The battlefield burned.
The Three-Tailed Fox roared again as another wave of destruction tore through players.
James turned sharply to Gob.
"You said you can restrain it again. How?"
Gob's eyes reflected the flames.
"The chains you saw earlier," he said. "They weren't decoration. They were binding constructs."
"And you can recreate them?" James pressed.
Gob nodded once.
"Yes."
"How?"
Gob inhaled slowly, recalling something distant.
"To reactivate the binding… we need a catalyst."
James' patience thinned. "What catalyst?"
Gob's voice lowered.
"A soul."
James froze slightly.
"And blood," Gob continued. "Blood of the three tailed fox."
Ark frowned. "That sounds insane."
Gob ignored him.
"The soul must be extracted intact. Mixed with the blood. Then poured directly into the fox's mouth while it's charging its energy attack."
James repeated it to make sure he understood.
"Extract a soul. Mix it with higher-being blood. Pour it into the fox's mouth during charge-up. That activates the chains."
"Yes."
James stared at him.
"You're sure this works?"
Gob met his eyes calmly.
"I've done it."
The ground shook again as another explosion lit the night.
James ran a hand through his hair.
"Great. So now we just need someone who can casually pull souls out of bodies and someone willing to extract god-tier blood."
As if summoned by the sentence—
A faint ripple appeared behind them.
Sampon emerged from invisibility.
He was slightly out of breath.
"I found something."
James turned sharply. "What?"
"Not far from here. A group observing the fight."
Sampon's expression was serious now.
"There's a ritual circle on the ground. A corpse."
Everyone stiffened.
"And?"
Sampon swallowed.
"A blonde man. Royal clothing. Strange clan symbol in one eye."
Gob's eyes narrowed slightly.
Sampon continued, "He placed his hand on the body."
A pause.
"And pulled the soul out."
Silence.
James slowly turned to Gob.
"…Is that the kind of person we need?"
Gob's lips curved faintly.
"Yes."
---
Moments Earlier, not far from the battlefield.
The blonde man stood calmly while the distant explosions illuminated the night behind him.
His followers knelt in a circle.
At the center—
A dead body lay within an intricate symbol drawn in blood.
One of the members bowed deeper.
"The sacrifice is ready."
The blonde man stepped forward.
He crouched.
Placed his hand on the corpse's chest.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A faint glow began to seep upward.
Translucent.
Human-shaped.
A soul.
He pulled it out gently, like drawing silk thread from water.
His followers bowed lower in reverence.
The soul trembled weakly in his grasp.
The man observed it quietly.
Emotionless.
Behind them—
Unseen—
Sampon watched from invisibility.
His eyes sharpened.
He memorized the location.
Then vanished.
---
Back to the Field
The Three-Tailed Fox began charging another massive energy sphere.
The battlefield trembled under its growing power.
James exhaled slowly.
"Thirty minutes until Martis returns," he muttered.
Ark clenched his weapon. "So what's the plan?"
James looked toward the distant direction Sampon came from.
Then at Gob.
"You're certain?"
Gob nodded.
"If we delay, casualties multiply."
James looked back at the charging fox.
The vulnerability window.
The ritual requirement.
The mysterious soul-extracting king.
"…Alright," James said finally.
"We're going to pay him a visit."