I Can See Evolution Paths

The darkness swallowed Vedas. Arthur remained at the entrance of the cavern, his eyes fixed on the enormous silhouette moving somewhere beyond the darkness. He could have followed. He could have helped. He could have ended the fight himself.

But he didn’t.

Vedas had asked for this one. Arthur had seen how far his first Beast Partner had come since the beginning of their journey. There had been a time when Arthur couldn’t imagine Vedas standing alone against something like this. Now, he wanted to see what Vedas could do.

The ground trembled. A deep rumble rolled through the cavern. Then something moved.

Vedas stopped. The darkness ahead shifted, and two enormous eyes opened. They were not like the eyes of the other Chiefs. They were ancient. Heavy. Almost completely devoid of emotion.

Then the rest of the Beast emerged. Stone cracked beneath its weight as an enormous body pushed itself out from beneath the cavern floor, its hide looking like layers of mountains fused together, covered in dark earth-colored armor and enormous ridges that ran along its back. Its head alone was larger than Vedas’s entire body, and when it opened its mouth, Arthur saw rows of stone-like teeth.

The Beast roared. The entire cavern shook.

Vedas tightened his grip around his golden spear. Arthur’s expression became serious. That was the strongest Chief they had encountered. And it wasn’t even close.

The Beast charged. Vedas moved. The collision shook the underground road, and Vedas was thrown backward, twisting in midair and landing on his feet, his spear scraping against the stone.

The Beast turned immediately and charged again. Vedas didn’t retreat. He rushed forward, his golden spear striking the Beast’s chest, the impact creating a massive shockwave. The Beast barely moved.

Vedas’s eyes narrowed. "Too hard."

The Worldmaw Behemoth swung its head. Vedas ducked beneath the attack, but the force of the movement still sent him flying sideways. He rolled across the ground and immediately stood.

Arthur’s hand tightened around Dusk. He didn’t move. This was Vedas’s battle.

Vedas charged again. The Beast opened its enormous jaws.

[War Shout]

Golden energy erupted from Vedas, his aura expanding, his body accelerating. He disappeared beneath the Beast’s bite.

[Armor Piercing]

His spear flashed, the attack striking the same section of armor he had targeted earlier. A crack appeared.

Vedas’s eyes lit up. "Found you."

The Worldmaw Behemoth roared, its massive forelimb slamming down. Vedas barely escaped, the ground exploding, chunks of stone flying through the air. He moved between them, using the debris as cover. The Beast’s head followed him, but it was too large to turn quickly.

Vedas understood. He wasn’t going to overpower it. He had to outfight it. He ran, the Worldmaw chasing, and he changed direction. The Beast turned. Vedas changed again. Each time, the enormous body struggled to follow.

Arthur watched silently. Vedas was using everything he had learned, not simply attacking, not simply relying on his strength. He was studying the enemy, finding its movement, finding its limits, finding the opening.

The Worldmaw suddenly slammed its tail into the ground, and the entire cavern shook. Vedas lost his footing. The Beast lunged, and Vedas raised his spear.

[Barrier Generation]

A golden barrier formed around him. The Worldmaw’s jaws crashed into it, and the barrier shattered instantly. Vedas was thrown backward and hit the ground hard.

For several seconds, he didn’t move. Arthur took half a step forward. Then stopped.

Vedas slowly pushed himself upright. His armor was damaged. Blood ran down the side of his face. His golden spear was still in his hand.

He looked at the Beast. Then he smiled. "Again."

The Worldmaw charged. Vedas charged too.

[King Aura]

Golden energy exploded around his body, his strength surging, his spear becoming brighter. The two collided, and Vedas was driven backward, the Beast kept pushing, his feet carving trenches through the stone, his arms shaking under the Worldmaw’s overwhelming strength.

Vedas roared. He pushed back. For one moment, the Beast stopped, and Vedas twisted his body, slipping beneath the Beast’s head and thrusting his spear upward.

[Armor Piercing]

The golden spear struck the crack he had created earlier. The armor split. The Beast roared, and Vedas pulled his spear free.

