A tricky situation ; the Ancient Title Inheritance begins.

In the dark expanse of Abaddon's soul space, he stood before the same ancient symbol now projected above him in the physical world. It read:

"Forgotten King of Doomswood?… Is that because I defeated Ravana?"

As he spoke the title aloud, the symbol shifted, transforming into ancient script that revealed a message:

"The Royal Beast Technique: Empirical Beast Aura. An advanced technique of Tier Ten Legacy grade that evolves and upgrades as the bearer grows stronger."

Abaddon froze in disbelief, overwhelmed by the enormity of what he had just received. As he began absorbing the technique and gaining enlightenment, events outside continued to escalate.

The dark forest grew tense as two factions prepared to clash.

Kain, sporting a smug grin, watched the chaos unfold with glee. To him, it seemed the gods were favoring his plans. The greed and hostility brewing in the factions behind him assured him that Abaddon and his allies were as good as defeated.

Feeding the fire, Kain raised his voice, fanning the flames of desire in the noble faction's eyes.

"Look at them! A bunch of lowly commoners daring to claim such grand artifacts! First, they stole our hunt—that's treason! That freak had the audacity to show his face after taking what rightfully belongs to the Pendragons. And now, this scum dares to challenge us nobles! We must teach them a lesson!"

Everyone knew Kain's words were driven by his own disgrace and frustration, but they didn't care. Their greed aligned with his, and as long as they shared the same goal—seizing the artifacts—they were ready to fight.

Even the Pen Dragons weren't immune to temptation. However, Arthur stood firm in his refusal to interfere. He reasoned that the artifacts hadn't been earned by them, and taking them would only tarnish their reputation and honor as noble knights. Despite Arthurian's insistence that they claim the artifacts, Arthur's decision forced his elder siblings, Arthara and Arthurian, to hold back. A Master of the Imperium Rank bullying a weaker party would only damage their image.

Below, Fatty, Ryn, and Jane cursed under their breath as their gazes locked onto Kain. Mocking them, Kain performed a hand gesture mimicking a beheading, his smirk dripping with contempt.

No'el sighed, stepping aside as the confrontation reached its boiling point. Ryn, visibly uneasy, turned to him.

"Master, the odds are stacked against us"

She said nervously.

"There's an Imperium Ranker among them. We can't even imagine facing someone of that level."

Fatty nodded gravely, his usual calm demeanor giving way to concern. Orlan, who had been quietly observing, stopped in his tracks. He turned back and met Arthurian's gaze on the Pen Dragon ship. A silent tension passed between the two before Orlan's lips curled into a sly grin. Stroking his beard, he spoke with a tone of calm confidence.

"Oh, the Imperium Rank master? I don't believe he would stoop so low as to bully the weak. But if he does, I'll handle him before any harm comes to my students. For now, why not let the children settle this themselves? Neither of us will interfere."

No'el's words carried an unmistakable challenge, daring Arthurian to engage. Arthurian studied him suspiciously. Despite sensing no energy from No'el, something about the old man unsettled him. The murmurs around the battlefield grew louder as speculation spread. Could the man be concealing his true strength?

"He may be stronger than we think"

Someone muttered.

"Even that freak who defeated the Ravager-Class III Myth turned out to be far more powerful than we could sense from the beginning. His master might be even more terrifying."

The murmurs and doubts solidified Arthurian's decision. Bowing respectfully, he replied.

"Elder, rest assured. This master has no interest in a children's quarrel."

No'el smirked, turning away. He walked toward the opposite direction, leaving behind instructions for his students. Beneath his calm exterior, however, Orlan was panicking. No'el's confidence had been nothing more than a bluff to deter Arthurian from engaging. If the Imperium Ranker chose to intervene, there would be little anyone could do to stop him.

As No'el left, he offered his final guidance.

"Remember the differences in your classes. Fatty, don't be overconfident—give it your all. Jane, keep your distance and aim for critical strikes. Ryn, stay back and let the other two handle this. Consider this punishment for your earlier failure."

