"Here it comes!"

Watching the phantom in the vortex grow clearer, Shadowblade muttered under his breath. Spirit Energy rippled around his hands, coalescing into a black spear.

"Holy shit."

Feng Ye stared at the black spear, momentarily stunned. "I have a bad feeling about this. Something big’s about to go down."

His voice drowned in the roar of Spirit Energy. Titan and the others summoned their War Spirits. Titan’s manifested as a massive crimson axe, radiating terrifying pressure.

The Speedster brothers’ War Spirits were unique—each gripped a black-and-white skateboard.

Feng Ye had seen weirder before, so he glanced away after a second.

Lin Chuan didn’t draw his Divine Artifact yet. He gripped his katana War Spirit, eyes blazing with fighting spirit. Beside him, Lin Tang had summoned hers: a Crescent Moon Saber!

Though scaled down, it still towered over her, its blade dragging on the ground, leaving a shallow trail.

"Uh..."

"Can this girl even handle that thing?"

Feng Ye worried the giant blade was dragging Lin Tang along. Her slender arms seemed too fragile for its weight.

Luckily, she didn’t hear him. Otherwise, she might’ve swung it in anger—she’d already chopped down several people over this.

The others focused on the enemy bursting from the vortex. Only Feng Ye had time for such irrelevant thoughts...

But what emerged stunned them all.

No Beast appeared—instead, a black knight rode a strange demon beast out of the summoning circle!

"What the hell is that?"

Seeing the knight materialize mid-air like a storm incarnate, the group below froze.

"Tangtang, is this the Beast you summoned?" Lin Chuan asked, shocked. This... wasn’t a Beast at all! It was clearly humanoid!

"Are there even Beast types like this?" he muttered. Could it be a centaur?

"This is..."

"A Battle Soul!!!"

"That kid’s cursed mouth actually hit the mark!!"

Unlike Lin Chuan, Titan felt utterly screwed. He glared at Feng Ye, grip tightening on his battle-axe.

Only Awakened nearing the ‘Soul’ realm knew what a Battle Soul truly was—heroic spirits from other worlds, born from fallen warriors’ lingering wills!

"An A-Rank Battle Soul..."

Shadowblade’s face paled. He gripped his spear but hesitated to strike.

"Holy shit."

"I knew it. That wasn’t a Beast’s life fragment," Feng Ye said, finally recalling the shard. "It was a weapon fragment—a Chaos Legion soldier from Radiant Land. Way beyond B-Rank Awakened."

He looked pained at the knight. He’d faced many such Battle Souls in Radiant Land’s ancient battlefields. This one was an eighth- or ninth-tier general there, power rivaling strong A-Rank Awakened.

They’d come to hunt a Beast, but it turned into a Battle Soul!?

"Well, his mount might barely count as a Beast," Feng Ye mused, glancing at the black warhorse. He hadn’t forgotten his Awakened Association quota.

"Retreat. This isn’t an opponent we can handle. We can still escape before he fully materializes," Shadowblade said, losing all will to fight. The strength gap couldn’t be bridged by numbers.

Titan’s face darkened. Silent, but clearly wavering.

"Hey!" Lin Chuan protested. "You promised to help! We spent months setting up this array. If we retreat, all my effort’s wasted!"

He thought of his recording crystal and felt a sharp pang in his chest.

"Idiot, do you know what that is? A Battle Soul! Even at A-Rank, it’s beyond us," Titan snapped. "Alone, it could wipe out several A-Rank Beasts."

"Battle Soul..." Lin Tang bit her plump lower lip, recalling its meaning.

Just as she’d urge retreat, Shadowblade said, "Wait."

Titan frowned.

Shadowblade’s shock had vanished, replaced by a glimmer of excitement. "Look closer at that Battle Soul."

"What’s there to see? If we don’t leave now—" Titan grumbled, then froze. His body trembled slightly. His face lit up. "That Battle Soul...!!"

"It’s injured!!"

Titan’s breath hitched. Fully materialized, a broken spear pierced the Battle Soul’s chest—straight through its back. Dark mist seeped incessantly from the wound!!!

It was severely wounded, not yet recovered!!!

"Could this... be a gift from heaven!?"

Titan’s heart burned with sudden fervor.