The individual combat power of Spirit Monkeys was far inferior to that of magic beasts at the same level. However, when they acted in groups, they became quite troublesome.
If Zayen were to fight all of these Spirit Monkeys at once, even he would find it difficult.
The forest canopy trembled as more Spirit Monkeys shifted along the branches as low growls echoed from every direction.
The Spirit Monkeys suddenly shrieked in unison.
In the next second—
Stones, broken branches, and chunks of earth were hurled toward Zayen from all directions.
The sky above him darkened as the barrage rained down.
Without any delay, Zayen activated his skill.
"[Divine Manipulation.]"
A brilliant golden light erupted from his body. It expanded instantly, forming a perfectly round shield around him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The projectiles smashed against the golden barrier and shattered into fragments, unable to penetrate even a single inch.
Zayen's expression remained cold.
The golden light around him intensified.
In the next moment—
Countless golden swords materialized in the air around his body.
They hovered for only a fraction of a second—
Then shot outward in all directions.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The blades pierced through the trees, slicing through branches and flesh alike. Screeches of agony echoed through the forest as multiple spirit monkeys were struck mid-leap and nailed to the trunks behind them.
Blood sprayed across the bark.
Without wasting even a heartbeat, Zayen dashed toward the fallen corpses of Terra and the others.
With a flick of his hand—
The bodies disappeared one after another into his storage ring.
He would not leave resources behind.
At that moment, a golden dagger-spear condensed in his palm.
Without hesitation, he hurled it into the distance.
The weapon streaked through the forest like a beam of light, vanishing deep among the trees.
By then, the rain of golden swords had ceased.
The surviving Spirit Monkeys, furious and relentless as ever, quickly regrouped and surrounded Zayen once more. Their eyes burned with rage, their shrill cries shaking the canopy.
They tightened the encirclement.
Closer.
Closer.
But before they could launch another wave of attacks—
Zayen's figure suddenly blurred.
The air rippled slightly.
In the next instant—
He vanished from his original position.
The individual strength of these monkeys was not strong; if it were one-on-one, Zayen could easily defeat them with one sword per bat.
But when they gathered together, their combat power greatly increased.
Zayen could only avoid their sharp edge.
But the Spirit Monkey army, seeing Zayen disappear from sight, had no intention of letting him escape so easily.
They exploded outward in all directions, crashing through branches and bounding across the canopy, determined to hunt him down.
At this moment, behind a large rock, Zayen closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, slowly sitting down.
The continuous journey and the recent escape had consumed a lot of his stamina.
Being able to sit here and rest for a while was the happiest thing for him right now.
After resting for a short while, Zayen waved his hand.
The corpses of Terra and her teammates, along with the massive body of the Bloodscale Abyss Python he had stored earlier, appeared one after another on the ground before him.
He then looked around and saw three black bear magic beasts a little far away from him.
Looking at the three black bear magic beasts wandering not far from him, Zayen realized that they had not noticed him.
'Let's try the upgrade [Legion of Light] skill first,' Zayen thought and decided to try the upgrade [Legion of Light] skill first before dealing with the three magic beasts.
"Rise… and be redeemed by the Light."
Buzz~!
Golden light began to swirl around the corpse, wrapping it tightly like a glowing cocoon.
Zayen watched with a face full of interest as the golden light wrapped around the bodies of Terra and the other, forming a golden cocoon.
But this time, the golden cocoon did not shoot straight up into the sky like before.
Instead—
Cracks began spreading rapidly across its surface.
Thin lines of light leaked through the fractures.
Zayen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The sound grew sharper.
The entire cocoon trembled violently.
In the next second—
BOOM!
With a deafening explosion, six golden cocoons shattered apart, sending fragments of radiant light blasting outward in all directions, leveling only the golden cocoon of the Bloodscale Abyss Python.
A powerful shockwave swept across the forest, flattening grass and snapping nearby branches.
At this moment the system notification suddenly appeared in front of him.
...
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully resurrected six redeemed holy guardian angels.
