Roar. A mythical beast—an Amareon (Red Gold Crown Head Wyrm), a dragon serpent—is scorching the beast horde that has entered Bulgaria. This is a mythical beast belonging to one of the Eisien Clan heirs, deployed to help this region as a form of training.
Damean Eisien, the 17th son of Vander Eisien, is sitting on the head of his dragon while it's flying through the sky, scorching the horde with its dragon flames.
The horde of beasts is composed of Raskirin (Black Forest Rats), Anoleons (Horned Rabbits), Tardolko (Triple Horn Black Tamaraw), Saneons (Black Serpents), Ulmos (Giant Black Boars), Eroge (Giant Frogs), Raptaris (Dino Lizards), Golrus (Giant Sheep), Viskiri (Mighty Season Elks), Borus, Wolsen (Wind Wolves), Carnisi (Giant Vipers), Raidel (Flame Bulls), Marwan (Black and White Swans), Daldias (Giant Long-neck Dinosaur), Suldoron (Shield Head Dinosaur), Sabateer (Sabertooth), Lunic (Shadow Cats), Fulsin (Three-Eyed Fox), Zedwa (Unicorn Zebra), Welsen (Flame Horse), Ormiron (Armored Furball Beast), Nulzor (Rolling Rock Beast), Alzom (Rock Golems), Urviltal (Spikeback Turtles), Furgumera (Monstrous Armadillos), Delvit (Balloon Fur Beast), Nepolon (Slimeman), Sporenu (Flora Beast Kin), Nusharo (Mushroom Man), Vebeerut (Knight Bee), Vebeeril (Bee Army Swarm), Vebeerin (Bee Queen), Noimon (Green Fruit Eater Fur Beast), Revalka (Giant Rhino), Burwak (Black Minotaur), Tyraskar (Megalodon Green T-Rex), Cobollia (Giant Black-Green Cobra), Zumurgad (Giant Armadillo), Roroon (Black Spikes Porcupine), Artil (Flying Lizard), and Tarfollio.
They are all fleeing from the wildlands. This is because of the auras of multiple mythical beasts and Lyrus's crazy spree of hunting beasts together with all his beast companions, overthrowing the natural order within the forest. It is also due to the fight between the Bahamut, which led to such a massive horde of beasts leaving the wilderness.
On the other side, a gigantic Korgon (Black Gigantic Kong), another mythical beast the size of a small hill, is rampaging here and there, smashing all the beasts in the horde into mincemeat.
Roar. It ripped apart a giant Saneon—a legendary beast—with ease. This is the beast of the city lord.
Thousands of Darokes have also retreated from the forest and are now helping subjugate the horde that reached the borders. Some legendary-rank Daroke tamers are leading the charge. It seems they came from the forest to fetch the horde of Darokes to support and defend Bulgaria.
Goldoba: Hmm. (He is the current city lord. He noticed that most of the remaining beasts are only below Overlord rank. They have successfully fended off the horde.)
Vicky: Report, City Lord. The horde has been successfully dealt with, and we have no casualties among the soldiers and tamers, but 20% of the tamers' beasts that participated have died.
Goldoba: Give them the rewards we promised accordingly. Also, give compensation to those who were injured and for the beasts that died. Let the city guards capture commander-rank beasts up to beast kings, and let those tamers who lost their beast companions choose the beast they want.
Vicky: Yes.
Roar. Multiple earth cages manifested on the land, capturing thousands of beasts all at once. It's the Korgon doing it. Goldoba telepathically commanded it to do so.
Vicky also left to assist the city guards. She jumped down from the wall and rode her Tigraa (Giant Black and White Tiger). Despite being a woman, she is the right hand of the city lord and one of the city guard commanders.
Goldoba: Greetings, Young Master Damean. Bulgaria City thanks the Eisien Clan for the fast reinforcement.
Bulgaria is in the outskirts of the Eisien Clan territory, and most of the time, whenever there is a horde like this, they fend off everything on their own, while the representatives of the Eisien Clan simply observe the situation. But this time, a young master bearing the Eisien surname and a direct heir has come and aided them in fending off the beast horde. The horde this time is also something they couldn't have defended against on their own. But luckily, this time, the watchers have been deployed here, as well as the Eisien Clan forces.
Damean is just 21 years old, with four mythical beasts and seven legendary beasts. He is also a strong magician. Even though he did not showcase his strength, he is an 8th Circle Magician.
Damean: It's our duty to protect our people in our territories. The chaos has already been dealt with. We still have matters to attend to. Farewell, City Lord. Keep up the good work, and you will be rewarded.
(Then he tossed a spatial ring to Goldoba and left, together with four Eisien guards, riding his Amareon.)
Goldoba: Thank you, Young Master Damean.
(He bowed. The contents of the spatial ring were Essence Stones that can be used for cultivation. These things are hard to find and cost a lot just to purchase on the market.)
