Ardent District was still burning when Jeather made his decision not to save it.
Not because he couldn't.
Not because he didn't care.
But because the moment he stepped past the collapsing market road and felt the pressure of the battlefield shift into structured chaos, he realized something very simple—
Saving everyone would mean losing everything else.
And Jeather had already decided something far more important.
"I'll get to it later," he muttered, stepping over a cracked rune stone as a Bronze-tier Riftfang Beast lunged from the smoke.
Astrael reacted instantly.
Bronze roots erupted from the ground like living spears, twisting mid-air and pinning the creature against a half-broken wall. The beast screeched, its jagged limbs thrashing violently before Jeather calmly placed a sealing card against its chest.
"Seal."
Light compressed inward.
Another card.
Another asset.
Velkaria landed beside him, blade dripping faint mana residue from a Silver-tier Skyrend Wraith she had just cut down mid-flight.
"My Lord," she said, voice steady but sharp, "civilian density in this sector is critical. We should prioritize evacuation routes."
Jeather didn't even look up.
"There are twelve exits," he replied calmly. "Six are already blocked. Three are controlled by beasts. One is collapsing. One is on fire. The last one leads into whatever is causing this."
He tapped the storage ring on his finger.
"I'm taking that one."
Velkaria paused.
"…You are ignoring the town."
Jeather finally glanced at her.
"I am prioritizing resources."
Astrael's voice rumbled through his mind.
"You are becoming efficient."
Jeather smiled faintly.
"Good."
As they moved deeper into the district's broken inner roads, the storage ring on Jeather's finger suddenly pulsed.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
A pressure inside his spatial storage twisted violently.
Jeather stopped mid-step.
"…That's new."
He opened the ring's inner space slightly.
Inside, the Mystery Egg floated alone.
A smooth, dark shell etched with faint golden cracks.
It had been silent for days.
Now it was trembling.
Responding.
Not to Jeather.
But to something deeper beneath the city.
Astrael's aura dimmed slightly.
Velkaria tightened her grip on her blade.
"My Lord… that object is reacting to the underground mana pulse."
Jeather narrowed his eyes.
"So it's not random."
The egg pulsed again.
A directional pull.
Like a compass pointing downward.
Jeather exhaled slowly.
"…Alright. That's annoying."
He closed the ring.
"I guess I'm going underground."
Before they could move, the ground cracked open nearby.
A Rare-tier beast emerged from the ruins.
A Crimson Ivory Stag, its antlers burning with molten red energy, each step leaving scorched hoofprints on stone.
Behind it followed a second beast—
A Voidscale Basilisk Hatchling, its body shimmering like broken glass reflecting nonexistent light.
Velkaria shifted instantly into combat stance.
Astrael's roots expanded.
Jeather tilted his head.
"…These are not part of the invasion."
He smiled slightly.
"They're escaping something."
The stag charged.
Velkaria intercepted with Silver precision, blade clashing against burning antlers, sparks flying across the ruined street.
Astrael anchored the basilisk mid-crawl, roots binding its shifting form as it tried to phase through matter.
Jeather stepped forward calmly.
Mana gathered in his palm—not explosive, but compressed.
Controlled.
Refined.
"Mana Empowered Strike."
He flicked his hand forward.
The compressed force hit the stag mid-shoulder joint.
Not killing it.
Breaking balance.
Velkaria finished the motion cleanly.
Seal.
Jeather immediately pressed a card onto the basilisk.
Seal.
Two rare beasts.
Two new cards.
He exhaled.
"…Okay. That was worth the detour."
Velkaria stared at him.
"You are looting a collapsing district."
"Yes."
Astrael added calmly.
"And enjoying it."
Jeather nodded.
"Also yes."
The Root Core Signal
The egg pulsed harder.
Stronger.
Directional pull sharpened.
Downward.
Always downward.
Jeather's expression shifted.
"This isn't just an invasion."
He stepped forward.
"It's a cover."
Velkaria followed. "Cover for what?"
Jeather's eyes narrowed.
"…Something buried."
Astrael confirmed it instantly.
"Root signature confirmed beneath city layer."
Jeather smiled faintly.
"Good."
Then he stopped walking.
Because someone was waiting.
The ground beneath the broken plaza split open slowly.
Not violently.
