Avalon. The newly founded sect on a lakeside.
A grand sect was erected by the lake. Its foundation is made of stone and metal, looking robust and indestructible. The architecture is reminiscent of ancient styles with a modern touch. At the center stands the palace of the ruling heads of the sect — the largest building — surrounded by four other large-sized sect buildings and twenty-six medium-sized sect buildings. The sect is also enclosed by medium-sized walls. Beyond these walls lies cultivated land, cleared of all trees and enclosed again by a towering 200-meter-tall wall with a thickness of 60 meters. Towers are also built along the four borders of this outer wall, with three located at the gates.
Meanwhile, all of Lyrus's beasts have successfully evolved and reached the Mythical Rank. Lyrus also evolved all the beasts of AVALON's members into Mythical Beasts.
Currently, the sect has 56 people, including the heads: Lyrus, Teo, Vania, Logan, Thomas, and Selso.
Most of the members came from Teo's company, the Gourmet Hunter Meat Shop.
Right now, everyone is cultivating due to their promotion to the Mythical Ranks.
Meanwhile, Thomas was healed by Lyrus — and so was his Leviathan, a colossal beast still residing in his beast realm. Thomas is now recovering in secluded cultivation. His power had already surpassed the Mythical Rank when Lyrus miraculously healed him with his white domain, instantly advancing him to the Ancestral Lord Rank. When Lyrus healed his Leviathan as well, Thomas recovered further and broke into the Saint Realm. Now, in secluded cultivation, he has already surpassed even that realm. Thomas has neither martial cultivation nor magical arts; all he possesses is his natural power.
Thomas is now the strongest person in Avalon. However, due to his recovery, he is currently confined inside his beast realm to consolidate his cultivation. This seclusion might take months or even years. His Leviathan is also in the process of recovering its strength and is on the verge of evolution inside Thomas's beast realm.
Lyrus has many questions to ask him — especially about the origin of their family — but because of this, he cannot ask Thomas for now. Still, he has already gathered a lot of information upon their arrival.
Meanwhile, Vania is currently holding lectures for all humanoid beasts of the sect, teaching them human wisdom. Vigil is doing the same for the other beasts. The rest of the members are training on their own, and some are hunting in the wildlands.
Lyrus has also retreated into his White Domain and has not been seen since evolving all the beasts. The management of the newly founded sect is now in the hands of the others, who are operating things normally, with a lot of labor work and construction ongoing inside the sect.
Bill: "It's been weeks since I got here. I have to go back to the academy."
When he first arrived here with the others, he couldn't find Lyrus. So, he returned to the capital, then came back again weeks later. After speaking with Lyrus and checking in on him per the Eisien Clan's instructions, he stayed to monitor Lyrus and the sect that he helped co-found. And now, he also has to return to the capital.
Teo: "Sure."
Bill rode his Carnova, which had already become a Mythical Beast just by staying here. Lyrus's evolution of his beast wasn't free like it was for the other Avalon members — but Bill doesn't know this. He simply ran errands for Lyrus, which led to his beast's evolution.
Meanwhile, Denise, Tristan, and Luke, along with other young adults, have joined the sect. They stopped pursuing college due to the sudden closure of all colleges within Culvary. All the clans have also been amassing forces all of a sudden.
International news of the ongoing horde events across the continent has caused widespread worry among the citizens.
They had just joined the sect the other day. Mike and Miguel were the ones who accepted them. The sect is still undergoing many changes, both externally and internally — especially in the establishment of sect rules and regulations, the flow of power within the organization, and the formation of divisions and departments. Everything is still not finalized.
Selso: "We are all just Martial Emperors, despite being Mythical Rank. The sect is still weak compared to a true sect. Amassing forces is not an option either — we can't supply everyone with cultivation resources since we don't own any essence stone mines. And even if we found one, it would be exhausted and funneled into cultivating our own beasts."
The three of them are gathered at the Council of Powers, which holds six majestic chairs surrounding a circular table. The table is stacked with many cultivation manuals.
Logan: "The only source of income we can rely on is hunting beasts in the wildlands and doing what we did back in the Gourmet Hunter Meat Market. That's effective now, thanks to the promotion of our beasts. But as a sect, we still don't have any trademark abilities."
Teo: "Indeed. But Lyrus said he would create an ability that only our sect can cultivate."
Selso: "What could that be? He took a lot of cultivation manuals with him. Recreating cultivation pathways is basically impossible unless you're a martial artist. We could end up suffering backlash if we try cultivating whatever it is he's making."
Weeks ago, Lyrus asked Bill to purchase many cultivation manuals — some came from fallen sects, and others were just basic.
Teo: "Yes, but I think he knows that."
Logan: "Well, with his power, even if something goes wrong, he can just heal us back. Look at Thomas — he's been healed and now surpasses everyone. His power now is beyond our comprehension. And that's just his natural strength."
Then suddenly, Lyrus arrived with a white gate.
