On this continent, people classified aberrations into several tiers. Since aberrations were beasts mutated by Mana, conventional ranking systems did not apply to them. Unlike humans, they did not grow stronger through training and tempering. Thus, judging an aberration's tier was an extremely difficult task. However, all aberrations had awakened the power of their souls. Even the lowliest aberrant beast possessed strength comparable to a Mid-Tier Swordsman. For this reason, people divided aberrations into three categories.
First were **Mid-Tier Aberrations**—beasts that had just completed their mutation, capable of only basic skills like summoning a defensive aura. Their intelligence differed little from ordinary beasts; aside from slightly superior strength, speed, and defense, they posed no exceptional threat. In fact, a squad of several dozen Low-Tier Swordsmen could handle such creatures.
Next were **High-Tier Aberrations**, which differed significantly from their human High-Tier Swordsman counterparts. In human society, condensing soul energy and channeling it through a weapon to unleash a soul blade marked the threshold of the High-Tier realm. Beyond that, humans would gradually awaken their elemental powers in preparation for ascending to knighthood. High-Tier Aberrations, however, rarely mastered complex techniques like soul blades. Instead, they effortlessly awakened elemental powers that were unattainable for most humans—take the aberration Blake had encountered earlier, for example, which could corrode everything around it with its caustic aura.
But **Lord-Tier Aberrations** were in a league of their own, far more formidable to confront.
Generally speaking, Lord-Tier Aberrations appeared in only one place: the heart of a Mana source. Having absorbed the maximum concentration of Mana, their mutations were entirely distinct from other aberrations. Their power did not merely affect the surrounding environment like High-Tier Aberrations; instead, Lord-Tier Aberrations could use their abilities to create a domain of their own within a certain radius. Inside this domain, the power of all other beings was drastically suppressed. Compounding this advantage, the domain was situated at the core of a Mana source, teeming with inexhaustible Mana. Even if an aberration sustained injuries, it would heal in the shortest possible time. In such hostile conditions, defeating a Lord-Tier Aberration was an arduous and perilous undertaking.
Throughout history, every faction vying for control of a Mana source had clashed with the Lord-Tier Aberration guarding it, and each victory came at a devastating cost. Under the suppression of a Lord-Tier domain, Swordsmen below High-Tier could not survive even a single encounter. High-Tier Swordsmen had to rely on their years of combat experience to stay alive in battle against such monstrosities. Only beings of knightly rank could stand toe-to-toe with Lord-Tier Aberrations, using their power of conviction to counter the enemy's domain. Even for Blake, these aberrations were no trivial foes.
Fortunately, the aberration they faced now was still in its infancy. From Blake's memories, there had been no Mana source in the Duskwood seventy years ago—meaning this source had formed only recently. This led him to conclude that the Lord-Tier Aberration was a newborn entity, significantly reducing the pressure on his party. Even as a Lord-Tier Aberration, in its early stages of development, it relied more on instinct than rational thought despite possessing considerable intelligence. To sustain its existence, it needed to consume Mana, which meant it would drive all other aberrations out of its territory. In other words, no matter how powerful this Lord-Tier Aberration was, it was alone.
As time passed, however, Lord-Tier Aberrations would grow increasingly cunning. Reason would gradually overcome their innate instincts. They would even use their power and domain to lure and dominate lower-tier aberrations into serving them—much like how human lords amassed military power through various means. This was precisely why they were called *Lord-Tier* Aberrations. Once they reached that level, battles against them would become utterly catastrophic. In his previous life, Blake had encountered such an aberration—one that had dwelled at the heart of a Mana source for nearly three hundred years. Its domain had been home to over five hundred powerful aberrations. To seize that source, humans had sacrificed fifteen thousand Mid-Tier Swordsmen, three thousand High-Tier Swordsmen, two knights, and four grand mages. Only then had they barely exterminated the aberrations and claimed the source—which now served as the headquarters of the Mage Association.
It was this precise calculation, combined with his assessment of the aberration's strength, that had emboldened Blake to venture here. Otherwise, he would never have allowed those twin sisters to leave his side to attend that frivolous festival; their assistance would have been invaluable to him.
