'Phew. I fooled them.' Varian sighed in relief after he was a few hundred miles away from the golden hill.
He looked at the metal badge in his palm and shook his head.
When he revealed the process of a dual awakener becoming a Sovereign, Bali gave him this badge.
"If what you said really works, if I really become a Sovereign, then I'll fulfill any three favors you seek as long as it doesn't go against humanity and my personal dignity."
Since this badge held such heavy meaning, Varian judged it to be one of Bali's personal symbols that couldn't be copied.
"If things got heated, I'd have run away." Varian shrugged nonchalantly. He'd have gotten injured for sure, however. This was a clever decision.
As for whether his action would inconvenience Bali?
"The next time they see him, he'll be a Sovereign. Tsk, tsk, I'm really looking forward to his reaction." Varian laughed.
After he passed through a safe route cutting through a great forest, he checked his map.
"Now then, what next?"
He quickly decided.
*** *** ***
In Triad Ruins, far away from Varian, in a valley covered by fog.
A group of ten men and women were staring nervously at a huge stone platform.
A young man with blonde hair sat cross-legged on it peacefully. He exuded a sense of peace, but underneath that was a raging ambition.
Charles Xander opened his eyes and green light shot out of them.
Boom!
The aura in the surroundings began to riot as he started to give off an incredible pressure.
"Roar!"
With a guttural roar, Charles jumped high into the sky.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Strange sounds, as if the mix of bones smashing and muscles rubbing against each other sounded.
Bang!
A huge body landed on the ground and a cloud of dust filled the valley.
"Awoo!" An ancient howl, filled with dignity and power resounded throughout.
Charles Xander had completely morphed! This meant only one thing…
"Young master, he really digested that treasure in a week!" A woman, seemingly in her forties, covered her mouth and muttered.
As a result of her surprise, she forgot to control her level 8 aura.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It quickly swept away the dust and revealed the giant wolf.
It was nine meters long—as much as a car, and two meters tall—as much as a human.
Boom!
The tail swiped in the air and just like that, the wind exploded and the shockwaves broke the rocks and stones into gravel.
"Owooo!" The giant white wolf screamed and turned its head. Its large green eyes locked onto a hill a few miles away.
The woman who spoke earlier realized his intentions and stepped forward. "Master, you just advanced, you should consolidate or there will be proble—"
A white shadow flashed in front of her eyes.
Boom!
The ground started to shake violently as shockwaves containing rocks and sand hit the team.
One of the members snapped his fingers and an invisible wall blocked them all out.
"What!" They looked at the hill or the missing hill.
The large hill that seemed immutable just a second ago was gone. All that was left was rubble.
"He's not just a level 7…" Hira muttered in shock. But she quickly shook her head. "Even if it's a high-grade treasure, it's been only a week!"
She turned to her teammates and said. "Not only did he absorb the treasure in a way shorter time, but he did it without missing any benefits. Just how is that possible?"
"Get used to it." A middle-aged man said in a depressed tone. "Young Master has a talent that seems…out of this world. Comparing him to others is an insult to him."
"Indeed." Hira sighed deeply but quickly turned to Charles' figure in the distance.
The white wolf was jumping high into the air and crashed to the ground without any precautions.
Boom!
A huge crater was formed in the middle, with cracks surrounding it.
But the white wolf was alive and kicking, having suffered only a few small cuts.
It rushed out of the crater and kept attacking the hills. Its speed was also impressive.
"What is his morphing entity?" She asked in a bewildered tone.
As a relatively new member of Charles' team, she didn't know much about his powers.
But the more she watched him, the more sure she got that this white wolf had no weakness.
Its attacks could crush hills, its speed broke the sound barrier, and even its regeneration worked fine on the small scratches to minor cuts. Its physical defense was enough to support his crashes.
"Lykos." The middle-aged man answered. "Young Master's entity is Lykos, also called as a god of wolves in old earth's mythologies."
"…god of wolves?" Hira's eyes widened as he uttered the word again and again.
"Yes. The higher the level, the bigger Lykos grows." The man said with a confident expression.
"Is it as powerful as golden titan?" Hira asked, comparing father and son.
The man's expression darkened, but he answered in a low voice. "In fact, Lykos at its peak can overpower golden titan any day."
"Whoah!" Hira covered her mouth in admiration and shock. "T-Then young master will be the most powerful Sovereign!"
"Think beyond Sovereign levels." Charles appeared in front of them suddenly and said in a light voice.
"Yes, sir!" Even the ones who avoided talking saluted.
Charles then checked his own aura and nodded to himself. He and his team found a rare treasure in the ruins.
If it was normal, then level 8s should've taken it. But since they were all Charles' subordinates, and followers, he took it.
Digesting it would take normal awakeners at least two to three months, but he not only digested it in a week but did so without wasting any medical potency.
'That's why now, I'm…' Charles clenched his fist and felt the surging mana in his body.
It was not a low-level 7 aura.
'High level 7 already!'
The number one in the younger generation!
As his lips curled up, he sensed a presence fast rushing into the valley.
Charles scanned him up and his tense body relaxed.
Shortly, a man in blue clothes appeared and ran in front of Charles.
It was a Xanders' messenger.
"What is it?" Charles asked with obvious disinterest.
"Sir! We found the killer responsible for your brother's and aunt's death!"
"What?!" Charles' eyes turned scarlet.