Fatty and Jane didn't fully grasp what had just transpired, but the absence of an immediate threat from the Imperium Ranker eased their minds. Refocused, they turned their attention to the escalating tension.

"I believe the blonde-haired knight won't be joining"

Fatty said, observing Arthur.

"That's one less problem. We can't sense his energy either, so he must be in the Ascension stage. As for the others, three of the prodigies are at Gold Stage late rank. The fan-wielding one, though… he's at Diamond Stage peak rank. Still, we have a chance."

Above them, rankers began leaping from the ships at the command of their respective masters, rushing toward Abaddon, who remained unresponsive, locked in the Ancient Title Inheritance. Sensing the threat, Fatty hefted his massive magic pillar and, with sheer brute force, hurled it toward the oncoming enemies.

"Just a bunch of Silver Rank dogs from noble families—and you dare dream of touching the boss or his rewards!"

He taunted.

The pillar smashed into the attackers with incredible speed and power, scattering them like leaves in the wind. Mordane was the first to react, stunned by the strength needed to throw such a weapon so easily.

"What monsters… I feel like engaging them would only end badly for me. Better to follow Arthur's example and sit this one out. Let these greedy fools rush to their doom. Idiots—after all that freak has done, they still think they can fight him. Even I'm not sure Arthur could take him down"

Mordane murmured, his gaze flickering to Abaddon as the ancient symbol above him slowly absorbed into his forehead.

Fatty, unrelenting, stamped his foot on the ground, summoning a glowing magical circle beneath him as a blue aura radiated from his body. From the circle emerged a terrifying Earth Drake, roaring so powerfully that even the hovering ships were pushed back.

The sight of a Predator-Class II Alpha Myth left the crowd momentarily frozen. Fear crept in as they questioned how a Platinum Stage early ranker could tame such a lesser dragon, especially one of the Earth attribute.

All eyes turned to Lloyd Golden Feng, the sixth young master of the Golden Feng House, famed for their exceptional beast-taming prowess. Lloyd, a muscular youth with long golden hair, dark skin, and a scar across his bare chest, had been silent up until now. But with such grand artifacts at stake, he finally chose to act.

Leaping from the Golden Feng ship, Lloyd landed with a devastating impact right before Fatty.

"An Earth Drake… impressive"

Lloyd remarked, his voice laced with mockery.

"But I wonder if it can handle two Predator-Class II Alpha myths."

With a primal stare, he stamped the ground. A silver summoning circle materialized beneath him, adorned with two ancient symbols. In the world of Beast Tamers, the number of ancient runes in a summoning circle indicated its power and the number of summons the Tamer had. Fatty, whose circle bore only one ancient symbol, recognized the threat immediately.

From Lloyd's summoning circle, two terrifying myths emerged: the Iron Claw Praying Mantis and the Golden Feather Flame Crow.

Lloyd smirked.

"Let's see what you've got"

He taunted, and the two Beast Tamers clashed with their summons.

Meanwhile, aboard another ship, the young mistress of the Mage Tower Inn prepared to act. Miss Emberlyn Snow Lock, known as the

"Ice Beauty of the Empire"

She stood confidently with her high-grade magical staff in hand. Her long silver hair and cold demeanor exuded authority as she tapped her staff, summoning two glowing magical circles.

Targeting Jane, Emberlyn unleashed a barrage of frost arrows. Jane quickly responded, summoning her soul energy in the form of a venomous, coiling serpent radiating a hellish aura.

The frost arrows streaked toward Jane, who countered with her serpent's venomous energy. The two attacks collided in midair, erupting into a poisonous frost mist that obscured the battlefield.

Amid the chaos, Kain fixated on his sinister goal. A prodigy of a house renowned for its mastery of poisonous alchemy, Kain was dangerous even without his weapon. With Fatty and Jane locked in combat, Kain seized the opportunity to attack Abaddon, who remained defenseless.

"I'll make you pay in the most gruesome, agonizing way possible, you lowly commoner"