B3 - Chapter 67: Peak Iron

Seth looked down at Jaxar's unconscious body.

'Seth...' Colossus called through Link.

The giant scorpion stood a short distance away beside Nightmare, who had abandoned his patrol.

Seth already knew what the eager scorpion wanted. He smiled and channeled aether into his eyes to cast Intermediate Identify on all of them, finishing with Colossus.

Considering the physical transformation the scorpion had undergone, the moment he'd seen Colossus, Seth had half expected to find out the scorpion's potential had risen . And it had.

Gold+.

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Most of Colossus's spells had remained unchanged, yet his bonus attributes had skyrocketed to absurd heights.

His Toughness had climbed to a level that didn't seem possible for an Iron-tier beast. Even the Silver beasts and Wielders they had fought hadn't possessed stats this high.

Seth focused on Colossus's attunements to look at the Seeds' effect.

As Seth focused on the Seeds, additional information appeared.

"For Gaia's sake," Seth muttered.

The Copper Seed had provided a welcome boost to the scorpion's attributes, though compared to the Legendary one, it was almost insignificant.

The Agility gained through Colossus's Toughness was already thirty-two. And that was before he cast any defensive spells. The moment Colossus activated Quartz Armor and Desert Aegis, his speed would rival that of a Rogue.

Even though Seth, Nightmare, and Colossus had all reached the peak of the Iron Tier, their attributes far exceeded what should have been possible for their rank.

Seth shifted his attention to Lumi. A familiar frustration resurfaced.

Until he could form a proper bond with the little otter, he couldn't read the details of her spells.

Even so, he had already figured out three out of four from experience: the rapid single-target healing spell, the wide-area healing aura, and her offensive enhancement.

Yet the last ability still puzzled him.

During the battle against Jaz, Lumi had unleashed a unique spell unlike anything she'd used before. Since then, she had stubbornly refused to cast it again, leaving Seth completely in the dark about its true effects.

With a sigh, he set the thought aside. There was something else he wanted to see.

Seth shifted his focus to his own attunements.

He focused on all of his Seeds as well as Alpha's Resonance.

I should consider myself a Guardian, Seth thought with a chuckle.

Thanks to Alpha's Resonance, his own Toughness now hovered close to two hundred. And that didn't at all account for the damage reduction granted by the Petrified Tree Sap.

No wonder I've been able to throw myself into melee after melee without being torn apart.

His gaze drifted farther down the glowing text until it settled on Will of the Defier.

The odd Talent had been the driving force behind the explosive growth of the quality of his spells. Yet despite relying on it through countless life-and-death battles, Seth still didn't truly understand it.

Why did it allow him to keep breaking past seemingly impossible limits? What was its real nature? Months later, he still had no answer.

A rustle broke the silence.

Seth looked to the left.

Among the roots, Jaxar groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze fell right away to the heavy aether-suppressing shackles around his wrists. "What in the Ninth Hell..."

He jerked his head up and locked eyes with Seth.

"Release me."

"No."

Jaxar's expression twisted with outrage. "Who do you think you are?"

A cold smile spread across Seth's face. Jaxar reminded him of Lucius, and of the entire Faertis family. They all had that same blind arrogance, which made them believe the world existed to obey them.

This kingdom really does need to be cleaned out, Seth thought.

Seth calmly sent a pulse of aether into his teardrop necklace. One by one, Colossus, Nightmare, and Lumi dissolved into streams of light and disappeared back into the pocket domain.

A figure stepped out of the shadows of the treeline.

The thin man dressed in dark leather crossed the clearing with strides, the jagged X-shaped scar across his cheek unmistakable. Kaelen had arrived.

Jaxar's eyes darted between the assassin and Seth.

"What?" he shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "You're handing me over to the enemy?" He stared at Seth in disbelief. "You absolute fool!"

Seth ignored him and grabbed the chain of Jaxar's shackles before yanking it upward to haul the Elementalist to his feet. The sudden pull wrenched Jaxar's broken arm out of position.

The noble cried out in pain, but Seth didn't care even the slightest.

Then a suffocating presence surged up behind them. Seth spun around, releasing the chain as he instinctively dropped into a fighting stance.

The Spirit floated in the air a few feet away, staring at him. Its body faintly glowed as the sun started to appear between two clouds in the sky.

"So..." the entity began. Its voice was low yet it resonated through the whole place. "This was the scheme the two of you designed. All of it merely for... this?"

Seth met the Spirit's gaze without flinching. "Disappointed?"

"Always so arrogant."

An weight crashed down upon Seth. The pressure slammed him to one knee, driving his boots into the mud.

