Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement. He hadn't expected the Blood Legion of Seventy-Two to be this loaded. No wonder they could churn out so many 16-Tier, SSS-level peak powerhouses. Without hesitation, he unleashed the Bloodlust energy stored in the Bloodlust Orb, letting it flood through the ranks of the Emerald Castle army. Everyone immediately understood what he was doing. They sat down right where they were and began absorbing the Bloodlust Aura in the air. It didn't take long before their levels started to rise. Ethan himself had already reached the early stage of Tier 17. Power pulsed around him like a living storm. Just standing in the courtyard of the Stronghold, the surrounding Bloodlust Aura naturally flowed into his body. But then—he suddenly felt something… off. A strange, almost sinister energy brushed against his senses. He turned on his heel and rushed into the building. The interior was lavish—jewels and treasures glittered from every corner. But Ethan wasn't here for shiny things. He scanned the room quickly and soon found a hidden compartment. Inside was a single, pitch-black orb. The energy radiating from it was sharp and aggressive—almost violent. It felt like Bloodlust Aura… but not quite. "What the hell is this?" Ethan muttered, frowning deeply. He'd never seen anything like it before. He ran a scan with the system. [System Notification: Item Identified – Bloodlust Core. This item is a refined essence extracted from a Bloodlust Orb. The energy it contains surpasses that of ten standard Bloodlust Orbs.] But the aura it gave off was too intense, too twisted. Even Ethan didn't dare absorb it directly. Elira's voice cut through the tension. He hadn't even noticed her approach. Her eyes were locked on the Bloodlust Core, unblinking. "I can feel it," she said, her voice low and urgent. "This thing… it resonates with my power. Can I try absorbing it?" Ethan froze, staring at her. He glanced between Elira and the orb. The energy coming off both of them… it did seem to match, intertwining in the air like two halves of the same force. But this thing was dangerous. Too dangerous. He opened his mouth to say no—but before he could get a word out, Elira reached out and grabbed the orb. A violent surge of energy exploded outward, wrapping around the core. In seconds, she was already absorbing more than half of its power. The ground trembled. Ethan's heart jumped into his throat. He lunged forward to stop her—but his hand froze mid-air. Elira wasn't in pain. In fact, she looked… stronger. Wings unfurled behind her—massive, dark, and shimmering with demonic energy. The Skytear Demon Moth wings stretched wide, runes etched across them glowing like eerie, watching eyes. The energy pouring off her was terrifying. And when the Bloodlust Core was finally fully absorbed, her level had jumped—she was now at mid-Tier 17. Ethan stared, stunned. He hadn't expected this thing to work on her like some kind of supercharged supplement. Seriously? It worked that well? Just then, a strange vortex tore open in the sky, swirling with an intense, blood-red glow that pulsed like a heartbeat. A thunderous voice boomed from within. "How dare you slaughter my ally! You must have a death wish!" A towering figure emerged from the clouds and slammed into the ground with a force that shook the surrounding buildings. The air around him crackled with raw, violent energy. Ethan immediately went on high alert. In a flash, he surged forward, unleashing his own power while pulling up his system interface to scan the intruder's data panel. The results popped up—this guy was from the Azure Tide Syndicate, and judging by his class, he was a Strategist. The moment he landed, he was all swagger and menace, radiating energy like he owned the place. But the second his feet touched the ground and he got a real sense of the power coming off the Emerald Castle crew, his expression twisted in horror. All that bravado? Gone. He instantly pulled his energy back into himself, like a kid caught red-handed. Ethan raised an eyebrow, then casually stepped forward, his expression unreadable. He clapped a hand down on the guy's shoulder—firm, heavy, unshakable. "Well, well. You came in loud. What's the plan here? Revenge for your buddies?" The Strategist was already pale as a ghost, his soul practically halfway out of his body. He'd thought the Emerald Castle crew were just some no-name outsiders he could wipe out solo. But now? Now he realized—there were multiple people here who were already above Tier 17. Multiple. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩 What the hell kind of monsters were these?! "Wh-who are you people? Where did you come from? What do you want?" he stammered, instinctively trying to back away. But Ethan's hand was still on his shoulder, pressing down like a mountain. "We're from Emerald Castle," Ethan said, his tone laced with amusement. "We're here to carve out a piece of land for ourselves. Isn't that what everyone in the Umbral Abyss is trying to do? Don't play dumb." Then he reached out and tapped the guy lightly on the forehead. A surge of violent energy exploded from Ethan's fingertip, blasting the Strategist backward like a ragdoll. He slammed into the fortress gate with a sickening crunch. "Since you're already here, I'll just kill you now. After that, I'll lead the army straight to Azure Tide Syndicate's stronghold." The man trembled uncontrollably, his energy signature flickering and unstable. He never imagined things would end . Before he could even react— Ethan summoned a long blade into his hand and, without hesitation, brought it down. The Strategist's head hit the ground with a dull thud. Ethan turned to his troops, his voice ringing out loud and clear. "My brave warriors! Let's keep moving. We came here to grow stronger, and now you've all got power like never before. So let's use it!" "Wipe out every faction in the area." That single sentence was like a spark to a powder keg. The entire Emerald Castle army erupted in cheers, their bloodlust ignited. They'd been brimming with power, itching for a fight—and now they had their orders. Without hesitation, they turned and charged into the nearby strongholds. War broke out instantly. They were at the far eastern edge of the Umbral Abyss canyon, a region packed with over a hundred minor factions. Most of them were nobodies in the grand scheme of things—only about forty had Tier 17-level powerhouses holding the line. The rest? At best, Tier 16 SSS-level elites. With the strength the Emerald Castle army now possessed, wiping out all of them? And so, the invasion began—swift, brutal, and unstoppable. Stronghold after stronghold fell as the Emerald Castle forces swept through the region like a storm.