The remaining thirty-three assassins stopped pretending to be human.
They stepped back.
Unified.
Silent.
Then—
They slammed their palms into the ground.
Black summoning circles erupted beneath them..
Jeather blinked.
"…Oh."
Velkaria's voice sharpened.
"They brought reinforcement contracts."
Astrael's aura tightened.
"They were not only sent to kill you."
The circles tore open.
And from each—
Beasts emerged.
Not wild.
Not mindless.
Controlled.
Branded.
Iron-scaled serpents.
Winged carrion wolves.
Bladed panthers with segmented armor.
Three hulking horned colossi with chain restraints embedded into their flesh.
Jeather stared at the field.
"…You're kidding."
One assassin stepped forward.
"Beast Integration Phase."
Another added.
"Target specializes in beast authority. Counter-specialization deployed."
Jeather tilted his head.
"…You studied me."
"Yes."
"…That's flattering."
Thirty-three assassins.
Twenty-seven contracted beasts.
The mountain trembled.
Saxum whispered.
"Jett… they copy you?"
Jeather smiled faintly.
"They tried."
DOMAIN SUPPRESSION ACTIVATED
The assassins lifted their hands in unison.
A black lattice expanded across the battlefield.
Astrael's Verdant Domain flickered—
and began compressing.
Velkaria stiffened.
"My Lord… external suppression is targeting ownership signatures."
Jeather's eyes narrowed.
"They're trying to mute my authority."
Astrael growled.
"My roots are being restricted."
The assassins spoke as one:
"Erase field dominance."
The sky dimmed.
Even the wind became heavy.
Jeather inhaled slowly.
"…Okay."
He cracked his neck.
"Now I'm actually annoyed."
The iron serpent lunged for Astrael.
Astrael countered—
but the serpent's scales reflected nature mana.
Velkaria intercepted a bladed panther mid-air.
Steel screeched.
Sparks burst.
Saxum enlarged into defensive stone form—
just in time for a carrion wolf to crash into him.
The ground shattered.
Jeather stepped forward calmly—
and a horned colossus swung a chain at him.
BOOM.
He caught it.
The chain snapped around his forearm.
The colossus roared.
Jeather blinked.
"…You're heavy."
He pulled.
The colossus stumbled.
Jeather rotated his body—
and slammed it into two assassins.
Impact shockwave cracked the mountain ridge.
Velkaria glanced back.
"My Lord is unusually violent today."
Jeather shrugged mid-throw.
"They touched Saxum."
Three assassins broke formation.
Not attacking.
Targeting the old man.
Jeather noticed instantly.
His expression changed.
Cold.
The old man did not move.
"…Ah," the old man murmured, "so now I am leverage."
An assassin appeared behind him.
Blade to throat.
"Stand down."
The battlefield paused.
Astrael's roots froze.
Velkaria halted mid-strike.
Saxum gasped.
Jeather looked at the assassin holding the old man.
"…You misunderstand something."
The assassin pressed the blade slightly.
"Cease resistance."
Jeather took one step forward.
"Do you think he's defenseless?"
The old man sighed.
"…I was hoping to stretch a little later."
The assassin froze.
Too late.
The old man's cane moved.
Once.
A precise tap to the assassin's knee.
CRACK.
The leg inverted.
Before the assassin processed pain—
The cane struck again.
Throat.
The assassin collapsed.
Jeather raised an eyebrow.
"…You were holding back."
The old man adjusted his posture.
"I dislike moving unnecessarily."
The remaining assassins recalibrated.
Threat classification updated.
BUTLER ARRIVAL
The sky split.
A thin vertical tear in space.
A familiar presence stepped through calmly.
Black suit pristine.
White gloves unwrinkled.
Silver eyes unreadable.
"…Young Master."
Jeather glanced up.
"…You came."
The butler bowed slightly.
"I was instructed to observe."
He looked across the battlefield.
"…Observation is complete."
An assassin lunged at him mid-sentence.
The butler did not turn.
He raised two fingers.
The assassin froze mid-air—
body suspended like a pinned insect.
The butler flicked his wrist.
The assassin disassembled.
Not exploded.
Disassembled.
Armor separated.
Bones separated.
Mana separated.
All components fell in neat piles.
Jeather stared.
"…That's excessive."
The butler tilted his head slightly.
"I disagree."
SYSTEM DESTABILIZATION
[SYSTEM ALERT: EXTERNAL HIGH-TIER ENTITY DETECTED]
Jeather blinked.
"…Oh no."
[SYSTEM WARNING: FIELD VARIABLES UNSTABLE]
The suppression lattice cracked.
Astrael's aura surged violently.
