Hello, I'm back. Happy 4th of July!

Anyways, I also updated the fiction I'm working on, so check it out if you have time. It's on my profile. Also, my youtube channel too, if you have time to waste.

Almost there.

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The decisive battle for the fate of the world had begun as the sun rose. The calmness and peace that Tin and everyone felt would be now replaced with a certain uneasiness and subtle chaos.

While everyone was asleep earlier, Tin was fully awake. Even after Can finished the process of stabilizing his core, Tin still continued to guard the perimeter. Earlier he contacted both Type and Cha Aim to see the progress of what was happening with the ongoing war between B.S.G and E.A. As expected, without the support of the Apostles, E.A. was able to crush B.S.G and the remaining cult members in no time.

Of course, the righteous elementalists were not the ones who crushed the enemies but the demonic elementalists. After being overwhelmed during the initial stage of the war, the righteous elementalists' power and dominance were severely weakened. They did not have enough force to create much disturbance and tilt the balance of power to their side. Due to this, E.A. was easily managed and controlled by the demonic elementalists despite the opposition from their righteous counterpart. What can these righteous elementalists do after all? They were just a bunch of flies that could make noises, but could not harm anyone. If it were not for Tin's instruction to let the rest of the survivors live, would the demonic elementalists put up with them? For a very long time, the demonic elementalists were the ones who suffered. They were massacred mercilessly and were driven into hiding with shame. Anger was built and revenge became a motivation to survive.

Now, it was the righteous elementalists' time to hide. It was their time to feel the shame, frustration, and resentment of being powerless. This was their consequence. An eye for an eye. Their karma. Still, if atrocities between the two clans were to be compared, the righteous elementalists were the most vicious. They should be grateful that the Grandmaster and the Supreme Ruler of this world, Tin Phiravich, showed them kindness and mercy.

This particular world war was the shortest as it would end within a month. Without the support from the Apostles who were leading the war, B.S.G and the cultists were only snakes without fangs and poison. As for their main leader, Ae's father, he was nowhere to be found and had been missing in action since the beginning. The war was already a lost cause. With this reality, it was clear who would pay such a heavy price.

"Time to move," Tin said as he cast a spell to open a portal that would lead to the entrance of the cave.

"Ready?" He looked at Can. The little beast summoner had been restless since he woke up.

Locking his gaze with Tin, Can took a deep breath. The little beast summoner could feel Tin's concern due to his behavior.

With a serious tone and with courage, he replied, "Yes."

Tin looked at everyone else. They nodded in unison.

Pete took Ae's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I'm prepared to face my father. I won't falter," Ae reassured.

Pete smiled as he nodded. "En."

Soon, everyone entered the portal. When they got out, they were in front of a large cave. Ae's eyes widened as he looked at the surrounding area of the huge unadorned cave. It was different from what his father described it as. The ground that was supposed to be filled with greenery and life was filled with death and cracks. It was black and purple. It was as if the land was poisoned with the scattered dead animals and dried plants and trees. The sky was dyed with red as it rumbled. It shook that even the gods in the heavenly realm could feel. There was an upcoming storm. As the heavy droplets of the rain turned into what seemed to be blood, the atmosphere became something that implies the future: complete chaos and apocalypse.

The beast god felt a shiver in his body as he examined the area. "The power of evil is so intense here!"

"The dark energy inside has become uncontrollable and more powerful that it has started seeping out and causing a disturbance," Tin explained.

The grip on Ae's hand became tighter. Ae comforted Pete as he also squeezed his hand tighter. Even though it seemed difficult, they knew they would overcome this together.

The cave had no one to defend it, so everyone went inside without encountering trouble. According to what was known regarding the cave, it was constructed with a complex maze. This was made as another form of defense, so the outsiders could not easily get in the depths of the cave. Unfortunately, those who constructed it did not think about countermeasures when the one it tried so hard to hide and seal would attempt to get out.

With the dark energy seeping out of the cave, the complex maze that was filled with different magic arrays were lifted. The path inside was nothing more but a walk in the park for the others. Although this was the case, the others did not feel that it had become easier for them. On the contrary, the more that they ventured and stayed inside, the more intense and concentrated the dark energy has become. It was suffocating even.

As they continued their journey in the dark cave with only orbs of white light guiding them, they passed by vacant jail cells. Observing more closely, the door to their cells were forcefully ripped open. Inside one of those cells, blood was splattered everywhere. On the solid ground, a trace of struggle could be seen. The person inside dug his nails into the ground as if trying not to be taken away by whoever or whatever it was that was trying to get him. The blood that splattered everywhere was still fresh as it dripped on the ceiling. It was quite a disturbing find.

Tin and Can looked at one another. Everyone in that cell knew very well who did such a gruesome crime. Although by the looks of it, the way the prisoners were dragged seemed to be done by a wild animal. Was the King of the Beast finally released? It would hardly be a surprise if Ae's father successfully released it.

"We must hurry," Ae said worriedly. They must face his father and end this as soon as possible before he could wreak havoc.

