But as for whether the Shadowbeast Soul Emperor is actually Tier 16?

Well… that's still up in the air.

"Elira, can you track him down?" Ethan asked.

"I think so…" Elira nodded, then immediately got to work. A few moments later, her eyes flashed with a sharp glint, and she blurted out—

"My Lord, I've found him!"

"Let's move!"

…

Not long after,

They located the Shadowbeast Soul Emperor—Faelcord.

"ROAR!"

"So it's you lot? Perfect. You slipped away last time, but this time won't be so easy. You're all dead! I'll kill every last one of you, damn invaders!" Faelcord bellowed, his voice shaking the air as a terrifying, apocalyptic aura exploded from him.

But Ethan just shook his head, a little disappointed.

"Guess he's not Tier 16 after all…"

At his current level,

He could tell right away—

Sure, Faelcord's power was impressive, no doubt. But it was only on par with the Centaur High King and his brother, or maybe the Venomous High King, Gilrox.

In other words,

He was probably just a top-tier Tier 15 SSS-class Crimson Ultimate Hero soul.

And that kind of strength?

To them now?

Barely even a threat.

"Elira!" Ethan called out.

She gave a quick nod, her eyes gleaming. "My Lord, can I take him myself? I want revenge."

"Go for it," Ethan said without hesitation.

After all, it was just a soul.

Even if it was Tier 15 and SSS-class,

Elira's current power was more than enough to handle it.

BOOM!

In an instant, Elira launched forward, her aura surging like a tidal wave. A terrifying blast of Dark Magic erupted from her, slamming straight toward Faelcord.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

…

BOOOOOOM!

A series of massive explosions rocked the battlefield.

Faelcord let out a blood-curdling scream, his voice filled with disbelief.

"No! This can't be! How… how did you get this strong all of a sudden?!"

"How the hell did you evolve to Tier 15 SSS-class so fast?! That's impossible!"

Clearly,

He'd realized just how powerful Elira had become.

And it shattered him.

His mind reeled, his scalp tingled with dread.

Tier 15 SSS-class?

In such a short time, she'd undergone a complete transformation?

How the hell was that even possible!?

But even as he spiraled into panic,

Elira's assault didn't let up.

"VMMM!"

Suddenly,

A terrifying suction force burst forth.

Elira's body became the center of a swirling black hole, pulsing with overwhelming Dark Magic. The devouring force surged outward, and in the blink of an eye, it began pulling in Faelcord's soul energy—absorbing it, consuming it.

"NOOOO!"

Faelcord screamed in agony,

But there was nothing he could do. Not a damn thing…

The devouring force of Elira's Dark Magic was already one of her greatest strengths. And now, with Faelcord being nothing more than a soul entity? That made it a perfect counter—an absolute natural advantage.

Which meant…

His chances of winning had just plummeted straight off a cliff—damn near zero.

"You hunted me for so long… now it's time to pay it all back."

"Umbral Detonation!"

"Judgment of Shadows!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In a flash, Elira launched another barrage of attacks, hammering Faelcord with relentless fury. At the same time, the black hole of Dark Magic continued to pull at him, its suction force unyielding.

Caught between the two—her brutal assault and the soul-devouring vortex—Faelcord's form began to unravel. His soul body started to fracture, piece by piece.

Until finally, he just couldn't hold on anymore.

With one last agonized scream, his entire form exploded into fragments.

VMMM!

A massive shockwave ripped through the sky, tearing clouds apart.

Everyone instinctively shielded their eyes—

And when they opened them again…

They saw it.

Right where Faelcord had been obliterated, a small orb hovered in the air, glowing with a radiant golden light. It pulsed with a pure, immense magical energy—a fusion of multiple forces.

It had to be… the condensed essence of Faelcord's soul power.

With a sharp whoosh, Elira reached out and snatched it from the air. Then, in a blink, she reappeared in front of Ethan, calm and composed.

"My Lord, this is the soul essence."

Ethan didn't waste a second.

He took it and stashed it away without hesitation.

He wasn't stupid—he knew exactly how valuable this thing was. With it, he might be able to create another Tier 15 SSS-class powerhouse.

No way he was letting that go.

And right then, the system's voice chimed in his mind—another notification.

The Graveyard of Legends instance world, just like Nethora and the Gate of Carno before it, had now fallen completely under his control.

It was officially part of his territory.

"Perfect. Now I can really expand Emerald Castle…" Ethan nodded in satisfaction, then turned and led his team back home.

Once they returned to Emerald Castle, the first thing he did was begin the integration process—merging Nethora, the Gate of Carno, and the Graveyard of Legends into the castle's domain.

In an instant, Emerald Castle's territory expanded hundreds of times over.

Even better, the gateways to those worlds now appeared directly within the castle itself. Meaning from now on, they could travel freely between them—whenever they wanted.

It was like turning those entire worlds into his personal backyard.

And with that done,

Ethan was ready to move on to his next plan.

It was time to return to the Dungeon.

The Bone Sovereign… the Bonefiend Maiden… they'd been thorns in his side for too long.

He'd fallen there once—now it was time to rise again.

The only way to settle it was head-on.

He was going back into the Dungeon to find them—and settle the score.

But before he could even make the first move…

Someone else made theirs.

While they were still resting inside Emerald Castle, a terrifying presence suddenly tore through space and descended into their world.

A figure appeared in the sky—an ominous demon wielding twin blades, wearing a wooden mask.

He looked like something straight out of hell.

His entire body radiated killing intent, and the blades in his hands shimmered with a strange, otherworldly energy. The sight alone was enough to make anyone's blood run cold.

"Who's the lord of this place? Get your ass out here!"

...