A few days later—

News broke across the realm: the Venomous High King, Gilrox, had launched a full-scale invasion against the other kingdoms.

Naturally, Ethan and his crew got wind of it too.

"Trigath," Ethan asked, brow furrowed, "who exactly is this Gilrox? Is he really that strong?"

"My Lord," Trigath replied, his tone serious, "Gilrox is a terrifying force. He possesses both the Venom Law and immunity to physical damage. In terms of raw power—both his own and that of his kingdom—he's ranked number one among the Eight High Kings. The only reason he hadn't taken over already was because the Centaur High King brothers kept him in check. But now…"

"Wait—'immune to physical damage'?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Trigath nodded grimly. "Physical attacks are almost completely useless against him. Unless you hit him with extremely powerful magic, it's nearly impossible to hurt him."

Ethan's expression darkened. "What about the other 15-Tier SSS-class High Kings? Aren't there still five left?"

"This attack came out of nowhere," Trigath said quickly. "Gilrox is clearly trying to seize the moment after the Centaur brothers' deaths to unify the world. According to reports from the frontlines, the Whitecloud High King, Alcon, has already fallen—killed by Gilrox himself."

"And the Great Bear High King, Quenstan, has been attacked as well. He's seriously wounded…"

"So that means, as of now, only three High Kings remain untouched. But to be honest, those three are the weaker ones."

"Whether they can hold off Gilrox's advance… that's hard to say."

"I see…"

Ethan fell silent.

From the sound of it, Gilrox wasn't just strong—he was miles ahead of the rest. A total powerhouse. Otherwise, he wouldn't be steamrolling through the other High Kings' territories like this, making a play to conquer the entire world.

Which meant, if Ethan didn't act fast, Gilrox would only grow stronger—absorbing more Primordial Force, becoming even more unstoppable.

He had to be stopped.

And the only way to do that was to weaken him while simultaneously boosting his own forces as fast as possible.

That was the priority now.

As that thought clicked into place, a spark lit in Ethan's eyes. He turned to Trigath. "You mentioned the Great Bear High King, Quenstan… What's his situation? How strong is he?"

…

Trigath paused for a beat, clearly caught off guard by the question.

Then he nodded and answered, "My Lord, Quenstan is considered the third strongest in the Gate of Carno—right behind Gilrox and Lethostar. His territory lies just north of Lethostar's former domain."

"So if you're thinking what I think you're thinking…"

"Then yeah—we could strike now. Hit him while he's down."

It was obvious Trigath had already guessed Ethan's plan. And honestly, it was a damn good one.

Time was of the essence. If they could move fast enough, grab more territory and resources before Gilrox did, they could slow his momentum.

And that would close the gap between them.

If they played it right, even Gilrox wouldn't be unbeatable. Not anymore. Not with the power Ethan had gathered.

"He's just to the north, huh?" Ethan murmured, already making up his mind.

"Trigath, gather everyone. We're moving."

"Yes, My Lord!"

...

Not long after, Elira, Ataneya, Andona, Namyanna, Feylora, Seraphina, and Sigral all gathered before Ethan.

"The situation's urgent, so I'll keep this short," Ethan said, getting straight to the point, his expression grim.

"Elira, you'll take Namyanna and Feylora and head north with Trigath. Your target is the Great Bear High King, Quenstan. Also…"

He paused, locking eyes with Elira.

"If possible, have Feylora and Namyanna absorb the Primordial Force of any Crimson Ultimate heroes you take down. Push them to evolve—get them to 15-Tier SS-class if you can. Got it?"

Elira nodded firmly. "Understood, My Lord. Leave it to me."

Ethan turned to Trigath next. "Of the remaining three High Kings, which one's the weakest—and borders our territory?"

Trigath didn't even hesitate. "The swamplands to the southwest."

"That's the domain of the Inferno Hydra High King, Indos. In terms of power, he's the weakest of the Eight High Kings—definitely bottom tier."

"Inferno Hydra, huh? Perfect." Ethan nodded without a second thought.

Then he turned to the rest of the group. "Ataneya, Seraphina, Andona, Sigral—you four will take on Indos. Prioritize safety, but if you get the chance, absorb their Primordial Force. See if you can push yourselves even further."

"Yes, My Lord!"

"Understood, Master!"

"Then let's move. Time to strike."

…

And just like that, the race against time began.

On one side, the Venomous High King—Gilrox—was tearing through the realm in a relentless campaign of conquest.

On the other, Ethan launched a two-pronged assault of his own.

The war that would engulf the entire Gate of Carno had officially begun.

That very night, good news arrived—Elira's team had succeeded. The wounded third-strongest High King, Quenstan, had failed to hold the line. He was crushed, his body left broken on the battlefield.

And with his fall, Namyanna and Feylora both successfully evolved—breaking through to 15-Tier SS-class.

A massive power boost.

But Gilrox wasn't about to be outdone.

By the next morning, Ethan received word: Gilrox had conquered yet another kingdom. Another High King had fallen to his rampage.

The man was unstoppable.

Seeing this, Ethan made a decisive call—he threw everything he had at the battle against the Inferno Hydra High King, Indos.

With Elira's team arriving as reinforcements, the tide turned fast.

The battle ended in a brutal, overwhelming assault.

Even Indos, a 15-Tier SSS-class monster, couldn't withstand the combined might of Ethan's forces.

He was slain—wiped from history.

Unfortunately, by that point, everyone on Ethan's team had already reached 15-Tier SS-class, so Indos's Primordial Force wasn't enough to push anyone to SSS.

Well—almost no one.

Ethan himself, along with the minotaur hero Sigral, managed to use the opportunity to break through.

Both of them evolved to 15-Tier SS-class.

A different kind of power-up—but a damn good one.

What did that mean?

It meant Ethan's entire core team was now 15-Tier.

And not just S-class—SS-class.

That kind of power? Absolutely terrifying.

Meanwhile, Gilrox wasn't slowing down either.

Another kingdom fell to his forces.

And with that, the old balance of power—the Eight High Kings ruling their own corners of the world—was shattered.

Now, it was just two left standing.

Ethan.

And the Venomous High King—Gilrox.

Two titans. One battlefield.

A few days later, the inevitable happened.

News came in—

Gilrox was on the move.

And he was coming straight for them.

His army was at their gates.

...