Zachery smiled at his servants and told them to bring him 5 monster cores. The servants scurried around again and handed him 5 monster cores. He presented four to the commanders, followed by the fifth to his cousin.
As they gazed at the monstrous cores, everyone's expressions were filled with fear. They'd seen that when their Majesty attempted to absorb the beast, the monster inside the core didn't retaliate, but what if it was just their Majesties' might?
They were all debating what to do with the monster cores, and Zachery remained mute. He was curious to see who was truly faithful, as well as how Arthur would react. But, to demonstrate that Arthur truly meant what he said, he took the first step for everybody to see.
As a black aura spun the monster's core at great speed, he began to absorb it. It seemed natural, but what happened next reinforced what everyone had seen Alexander accomplish.
The beast inside Arthur's core, a Pteranodon with four wings and the ability to use wind tried but failed to fight the black aura's sucking force.
It was as though some otherworldly creature was suffocating the beast without allowing it to resist even an inch. The Abyssal Lion also purred like a cat as it obediently drank the energy it received.
Zachery laughed as he noticed the monster's core crumbling and Arthur's black eyes becoming darker and darker. It was like an abyss that gazed back at you when you stared at it.
Zachery smiled as he nodded, Arthur had reached Rank 2! With Arthur's assistance, the commanders became more daring as they absorbed the monster cores as well.
They progressively advanced to Rank 2, and they gazed at each other before eventually looking at their monarch as if he were some sort of God... No, they were fairly sure-
"Don't even consider worshipping me, duckers! These are simply my methods that you are unaware of. Rally all of our men and promote them to Rank 1. Assure their safety by saying something reassuring to them. I can't always babysit you folks, can I?"
Zachery looked around the room, taking in everyone who was there. They could all be trusted since Zachery had personally witnessed each and every person's level of loyalty.
"Come on! Move your asses!" Zachery growled as the commanders and Arthur went about their business.
'Right now, if we launch an offensive, we must carry an invincible momentum that will crush everyone else without a break. I could take my time, but that would jeopardize my 12-year unification plan.' Zachery pondered as he closed his eyes.
'I'd need an army of at least 1,000 Rank-1s, 100 Rank-2s, and 5 Rank-3s to begin the unification of Criteria. I have to swoop in and take everything by storm. That means I'll have to take every inch of Criteria by... 9 months...'
Alexander simply shook his head, staring at Zachery as if he were a monster. His Leon predecessors had spent hundreds of years laying a firm foundation and seized Criteria, and he planned to recapture the land in 9 months. What kind of reasoning was that?
But Zachery wasn't deterred by any of this. He could steamroll past anything if he had the forces he specified. He was certain that he was the second strongest in Criteria right now. As a result, swallowing two more cores was no problem for him.
Zachery only needed to solidify his foundation before moving on. To advance to <
He'd need at least four months to build up his strength and advance to the next Rank. Zachery nodded as he watched his wife digest the monster core he had given her.
Zachery nodded as he peered out the window and saw a number of citizens assisting authorities in repairing all that had been wrecked.
Zachery nodded as he gazed into the huge Greenlands, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the distance. Zachery smiled as his soul was transferred from Alexander's body to Ragnar's body.
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The noises of bears rushing through the woodland resounded across the area.
Zachery opened his eyes to see the bear that he was currently mounting sprinting forward, surrounded by bears on all sides. He and his people had hitched a ride from the Leon empire and were on their way back to their homes.
But there were a couple of uninvited guests following him as he peered at the trees that had done a poor job of concealing the black-clad individuals.
As he felt the soft sensation on his backside, he galloped. He grinned at the youngster inside his head and smacked him in the head. This guy... he was too good with ladies.
Zachery smiled, unprepared to feel the soft mounds on the back of someone else's wife. Ragnar yelled in his head as he told himself not to feel them. Zachery simply gave him a look that said, 'I am a helpless kid,'
As Zachery sensed Astrid clutching Ragnar tightly and blushing fiercely, Ragnar was having a mental tantrum. Zachery could hear her heartbeat was really fast.
Zachery had no intention of stealing Astrid, but he couldn't leave Ragnar's body due to the constant surveillance of the black-cloaked individuals.
But after a while, Zachery said screw it and let Ragnar take possession of the body. It didn't sit well with Zachery when the female seated behind him expressed affection and there was simply a phony on the receiving end.
After some time, they gradually approached their settlement, while Zachery gazed upon it.
Their settlement consisted primarily of tribal holdings of varied sizes based on their importance to the group.
Ragnar proceeded carefully to the center of the tribe, welcoming everyone who had come to greet him. He entered the largest tribe holdings in the center gently, looking around at everyone hurrying about on their own.
'Home sweet home,' Ragnar thought as he drew closer to the throne, which was high above the floor.
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