Rhys snapped his fingers with a grin. “That’s my girl.”“You…” The captives clenched their teeth, anger flashing across their faces. One of them spat back, “What do you even know? You have no idea what it’s like to be less talented!”Maeve glanced at Rhys for the briefest moment before replying, her voice calm. “Maybe I don’t. But I do know someone who doesn’t complain and still finds a way forward. Unlike you.”They opened their mouths to argue, but Gaelion had already stepped forward.“That’s enough.”Maeve frowned slightly, not expecting him to cut in, but neither she nor Rhys had much experience with how far someone like Gaelion could go.He looked down at them, eyes cold.“Let’s keep this simple. I ask. You answer.” He paused for a moment. “First question. Who are you? And who do you work for?”“You—!” One of them tried to snap back.Gaelion didn’t wait.He lunged.“Aahhh! What are you—Aaaahhhh!”His jaws clamped onto the man’s shoulder. Not a quick bite, not clean. Slow. Deliber

“Kh!” Rhys gritted his teeth as the mace slammed into his arm. The impact rattled through his bones, but his coat absorbed most of it. Without that, his arm would have been in much worse shape than a bruise. He didn’t waste the moment. As the mace lingered for a split second, Rhys grabbed it and drove his fist forward. The punch landed clean. But the Beast Tamer barely moved. He shifted his body slightly, taking the hit without losing balance, then answered with a heavier punch straight to Rhys’s face. Rhys was thrown onto his back. The Beast Tamer stepped in immediately, raising his mace to crush Rhys’s stomach and end it. Rhys reacted fast. His left hand flicked up, activating Bloodclaw. The strike came out sharp, but his opponent was far stronger than anything Rhys had fought before. The mace smashed through the Bloodclaw with ease. Still, that was never meant to be the real attack. While the Beast Tamer committed to the swing, Rhys kicked upward, driving his foot into

A moment earlier, before everything fell apart, Maeve had already made her move. She stopped and gave her orders without hesitation. “Sasha, take the centaur. Risa, handle the elf.” Risa frowned slightly. “Won’t you be in trouble facing the Beast Tamer and the arachne alone?” “It’ll be fine with this staff,” Maeve replied, lifting the weapon she had won from Cade. Sasha didn’t question it. She rushed straight toward the centaur, who met her with both swords raised. Their weapons clashed instantly, steel against claw, each strike fast and precise. The elf tried to support from a distance, but a blood tornado surged toward her. She was forced to leap onto another tree to avoid it, only for Risa to follow, taking to the air and keeping constant pressure on her. Back on the ground, the Beast Tamer and the arachne tried to act, but before they could, a sudden wave of Mana slammed into them from the side. It was nothing like the attacks they had seen before. The shock tore through t

“Maeve?” Rhys froze for a split second, shock flashing across his face. That was all the opening his opponent needed. The Beast Tamer lunged, ready to take advantage of the distraction. But before he could close the distance, something burst in front of him. An explosive bullet detonated right in his path, catching him off guard and throwing him backward. “!!!” For a brief moment, everyone on the battlefield turned toward the blast. Allies and enemies alike felt the shift. “Gaelion! Anubis!” Gaelion tried to pull back, but the minotaur slammed its hammer into him before he could move. Just as the blow landed, another explosive shot struck the minotaur from the side and forced it away. The gargoyle followed up with a strike, but it only left a shallow cut. Anubis could handle that much without trouble. At the same time, Anubis snapped his bandages forward and hurled the fallen angel away, buying them a few seconds. Maeve clenched her teeth. She wanted to say she was fine.

“...This isn’t normal, right?” Maeve didn’t answer right away. She was still trying to process what she had just seen. Meanwhile, Risa leaned forward, her hands resting on Rhys’s shoulders as she struggled to steady her breathing. “Ha… this is…” she murmured, glancing down at her own body as if it no longer felt entirely familiar. “I’ve become… a marchioness?” “What?!” Maeve’s voice rose in disbelief. She knew Risa had talent. Given enough time, becoming a countess was already within reach. But this? Jumping straight to a higher rank just from drinking Rhys’s blood? That didn’t make sense. Rhys was just as stunned, though his thoughts immediately began racing. A marchioness… that was the female equivalent of a marquis. So this wasn’t just growth, it was a leap. An evolution. But why would his blood cause that? He frowned, trying to piece it together. Was his blood actually special? That didn’t fit. He was supposed to be nothing more than a farmer’s son. Unless… his backgroun