Deliberately.
Like a stage revealing its actor.
A man rose from beneath the earth surrounded by floating black-rooted sigils.
Tall.
Masked.
His body was wrapped in layered bone-metal armor etched with living runes that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Behind him hovered fractured beast cores rotating like cursed planets.
His voice was calm.
Almost polite.
"So you found it faster than expected."
Jeather tilted his head.
"…You are the one causing this?"
The man spread his arms slightly.
"I am called Eidolon Varkhenn, Keeper of the Root Descent."
Velkaria's blade ignited faintly.
Astrael's aura darkened.
Jeather sighed.
"That name is trying too hard."
Eidolon tilted his head.
"You are not afraid."
Jeather shrugged.
"I just sell fear later. More profitable."
A silence followed.
Then Eidolon raised a hand.
The ground exploded upward.
Beasts erupted from the underground like broken memories given flesh.
Platinum-tier silhouettes flickered behind the cracks.
Astrael roared.
Bronze roots clashed against corrupted underground tendrils.
Velkaria moved like a storm between collapsing terrain, cutting through summoned constructs with Silver precision.
Jeather stepped forward into the chaos.
Not rushing.
Not retreating.
Observing.
Eidolon spoke softly.
"You are interesting. A summoner who treats catastrophe as commerce."
Jeather answered mid-step.
"I multitask."
Eidolon snapped his fingers.
A Root Spear descended from above.
Jeather didn't dodge immediately.
He waited.
Then—
"Mana Empowered Strike."
A compressed burst shattered the spear mid-air.
Jeather exhaled.
"That technique is getting easier."
Astrael's voice echoed.
"You are synchronizing with me."
Jeather nodded slightly.
"Good partnership."
Velkaria clashed with a corrupted knight-beast, her blade slicing through Platinum-grade armor with effort but control.
The battlefield shifted.
Eidolon frowned slightly.
"You should be breaking."
Jeather shrugged.
"I used to work underground fights. This is actually calmer."
That irritated him.
Eidolon raised both hands.
"Then I will escalate."
A concentrated root spear pierced forward.
Velkaria was occupied.
Astrael was bound.
Jeather stepped into it alone.
For the first time—
He didn't think.
He acted.
Mana condensed unnaturally in his arm.
Not borrowed.
Not external.
Refined.
Compressed.
Personal.
The strike landed directly into Eidolon's chest.
No explosion.
No spectacle.
Just collapse of structure.
Eidolon staggered back.
"…Impossible…"
Jeather tilted his head.
"You were saying?"
Eidolon tried to move again.
Jeather stepped forward once more.
Second strike.
This time cleaner.
Final.
Eidolon fell.
Silence.
The underground sigils flickered and died.
No Emotion
Jeather stood over the body.
He blinked.
"…Huh."
Velkaria arrived first.
"My Lord… you killed him."
Jeather stared at his hand.
"I noticed."
Astrael observed quietly.
"Emotional response?"
Jeather thought for a moment.
Then shook his head.
"…Nothing."
He frowned slightly.
"That's weird."
He looked down again.
No satisfaction.
No guilt.
Just neutrality.
Like sealing a beast.
"…I think I'm getting used to this," he muttered.
Velkaria didn't respond.
Astrael didn't either.
Because the ground beneath them trembled.
Ten Platinum Beasts Arrived.
The sky above Ardent District distorted.
Ten massive mana signatures descended simultaneously.
Platinum-tier beasts.
Not summoned randomly.
Responding.
To the missing Root Core.
The air cracked under their pressure.
Velkaria tightened her grip.
"…We are outnumbered."
Astrael expanded instantly.
Jeather exhaled slowly.
"Ten Platinum beasts."
He looked at the battlefield.
Then at his storage ring.
Then at the direction of escape routes.
Then at the beasts.
A small smile formed.
"…So the question is."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Do I kill them…"
He glanced at Velkaria and Astrael.
"…or do I seal them?"
Astrael answered softly.
"Both is possible."
Velkaria tightened her stance.
"My Lord?"
Jeather smiled slightly wider.
"Yeah."
He stepped forward.
"I think I'll collect them."
The Platinum beasts roared.
The battlefield answered.
And Jeather walked into it like a man deciding whether a storm was worth keeping.