Everyone agreed and hurried towards the end of the cave. Wearing the Guyak Shield, Can already formed a barrier to protect them from any surprise attack as soon as they entered the portal to the cave.

Tin, on the other hand, took his magical staff casually. Either he was not aware or he had decided to ignore it, but Pond had been examining it since they went inside.

"That staff. How'd you get it?" Pond asked. He had been suspicious of its existence for a while.

"My ancestor," Tin replied without looking back.

"Who is your ancestor?" Pond continued to pester as he walked behind Tin.

"Go straight to the point. What do you want to know?" Tin said as if getting irritated by Pond's indirectness.

"That staff. If I'm not wrong-"

"It's the Soul Staff," Tin replied indifferently.

Pond gasped. "It's really the Soul Staff!? What's with your f*cken luck?"

Everyone stopped from moving as they became startled at Pond's reaction.

With everyone's questioning gaze on him and thinking as if he was some kind of lunatic, Pond explained to his ignorant audience, "Just like the Guyak Shield, the Soul Staff is another mythical weapon!"

Everyone except Tin gasped and shivered.

"What!? You mean to say that we possess two mythical weapons all this time?" Can replied with a dumbfounded expression. When he woke up, he was told about the identity of the Guyak Shield that he obtained from the Beast God Dimension. He could not believe it at first, but when he thought about it, this shield was quite phenomenal and powerful during his battle in the second tower. It could not be denied that it was worthy to be called a mythical weapon with its overpowered defense capabilities.

"Yes, that's right! What's with both of your luck? You both have the title of Supreme Ruler. That was already considered lucky, but then you guys possess mythical weapons too. Aren't you two too blessed by the gods!?" Pond explained while being angry. How come he was not favored as much as this couple?

"Tin, you already know the identity of your staff?" Pete asked curiously.

"Yes," Tin replied. He asked about the unnamed ancestor who held the staff in his family's ancestor tomb to his grandfather earlier. It was then confirmed that it was truly the mythical weapon, Soul Staff. When Tin found out about it, he was not the type of person to jump in joy. It would be weird and definitely out of character if he did. This staff was a burden to him as it carried the souls of the dead. It was also covered in dark energy as it was forged with the blood and lives of people. Because of this, the Soul Staff has consciousness. If Tin was not careful, as he did before, the Soul Staff would have consumed him to become part of it. Thankfully, Tin could grasp its power without a problem. With it, Tin's power could easily multiply by a lot in an instant; powerful and complicated spells could be easily cast within less than a second without consuming too much spiritual energy. It was a perfect weapon for a demonic elementalist.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Pond asked.

"It wasn't worth mentioning." After saying that, he moved on and continued walking.

"Wasn't worth mentioning?" Pond whispered with frustration, "That's a mythical weapon for f*cks sake!?"

Everyone just looked at one another at how Tin just casually revealed about the Soul Staff as it was some kind of ordinary item.

Shaking his head, Pond just continued walking as he pondered about the gods' unfairness.

Finally, they reached their destination. As the spirit orbs that gave light traveled around the surrounding area, the team witnessed the huge mirror-like wall not too far away from them. They also noticed the different individuals floating unconsciously above them as their spiritual energy seemed to be going towards one particular direction.

As they looked closely at the individuals, Can immediately noticed the person he has been searching for: Master Khang.

"That's Master Khang!" Can shouted as he pointed shakily at his unconscious master. He could finally see his master!

Can was about to fly and take his master away when Tin prevented him from doing so. "Hold on. Don't act rashly."

Can was going to ask, but when he saw that Tin was pointing at something, he stopped. When the beast summoner looked up, he immediately shivered. Tin was pointing at one of the Apostles who was floating mid-air and currently being eaten by someone. It was the leader of the Apostles: Adam. How was he able to get here? He was supposed to be dead among the other Apostles who attacked them in the second tower.

While Adam's inside was being eaten by an individual who was on top of him, the others also noticed that the other remaining members of the Apostles, both Joyde and Tryde, were also unconsciously floating in the air. The two of them among the other prisoners of war were all unconscious. In addition, Can also noticed that these people's spiritual energy was being absorbed and directed in one direction. Following the direction of the flow of the spiritual energy, it led to the mysterious individual who was devouring Adam.

Seeing the mysterious individual cannibalizing made Pete almost throw up. Meanwhile, Ae was fixated at observing that mysterious cannibal.

"Father!?" Ae finally realized that it was his father who has been devouring Adam. It was hard to notice that it was him at first since he was covered in blood and dirt, but Ae recognized him.

"Th-that's him? Are you certain, Ae?" Pond was stunned. When he looked up again, an incredible fear and disgust overwhelmed him. What has Mr. Tanapon become?

Filled with anger, Ae shouted, "Father!"

His shout echoed. His father who was busy indulging himself with more power from his former comrade stopped all of a sudden.

"Is that you, my son?" Ae's father looked down and directed his gaze to his son. His tone of voice, although it was somehow soothing due to its clarity and tenderness, made him more frightening. Was Ae's father even sincere?

