Somewhere in the mountains of Rivermark State…
Ethan and the others were still fighting—still grinding, still bleeding their stamina out one second at a time.
There were too many Outland Beasts.
They couldn't kill them all.
They really, genuinely couldn't.
The worst part was Dopey.
Dopey, who was usually one punch per kill, was no longer doing one punch per kill.
Once the Lionfang King actually got serious, it started trading blows with him—back and forth, refusing to fold.
Dopey still had it pinned, still beat it around the field more often than not, but the King's body was wrapped in that layer of golden light. Dopey couldn't smash through it fast enough.
He couldn't finish it.
Not yet.
And the other thralls had it even worse.
These Lionfang Beasts were monsters—nothing like ordinary Stage S. Their combat power was on another level entirely, and that golden light wasn't just defense.
It blocked the Umbrals' Decay.
