The moment everyone realized the summoned beasts were on their side, morale surged like wildfire. Soldiers who had been trembling with fear moments ago straightened up, gripping their weapons with renewed courage.
"Haha! I knew it! Those summoned beasts belong to Ethan—he's amazing!" shouted Leo Fairwind, his voice brimming with excitement.
He turned toward the stunned guards beside him. "Brothers, did you see that? The one who rushed ahead—that's my brother! Handsome, right?"
Without waiting for a reply, Leo followed Ethan, charging forward with laughter. "Wild monsters, wash your necks and wait for me—I'm coming!"
Beside him, Lily Wintersand stood frozen. Though she had suspected it, seeing the truth with her own eyes still shocked her.
She and Ethan had awakened in the same batch, yet his progress now seemed impossibly ahead. Even with her powerful family backing, she couldn't compare. To her, Ethan had always been a quiet, ordinary student—an orphan adopted by the principal of No. 3 Middle School. His talent had never seemed special.
She even remembered seeing him outside the city once, digging into ant nests. She'd laughed at the time, thinking he was playing in the dirt. Now she realized the truth—he had been training his summoned ants even then.
But how had he managed to raise those poisonous fire ants, normally the weakest of creatures, into such a terrifying force?
The mystery around Ethan deepened in Lily's mind.
She also realized she owed him yet another favor. He had saved her once already in this secret realm, and now again he was protecting her. Without Ethan, she never could have survived here.
She sighed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Great… I haven't even repaid the first debt, and now I owe him more."
Ethan stood at the front, commanding his ant colony like a veteran general. The wild monsters were chaotic, disorganized; his ants were unified, swift, and precise.
These weren't ordinary ants. Ethan had trained them for countless hours inside the Beast Royal Space, a simulation world where he practiced formation combat. Simulated battles cost no lives, allowing him to test endless strategies until his command was perfect.
The battle unfolding before their eyes was like watching a god move pieces on a chessboard.
After days of growth, Ethan's crystal-wall worker ants had multiplied beyond two hundred. Though not vast in number, they fought with perfect teamwork and brutal efficiency.
Aside from the ants, Ethan had only summoned one other creature—Da Dao Zai, a towering warrior who guarded him closely like an iron statue ready to strike.
Members of the Dragon Cave Organization, hidden nearby, could hardly believe what they saw. A single student had summoned hundreds of beasts and was dominating the battlefield.
"Wait," one whispered through the communicator. "Could this be the student—Ethan?"
Another answered quickly, "The entrance to the secret realm disappeared earlier, so no one escaped. This must be him—the leader that Master Charles mentioned."
They exchanged nervous glances. None of them had imagined that a mere student could possess such terrifying strength.
"The kid's got serious skills," one operative muttered.
The message reached the one-armed commander, their leader. His steady voice came through the mask, "Don't get cocky. The real target hasn't appeared. If you don't want me collecting your corpses later, keep your positions tight."
He watched the footage of Ethan commanding his ants. "Could this boy be a descendant of that beast-master?" he murmured.
Legends spoke of a great master who could control any creature. If Ethan shared that lineage, it would explain his extraordinary command.
Still, the commander frowned. "Impressive—but he's not there yet."
Compared to alien invaders, these wild monsters were mere distractions. But soon, his skepticism was tested.
A crystal-wall worker ant at the front line suddenly flew into the air, half its body blown apart by an unseen force.
Ethan's expression hardened. His ability Blue Heart activated instantly, pulling the wounded ant back into the Beast Royal Space for recovery.
"The target's here," the one-armed man growled into his mask. "Everyone, stay alert."
The creature that had destroyed the ant in one strike could only be an alien.
"There are eleven of them," a nearby agent reported. "They're all here. Requesting immediate support!"
At once, every Dragon Cave member began converging toward the battlefield.
The commander acted first. His lone right arm erupted in blinding blue light, and with a thunderous leap, he launched himself dozens of meters into the air.
He clenched his glowing fist and slammed it down. The earth shook as a wave of blue energy exploded outward, vaporizing every monster nearby.
It was a breathtaking sight—hundreds of creatures turned to blood mist in a single strike.
But the commander didn't stop. Two more leaps carried him deeper into the horde, killing everything in his path.
On the third jump, he dove straight into the crowd of aliens. His fist swelled into a massive phantom image, covering the ground beneath like a falling comet.
"Let's end this!" he roared.
Then, just before the impact, one alien stepped forward—the same gaunt figure from before, hands resting lazily on his knees. He raised both palms and met the punch head-on.
The battlefield froze. A heartbeat later—crack!—the blue phantom shattered into glowing fragments.
Energy fragments cut nearby aliens, wounding a few, but none fatally.
The commander exhaled sharply. He wasn't surprised; he'd fought this one before. Their last battle had ended in stalemate. This time, he meant to finish it.
Earlier, he'd retreated only to organize defenses for the monster horde. Now that Ethan and his beasts were holding the line, he could go all out.
Landing heavily, he blocked the aliens' path, grinning fiercely. "Finally found you rats again. You made me work for this."
Before anyone could react, he raised his only arm and slashed into his own shoulder.
Blood splattered across the ground. The blade ripped open the half-healed scar where his left arm used to be.
Gasps spread among his men.
"W-what is he doing?! He's cutting himself again!"
The commander didn't even flinch. His eyes blazed blue as power surged from the gaping wound. Beneath torn flesh, white bone glimmered coldly.
A heartbeat of silence passed. Then—a shockwave burst from his body, shaking the entire battlefield.
Air rippled as energy flooded outward, the snow beneath him vaporizing into mist.
Everyone nearby shielded their faces from the gale. They knew this sight. It was his forbidden technique—self-mutilation to awaken his battle form.
The aliens tensed immediately. They remembered the last time he'd used this power—an entire valley had vanished.
The commander smiled grimly, his right arm blazing brighter than ever. "Round two," he muttered.
The air quivered. The ground cracked.
The real battle was just beginning.