As they had moved far enough south, Octavian stopped dragging the fight.
And he was sure of one thing—
This battle wasn't ending anytime soon.
This beast was too complete.
It was fast.
It was strong.
Its defenses were solid.
Even when injured, it could just retreat, recover, and return.
And worst of all—
The northern battle would be over before he could even kill this thing.
He had to make a decision.
Call for the sages at the borders?
No. Sage Arus was in Blue Castle for a reason. If even one of the border sages left their post, other monsters would flood the empire.
With no one to stop them, they would destroy everything.
Run?
Not an option.
Ask for outside help?
But from who?
His father was gone. The other sages were already locked in battle.
They were too vulnerable.
And worst of all—
If he called for help, whoever came might just steal the panther's body instead.
Octavian's mind raced, weighing his options—all while dodging the wolf's relentless attacks.
After all that thinking, he was left with one option.
Ask for help— but only from one person.
And bind him with a mana contract.
That way, betrayal would be impossible, and what was happening inside the empire would stay a secret.
A sage? No.
Too weak to make a difference.
Someone from another empire? Absolutely not.
He ran through names in his head.
Nihili? Too far.
Ombra? That son of a bitch can't be trusted.
That left only one choice.
Sylvester.
Last he heard, the man was in the Dead Sea.
Octavian pressed his fingers against his ring, channeling his will through the intricate marks etched into it. His consciousness flickered through the many personal will marks he had placed over the years—until he found the one he was looking for.
Sylvester.
A fellow Sovereign. A wildcard. And, more importantly, someone who wasn't tied to any empire.
He focused, sending a simple message through the connection:
"Care for a deal?"
Minutes passed. Octavian frowned. Had Sylvester wandered too far? There were places in this world where messages like these couldn't reach
Just as he was about to curse his luck, the ring vibrated. A voice, casual and laced with amusement, echoed in his mind.
"Well, well. To what do I owe this pleasure? The mighty Octavian, reaching out to little old me?"
Octavian exhaled sharply. Sylvester's way of speaking had always been… irritating.
"I need to make a deal," he said bluntly.
"Oh? And what exactly are you offering?"
"A Level 5 Earth Rune."
Silence.
Then, after a few seconds, Sylvester spoke again—this time, his voice carried a note of disbelie
"A Level 5 Earth Rune!!!? Is this a joke?."
"A mana contract," Octavian clarified. "Do you accept or not?"
More silence.
Then: "For what?"
Octavian didn't hesitate. His tone was sharp, firm.
"First, you accept this contract. No information about our conversation will be shared with anyone not even a hint. If you refuse, you are forbidden from approaching this empire in your current condition. If you do, your will rune will be destroyed."
He placed his hand over the ring and spoke the final words of binding.
"I, Octavian Julius Imperius, offer this contract, with the will of the world as my witness."
The ring pulsed. The contract formed.
A long pause.
Then, finally, Sylvester let out a low chuckle.
"Hah… You must be desperate."
Another brief pause.
"Fine. I accept."
The ring glowed once more, sealing the deal.
Then, Sylvester's voice came through again, dripping with curiosity.
"Now, tell me, Octavian—what kind of mess have you dragged me into this time?"
"There are two Sovereign Beasts in the empire right now. I need your help to kill them."
A loud chuckle echoed through the ring.
"Hah! And you're only offering one Level 5 Rune?"
"Make it two," Sylvester added, his tone playful but firm.
"Fuck off."
"Come on, Octavian. That's at least four Runes' worth of trouble."
Octavian clenched his jaw. He didn't have time for this.
Sylvester hummed. "Tell you what—I'll choose one of them. But only after you pick first. Deal?"
Octavian exhaled sharply, thinking for a moment. Then, without another word, he created a second contract and sent it through the ring.
A few seconds later, the connection pulsed. Sylvester had accepted.
"Alright, alright. Now we're talking. So, how long do I have?"
"How fast can you get here?"
"Three to four hours."
"Good. Sending you the exact location now."
Octavian focused, channeling the coordinates through the ring. But before he cut the connection, he switched his focus to another mark—his brother's.
Marcus.
Farther north, Marcus received the message Octavian had sent.
"So that old bastard finally died, huh?" he muttered under his breath.
For a brief moment, a flicker of sorrow passed through his eyes, but it didn't last. He turned toward the others, relaying the information.
The reactions varied—shock, anger, disbelief. But mostly, rage.
Then, Victry spoke, his voice laced with frustration. "You offered a Level 5 Rune to Sylvester?"
Marcus didn't even bother to look at him. "That's none of your business."
But Victry wasn't letting it go. "Your father promised us one of those Runes. If Sylvester gets here and fails to kill one of the wolves, we'll be left with only two runes belonging to the panther. One for them, going to your brother and one for sylvester. And what the hell are we supposed to get out of this, huh?"
Marcus's patience snapped. He turned, his voice rising. "And what do you expect me to do, you old bastard? If he doesn't get here, we're all going to die! And then—"
A shadow flickered.
Marcus barely managed to dodge as a dark tendril slashed past him, nearly slicing him in half.
His heart pounded.
The damn monster.
He forgot hé could understand them .
And now, it was pushing harder.
Victry swallowed his anger, forcing himself to think. There had to be another way to turn this situation in his favor.
Then, he remembered something.
Marcus had mentioned that the Emperor's fight was far to the south—far enough that it would take him a long time to return here.
A slow, dirty smile crept onto Victry's face.
Without speaking a word, Victry turned his gaze to his daughter, Flavia, and sent a will message directly into her mind.
"My dear Flavia."
"What do you want?" she snapped, her tone sharp, even in thought.
"How would you like the chance to gain a Level 5 will rune?"
He knew his daughter well. Her ambition, her greed—and her hate.
And then she responded.
He felt the brief hesitation in her mind. Interest. Ambition. And under it all, that burning resentment she carried so well.
"And how exactly do you suggest we do that?" she asked, barely sparing him a thought as she twisted away from a claw strike, her blade flashing against the beast's hide. "We're barely keeping ourselves alive here."
Victry's smirk was almost tangible through the link. "Exactly."
She blocked another attack, but she could feel it now—the satisfaction bleeding from his mind into hers.
"The Emperor is far south," he continued. "He can't turn back, not with the other wolf keeping him there. And as for the others?" A pause, a sense of cruel amusement. "They'll have to manage. Marcus is here, after all."
Flavia finally turned her gaze to him, her expression unreadable.
"That monster was a Sovereign. Its Will Rune is at Level 5. How do you expect to break through it?"
Victry let out a low chuckle. "Smart girl. But he was a new Sovereign, remember?" His tone was smooth, coaxing. "And of course, that's the tricky part. But tell me—what is our family known for?"
She didn't answer, but she didn't have to.
"The Will Spell," he continued, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "My Will Rune is almost at Level 5. And with yours?" He hummed in thought, as if calculating. "Together… our chances? Around fifty percent."
He let that sink in before pressing further.
"It's a risk, but one worth taking. If I win that Will Battle, my Will Rune will evolve. That's all I need. And once I have that—along with the Level 5 Earth Rune…" He leaned in slightly, his mental voice lowering into a hushed promise. "I will become a Sovereign myself. No one will be able to stop us."
Flavia remained silent, her blade spinning in her grip, her mind working through the possibilities. Then, after a long moment, she gave a slow nod.
"Fine. But I'm taking the other rune."
Victry chuckled, smug and indulgent. "Hhh, of course."