Inside his chest, Will of the Defiers ignited alongside his core. Every fiber of his body rebelled against the force that shoved him toward the ground, though he still couldn't stand. Then, just as abruptly as it had appeared, the crushing pressure vanished.

Seth grimaced, planted a hand, and pushed himself back to his feet.

"This is absurd," Jaxar said, stumbling forward as the chains around his wrists rattled. "Just release me for the Gods' sake!"

Seth glanced at him. "No."

Jaxar whirled toward the Spirit, panic overtaking his anger.

"Do something!" he shouted. "I am the grandson of Kastal's king!"

The entity didn't even acknowledge him. Its luminous gaze remained fixed on Seth and Kaelen.

"May I conclude this absurdity now?" the Spirit asked nonchalantly.

Seth looked toward the assassin. Kaelen's eyes lowered as his fingers brushed the edge of his Endless Pouch, as if to make sure everything he needed was inside.

A moment later, he looked up and their eyes met. Kaelen gave a single, almost imperceptible nod.

Seth responded in kind and turned to the Spirit.

"Go ahead."

Before another word could leave his lips, a blinding pillar of light erupted from beneath their feet and engulfed them all.

The moment Seth opened his eyes, the world snapped back into place and the humid air of the Rift vanished. In its place came the breeze and distant murmur of the neutral zone.

Seth stood on the trampled grass outside the portal, his left gauntlet wrapped firmly around the iron chain binding Jaxar's wrists. Kaelen stood at his right shoulder.

Only a few steps away, the two official NEVAK representatives watched their arrival with the Spirit. Neither looked pleased. Their brows furrowed in visible irritation—the creature had obviously told them the reason for the delay.

Seth cast a quick glance toward Kaelen.

Fortunately, the assassin had yet to retrieve the 'item' hidden inside his Endless Pouch. Instead, he was sweeping his dark eyes through the imperial delegation, searching for the people he expected to find.

Beside the slowly collapsing Rift portal, the contribution rankings floated in the air, glowing as brightly as ever.

BRIDAN EMPIRE: 3254 DEATHS | 196 CAPTURED

KINGDOM OF KASTAL: 3326 DEATHS | 0 CAPTURED

BRIDAN EMPIRE:

1. Celess of Solaria - 20 775 points

2. Jaz of Ryswell – 19 400 points [Deceased]

3. Kaelen - 8550 points

4 Morsh – 7150 points [Deceased]

5. Elysha of Spyre - 7550 points [Deceased]

KINGDOM OF KASTAL:

1. Seth – 167 550 points

2. Elena Surani – 7650 points

3. Marine Vancaws – 6350 points

4. Jaxar Linster - 5950 points

5. Will Cranner - 4750 points

Seth barely spared the ranking a glance. Instead, he turned toward the Kastal encampment.

A massive crowd had gathered around the viewing grounds.

King Theron sat atop the elevated royal platform, surrounded by servants and a defensive wall of a dozen Royal Guards.

Below him, many of the heads of the Twenty Great Houses occupied the tiered seating.

Seth recognized several familiar faces: Director Ryehill, Marshal Vancaws, Leonard Surani, and Director Caryss Chester of the Sidera Academy.

King Theron leaned forward on his throne. A deep frown creased his brow as he stared across the neutral zone. At first, the king seemed unable to believe what he was seeing. The monarch tilted his head, as if questioning whether the sight of his grandson in iron shackles held by Seth was a fleeting battlefield mirage.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Seth's gaze swept across the ordered ranks of Kastal's army.

He found his party first. Elena, Henry, Selena, and the others had safely returned to the Kastal lines and were now standing under the watchful eyes of Captain Michaelson and several veteran sergeants.

Satisfied, Seth let his eyes continue searching.

Scattered throughout the regular soldiers were the hidden members of the Champions of Chaos. He spotted Professor Reat's black ponytail right away. Beside him stood Drack, whose towering frame and permanently sour expression made him impossible to overlook.

A few paces away, Celine's shoulder-length silver hair caught the morning light as she stood near Krystel, the Priest's long blond hair cascading over immaculate white robes.

Farther along the flank waited the Oskon-based members: Zyana with her piercing blue eyes, Alexis and his heavy plate armor that rivaled Drack's intimidating bulk, and Nidal, the bald archer with a massive longbow across his back.

Finally, Seth's searching gaze locked onto a familiar silver mane.

Orwen stood amidst other soldiers.

The man met Seth's eyes directly across the open plain. Over the past few days, Seth had mentally prepared for the branch leader to signal him to cancel everything. The plan was completely absurd and dangerous; there was no way the man would approve it.

Yet, Orwen gave a single, firm nod.

The branch leader held Seth's gaze, then nodded a second time to ensure there was no ambiguity. The leader of the Champions of Chaos wanted him to move forward with Kaelen's plan.