Even so, their current situation was far from ideal.
The giant serpent that had devoured the young priestess showed no signs of returning to its lair, sated. Under the influence of the dense Mana, it had already marked the group as intruders in its territory. Clearly, the serpent's intelligence had not fully developed enough to override its primal instincts. The moment it laid eyes on them, its urge to eliminate them overrode all other considerations. The ferocious serpent coiled its massive body, then struck like lightning, opening its gaping maw to lunge at the group.
"Hyah!!"
At that instant, one of the spectral warriors darted forward. She raised her greatsword high and drove it deep into the ground. Hard rock instantly erupted around the blade, forming a hexagonal barrier that spread outward, like a shield of solid stone, just in time to block the serpent's charge. The serpent crashed into the barrier with tremendous force; the sturdy defense shuddered violently before shattering into rubble. The spectral warrior who had summoned the barrier grunted in pain and stumbled backward.
In this environment saturated with Mana, the spectral warriors no longer feared expending their magic power. However, their strength was still limited to the High-Tier Swordsman level. Even though each of them had been among the most exceptional swordsmen of their era, with experience conquering Mana sources and battling Lord-Tier Aberrations, the gap in power was not something that experience alone could bridge.
As the spectral warrior stumbled back, Jody stepped forward to shield her. Flames danced along her blade as she swung it downward, carving a long semicircle into the ground. The flames suddenly erupted into a towering wall of fire, dispelling the dark mist surrounding them. The unexpected burst of light and heat momentarily halted the serpent's advance. As a cold-blooded creature, it instinctively recoiled from the searing flames, hesitating for a split second. In that moment, a bolt of lightning tore through the darkness, striking the serpent directly on the head.
"—!!"
A blinding flash of electricity exploded across the serpent's scales. Enraged, it threw its head back and roared, its glowing yellow eyes widening with fury. A cloud of black mist laced with potent venom billowed from its mouth, condensing into a shadowy streak that shot toward another spectral warrior standing nearby. The warrior reacted instantly, pulling her hand back; the residual current crackling around her fingers emitted a sharp fizz. Her greatsword, which had been falling through the air, suddenly reversed direction as if magnetically attracted, flying straight toward her. She stretched out her right hand, dove forward, and rolled across the ground, grasping her weapon just in time to dodge the serpent's attack.
So far, the battle was evenly matched—but this alone would never be enough to defeat the serpent. The spectral warriors' strength was not sufficient to break through its defensive aura. If the fight dragged on like this, it would only grow more troublesome—a scenario Blake had no desire to see.
Just as the serpent extended its body, preparing to open its maw and swallow its target whole, a sudden gust of wind erupted from the ground, swirling with flames to engulf the serpent. At the same time, Blake's figure blurred, darting past the wall of fire. Seizing the opportunity while the serpent was dodging the flames, he sprinted forward, unleashing a soul blade from his sword that streaked toward the serpent's body.
Although the serpent knew nothing of human power levels, it instinctively sensed that the incoming light was far more dangerous than the previous attacks. As Blake moved, the serpent suddenly coiled backward, vanishing into the surrounding black mist. The soul blade sliced through empty air.
Blake did not falter. The moment the serpent disappeared into the mist, he detected a putrid gust of wind rushing toward him from behind. He spun around in an instant, swinging his sword—but what met his eyes was the serpent's massive, gaping maw.
What the hell?
Even Blake was momentarily stunned by the sight. But he had no intention of joining the female priestess inside the serpent's belly. In the blink of an eye, as the serpent's jaws were about to close around him, the soul energy on his blade flared again. This time, the soul blade did not miss; it struck the serpent's neck with devastating force. Blake used the recoil to leap backward, narrowly avoiding the deadly attack.
