As the golden griffon soared through the sky, the Iron Mountain soldiers on the ground broke into smiles of relief.


    "The count has finally returned!" Kaman eximed excitedly.


    Catherine let out a sigh of relief—Luca was saved!


    But Sophia''s gaze lingered on the girl riding the griffon, her brow furrowed. "Why is shehere…"


    Cassman, standing nearby, noticed her expression and asked, "Miss, do you know that girl?"


    Sophia nodded. "That''s Fratis from Red Maple Academy. She''s a Holy Light Priest who reached tinum Gradebefore turning twenty, and her background is quite unique."


    Everyone around them inhaled sharply.


    "tinum Grade by twenty? That kind of talent is terrifying!" Cassman said in amazement.


    "No wonder Red Maple Academy is considered the top institution in the Southern Territory. The students there are all absolute prodigies," he added.


    While the others nodded in agreement.


    Red Maple Academy, located in Southwind City, was the most prestigious academy for practitioners in the Southern Territory and one of the top eight in the Clinton Empire. Its students were all exceptionally gifted and hailed as the cream of the crop.


    It was clear to everyone that Count Ryan had specifically brought these people from Southwind City to assist.


    While they whispered amongst themselves, the group in the sky began to act.


    Fratis, the young girl with the flower wreath, now held an ancient bronze mirror in her hands.


    She closed her eyes, chanting softly.


    A blinding golden light radiated from the mirror, and in an instant, it expanded to an immense size, nearly a hundred meters across.


    The bronze mirror flew toward the center of the Beast Forest, casting a massive shadow over the Hydra.


    Thick golden chains shot out from the mirror, binding the Hydra''s nine heads and its body tightly.


    At the same time, Count Ryan and the two powerful figures in red robes behind him sprang into action.


    Their bodies turned into streaks of light as they shot toward the Hydra.


    The students from Red Maple Academy, meanwhile, rode the four-winged griffon toward the Iron Mountain soldiers and the nearby yers.


    In a blink, the tide of the battle had turned.


    The cultists of The Nightmare Cult, upon seeing Ryan and his party, scattered like frightened mice before cats. They retreated rapidly, not even bothering to help their wounded.


    The name Ryan of Emerald Statewas known throughout the Southern Territory. His reputation for never sparing cultists left no doubt in anyone''s mind—facing him meant certain death.


    Fortunately for them, Ryan had no interest in hunting down the cultists at that moment, allowing them to escape with their lives, albeit barely.


    On the other side, Tia also noticed Ryan''s arrival, and panic surged in her heart.


    With Ryan back, the Hydra''s mirror image wouldn''t hold out much longer. Once he and his allies finished dealing with the Hydra, The Nightmare Cult wouldn''t be let off easily.


    "Why is it taking so long? It should''ve been quick..." Tia muttered to herself, casting frequent nces toward the core of the summoning ritual, where Luca sat with his eyes closed. Her brow furrowed deeply.


    Ever since Jormungandr had entered Luca''s body, there hadn''t been the slightest movement. Taking over a Bronze Grade practitioner shouldn''t have required much time at all.


    Could something have gone wrong?


    Just as Tia was beginning to worry, she noticed Luca''s body twitch.


    Her heart leapt with joy, assuming that Jormungandr had sessfully taken control of Luca''s body.


    But what happened next left Tia utterly speechless.


    A battered, scarred white snake slithered out of Luca''s forehead, lookingpletely defeated.


    "M-Master?!" Tia couldn''t believe her eyes.


    The white snake''s body was covered in countless wounds, even a deep sword sh across its heart, a stark contrast to its once-majestic appearance.


    Tia couldn''t fathom what Jormungandr had endured inside Luca''s body.


    "Damn it! What kind of monster did you lead me to?!" Jormungandr''s voice quivered with panic and rage.


    Her reaction wasn''t unwarranted. Inside Luca''s spiritual space, she had barely managed to break free from the boy''s mental grasp.


    But to her shock, Luca not only possessed a Transcendent essence and four maxed-out innate attributes.


    He also wielded an arsenal of high-level secret arts!


    And these weren''t ordinary secret arts. Some of them even surpassed Superss in level!


    From the beginning, she had been at a disadvantage inside Luca''s spiritual world.


    With the added power of those secret arts, Luca had given Jormungandr a brutal beating.


    Whatpletely shattered Jormungandr''s resolve, though, was that Luca had tried to enve her.


    And, worst of all, he had seeded!


    A blood-red rune now glowed on Jormungandr''s forehead.


    The unmistakable mark of a ve contract, one that Luca had engraved upon her.


    Her violet serpent eyes were filled with humiliation and fury.


    She, one of the seven King-level monsters of the Abyssal Demon Realm, had been enved by a mere boy.


    The thought made Jormungandr seethe with murderous rage.


    But this wasn''t the time for revenge.


    Right now, her only priority was to return to the Abyssal Demon Realm.


    Once there, she would have enough time to break the seal on her body.


    When that time came, she swore she would make Luca pay.