Goldoba looked at the living figures riding the dragon wyrm, then turned to the battlefield. This time, it was just a one-sided massacre because most of the powerful beasts had already been dealt with. The city guards and tamers were also busy capturing new beasts. Most of these beasts are hard to find and can only be caught deep in the wildlands. And going there is too dangerous. If they see one on the market, it costs a fortune just to purchase it. Beast carcasses and parts can also be sold in the market. This horde is both a disaster and a fortune to Bulgaria—especially now that around 500 legendary beasts have been killed and some have been captured. Thirteen of those beasts are colossal. Such beasts are extremely lucrative and will fetch high prices in the market.
Bill also arrived at the city. He is currently on the battlefield with his Carnova (Crimson Black Eagle), a legendary beast.
Bill: Where is Lyrus? (He was worried about Lyrus and asked angrily to Norton. He came to Bulgaria after hearing about the situation from Lyrus. But when he arrived at his mansion, only the housemaids were there. Lyrus had been out in the Wildlands for a week.)
Norton: Relax, he's okay. Why are you treating him like a baby when he has several mythical beasts with him? (Then he briefed him on all the events that unfolded over the past week, including Lyrus's growth.)
Bill: But how did that happen?
Norton: I also don't know. I have to hurry back to the clan and report this. (Then he rode his Varama (Lion Head Blue Griffon), a legendary beast.)
Roar. Then his Legulus entered his tamer spatial realm, and his Mortomis (Moria) miniaturized and sat on his shoulder.
Norton: I'm off. Bye. (Then his Varama flew.)
Bill: This kid. (He turned toward the horizon, looking at the Wildlands.) Hayz. Young birds will eventually grow and fly out of their nest. (He smiled, worried but also proud.)
---
Meanwhile, Lyrus was still busy integrating the Margorio (Bahamut Giant Crocodile Dragon). Then suddenly, the Bahamut disappeared into the white domain.
Lyrus: I almost spent 24 hours just to integrate it. Even though this guy is smaller compared to Agarez, its toughness made it time-consuming to fully integrate its body.
Teo and the others were resting on the outskirts of the golden barrier of Lanfer. Then suddenly, the black and purple barrier at the epicenter disappeared.
Lyrus, Sedestro, and Xukhar came flying to their location.
Ishvel: So it's finally done.
Lanfer then dissipated the golden barrier, revealing a massive crater of destruction. Some river waters were already flowing into it, filling the crater from all directions.
Vania: This place will turn into a lake in the coming months. The landscape truly changed because of that fight.
Selso: Not just that—everything has been purified by Lanfer. This place can be turned into a new sanctuary for beasts. If this becomes a lake, aquatic beasts from rivers will fill this area. This place will become another breeding ground for beasts. What if we put up the sect near this crater?
Logan: That would be a good idea. With the abundance of life energy in the Wildlands, this place will recover soon. It would be a good location for a sect near a lake. With the growth of all things, the forest and greenery will bloom again in this area, and with the abundance of water elements through this newly formed lake, the shores will surely bloom, creating a good ambiance for our sect.
Teo: Hmm. (He was observing the area, surrounded by forest, with mountains to the west.) Good idea. This place is rich in natural energy, and the surrounding area is lush with greenery. The land is also fertile.
Lyrus arrived at their location together with Sedestro and Xukhar.
Vania: Hmm. (Observing the epicenter of the battle.) What happened to the Margorio? Was it reduced to ashes?
Lyrus: It's not. I already tamed it, and it's now resting inside my independent space. (He lied. Normally, a tamer has their own Tamer's Realm where they can store their beasts to rest. But the space inside this independent realm is limited—the weaker the tamer, the smaller the space.)
Vania: WHAT? Such a massive beast fits into your independent space? Oh my. (Such terrifying talent, she thought.)
It's basic knowledge that the larger the independent realm, the more beasts a tamer can keep, and the higher the tamer's talent. This also implies that Lyrus's soul was strong enough to support such an independent space. Lyrus just smiled in response to her.
Teo: Well anyway, we're talking about putting up the sect in these grounds near the crater. Sooner or later, this place will turn into a massive lake and become a breeding ground for aquatic beasts, which will, in turn, provide a source of profit through constant hunting. The nearby land is fertile—we can create farmlands to support the sect's food consumption aside from hunting beasts. What do you think?
Lyrus: You already thought this far. I never even considered it. Well, anyway, it's your idea to put up a sect. I'm not that good at such things, especially management. Hmm. But I guess it's a very good idea to put the sect near the crater that will soon become a lake. We can also prevent another breeding ground for beasts that might create a new horde, endangering nearby cities. And we can tame aquatic beasts to inhabit this place. (He was already thinking about finding rare aquatic beasts for his collection.)
Vania: Leave the management to us. (She was already thinking of profit. Now that they were Mythical Rank, they were unstoppable in the Wildlands and very eligible to establish a sect.)
Then Vania explained how they could establish a sect.
