CHAPTER 531: LOOKS LIKE IT’S WORTH A TRY

BOOM!

At the exact same moment—

A surge of overwhelming, terrifying power exploded across the sky, rippling outward like a shockwave.

Vaelstra’s eyes went wide with horror. Her face drained of color as the realization hit her—hard. Even though her Crimson Ultimate rank was close to Ataneya’s—an S versus an SS—it was now painfully, brutally clear just how massive the gap between them really was.

"No!"

"I can’t keep this up... If I do, I’m going to die!"

Panic surged through her. She turned to flee—but froze.

The space around her... when had it been sealed off?

She was trapped.

A bird in a cage.

No way out.

All she could do was watch, helpless, as Ataneya came at her again.

In a desperate move, Vaelstra gathered every ounce of her remaining power, compressed it into a glowing orb, and hurled it forward.

But then—

"If you’re thinking of running... sorry, but you’re not even qualified to escape in front of me."

The voice came out of nowhere, calm and cold.

Vaelstra’s pupils shrank in terror.

She hadn’t even seen her move—

Ataneya was already right in front of her.

"Umbral Detonation!"

BOOM!

A thunderous blast erupted as Ataneya’s attack landed. The sheer force of it sent Vaelstra flying like a ragdoll, her body crashing through the air.

But Ataneya didn’t stop.

She followed up immediately, launching into another assault.

What followed was a one-sided slaughter.

A total, merciless beatdown.

It didn’t take long.

Vaelstra collapsed.

But Ataneya didn’t finish her off.

Instead, she calmly turned and walked back to Ethan’s side.

"Ataneya, why didn’t you kill her?" Ethan asked, puzzled.

"My Lord..." Ataneya glanced around at the others, then smiled. "I’m still new here, and I haven’t had the chance to properly introduce myself to everyone. So I thought I’d offer a little welcome gift."

She gestured toward the fallen Vaelstra.

"I hope you’ll all accept it."

The room went silent.

Everyone stared at her, stunned.

This was an S-rank Crimson Ultimate hero we were talking about. In other words, a massive, absurdly valuable XP jackpot.

Was she seriously offering that to them?

Wasn’t that... a little too generous?

But then again—

If they took down Vaelstra right now...

Their levels would skyrocket.

It’d be a huge power boost for all of them.

The thought alone was enough to get their blood pumping.

"Nice..." Ethan grinned, clearly pleased with Ataneya’s move.

He’d been a little worried, honestly—about how Ataneya and the original Emerald Castle heroes would get along. If things went south between them, he’d be stuck in the middle, trying to keep the peace.

But now?

It looked like he didn’t need to worry after all.

Cicero, Seraphina, and the other Emerald Castle veterans... and Ataneya’s crew from The Dark World... they were all making an effort. Trying to find common ground. Reaching out to each other.

And that meant—

They’d eventually accept one another.

"Ataneya, well done." Ethan nodded approvingly, then waved the others over. "Go on. Finish her."

Take down the Overlord-tier dungeon boss—Vaelstra.

Cicero and Seraphina exchanged glances.

But they didn’t hesitate.

One by one, they stepped forward.

And claimed their share of the kill.

Moments later, Ethan’s interface lit up with a flurry of level-up notifications, one after another.

The battle was over.

And what followed wasn’t even a fight anymore.

It was a massacre. A total, unstoppable steamroll.

"ROAR!"

Just then, a blinding light burst out of nowhere, descending from the sky and enveloping Seraphina in a radiant glow.

The brilliance lit up the entire sky, dazzling and intense.

"What the—? Is she evolving?!"

Ethan’s eyes lit up with excitement.

He hadn’t expected this—Seraphina was evolving?

Ding!

"Player Valkarion, please note: Congratulations... Your Hero Unit, Green Dragon Seraphina, has successfully advanced to S-rank! She is now an S-rank Crimson Ultimate Hero!"

It was real.

She had evolved.

Ethan was practically buzzing with energy now.

This meant the overall strength of Emerald Castle had just taken another huge leap forward.

"Seraphina, congratulations!"

"I did it, Master!" Seraphina beamed, her voice trembling with pride.

Ethan and Seraphina were both riding high on the moment, and the rest of the Emerald Castle heroes couldn’t help but share in the joy. Their faces lit up with pride and excitement.

Because for them—

This was rare. Huge.

And more importantly, it meant one thing:

Payback was finally within reach.

After being pushed around, humiliated, and suffering heavy losses for so long, it was finally time to strike back.

Meanwhile, deep within the dungeon, inside the throne room of the Dark Sovereign—

Chaos.

Pure, unfiltered chaos.

The Dark Sovereign stood beneath her throne, her aura raging, her face twisted in fury. She looked like she was ready to tear someone apart with her bare hands.

"WHY?! Someone tell me WHY?! Vaelstra is DEAD?! Who did it?! Those pathetic worms from Emerald Castle?! How the hell did they get that strong?! TELL ME!"

Her voice thundered through the hall, shaking the very walls.

She was livid.

And for good reason.

Losing an Overlord-tier powerhouse like Vaelstra?

That wasn’t just a setback—it was a gut punch.

Overlord-class heroes weren’t exactly growing on trees.

She only had five.

Now she was down to four.

And it had happened so fast. So easily.

It was unacceptable. Unforgivable.

Her subordinates stood frozen, trembling under her gaze, not daring to speak.

Because honestly?

Who the hell knew why?

Emerald Castle had always been mid-tier at best. Nothing special. But now they’d taken down Vaelstra?

No one had an answer.

But the facts were right there in front of them.

And they had no choice but to accept it.

Their silence only made her angrier.

BOOM!

A wave of violent energy exploded from her body, engulfing the entire throne room in a suffocating pressure.

Then—

Her voice cut through the chaos, cold and razor-sharp, echoing in every corner of the hall.

"NOW! I want a solution—immediately! Or you all know what happens next!"

Her tone was pure venom. Unhinged. Dangerous.

"Dark Sovereign! I—I have an idea!"

One of her lieutenants finally cracked under the pressure, blurting out in a panic.

"Dark Sovereign, do you remember that creature deep in the dungeon? The one that’s a mutated armored demon soldier? It’s insanely powerful—way beyond normal limits. It doesn’t have much intelligence, but it can be controlled! If we unleash it..."

"It might work, right?"

The room went still.

Everyone stared at him.

Even the Dark Sovereign’s eyes narrowed, intrigued.

"You mean..."

She didn’t finish the sentence.

Because her mind was already racing.

Who could she sacrifice to control that mindless beast?

But then—

A spark.

An idea.

A perfect solution.

"...Maybe I don’t need to sacrifice anyone at all."

Her lips curled into a cold smile.

She was still injured—badly. Not in any shape to fight herself.

But that creature’s power... it was close to hers.

If she could absorb its energy—drain its strength into herself—

She could heal.

And maybe even come back stronger.

"Looks like it’s worth a try."

She muttered to herself, then turned and began walking, her steps echoing through the throne room.

"If that’s the case... then I’ll go see it myself."

...