and out of visibility, their surfaces inscribed with runes that provided enhanced mobility. Arthur stored them without examinations; he was already wearing epic rank boots.

"Ten epic items from ten creatures," Arthur noted with satisfaction as he stored the final piece—a war hammer whose head seemed to contain a miniature storm.

His guaranteed drop talent continued to prove its worth, ensuring that every significant kill provided tangible rewards rather than leaving success to chance. With Power Guild's growing membership, having a substantial inventory of epic-rank gear would allow it to properly equip its most valuable members and maintain their competitive edge.

"Ooh, Master got lots of shiny things!" Aether observed cheerfully from his shoulder perch, having watched the entire harvesting process with enthusiasm.

"Shiny things...Aether, you are probably the only one that would call epic-rank items shiny things, hah." Arthur said with a smile on his face.

Aether giggled but did not retort to his master's words.

Arthur smiled at his companion's excitement before turning his attention to the path ahead. The Grieving Hollows stretched deeper into the forest, promising encounters with creatures that might finally provide the challenge necessary for his advancement goals.

Leaving the battlefield behind, Arthur ventured deeper into the Grieving Hollows, seeking more prey to kill and more experience to gain.

Arthur's hand rested casually on his katana's hilt as he continued forward, eager to discover what challenges awaited in the heart of this dangerous territory.

As he ventured deeper, Arthur was receiving information about everything that was happening on Earth. He had asked all his allied nations to relay important information to his summons, who would in turn relay it to him through their telepathic connections.

President Feng's forces were successfully utilising the rare equipment Arthur had provided, with reports indicating a significant improvement in their demon elimination efficiency. The items had allowed solo Chinese awakeners to handle epic-rank threats that would have previously required multiple awakeners to deal with.

France provided updates through Aamon about coordinated European responses to the escalating demon presence, with President Dubois organising multi-national awakener task forces using Arthur's equipment as the foundation.

This constant stream of intelligence allowed Arthur to maintain strategic oversight even while pursuing his personal advancement goals. The telepathic network he'd established with his summons created an information web that spanned continents, ensuring nothing critical would escape his attention.

ROAR!!!

Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted through the forest as Arthur crossed into what was clearly a new territorial boundary. The sound carried such raw power that nearby trees trembled, and smaller creatures in the underbrush fled in terror from whatever had announced its presence.

The roar wasn't just loud, it was domineering. Whatever ruled this section of the Grieving Hollows possessed power that dwarfed the Gullfaxi pack Arthur had just eliminated.

"Ooh! Big scary noise!" Aether chirped with excitement rather than fear, his tiny body practically vibrating with anticipation on Arthur's shoulder. "Something really strong lives here!"

Arthur's smile widened as he felt the familiar rush of anticipation that came with discovering a truly worthwhile opponent. His spatial senses probed ahead, detecting a massive presence.

"It seems like we are about to face our second, second-order beast, Aether. Are you ready to beat its ass?"

"Hell yeah!" Aether smiled.

The beast didn't wait for Arthur to venture deeper, but met him almost immediately. A massive form crashed through the treeline with earth-shaking steps, its twin heads swivelling to fix its gaze on the intruder who had dared enter its territory.

The creature represented a flamingo, but it was a nightmarish perversion of their earthly relatives. Standing nearly twenty feet tall, its elongated neck split into two separate heads, each crowned with a razor-sharp beak, pink and coral feathers covered its massive body, giving it a natural beauty.

Before Arthur could even assess his opponent or draw his weapon, the beast's four eyes blazed. Without warning or ceremony, it activated its domain ability.

Reality warped around Arthur as the forest dissolved, replaced by something utterly unexpected. Instead of finding himself in some hellish landscape of fire and brimstone, Arthur discovered he was standing in what appeared to be a tropical paradise.

Crystal-clear water lapped gently at his shins, warm and inviting despite the circumstances. Above him stretched an infinite blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily across the heavens. The water extended in all directions as far as his vision could detect, creating the impression of standing in the middle of a vast, shallow sea.

"This... doesn't look scary at all," Arthur murmured, glancing around at what resembled a holiday resort more than a combat domain. The peaceful atmosphere seemed completely at odds with the terrifying creature that had created it.

"Ooh, pretty water place!" Aether exclaimed with delight, his tiny claws gripping Arthur's shoulder as he took in the scenic environment. "It's like a big swimming pool!"

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