Lyrus: "Relax, everyone. I just discovered something. In the history of Spiritual Cultivation and Magical Studies, there is only one god for each of these powers — the Martial God and the God of Magic. From the Age of Origin, Age of the Gods, Mythical Age, Dark Age, Age of Legends, and now the Modern Age, these two gods have always been present. But no one has ever ascended to become like them — which is questionable.
In my mother's notes, I also discovered something so sinister." (Then Lyrus placed all his mother's notes on the table.)
"All who have cultivated both magic and spiritual energy are just fruits to the gods. No one can reach their level because anyone who takes the same path as them becomes nourishment for them — further strengthening their power. This path of power will kill all who follow it. And there's something similar happening with the Primordial Sovereigns."
Teo: "This..."
Selso: "Primordial Sovereigns?"
Lyrus: "Primordial Sovereign is the god of a race. Like us humans, we have the God of Magic, the Martial God, the God of Wisdom, and the God of Brilliant Light. But these gods only embody their respective concepts — magic, spiritual energy, knowledge, and radiance. They are human gods, but none of them are Primordial Sovereigns because of their conceptual divinities.
Primordial Sovereigns are the gods of beasts — the most powerful of their kind, who have reached godhood. And once a beast has attained this level, no other of the same kind can ever reach that throne again.
But during the Dark Age, all the gods — including the Primordial Sovereigns — died in the war against the Dark God, Abyssal God, Goddess of Ruin, God of Destruction, and the God of Chaos. However, in my mother's notes, many of these gods actually survived — especially the Primordial Sovereigns, who incarnated into their respective races.
Meanwhile, the human gods survived by going into hiding, along with humanity, choosing not to participate in that war. Because of this, the human population skyrocketed after the Dark Age. Now, we've become a powerhouse that can contend with other powerful races."
Teo: "So what are you saying?"
Lyrus: "Cultivating both magic and spiritual energy is a no-go. We need to create our own path because these two laws are already owned by divine entities."
Logan: "But what's the problem with cultivating both magic and spiritual energy?"
Lyrus: "Once we leave this continent, both magic and spiritual energy become useless."
Selso: "What do you mean?"
Lyrus: "In this continent, Tevera, there is the Moonlit Sovereign — the God of the Silver Moon — whose origins are unknown. Faith here centers only around him.
But when I spoke with Thomas before, he said that the Moonlit Sovereign is a human god who cultivated both magic and spiritual energy, almost reaching the level of the gods. But he was stripped of both powers by the God of Magic and the Martial God. He barely survived, cultivated again, and eventually embodied the concept of Moonrise Brilliance, stepping into the realm of the gods.
However, he was again defeated by the God of Magic and the Martial God during the Age of Legends. Tevera became his domain. Thomas also said the idiot who refined Tevera knew nothing of this history. It won't be long before the Moonlit Sovereign revives, especially with all the churches devoted to him throughout the continent.
The laws of this continent favor humanity's ascendance. So when we leave this continent, both spiritual energy and magic become ineffective. Here, we can recover both energies by resting or cultivating. But in other continents, we cannot. Once you expend your energy, you cannot recover it normally."
Teo: "How about our latent abilities?"
Lyrus: "We can still use them. That's why taming has its advantages. We can still use our own abilities and our beasts. But in my mother's memories, there's a crucial weakness with tamers — the bond between tamer and beast.
Powerful beasts can sever this bond, especially those at the Saint Beast level. They can even attack tamers directly through it. And here in this continent, we are protected — but we are merely enclosed sheep. This place is just a farm for the gods. We need to break free from this prison. I want Avalon to become a sect that strives for a new path of ascension."
Logan: "This information is hard to believe."
Then suddenly, Thomas arrived.
Thomas: "Lyrus is right."
Selso: "Thomas?"
Lyrus: "Uncle, I thought it would take months or years for your full recovery."
Thomas: "I was disturbed by this piece of shit." (Then a white orb materialized in his hands. Inside the orb was a miniature human.)
Archeidis: "Hmph." (His arms crossed like a mini chibi.)
Lyrus: "Who's that? Whose soul is that?"
Thomas: "This is Archeidis — the current refiner of Tevera."
Teo: "What?!" (Everyone exclaimed in shock.)
Archeidis: "Not anymore. My body died — damn those petrified angels."
Thomas: "Tevera is now in grave danger. Or so he said."
Lyrus: "This..."
Selso: "The refiner of the continent?"
Logan: "No way..."
Thomas: "I heard most of Lyrus's speculations. But everything he said is true. You have to cripple both magic and spiritual energy cultivation if you still want to reach higher power."
With Thomas's confirmation, everyone was even more shocked.
Thomas: "And Lyrus, this is also the reason why Ventouso was eradicated. We discovered this secret in Asteria, when the Sage Emperor of our family was on the verge of breaking through to the realm of gods. Ventouso was eradicated — but they called it a harvest."
Lyrus: "This..."
He had no enmity toward those people, but hearing that his mother's family was eradicated in this way made anger rise in his heart.
Thomas: "And this is Archeidis."
Archeidis: "Greetings, young ones."
