CHAPTER 596: YOU’VE GOT A PET?!

Meanwhile—

Ataneya had already charged straight at a hulking creature that looked like a giant spider.

This thing was swinging its massive claws wildly, tearing through the Emerald Castle’s forces like paper.

It wasn’t particularly powerful—its Tier wasn’t even that high—but the energy radiating from it was twisted and deadly. Just a trace of the toxins it released could burn a person alive from the inside out.

But Ataneya didn’t give a damn.

She conjured a thick protective barrier around herself and dove straight into the creature’s gaping mouth.

"Die, you freak!"

"ROAR!"

The spider-beast clearly hadn’t expected anyone to fight it like this. Before it could even react, Ataneya was already inside its belly.

"Get the hell out here!"

Inside its gut was a grotesque, cavernous space—littered with half-digested corpses and reeking of death.

Disgusting.

But Ataneya didn’t hesitate. Her six tails unfurled and stabbed deep into the creature’s flesh, draining its power with ruthless efficiency.

She’d long since mastered the ability to absorb and control toxic energy, and this spider’s venom was practically tailor-made for her. In no time, its massive body began to shrivel and collapse.

BOOM!

"AAARGH!"

With a final, agonized scream, the monster crashed to the ground, lifeless.

"Perfect," Ataneya grinned, her face lit with excitement. She’d figured it out—if she wanted to keep winning, she needed to target enemies whose powers she could counter.

That was the key to taking them down.

At the same time, the battlefield had erupted into full-blown chaos. The fighting was at its peak. Even though the enemy had a powerhouse like the Holy Fox Sovereign on their side, that guy hadn’t moved an inch since the battle began. He just stood there, watching, like some kind of detached observer.

And because of that, Emerald Castle’s forces were able to inflict maximum damage.

Right now—

Namyanna was facing off against a woman cloaked in icy energy.

The woman’s entire body was encased in shimmering frost, and behind her floated two massive, leg-like appendages made of crystalized ice.

As Namyanna charged in, the woman froze—clearly caught off guard.

She spun around quickly, eyes narrowing with suspicion as she locked onto Namyanna.

"You... you wield both the power of the ocean and absolute frost?"

"Surrender," Namyanna said coolly.

The woman’s expression twisted into something feral. She stared at Namyanna like a predator sizing up prey.

"Heh... I’m very interested in your power. If you hand it over, I might even help you ascend to a higher Tier. So why don’t you do us both a favor—and give it to me?"

Namyanna wasn’t in the mood for her bullshit.

Without another word, a surge of overwhelming energy exploded from her body, and in the sky above, a massive Frost Dragon took shape—its wings blotting out the sun as it descended with crushing force.

ROOOAAAR!

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

But this wasn’t just raw ice power. The dragon carried the wrath of the sea itself.

Tidal waves surged behind it, crashing down with terrifying might.

It was a force no one at their level could possibly withstand.

"What the hell?!"

The woman’s eyes went wide with panic as she stumbled backward. She unleashed her own energy in desperation, and in the sky above her, a colossal Frost Phoenix burst into existence.

The two titanic forces collided in midair—

CRACKLE! BOOM!

The sky lit up with blinding flashes, and the ground trembled beneath the sheer weight of their clash.

Namyanna clenched her jaw, her eyes narrowing. That woman might’ve been wary of her, but the power she was unleashing was nothing to scoff at either.

The Frost Phoenix she summoned wasn’t just for show—it was pushing the limits, going toe-to-toe with Namyanna’s Frost Dragon.

Their powers clashed in the sky, twisting and colliding in a chaotic dance of ice and fury. It was impossible to tell how long the struggle lasted—seconds? Minutes? But then, in a blinding flash, both constructs shattered at once.

The explosion of energy that followed was massive, blasting both women backward. Namyanna staggered several steps before regaining her footing, but the other woman wasn’t so lucky—deep gashes had torn across her chest.

Namyanna took a breath, steadying herself, then surged forward again. Her trident pulsed with raw, violent energy, drawing in the surrounding elemental forces until it formed the image of a massive spear—similar in shape to her trident, but far more devastating.

As it came crashing down, the very air around it cracked and split.

The woman’s eyes went wide in shock. She clearly hadn’t expected Namyanna to unleash something this powerful. In a panic, she pulled a crystal orb from her robes and hurled it into the air.

The orb shattered mid-flight, releasing a sealed beast from within.

It was massive—covered in white fur, stretching thousands of feet long—and the power it radiated was pure chaos. With a single roar, it shattered the spear projection into glittering shards.

Namyanna’s eyes widened.

"You’ve got a pet?! What the hell is that thing?!"

She was already struggling to deal with the woman—now she had to deal with this monster too? Things were getting out of hand.

But just as she faltered, a blur shot across the battlefield and slammed straight into the beast’s skull.

It was Ataneya.

After draining the spider’s power, her strength had surged again. Her mastery over toxic energy was now razor-sharp, deadly precise.

She’d torn her way out of the spider’s corpse just in time to see Namyanna in trouble.

"You handle the woman," Ataneya said, her voice calm but fierce. "I’ll take care of her pet."

Namyanna exhaled in relief. With Ataneya covering her, she could go all in.

Her aura flared again, and a wave of freezing energy surged outward, engulfing her opponent in a storm of ice.

The woman’s eyes filled with rage—and fear.

She hadn’t expected Ataneya to show up, let alone hit like a damn meteor. That first punch had caved in half the beast’s shoulder, sending it reeling.

Before the woman could react, Namyanna’s frost energy locked her body in place, freezing her limbs solid.

Then Namyanna was right in front of her, trident raised.

In the woman’s final moment, her eyes were wide with terror.

The trident struck.

Her body was torn apart, shredded into chunks of frozen flesh.

Nearby, the beast didn’t fare much better. Ataneya was relentless, her attacks brutal and efficient. She tore into the creature with savage precision, and by the time she was done, it was nothing but scattered, steaming pieces.

With both threats eliminated, the two women exchanged a quick glance—no words needed—and then launched themselves back into the fray.

Emerald Castle might’ve had the upper hand for now, but the enemy still had too many high-Tier fighters.

And those bastards weren’t holding back.

The only thing keeping Emerald Castle in the fight was their top-tier warriors, rotating in and out of the front lines to keep the pressure on.

But even in the chaos, something was shifting.

The rest of Emerald Castle’s forces—those who weren’t at the top yet—were growing stronger with every clash, every kill, every second they survived.

...