And now, the rules set by the Crimson Queen have been broken, with the first patrol guards to face the beetle monsters head-on almost entirely wiped out.

The Summoners of Moon Forest City have been gathered together, with the City Lord, acting as Commander, active at the forefront of this battalion. His partner happens to be a familiar face to Ethan.

——Wolf God.

Gray-white fur, scarlet eyes, and a massive body several stories high made many summoned Summoners feel at ease.

Regarding this old friend, the Other Shore's evaluation is…

Best paired with black pepper for seasoning, while a stew lacks a bit of flavor.

They've forgotten what abilities the Wolf God had, but the taste has always stayed in everyone's hearts.

As spoils of war from the Wolf Head Castle battle, each of them has tasted the flavor of the Wolf God, especially Miss Keroy, as most of the meat ended up in her stomach.

Upon seeing this good friend, the moment she saw the Wolf God, Miss Keroy emitted a cheerful "cluck," a sign of happiness.

According to information from Rowena's investigation, the structure of the Kingdom differs from that of the Empire. Only successful and renowned Summoners have the qualifications to become City Lords. There would never be an instance where a city's nominal Guardian is someone like Baron Gledin, who can't even wield a sword.

In situations not involving the existence of Old Gods, the Wolf God counts as a particularly strong monster. After all, the black pickled egg of the former Wolf Head Castle also had high hopes for it, believing it to be a super monster capable of destroying Ximu Town and dealing immense damage to Gear City.

The City Lord looked grave as the massive beetle drew nearer, and the Wolf God leapt forward in a biting stance.

In Ethan's view, the scene was somewhat reminiscent of a grand pit team battle. As the City Lord set the example, more and more Summoners issued orders to their respective partners.

Then, predictably…

Before reaching the massive beetle, the Wolf God was swept aside by the giant hoses extending from its sides. Each hose seemed to possess an autonomous consciousness, seemingly parasitizing within the beetle. Before the Wolf God could even get back on its feet, the hoses swiftly lunged at it, as if they had spotted food.

The Wolf God opened its mouth, but before the energy could form, one of the hoses swallowed up the gathered energy. Greedily absorbing energy, under the entwining hoses, the Wolf God's body visibly withered.

"Rowena, use Spatial Rend!"

To prevent the fate of their old friend being reduced to food once again and to avoid the battle scene from turning into a tentacle play, Ethan, a member of the Rocket Squad, issued a command to his partner.

The Summoners all heard the command for this skill they had never heard of before. However, they all saw a purple bat heading straight for the battle's center. Though small and easily lost amid the many charging monsters, its flipping wings tore a rift in the night sky.

The rift traced the swinging hoses, severing the parasitic-like heads, and continued its momentum to strike the beetle's back.

The next moment, the unstoppable charge came to a halt. The metallic carapace, severed into two, slowly slid to the ground.

The aftermath of the fall instantly sent many smaller monsters flying. After the dust settled, the Summoners finally saw the beetle's internal structure. Everyone froze in place, finding it hard to label it as a living being. The driving force behind the beetle's advance was not a biological instinct; its interior was devoid of blood vessels or organs, operating entirely on precise gears.

When these gears stopped turning due to the cut, the beetle's movements ceased.

"What…what is this thing?"

The City Lord stood there, stunned.

Faced with an abnormal monster beyond manpower, they couldn't confirm whether this was even a monster at all.

His heart was filled with a sudden dread.

Were it not for that suddenly appearing purple bat and the Spatial Rend skill he'd never heard of, the beetle would have charged unrestrained into Moon Forest City, and he, as the City Lord, would have been defeated at the first encounter.

He wanted to find the Summoner of the purple bat among the crowd, but his eyes immediately saw the wailing patrol members, some gravely injured, others having permanently lost their partners.

For some unknown reason, this beetle had broken the Crimson Queen's protection, turning the battle into a life-and-death struggle.

"Quick, treat the wounded!"

This was his first duty as City Lord.

Meanwhile, Ethan had already chosen a completely different path. When the mysterious beetle appeared, he realized he couldn't stay in Moon Forest City any longer. Just moments ago, he received some information about Argos from Old An.

A tireless adventurer.

Someone who "lost" the Old Gods before the outbreak of the battle with the Old Gods.

Although Old An didn't know exactly what happened to Argos, he was very sure that the Argos from before and the one seen in Ethan's dream were vastly different. Before being "lost," Argos appeared very normal to Old An; the heavy metals were added later.

More importantly, Argos would never idly hang himself in the air with chains; he was never one of those Old Gods with a strong masochistic inclination.

Ethan got to meet the Old God that Cynthia worshipped, yet Ethan had to point out that even their traits of being "enticed away" were consistent.

Based on Ethan's description, Old An speculated the most likely outcome.

Argos exists on this plane, and that dream was Argos greeting Ethan. When the dream ended, its creation appeared on the outskirts of Moon Forest City, which surely wasn't a coincidence.

Mirror world.

Old An deduced, that as the roots of the sky, as the dark void of the ground, it was as if the entire world had been turned upside down, all pointing to the giant tree existing as the plane's center. It reached to the clouds, and rumor had it that the world atop those clouds was the dwelling of the Crimson Queen.

So, if the Crimson Queen had a war with an Old God, what would the outcome be?

No matter the outcome of this war, the plane would head towards oblivion.

That is the only outcome Old An could foresee.

Therefore, Ethan had no time nor interest in staying in Moon Forest City for the commendation ceremony, nor did he want to be remembered by so many Summoners.

But not everyone was involved in the rescue efforts. As he was about to leave Moon Forest City, heading towards the heart of the Kingdom where the sacred tree was, a small figure stood in his way.

It was a golden-haired girl with a single ponytail, spreading her arms in a furious stance, glaring at him indignantly.

"You are Ethan."

Compared to the Poacher Gang, her attire resembled that of a noble's young lady.

The golden-haired girl declared decisively, "But I know it's just a fake name."

"Didn't expect you to see through it."

Ethan replied.

The White Headscarf Poaching Gang must have leaked the information.

"Charlotte, remember it, this is your rival's name!"

The golden-haired girl looked imposing, but from her slightly trembling voice and somewhat shaky legs, it wasn't hard to see she was internally very uneasy.

That's the name of the City Lord's daughter.

If he hadn't appeared, perhaps the White Headscarf Poaching Gang could have indeed brought back a dragon egg, which then would have been presented as a coming-of-age gift to Charlotte.

According to the original "historical process," Charlotte might have received the acknowledgment of a single parent dragon mother during tonight's assault and embarked on an adventure with the dragon hatchling.

Charlotte didn't back down; she was still waiting for Ethan to respond to her.

"Sakaki."

Ethan said, "Sakaki of the Rocket Squad."