Thomas: "Archeidis is a descendant of the God of Domination, who died during the Age of Legends at the hands of one of the Primordial Dragons. The God of Domination created the beast taming art — one of humanity's powers.
Archeidis is now in soul form because his body and 99% of his soul and spirit died. But fortunately, a portion of his soul, which was used for the oath I made long ago and placed in my spiritual realm, managed to transfer and survive. But now, he is weaker than a human."
Archeidis: "Tevera is now in grave danger. The petrified angels want to harvest all of humanity and life that exists in Tevera to revive the Moonlit Sovereign. And one of my descendants has become their puppet. If he refines the continent, the source realm will open again — and those petrified angels will be released."
Thomas: "That won't happen."
Archeidis: "What do you mean? Tevera is now in grave danger of eradication."
Lyrus fell deep into thought.
Everyone was still unable to keep up — all the information now went beyond their imagination.
Thomas: "The Moonlit Sovereign already revived a long time ago."
Archeidis: "What? No way. That's impossible."
Thomas: "Have you explored the source realm? The source realm you found is the very evidence of his revival. Otherwise, you would've found the source of the continent in a void of nothingness — but instead, you found it in an independent realm. That alone is evidence that, even before you refined the continent, the Moonlit Sovereign had already revived.
Do you know that the unrefined source realm is a void space containing only the source of the continent? What did you find when you first refined the source? A realm of heavenly land. The Moonlit Sovereign had already revived. If not, look at the continental barrier — why is it still there, despite your death as the continental refiner?
The Church of Moonlit Radiance is another piece of evidence. How can that religion exist if the god himself is not present? With billions of people placing their faith in one god, that faith produces divine energy — enough for his awakening.
I suspect he is in Tevera right now, roaming the lands. As a Divine Realm powerhouse, you should be aware of this."
Archeidis: "Then what are those petrified angels doing? They said they want to revive their god."
Thomas: "They are the legions of the Moonlit Sovereign.
Aside from the Moonlit Sovereign, another god surfaced alongside him during the Age of Legends — the God of Arts and Petrification. He's the one who gave life to those angel statues.
In ancient myths — secrets known only to powerful clans with long histories — it was said the Moonlit Sovereign was a sculptor, and he had a twin brother — a painter.
When he reached the apex and survived after being harvested by both the God of Magic and the Martial God, his twin brother played a part in his survival. In the Age of Legends, both became gods.
The Moonlit Sovereign was known to the public, while the God of Arts and Petrification lurked in the shadows. But the God of Magic and Martial God eventually discovered the truth and incurred the wrath of these two.
The Moonlit Sovereign perished again — but his brother, the God of Arts and Petrification, vanished. And now, he has revived his brother.
Whatever it is they're trying to revive through the consumption of souls — it's neither the Moonlit Sovereign nor the God of Arts and Petrification. Both are still alive.
Whoever or whatever it is… we cannot fathom what will happen in this era."
Archeidis: "This…"
Lyrus: "Hmm. But why is the law of this continent still in favor of beast taming, despite Archeidis's death?"
Thomas also noticed.
Thomas: "This… How did I not notice?"
He was even more surprised that Lyrus could already sense the law imposed on a refined continent.
Archeidis: "You're right. If I'm already dead, the beast taming law should've disappeared."
Lyrus: "Do you know the beasts of the God of Domination?"
Thomas: "Hmm…"
Archeidis: "What do you mean, young one?"
Lyrus: "The God of Domination is one of the more recently fallen deities in human history — in the late Age of Legends. As his descendant, you should know something. Like all of his beasts."
Thomas: "Hmm. I also want to know what beasts the God of Domination possessed."
Archeidis: "He had four dragons, a Phoenix, a Titan Turtle, a Seraphim, a Gargoyle, and fourteen humanoid beasts. All of them were Origin Beasts — one step away from becoming Primordial Sovereign Beasts." (Then he recited their abilities.)
Lyrus: "How about the Gargoyle?"
Archeidis did not recite the Gargoyle's name.
Gargoyles are rock beasts or devil stone beasts — like statues in broad daylight and nightmares by night. They extract souls of other races and devour them.
Archeidis: "Hmm. The Gargoyle… haha…" (He suddenly realized something.)
"The Gargoyle didn't die along with him. Oh my…"
He realized the Gargoyle must still be alive — and possibly living among the petrified angels.
Its master had died in this continent long ago in a battle against that Primordial Dragon.
The God of Domination might still be alive — trapped in the body of his own beast.
Thomas: "I see… Whatever is happening among these three gods — the three of them have formed an alliance. You were just used for something… and whatever it is, we don't know."
Lyrus: "Erecting the sect in this continent may have been a bad decision. We must hurry, strengthen ourselves further, and leave this place."
Thomas: "You're right. As descendants of Ventouso, we're still hot targets in the eyes of Asteria — especially the Asterian Pantheon of the God of Magic.
Whatever is happening in Tevera is not good. Now that the signs of the Moonlit Sovereign, the God of Domination, and the God of Arts and Petrification are emerging — this is not good for us."