The Worldmaw swung around, its tail striking him across the chest, and Vedas flew, his spear hitting the ground beside him. He rolled several times before stopping.

The golden weapon was damaged. Vedas looked at it. A crack had appeared along the shaft.

He stood. The Beast approached. Vedas picked up his spear. "Not yet."

The Worldmaw lowered its head. Vedas’s breathing became heavier. His body was reaching its limit. But he had learned something. The armor wasn’t simply strong. It was layered. Every time the Beast moved, the plates shifted slightly. And beneath them—

There.

Vedas saw it. A narrow opening between two enormous plates of earth armor. He remembered Arthur teaching him something long ago.

Don’t attack where the enemy is strong. Attack where it has to move.

Vedas lowered his spear. The Worldmaw charged. Vedas waited. Closer. Closer.

The Beast opened its jaws. Vedas moved at the last possible moment. He ran directly beneath its head. The Worldmaw tried to turn. Too slow.

Vedas planted one foot against its chest. His spear cracked. The Beast’s armor shifted. The opening appeared.

Vedas roared. He poured everything into one attack.

[Magic Burst]

Golden energy exploded through the spear, the weapon driving forward, the cracked armor breaking apart. The spear pierced through. The Worldmaw froze.

Vedas pushed harder. The golden spear broke through the final layer of armor and buried itself deep inside the Beast.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then the Worldmaw Behemoth collapsed, the ground shaking beneath its enormous body, dust filling the cavern.

Vedas stood there, breathing heavily, his broken spear still in his hands.

Arthur finally moved. The dust slowly settled.

Vedas looked toward him.

Arthur smiled. "You did it."

Vedas looked down at the fallen Beast, then at his damaged spear, a tired smile appearing on his face. "Yeah."

The others finally entered the cavern. Kong stared at the enormous corpse and pointed at it. "Big."

Sun looked at the Beast. "That’s your contribution?"

Kong nodded. "Big."

Mithra laughed, and even Vedas chuckled.

Then the familiar notification appeared. Arthur’s eyes moved toward it.

[Chief Beasts Defeated: 50/50]

The number remained there for several seconds.

Fifty.

They had done it. Fifty Chief Beasts. The entire Chief’s Road had been crossed.

Then another notification appeared.

[Additional Evolution Data Condition Fulfilled.]

Arthur’s eyes widened. A second line appeared beneath it.

[Goblin Genesis Emperor]

Arthur looked at Vedas. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Vedas seemed to understand what the notification meant.

Arthur smiled. "You did it."

Vedas looked down at himself, then at Arthur. He didn’t evolve. Not yet. Arthur could feel that something had changed, a path had opened, but the time wasn’t right. Whatever waited at the end of that path could wait. For now, Vedas had earned the right to stand there exactly as he was, the first Beast Partner Arthur had ever made, the Goblin King who had fought beside him from the beginning.

Vedas smiled. "Let’s see what comes next."

Arthur turned toward the enormous chamber beyond the fallen Beast. Something had opened. The stone behind the Worldmaw’s territory was moving, ancient mechanisms groaning beneath the floor, the walls separating. A massive stone arena emerged from beneath the earth, golden lines spreading across its surface.

At the center of the arena stood a single object.

Arthur stopped.

The Earth Mirror.

It was enormous, its surface looking like polished stone, yet something moved beneath it, as though an entire landscape existed inside the dark reflective surface.

Arthur slowly walked forward. Athena followed with the others. "No one has been here for centuries."

Luna stared at the Mirror. "This is where the ancient guardians brought it."

Arthur stepped onto the arena, and the moment his foot touched the stone, the entire chamber became silent. His King Mark began glowing. The Earth Mirror responded, a low vibration spreading through the arena, golden symbols appearing across its surface.

Arthur approached. The Mirror brightened. Then words formed across the stone.

"Foundation."

Arthur stared at the single word. Nobody spoke.

The Earth Mirror had finally awakened. And it had chosen its first word carefully.