All of a sudden, there was a sound of crying from his father. "Son, help me! I'm being controlled by this monster. He's inside me. I can't stop. Help me! Please don't kill me! Help!"

He continued to cry, "I'm sorry for what I did. I was selfish. I regret everything that I did. Please. Help me. Ugh...Everything's painful."

"Father!" Ae shouted. He was not sure whether to believe his words, but there was still a feeling of concern about his father.

"Help me, son. Help me get free. Don't kill me," Ae's father pleaded for help as he cried more from the pain.

Letting go of Pete's hand, Ae ran forward. "Come down here father. Let us help you! We're not going to kill you. Please surrender yourself."

Ae thought that his father could still have some control on himself to surrender. This could be a chance to save his life!

He knew also that there was a chance that it might be a trap, but what if there was a chance that he indeed needed help and wanted to be saved? What if they could end this without much bloodshed? Just what if?

"Ae come back here, it's not safe," Pete shouted. He did not trust what Ae's father said at all.

"It's going to be okay, Pete. Can cast a protective barrier on me," Ae replied as he continued to look up at his father's direction.

"Son, are you sure? Will you be able to help me?" Ae's father anxiously asked.

"Yes! I'll help you. Please come down father and let us help you. You're going to be safe," Ae shouted with optimism.

"Son, that's wonderful to hear. Thank you," Ae's father replied as he let himself fall from the sky.

"Thank you, son. My....treacherous son," he whispered as he summoned his Honglyun Sword and pointed its tip towards Ae.

Before he fell down, Mr. Tanapon removed the spirit orbs that were the source of light in the darkness with a spell. Soon, the cave was consumed by darkness. Yet, thanks to Pond's sharp observation, he was quick to act when he noticed that Ae's father was holding the third mythical weapon.

"Sh*t! He's holding the Honglyun Sword!" Pond shouted as he moved forward towards Ae in a panic. Pushing Ae away, Pond took the wrath of the Honglyun Sword's power. Unfortunately, the barrier that was cast on him cracked within seconds of impact. How was this possible? Even with the Honglyun Sword, the barrier created by the Guyak Shield should not fail.

And so, with the unexpected turn of events, the barrier that covered Pond was destroyed within seconds. The Honglyun Sword then directly penetrated Pond's chest.

When Pete summoned the spirit orbs once again to light the cave, he gasped immediately at the revealed scene in front of him.

"POND!" Can shouted.

Tin felt the dark energy increasing within the dimension of the mirror-like wall. The King of the Beast was trying to get out.

"Can, we must prevent the beast from going out of the dimension. It might escape and gather more spiritual energy outside," Tin explained.

"But...Pond," Can could not just leave Pond in that state.

"GO! Just go damn it! I'll be fine," Pond shouted as he tried to stabilize his breath.

"You pest," Ae's father angrily uttered as he removed the sword from Pond's bleeding chest with a single kick. Pond flew towards the cave's walls, but still managed to get up within seconds.

"I still have tricks up my sleeves. You should already know that. I'll survive!" Pond continued as he heavily breathed while maintaining to stand.

Trusting Pond's words, Can said hesitatingly, "Understood."

Without wasting any time, Tin did not let Ae's father make another move. He quickly cast a spell with the help of the Soul Staff.

"Teleport!"

Within less than a second, both Tin and Can were transported inside the dimension of the mirror-like wall. Ae's father suddenly felt himself being transported too and with a blink of an eye, he was back in the dimension with Tin and Can. He also noticed that the gate to get out of this dimension disappeared. It must be Tin's doing!

Back in the cave, Pete went to Pond's side to heal his fatal wound. "You'll be alright, Pond. Just hang in there," Pete said in haste as he cast a healing spell over the gaping hole on Pond's chest.

"Don't worry too much, Pete. I could still reverse my condition," Pond forced a reply with an arrogant smile on his face.

"Raven's Revenge."

With this spell, Pond's current situation would be reversed in which his health would have recovered completely. Unfortunately, It did not happen.

"Wh-what's happening? It's not working?" Pond panicked as he repeatedly cast Raven's Revenge multiple times.

"Ra-raven's Revenge! Raven's Re-"

Pond started coughing blood.

"Pond!" Ae who was in a dazed ran towards to Pond. Despite what Pond has done to him, he could not see him suffering. He saved his life after all.

"Sh*t. That Honglyun Sword is tru-ly something." It seemed that the Honglyun Sword penetrated his beast core, which was his source of power. He was unable to cast a spell to save his pathetic life.

Pond continued to wheeze. Sweat on his forehead formed and trickled down. He was becoming dizzy and his consciousness was wavering. Was this how it ends for him?

"Pete? What's happening to him?" Ae became sickly worried.

"His core. It was damaged. His wounds too... I-I can't...Why is my healing not working?" Pete was at a loss as he continued to use his healing magic on Pond. As he used more spiritual energy to strengthen his skills, Pete's lips began to shake. His eyes became watery. His powers were not working!

Taking and holding his hands to make him stop, Pond said weakly, "It's fine, Pete."