[System Notice: All your Holy Guardian Angel's talents and skills have been upgraded to the S grade.]
...
Six figures that looked similar to Terra and her other four teammates, except that they were wearing white exoselect armor with golden outlines and massive white wings behind them, slowly stepped forward.
At that moment—
BOOM!!!
The final golden cocoon also exploded.
A colossal serpent burst forth into the sky, its golden scales blazing like a miniature sun.
Zayen instinctively raised his guard.
This was the first time he had turned a magic beast into a Redeemed Angel.
Although the skill description clearly stated that all Redeemed Angels were absolutely loyal to him—
But this was still his first time turning a magic beast into a Redeemed Angel, and he had to be careful.
The Redeemed Bloodscale Abyss Serpent descended slowly behind Zayen, its enormous body coiling like a glowing mountain of gold.
Then, it slowly lowered its massive head.
Its golden pupils, once filled with savage bloodlust in life, were now burning with sacred brilliance.
A heavy pressure spread across the forest as its head came to rest just a few meters behind Zayen.
...
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully resurrected a Redeemed Holy Guardian Angel. ]
[System Notice: Your Holy Guardian Angels' talent and skills have been upgraded to the S grade.]
...
Just then, a deep, resonant voice echoed directly within Zayen's mind.
"Master..."
Zayen's eyes widened slightly.
"It can speak."
A look of surprise flashed across his face when he heard the voice in his mind.
He didn't know much about this upgrade.
Did this mean all Redeemed magic beasts would now be able to speak?
Zayen was about to open his personal information panel to check the complete details of the upgraded [Legion of Light] skill—
When suddenly—
He sensed three powerful auras approaching rapidly in his direction.
When Zayen looked ahead, he saw three black bears approaching him.
Their massive bodies were covered in dark pink scales that layered over their black fur, giving them a strange and ferocious appearance.
And the aura released from their bodies was that of Level 8 magic beasts.
Zayen's eyes narrowed instantly.
The three black bear magic beasts must have noticed him when the Redeemed Bloodscale Abyss Serpent burst into the sky earlier.
That explosion of holy energy was impossible to ignore.
When the three bears were about one hundred and fifty meters away from Zayen and the seven Redeemed Holy Angels—
They suddenly stopped.
Then—
ROOOAAARRR!!!
A deafening roar tore through the air.
The sound wave alone shook the trees, sending leaves cascading down like rain.
Their crimson-pink scales bristled, and violent spiritual energy surged from their bodies. The ground beneath their paws cracked as Level 8 pressure rolled outward in waves.
Zayen was about to release his own aura.
If he unleashed it fully, the three level 8 black bears would most likely retreat after sensing the terrifying pressure.
At the moment, he had no real intention of fighting.
He simply wanted time to carefully examine the complete details of the upgraded [Legion of Light] skill.
Understanding the skill thoroughly was more important than a meaningless clash.
But before he could even circulate his spiritual energy—
One of the Redeemed Holy Angels moved.
It was the long-haired angel who had been kneeling closest to him.
"How dare you growl before my master, you filthy monster?" The angel's voice was filled with rage.
A radiant golden sword condensed in his hand, its blade humming with compressed holy energy.
In the next instant—
The angel figure suddenly blurred and then split into nine identical figures, each holding a blazing sword.
Before the three black bears could even react—
The nine figures attacked simultaneously.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Nine streaks of golden light tore across the battlefield from different angles.
The first bear raised its massive claws to block—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks erupted as holy blades clashed against dark pink scales.
But the ninth figure appeared directly above it.
"Judgment."
Slash—!!!
A vertical beam of golden light descended like divine punishment.
The bear roared in pain as its scales split open, sacred energy invading its flesh.
The second and third bears charged forward in rage, their level 8 aura exploding outward violently—
But the remaining figures surrounded them instantly.
Each angel moved with terrifying precision.
Nine blades struck in perfect synchronization.
Boom!
The ground shattered under the impact of holy energy and violent beast force colliding.
Shockwaves rippled outward, flattening trees within dozens of meters.