A soul blade unleashed by an **Adept Knight** was far more powerful than one from a High-Tier Swordsman. Moreover, the serpent had never anticipated that Blake would counterattack while mid-air, leaving it no time to dodge like before. It attempted to retreat back into the black mist for protection, but it was too slow. Just as it was about to vanish into the mist, Blake's soul blade struck home. Dark green blood erupted from the wound in a geyser. Gravely injured, the serpent let out a thunderous roar of rage. At the same time, the scattered black mist suddenly thickened, spreading like a curtain of darkness— the signature ability of a Lord-Tier Aberration: manipulating the surrounding space and environment, and assimilating it into its domain. The most terrifying power of all.
"My lord, watch out!!"
The moment Blake landed, he heard Jody's warning—but it was already too late. As he turned to look at the others, the dark mist cut off his line of sight completely. The bright flames vanished without a trace; not even a single sound lingered. All he could perceive was absolute darkness and infinite silence.
"This is getting a bit troublesome," Blake sighed, standing in the pitch-black void. He tightened his grip on his sword; the soul light on its blade had faded entirely, leaving only endless darkness surrounding him. Worse still, it was not just his sight that was failing him—his hearing and even his sense of smell were growing numb, as if all his bodily senses were slowly fading away. It was clear that the black mist was not just an optical illusion; it was laced with a potent venom. But Blake knew this was not the end of the battle. He could feel the serpent's beastly gaze, watching him from the shadows. Frowning, he closed his eyes and activated the soul link.
"Jody, status report."
"Not good, my lord," Jody's voice echoed back almost immediately. Evidently, while the mist could cut off physical senses, it was powerless against soul communication. This was hardly surprising—the creature was a beast, not a human. If Blake had been facing a mage specialized in barrier construction, contacting Jody would have been far more difficult.
"The mist is definitely toxic... Unfortunately, Miss Charlotte isn't here; we can't identify its exact effects. Everyone is safe for now, but we can't sense the enemy's location at all. The Mana here is too chaotic; we can't get a lock on it."
"In that case..." Blake fell silent for a moment, then a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "But since our opponent is being so cooperative, I have a rather interesting plan."
The deep darkness remained unchanged, but upon hearing Blake's plan, Jody's eyes snapped open. A flash of crimson light glinted beneath her pitch-black helmet.
"Alright, sisters—are we ready?"
"Ready, Captain!" came the spectral warriors' unified response.
Jody chuckled softly, then raised her greatsword high.
Bright flames erupted once more, flowing from her blade to engulf her entire body. Even her black armor began to glow with fiery light. The mist that had enveloped the area began to churn restlessly—but then an unknown force surged forth. A massive shadow lunged out of the mist, swallowing Jody, sword and all, in one gulp. Her black armor shattered into pieces, then vanished into the darkness once again.
Now!
Sensing the fluctuation in the soul link, Blake raised an eyebrow. He gripped his sword with both hands, opened his eyes, and drove the blade straight into the ground.
"CRACK!!"
The instant Blake's sword pierced the earth, the darkness surrounding them began to recede like a tide. It swirled backward frantically, revealing the ground and sky it had swallowed. In the blink of an eye, the oppressive gloom that had filled the entire valley vanished completely—not a trace of shadow remained.
And at long last, the giant serpent revealed its true form before Blake and the others.
"So that's where you were hiding," Blake said, a triumphant smile spreading across his face as he stared at the serpent in the distance. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. "Alright—she's all yours."
At Blake's cryptic words, the serpent standing not far away suddenly let out a deafening roar of agony. It thrashed violently, its massive tail flailing high to slam against the surrounding rock walls. Even the sturdy valley could not withstand the serpent's brute strength; stones and dust rained down constantly. The once-majestic Lord-Tier Aberration was now completely helpless, its colossal body coiling and uncoiling uncontrollably. Blake did not rush forward to attack; instead, he stepped back immediately, finding a safe spot to watch from a distance. The other spectral warriors also made no move to finish off the wounded beast, gathering beside Blake to observe the Lord-Tier monstrosity, which had inexplicably gone berserk.
"My lord—will the Captain be alright?" one of the spectral warriors asked, her voice soft and gentle, betraying her worry despite the helmet concealing her face.
"If you were still human, that would be a valid concern," Blake shrugged, avoiding a direct answer. "But as things stand... we're in luck."