Velkaria gasped.
"My Lord—your authority is returning."
The butler glanced at Jeather.
"…You are limiting yourself."
Jeather shrugged.
"I'm trying not to break the mountain."
The butler responded calmly.
"The mountain is replaceable."
The serpent coiled around Astrael again.
But this time—
Astrael did not resist.
He absorbed.
The emerald glow darkened.
Gold veins spread through his bark.
Leaves sharpened into crystalline edges.
Roots lifted from the ground—
no longer bound to soil.
Jeather's eyes widened slightly.
"…That's new."
Astrael's voice deepened.
"I remember."
A massive crest formed behind him—
like a halo of ancient forest sigils.
The serpent attempted to strike again.
Astrael split it in half with a single branch.
Silence fell.
The assassins recalculated again.
Three assassins attacked Velkaria simultaneously.
She parried two—
the third pierced her side.
She froze.
Jeather's gaze snapped to her.
The assassin twisted the blade.
"Contract severance initiated."
Velkaria's eyes glowed silver.
"…Denied."
She grabbed the assassin's wrist.
Froze the metal.
Froze the blood.
Froze the intent.
Then shattered it.
Jeather exhaled slowly.
"…Good."
Velkaria straightened.
"My Lord, I request permission to exceed threshold."
Jeather nodded once.
"Granted."
Her armor shifted.
Silver turned white.
White turned radiant.
The battlefield temperature dropped sharply.
Assassin beasts slowed.
Breath froze mid-air.
SYSTEM MISSION TRIGGER – MID BATTLE
[MISSION TRIGGERED: EXECUTION RESPONSE]
Objective: Defeat all 50 assassins sent by Viremont
Progress: 28 / 50 eliminated
Reward: Beast Habitat Authority Space – Custom Environmental Realm
Jeather blinked.
"…Wait. What?"
[REWARD DESCRIPTION: A self-contained dimensional space. Beasts may reside freely. User may enter at will. Environment adjustable per beast species.]
Jeather stared mid-combat.
"…So like… a private zoo?"
Saxum yelled while punching a wolf.
"Zoo good!"
Jeather tilted his head.
"…No. It's like that daycare center run by the old couple in that game."
Velkaria paused briefly.
"…My Lord is comparing a dimensional habitat to childcare?"
Jeather shrugged.
"Efficient childcare."
The butler cleared his throat softly.
"…Young Master, perhaps focus."
Jeather snapped back.
"Right."
The assassins activated final override.
All remaining beasts fused partially with their masters.
Armor merged with flesh.
Blades extended from bones.
The battlefield became chaos.
Jeather stepped forward.
No hesitation now.
He stopped holding back.
He moved faster than before—
faster than Part 1—
faster than even the assassins predicted.
He broke legs mid-dash.
Sealed two simultaneously.
Kicked one assassin into another beast's mouth.
Snapped a chain.
Dodged a fused blade.
Slammed an assassin into the suppression pillar— shattering it.
Astrael's expanded crest erased three beasts at once.
Velkaria froze an entire quadrant.
Saxum learned mid-combat—
shifting into smaller rapid-impact forms—
knocking assassins off balance for Jeather to finish.
The butler walked calmly.
Every assassin that approached him— ceased to function.
Neatly.
Silently.
Only ten remained.
Heavily fused.
Desperate.
One shouted:
"For Viremont!"
Jeather tilted his head.
"…Wrong mountain."
He dashed forward.
The clash shook the ridge.
Bone cracked.
Armor shattered.
Seals flashed.
One by one—
They fell.
The final assassin stood trembling.
Half fused.
Half broken.
"You… are not recorded in clan data…"
Jeather walked slowly toward him.
"I get that a lot."
"You… are an anomaly."
Jeather smiled faintly.
"…I'm a collector."
He broke the assassin's remaining leg.
Then sealed him calmly.
[MISSION COMPLETE – 50 / 50]
Silence.
The battlefield finally stilled.
REWARD ACTIVATION
Space opened behind Jeather.
A doorway.
Soft light within.
A wide landscape visible beyond—
empty—
waiting.
Jeather stared.
"…That's mine?"
[BEAST HABITAT AUTHORITY – UNLOCKED]
Astrael looked at it.
"…It resonates with you."
Velkaria nodded.
"It will obey environmental configuration."
Saxum gasped.
"Daycare!"
Jeather laughed quietly.
"…Yeah. Daycare."
The butler observed silently.
The old man stepped forward.
"…You've grown."
Jeather glanced at him.
"…You survived worse."
The old man smiled faintly.
"Yes."
The wind returned.
The mountain calmed.
And far away—
Someone realized fifty execution units had vanished.