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The Tiger's Soul reversed, plunging its edge into the altar. The surrounding energy instantly gathered under my guidance, enveloping the four Sword Masters. Despite their exceptional combat prowess, they were unable to dodge due to the power of the totems already enhancing them. In an instant, they were sealed within golden crystal formations, resembling enormous amber crystals.

However, such a seal was merely a temporary measure. It wouldn't take long for them to break free. Nonetheless, that brief time was all I needed. Once the magic array's energy was transferred, the Shaman was fully exposed to me. The Tiger's Soul anchored the "Amber Prison" on the ground as I launched a bare-handed attack, instantly appearing before the Shaman.

Shamans were not weak human mages or clerics; they possessed considerable martial skills alongside divine abilities. However, those skills were insufficient against a true expert. Faced with my Nine Yin White Bone Claw descending from the sky, the Shaman could only raise his uniquely shaped staff to block.

Seizing the staff with my left hand, I exerted force to pry it away while simultaneously reaching for the Shaman's skull with my right. Suddenly, my mind became momentarily disoriented, causing my descending right claw to hesitate, allowing the Shaman to duck and avoid the fatal blow. Instead, it left five bloody gashes on his scalp. Reacting swiftly, I kicked him away and snatched the staff.

I was certain that the inexplicable daze was connected to the staff, but now wasn't the time to investigate. The four red-skinned half-orc Sword Masters had broken free from the "Amber Prison." Swinging the staff with my left hand, I prepared to fend off their onslaught with my right. With the totems ineffective, victory was assured regardless of how the battle unfolded.

Perhaps today was just full of surprises. As I turned to respond, the four Sword Masters, radiating killing intent, suddenly halted, dropped their weapons, and knelt down, respectfully bowing to me.

"Hey, what's going on with you guys? Have you lost your minds?"

However, I could speculate that their sudden surrender might be due to the strange staff in my hand. In that case, they had only possessed combat abilities before, and all other actions were controlled by the Shaman. This meant that, within the entire ruins of the temple, only the Shaman possessed independent will.

Realizing this, I grew alert. I had been careless not to kill the Shaman when I seized the staff. I immediately turned around and saw the Shaman, lying in the corner, holding a red crystal nucleus and chanting incantations. A massive illusion of a Roman Sand Snake emerged from the nucleus, only to swiftly converge back into it.

"A Crystal Nucleus explosion? Quite a sacrifice, but it doesn't matter now. You're about to die anyway."

Reputed to be the most extravagant spell of all, even an outsider like me knew that disrupting the mana balance within a crystal core would cause it to explode, unleashing its entire power in a devastating blast. However, the price of a high-grade magic beast's crystal core was enough to sustain a high-ranking mage for years; only a madman would use such an absurdly destructive spell. And I, quite fortunately, had just encountered one.

The crystal core clutched in the Shaman's hand was harvested from the Roman Sand Snake, an eighth-level fire elemental beast, after sacrificing dozens of "Red Boar Guards" just a few days ago. The consequences of its detonation were uncertain, but I was confident it would vaporize me. The injured Shaman, however, seemed to have forgotten about another threat lurking nearby.

Icy Wind had been pacing anxiously around the altar. Seeing the Shaman fall, it pounced and swallowed both the core and the Shaman's arm just as he finished casting. Then, with great responsibility, it crushed the Shaman's head with its claws.

"Icy Wind, are you alright? Won't swallowing a fire-type core conflict with your ice magic?"

"Oooh~"

Since learning of Icy Wind's ability to evolve beyond its level, I'd been eager to see it evolve again. Previously, lacking high-grade crystal cores was understandable, but after acquiring the super-magic beast core of the Hydra, I eagerly offered it to Icy Wind. However, it was well aware of its own evolutionary abilities and refused the core outright, leaving me helpless. Now, by voluntarily devouring this eighth-level fire core, could it be a sign of another evolution?

Sure enough, Icy Wind soon collapsed, its body radiating red and white streams of light that cocooned it. With prior experience, I wasn't worried and turned to search the entire hall.

Among the various debris, only a few items held any value.

Most significant was a handwritten journal, authored by the last Great Shaman of the Pig Clan—Weldrigs. He documented numerous secrets from the beginning of the Glorious War up until the late stages of the Twilight of the Gods.

"...After witnessing so many of our kin sacrifice themselves, the King finally decided to seek power from that deity. I could not dissuade him. As a follower of the God of War, I faithfully adhere to my beliefs. But as a member of the Pig Clan, I yearn to secure a sliver of survival for our people. Since the King has chosen the path of darkness, I shall unwaveringly stand by his side, even if it leads us straight into hell..."

"…The divine artifact bestowed by the God of the Black Moon is indeed what the King has yearned for. The 'Scepter of Dominion' has united our scattered clans into a formidable force, and though its power is constrained, it has indeed lessened our losses…"

"…I fail to comprehend why the Alliance's leadership would make such a foolish decision, to engage in a decisive battle on the Golden Great Plains? Don't they realize we're not yet ready for this? This so-called 'Glorious Battle' will claim the lives of tens of thousands of our Pig Clan kin. Why doesn't the Temple intervene? Until the King revealed the answer—no one wishes to witness a powerful Pig Clan. War God, is this the doctrine you preach…"?