Vania: In founding a sect, there should be at least 10 members, and 2 to 3 of them must be Mythical Rank, with Mythical beasts if it's a tamers' sect. The sect must also register its name and base location and follow internal law. Nowadays, there are already laws for independent forces outside any nation. Due to the constant conflicts and massacres between sects in the past, the Empire (referring to the Tevera Empire, which governs all nations on the continent) decided to implement laws to prevent such violence. Every conflict is now resolved through debate and competition, following designated arenas and regulations. Establishing a sect is simple—we just need members and to build our base outside of any nation.
Logan: Sects are also ranked. Since we are just starting out, we will be a Grade 9 sect. We can rank up later after evaluations based on performance.
Selso: And we can apply for sect establishment at the City Lord's office. Vania can do it. Paperwork is so bothersome.
Lyrus: Oh, that's a good thing then.
Teo: So what should be the name of our sect?
Vania: How about Evergarden? Sky Blossom?
Logan: Ek. No way. That's too feminine. And those names sound familiar. We can't have similar names to others.
Selso: Yes, we need something cooler.
Lyrus: I can't think of anything. Hmm.
They were wracking their brains just to come up with a name for the sect. Time passed on.
Teo: Hmm. How about something related to Lyrus? If we eventually put up a sect with Lyrus as our leader, we'll eventually have a lot of dealings with the Eisien Clan.
Lyrus: Me, a leader? That would be too bothersome. How about we rule it as a council of five? I'm still too unknowledgeable for such a taxing position. And I'll be away from time to time—I can't be held in one place, you know.
Vania: Hmm. Well, so be it. I have no problem with that. How about we just decide on a temporary name for now?
Logan: How about AVALON? We can just have a short name—we don't need flashy names, right?
Lyrus: Yeah, that's a good one. A word associated with beginnings and a haven for beasts—AVALON. I agree with that.
Selso: Hmm. Then let's go with that.
Vania: It's just the same as Evergarden, though.
Teo: But this one is better. Then it's decided. We go with AVALON.
Lyrus: Hmm. (He felt a change in Agarez's aura in the miniature bubble inside his spiritual realm. This guy might evolve soon... It's only been days, and now he's about to ascend to Mythical Beast as well, he thought.) Then it's decided. Let's postpone finding the Dehedra for now and focus on the establishment of the sect. We can't let anyone steal this area from us.
If Teo and the others saw a good business potential in this crater, then those bystanders nearby might also think the same, he thought.
Lyrus: Leave your Mythical Beasts in the Wildlands and let them mark our territory in this location. I won't go back to the city—you all can take care of everything.
Teo: Will you be okay?
Lyrus: I'll be safe, definitely. And Agarez is now showing signs of a breakthrough—I need to see to it.
Selso: I'll also stay behind. I need to practice more with this new unification transformation ability of mine.
Teo: Okay.
Logan: Is it okay for me to invite someone? Thomas and the gang—they're good architects and engineers. They would be a big help in the construction of the sect.
Lyrus: Oh, Uncle Thomas! Mother said he's the one behind our home's construction. (All buildings and facilities in Lyrus's home are superb and of high quality. Thomas is a retired engineer from the Empire, and now he's just living a normal life in Culvary, here in Bulgaria.) That's a very good idea. Make sure to convince him.
Logan: I will. How about I give him a little hint about your secret?
Vania: Do you want to die?
Lyrus: If it's Uncle Thomas, then I think it's okay. He's my mother's only relative. I think it's best if he becomes part of this.
Teo: Hmm. Now that you say that, I do remember Veronica talking about it. She and Thomas came to Tevera when she was just 18 years old.
Vania: I thought she didn't have any relatives at all. I only remember she came from the Asteria Continent.
Lyrus: So my mother's origins are from another continent. I'm only learning about this now.
Vania: So that's why she's so talented in magic and proficient in spells and sorcery—because she came from the Magic Continent of Asteria.
Selso: Veronica didn't want to talk about the past—just live it. Lyrus, if you want to know more about your mother and family, I think we really need Thomas to join us.
Lyrus: Uncle Logan, I'm counting on you.
Logan: Leave it to me.
Then, after a while, Teo, Logan, and Vania left the Wildlands and headed back to Bulgaria for the sect registration and its establishment. Selso also stayed near the crater area that was slowly becoming a lake now, training his transformation ability together with his Gofrey.
Lyrus also commanded all his remaining beasts to secure the crater area in all directions—and also train themselves while doing so.
Lyrus, together with Lanfer, went into the rocky mountain region where Agarez was cultivating, siphoning the energy of the mineral vein. Agarez had become even bigger now. He was not just siphoning the energy of the mineral vein but also the metal of the earth and the earth essence as well. If this continued, his toughness might also rival that of Margorio. When Lyrus tamed and integrated him before, this guy was already at the peak of Legendary Rank. But despite that, he did not evolve into Mythical Rank—he simply became several folds stronger in that realm. And now, he kept getting even stronger.