In truth, the plan Blake had given Jody was simple—use herself as bait, and break through the serpent from the inside.
While the serpent was not particularly difficult to deal with, Blake had realized during the battle that this environment was unfavorable to their side. If they had been on open ground, they could have surrounded and trapped the beast easily. But here, in the valley crisscrossed with caves, there was a risk that the serpent would escape if injured. And that was a scenario Blake wanted to avoid at all costs. A wounded Lord-Tier Aberration would inevitably seek revenge, and that was the last thing he needed. Although he could have killed High-Tier Aberrations in an instant, this serpent was far too cunning—it had hidden in the mist, relying solely on ambushes to attack, making it impossible to pin down its true location. If Blake's earlier attack had not enraged it, the situation would have only grown more dire. For this reason, Blake needed a foolproof plan to lock the serpent in place, ensuring it could not escape.
It was then that the young priestess's death had given him an idea. Clearly, the serpent loathed light—likely a vestige of its beastly instincts. It would actively attack and destroy any source of light, which was precisely how the priestess had met her end. But this weakness had inspired Blake's plan: he ordered Jody to unleash a burst of bright flames, luring the serpent into swallowing her whole. That way, no matter where the serpent fled, it could never escape Jody's attacks from within.
Of course, if the spectral warriors had still been human, or had solidified into human forms, Blake would never have risked this strategy. Although they could not truly die—even if their physical forms were destroyed, their souls would automatically return to the cavern beneath Blake's castle in the Duskwood, thanks to the forbidden magic binding them—it would still drain them severely. In the worst case, they might have to start their regeneration from scratch, which would waste a great deal of time.
But now, the spectral warriors were in a unique state. They maintained their forms by relying on their armor, which was not a living entity. Thus, no matter if the armor was crushed, smashed, or cut apart, it would not affect their combat capabilities. While this might still cause some power drain, they were at the heart of a Mana source, surrounded by an abundance of highly concentrated Mana. Blake was confident that any energy they expended could be replenished instantly.
Judging by the serpent's agonized thrashing, Jody was clearly hard at work inside its belly. No one knew exactly what the serpent's insides looked like—but it was safe to say that no one would ever want to find out firsthand.
Despite its cunning and formidable power, the Lord-Tier Aberration was no match for an animated suit of armor rampaging inside its body. Its venom was useless against the armor, and it could not crush Jody's form no matter how hard it tried. For the serpent, this was an unspeakable torment. It had attempted to crawl back into its cave multiple times, but every time it moved, Blake—who was leisurely watching the spectacle from afar—would issue a command to Jody. The serpent would then convulse in fresh waves of agony, making it impossible to retreat to its lair.
One had to admit that Lord-Tier Aberrations were incredibly resilient. Blake and the others stood watching from a distance for an entire half-day before the serpent finally fell silent, collapsing to the ground like a pile of mud, motionless.
"It's over," Blake said, sensing that the serpent's life force had faded completely. As a knight, he could perceive the beast's demise with absolute certainty. He sheathed his sword and walked forward. When Blake and the spectral warriors reached the serpent's body, they were just in time to see Jody "crawl" out of a long, gaping wound oozing with foul-smelling blood.
"My lord—it seems the operation was a complete success," Jody said, raising her right hand and waving with a grin. Her appearance was utterly gruesome: the armor covering her lower body had been completely crushed to pieces, and her upper body armor was riddled with massive cracks. The armor that should have maintained her humanoid form was flattened, like a cardboard box that had been stepped on. Even her helmet was caked in blood and shredded flesh, emitting a sickening stench.
However, what surprised Blake was that a snow-white arm was protruding from a breach in Jody's armor.
"You've gained the ability to take human form?" he asked.
"Hmm?" Jody blinked in confusion at Blake's question, then seemed to notice the anomaly on her body. She reached out with her only intact hand and tore the snow-white arm off her armor with a tug.
"This is a souvenir from the priestess," she explained casually. "When I was swallowed, she hadn't been completely digested yet."
So that was it.