The fight below was wild and scorching.
The Infernal Wolf and Fire Slime unleashed fire all around them, causing it to be impossible for the humans to approach. The volcanic chamber, already hot, became an unbearable inferno.
Derrick and his men's foreheads were covered with cold sweat, instantly understanding the magical elemental nature of these creatures.
Nevertheless, Aegis didn't look back again.
He finally reached the top ledge of the magma bed.
The three colossal, obsidian-black eggs were just within his hands' reach.
"Now, how should I retrieve them? Aren't they too heavy for my size?"
He still tried to lift them up, but failed miserably. Their weight was easily over 150 kg each. He couldn't carry even one, let alone three.
Just then, he remembered something from the Wolf's earlier warning: "Only the chosen ones can obtain one of those."
He instantly understood. This wasn't a strength test; it was a test of acceptance.
If they accepted his blood, then he was worthy to take them along.
Without hesitation, he made a slight cut on his thumb finger with the edge of his crude Iron Sword and let a few drops of blood fall onto the rough heated surface of the Phoenix eggs.
The moment Aegis's blood touched the red surface of the first egg, a phenomenon occurred that silenced the chaotic battle below.
The eggs began to glow. Not with the dull red of magma, but with a brilliant, pulsing light that shifted from fiery crimson to deep sapphire. The blood wasn't absorbed, but rather, it spread across the three eggs simultaneously, tracing complex, fiery runes across their surface.
Boom!
A powerful wave of scorching heat and refreshing coolness washed over the entire chamber, momentarily stopping the desperate clash below.
Crack, crack, crack..
The thick crimson shell of the first egg began to crackle and fracture while glowing intensely from within. It didn't hatch in the usual way; instead, the shell cracked, revealing not Phoenix hatchlings, but a beautiful little girl sleeping peacefully inside.
She had long hair in the color of bloody crimson and soft, rosy cheeks. On her forehead, an intricate Phoenix mark was visible clearly.
The second and third eggs followed suit, revealing two more girls identical to the first, each bearing the same distinctive mark, indicating they were the descendants of the Divine Phoenixes.
Before Aegis could even process the incredible sight of three powerful elemental beings appearing as human children, they were moving.
They instantly scrambled up the warm, glassy nest and stuck to him like Koalas.
"Papa!" they chorused sweetly, their tiny hands clutching his shirt.
They misunderstood their relationship completely.
Aegis was dumbfounded. He was holding three divine creatures, and they thought he was their father.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Continuous system notifications flooded his view.
[ System Notification: Ancient Fire Phoenix Descendant (1) has bonded with Sky Lord Aegis. ]
[ Ancient Fire Phoenix Descendant (2) has bonded with Sky Lord Aegis. ]
[ Ancient Fire Phoenix Descendant (3) has bonded with Sky Lord Aegis. ]
[ New Followers Acquired: Fire Phoenix Descendants (3). ]
Almost immediately, a second, more emphatic notification flashed across his vision.
[ GLOBAL ANNOUNCEMENT! ]
[ Sky Lord Aegis is the First Sky Lord to acquire a Divine Tier Follower! ]
Below, the fighting stopped all of a sudden.
The four humans' mouths went agape, stunned into silence by the broadcast and the sight of the children.
"Damn! That's Aegis? The Water Tycoon?" the boss uttered, as if he had just made a great discovery.
"Yes, Boss. And he just acquired a Divine Tier follower."
"Boss, this is our chance to strike it rich! We cannot let him go!" the underling urged, his greed overriding his fear.
Derrick nodded with a fanatical glint in his eyes. The temptation of acquiring Divine power in this Realm was too hard for keeping his rationality.
"Follow me, boys!!"
With a unified roar of desperation, the boss and his underlings charged at Aegis with mad fervor, completely bypassing the Wolf and Slime, who watched the scene with detached fascination.
From the top, Aegis watched everything with a cold look.
"Papa, are they causing trouble?" the first girl asked, tilting her head.
"Should I shoo them away, papa?" another asked cutely, eager to receive his praise.
For the first time since his transfer, Aegis smiled. He gently caressed their fiery hair, but his voice was devoid of sympathy.
"Yes, you may, my darlings. Make your papa proud!"
The three Fire Phoenix descendants squeaked in joy.
Then, what unfolded was pure gore and disgusting.
From their small mouths, searing crimson flames erupted like an inferno, targeted directly at the four charging men.
"Eh, No!"
The Boss and his men screamed, but their sound was instantly swallowed by the darkness.
Against the combined infernal breath, their bodies began to melt away. Not even their skeletons remained intact.
Everything was turned to ashes in seconds, leaving only four dark, smoking outlines on the volcanic floor.
Aegis watched this scene with calm. He knew what he had just done. He had just killed fellow humans. He had committed a crime for which he would have been punished with a death sentence back on Earth.
However, in this world, those laws didn't exist. Here, only power spoke for itself. Those four humans saw his face and identity, and their greedy decision made it easy for him to act, considering the future trouble they would have brought.
Carrying the three Phoenix girls, Aegis then descended before the Fiery Wold and Slime.
Baewolf was still staring at the ash.
"You... you killed your kin. And you allowed the offsprings to do it. You are terrifying, Sky Lord Aegis."
"I have done what was necessary," Aegis corrected him coolly.
"Then you must not forget the deal either. Give one of them to us," the Wolf said, barely hiding the predatory glint in its eyes as it stared at the three children clinging to Aegis.
"Ptui, we are not going anywhere! We belong to papa!" the first girl declared fiercely.
"Papa, you wouldn't abandon us, would you?" the second one murmured with watery eyes, clinging tighter.
Baewolf frowned:
"Are you deciding to go back on your words, Aegis? One of them rightfully belongs to us."
Aegis shook his head. "No. I won't."
Saying that, he gently disentangled the Third Phoenix child from his neck and handed her over to the startled Fire Wolf.
"Papa... You?"
The third Phoenix looked at Aegis, her small face twisted as if hurt by a devastating betrayal.
Aegis's face still remained expressionless, as if he didn't care at all.
"The deal is complete, Baewolf. We have no relationship with each other anymore," he said, turning around heartlessly.
Baewolf grinned, creating a chilling sight. "You're a man of your word, Aegis. You will be a great man one day."
Aegis didn't reply. He just walked out of the volcanic chamber while the two remaining siblings wailing in heartbreaking sobs.