    With that thought burning in her mind, she shot a venomous re at Luca andunched herself into the air, aiming for the summoning node at the heart of the ritual.


    However, just as she took off, Luca''s hand shot out, grabbing her by the tail, and yanked her back to the ground with sheer force.


    "Leaving without saying goodbye to your master? That''s not very professional for a servant," Luca said, with a mischievous grin as he looked at Jormungandr, his tone oozing with provocation.


    Tia stood frozen in shock.


    Master? What on earth was going on?!


    "Damn you, human! Let go of me!" Jormungandr snarled furiously, whipping her head around to sink her fangs into Luca''s hand, ready to teach this insolent boy a painful lesson.


    But the moment her venomous fangs touched his arm.


    The contract rune on her forehead red to life.


    Jormungandr''s body froze instantly, paralyzed.


    Seeing the fury and frustration in her eyes, Luca sneered. "Don''t bother trying to resist. The contract I ced on you is the Transcendent secret technique, ''Soul Envement Contract.''Even if you return to the Abyssal Demon Realm,it''s impossible to break."


    "Behave and serve me well, and I might spare your life. Otherwise, with just a thought, I could reduce you to ashes. If you don''t believe me, feel free to test it,"


    Luca said coolly, his eyes shing with the same blood-red rune as on Jormungandr''s forehead.


    The rune on Jormungandr''s head once again gleamed with crimson light.


    Her anger slowly faded, reced by a deep, primal fear.


    In that moment, she could smell death in the air!


    This boy—he really had the power to erase her from existence entirely!


    How could this be? She was the Nightmare Sovereign,a Transcendent-tier King-level monster!


    How could this mere boy possess such terrifying abilities?


    Once Jormungandr was immobilized, Luca lost interest in her for the moment.


    He opened his game interface to check the notifications that had appeared earlier.


    [Ding! Congrattions, you have sessfully formed a contract with the Nightmare Sovereign ''Jormungandr''!]


    [You have gained ess to a portion of Jormungandr''s abilities!]


    [Ding! Congrattions, you have unlocked the unique hidden ss ''Dreamweaver''!]


    [Congrattions, you have acquired the ss skill ''Dreamweaving lv1''!]


    [Congrattions, you have acquired the ss skill ''Dream Manifestation lv1''!]


    [Congrattions, you have acquired the low-level skill ''Eye of Nightmare lv1''!]


    …


    Luca stared at the notifications in surprise.


    He knew there was a small chance of gaining a monster''s abilities when enving them.


    But when he enved Jormungandr, he had only hoped to gain a powerful ally for future battles.He hadn''t expected her to also grant him an entirely new hidden ss!


    Luca opened his personal interface and examined the descriptions of his new skills.


    [Dreamweaving lv1:ss skill. A Dreamweaver can use the power of dreams to freely construct dreamscapes. The size and realism of the dreamscapes increase with skill level. Costs 3000 mana. No cooldown.]


    [Dream Manifestation lv1:ss skill. A Dreamweaver can use the power of dreams to manifest people, objects, or events from the dreamscape into reality. Duration: 10 minutes. Costs 10,000 mana. 30-minute cooldown.]


    [Eye of Nightmare lv1:Low-level skill. A Dreamweaver can induce fear in any target that makes direct eye contact. Duration: 3 minutes. Costs 1200 mana. 10-minute cooldown.]


    Looking over the skill descriptions, Luca felt a surge of excitement.


    The individual Dreamweaver skills might not seem powerful on their own, but whenbined, they had the potential to create some truly unpredictable and overwhelming results. Even though the effects onlysted for 10 minutes, that could be enough to catch opponentspletely off-guard.


    "As expected of a hidden ss," Luca thought, eager to test the full power of his new abilities.


    But now wasn''t the time.


    His gaze shifted to the immobilized Jormungandr, still bound in ce by the ve contract.


    Then, his eyes fell on Tia. "What''s your rank in The Nightmare Cult?" he asked.


    Tia was still reeling from shock, struggling to process what had just transpired.


    A King-level monster—her cult''s sovereign deity—enved by a boy? It was almost too much to believe.


    Hearing Luca''s question snapped her back to reality.


    Looking at him, her emotions wereplicated.


    With her power, she could have crushed Luca with a single blow.


    But now, Luca had enved Jormungandr—the very figure her cult worshipped.


    She couldn''t decide what to say, and her voice came out stiff. "I''m the High Priestess of The Nightmare Cult."


    Luca''s expression remained calm as he asked bluntly, "Jormungandr is now my servant. Will you follow me as well?"


    In his past life, this woman had built The Nightmare Cult into a formidable force, showcasing her capability. If Luca could bring her under hismand, it would save him a lot of trouble in the future.


    Tia paused at his question, her eyes searching Luca''s face, her own expression turning resolute. "If you can bring my sister and family back to life, I will follow you."


    To Tia, it didn''t matter who she followed or worshipped. What mattered was who could bring her family back.


    Luca smiled. She was exactly the kind of person he liked.


    "Once this is all over,e find me. I''ll make sure you see your family again."