Ethan quickly pulled up Elira’s data panel—and his eyes widened. The little girl had hit 16-Tier, SSS-level peak. After all the battles she’d been through, her body had already accumulated a terrifying amount of power. The problem was, she hadn’t been able to fully merge that power with her physical form—until now. Bloodlust Aura acted like a catalyst. Not only did it fuse all that raw energy inside her, but it also unleashed it in a devastating burst. The remaining members of the Blood Legion of Seventy-Two stood frozen, completely thrown off. Their strength didn’t lie in each of them being a 16-Tier powerhouse. No, what made them dangerous was a unique fusion skill they possessed. When all seventy-two of them combined their power, they could form a massive giant—one that reached the peak of 17-Tier. That move alone had earned the Blood Legion of Seventy-Two a fearsome reputation in the Umbral Abyss. Even the factions in the core zones didn’t dare mess with them lightly. But the Legion knew their limits. They never ventured too deep into the core, always sticking to the outskirts where they could dominate without drawing too much heat. Now, with one member down, they could no longer perform the fusion. That was a massive blow. Before they could even regroup, Elira struck again. She grabbed two more Legion members, lifted them high into the air, and unleashed a surge of raw, violent energy straight into their bodies. Their hearts exploded inside their chests. The scene was brutal—jaw-dropping. "Damn... this girl’s got a savage streak," he muttered. Her eyes had changed—black pupils, golden irises, blood-red sclera. A terrifying aura poured off her in waves, crashing down on the remaining Blood Legion members like a tidal wave of death. Ethan stared in disbelief. Elira’s level was rising—fast. In just moments, she shattered the ceiling of 16-Tier and broke into early 17-Tier. "Wipe them out!" Ethan suddenly shouted. Official source ıs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥 The Emerald Castle army surged forward like a dam had burst. Their morale was sky-high, their energy seemingly endless, like they’d been waiting for this moment to unleash hell. The Blood Legion survivors panicked. They hadn’t expected Emerald Castle to explode with this kind of power so quickly—especially not Elira hitting 17-Tier. The sounds of battle echoed across the field. Nearby strongholds fell silent, no one daring to step in. Sure, some of them had 17-Tier elites too—but facing a bloodthirsty, overwhelming force like Emerald Castle? No thanks. And with the Blood Legion of Seventy-Two—the strongest faction on the outskirts of the Umbral Abyss—now nearly wiped out, what chance did anyone else have? Ethan, meanwhile, had already unleashed all his suicide goblins into the fray. Then, without a second glance, he turned and walked back into the courtyard of the Blood Serpent Brotherhood. He sat down, calm as ever, and resumed absorbing the unique Bloodlust energy of the Umbral Abyss. Even the goblins he summoned now were different—feral, unhinged, and every one of their skills pulsed with raw, violent Bloodlust. As the members of the Blood Legion of Seventy-Two were taken down one after another, the experience and energy flowing back into Ethan surged like a tidal wave. It wasn’t long before he felt himself brushing up against the threshold of 17-Tier. He wasn’t quite there yet—still needed a bit more power—but the energy radiating off him was already ferocious. Just a casual wave of his hand caused the space around him to ripple and distort. By the time the Blood Legion was completely wiped out, his army had leveled up across the board. A significant number of his people had also reached the edge of 17-Tier. Ataneya, Andona, Namyanna, Seraphina, Cicero—hell, they didn’t just touch the threshold, they broke right through it. Full-on 17-Tier, early stage. Everyone from Emerald Castle, Ethan included, was drenched in blood, their bodies pulsing with an overwhelming Bloodlust Aura. That power wasn’t just around them—it had fused with them. Their combined aura flooded the battlefield, warping the air itself, smothering everything in its path like a living storm. The surrounding factions took one look at the scene and slammed their gates shut. They crouched behind their doors, peeking through cracks, praying they wouldn’t be noticed. Off in the woods, a shady-looking man poked his head out from behind a tree. After getting a good look at the battlefield, his face went pale. He turned to bolt. But Ethan spotted him instantly. He sent a goblin after the guy, who dragged him back kicking and screaming. "Who the hell are you?" Ethan asked coldly. "What were you doing hiding out there?" The man’s breathing turned ragged. He’d seen the whole fight—every brutal second of it. Watching the Blood Legion of Seventy-Two get annihilated had nearly stopped his heart. Every instinct screamed at him to run. "I—I was just passing by! I swear! I didn’t do anything! Please, just let me go!" Yeah, that might’ve worked on someone else. But lying to Ethan? Not a chance. He pulled up the guy’s system profile with a flick of his hand. A quick scan told him everything he needed to know. The man was part of the Azure Tide Syndicate. A faction with deep ties to the Blood Legion of Seventy-Two. In fact, they were practically blood brothers. So this guy? He was clearly on his way to report back. "Go tell your boss," Ethan said, his voice low and sharp, "that Emerald Castle is coming for him next. Tell him to start saying his prayers." The man’s eyes went wide with panic. He stood frozen, unsure whether to run or drop dead on the spot. Ethan didn’t bother killing him. He waved him off. The guy was just a messenger—hardly worth the effort. Once the spy was gone, Ethan led the Emerald Castle army straight into the Blood Legion’s stronghold. And damn, this place was massive. Way bigger than the Bloodfang Brotherhood or the Blood Serpent Brotherhood’s bases—at least five times the size. The air inside was thick with Bloodlust energy. There were clearly mechanisms here designed to harvest and concentrate it. The entire courtyard practically pulsed with it. Up on a raised platform nearby, twenty Bloodlust Orbs sat neatly arranged in rows, glowing with ominous red light.