Chapter 6: Evolution of the Phantasm Beasts

The torrential downpour continued unabated. Mels's clothes were already soaked through by the rain, and a foul, rank odor emanated from the viscous rainwater, stinging his nose. Yet, Mels paid it no mind. At this moment, he had completely focused his attention on his surroundings, remaining vigilant against any potential enemies that might appear!

The injury to the White-haired Wind God hung over everyone like a nightmare that refused to dissipate. The enemy was merely a massive metal machine, yet it had managed to severely wound the continent's sixth-ranked powerhouse in a one-on-one battle. This was simply unbelievable. Unfortunately, it was a fact, a reality that everyone had no choice but to accept!

The Mad Venerable had been sprinting the entire way! Since the White-haired Wind God was injured, he hadn't uttered a single word. Although Mels didn't know what was going through the Mad Venerable's mind at this moment, he knew that the Mad Venerable's emotions must be even more raw than his own, and the fury in his heart even more violent! Perhaps, to Mels, the White-haired Wind God was like an insurmountable mountain, while to the Mad Venerable, the White-haired Wind God was like his own flesh and blood!

For masters of their caliber, it was impossible to make rookie mistakes in battle, nor could they give their opponents any openings! Every move, every attack had been practiced tens of thousands of times. If there wasn't a genuine gap in strength, it was impossible for them to get injured! Therefore, the White-haired Wind God's defeat meant a shortcoming in the Mad Venerable's own abilities, which explained why the proud Mad Venerable was so enraged!

The wind whistled past Mels's ears, and the rain gradually blurred his vision! Yet, he continued to scan his surroundings. His palm gripping the sword was somewhat damp; Mels himself couldn't tell whether it was rainwater or sweat. At this moment, everyone's hearts were equally tense, equally desperate to leave Frank Island, which was now engulfed in flames.

Perhaps out of luck, or perhaps because the path Roani chose was very well-hidden, after three hours of hurrying, they reached the seaside cavern Roani had mentioned just before dawn. Led by Roani, they dragged out a small boat, capable of holding about thirty people, from a small seaside cave beneath the coastal cliffs.

As the boat was launched into the water, everyone used their lightness techniques to leap aboard. Without waiting for Roani to start the mechanical propulsion, the Mad Venerable handed the White-haired Wind God to the Seven Immortals of Myriad Changes, then immediately stepped onto the stern. He unleashed astonishing power, using his Qi energy to propel the boat forward! Its speed was so fast it could only be described as mind-boggling.

Watching the blazing Frank Island gradually recede into the distance, one puzzle after another kept swirling in Mels's mind. Who exactly attacked Frank Island? What were those black metal mechanical giants? Why was Frank Island attacked? Although he knew no one could answer these questions, Mels kept pondering them, hoping to make sense of it all.

As the island faded into the distance, the tension in everyone's hearts gradually subsided. In the pitch-black night sky, two mysterious individuals also let out a soft sigh of relief, watching the small boat carrying Mels and the others disappear from sight.

"Commander, can we activate the Celestial Cannon now?" the slightly shorter mysterious figure said.

"Hmm! We've wasted too much time letting them get away! You go and activate the Celestial Cannon. Set the timer for thirty minutes later. Order all attack units to disperse around the island. Don't let a single person escape!" the man addressed as 'Commander' ordered his subordinate. Immediately, that subordinate flew into the air, seemingly preparing to activate what they called the "Celestial Cannon."

After the subordinate left, the Commander sneered and muttered to himself, "Undetermined Type, from today on I'll be watching your performance closely. I hope the Summoned Beast you possess is the sixth key! Haha..." With a loud laugh, the Commander soared into the air, flying straight upward like a bird until he completely vanished into the night.

Waves surged toward the small boat one after another, the splashing spray nearly submerging Mels. Although the seawater was bitter, Mels found it quite comfortable. Compared to the viscous rainwater, these waves were much more refreshing.

Roani had already started the boat's engine, and the exhausted Mad Venerable sat at the stern. The night's terror had not only drained everyone physically but also left them mentally strained. Now, safely on the boat, the fatigue they hadn't felt before enveloped them. Apart from the Seven Immortals of Myriad Changes, who took turns channeling Qi into the White-haired Wind God, everyone else leaned against the sides of the boat, trying to recover their physical and mental strength as much as possible.

Just as everyone was enjoying this rare moment of respite, a T-shaped blue band of light suddenly lit up in the night sky above Frank Island! Then, as that band of light slowly descended, the sea around the small boat carrying Mels and the others began to boil and steam upward. Although shocked by the bizarre sight before them, having witnessed the Wrath of the Heavenly God, Mels and the others simultaneously realized something extremely terrible was about to happen!

"Everyone, hold onto the boat!" the Mad Venerable roared, then leaped into the icy seawater. He grabbed the stern of the boat with both hands, concentrated all his Qi into his legs, and using himself as a human engine, instantly increased the boat's speed dozens of times over with his Qi!

The Mad Venerable's actions were not in vain! The blue band of light in the sky, after descending slowly for about three minutes, suddenly pressed down onto Frank Island with lightning speed. In an instant, a massive flash of light turned the night into day before Mels's eyes, making it impossible to look directly at it.

Half a second later, the light vanished, and everything seemed to have returned to calm. However, when Mels opened his eyes and looked toward Frank Island again, there was nothing before him but seawater and darkness! Frank Island had completely disappeared into the night!

"What... what... what is this?" Mels muttered to himself. At this moment, it wasn't just him; even the well-traveled Seven Immortals of Myriad Changes and the Mad Venerable had no idea what had just happened! What kind of power could annihilate an entire island!

The small boat floated quietly on the sea's surface. Apart from the whirlpools forming in the distance, the sea was unusually calm. The viscous rain had stopped, and the sea breeze was no longer strong, yet the survivors' minds were completely blank!

At some point, the dawn gradually rose from the eastern sea. At some point, the small boat had gradually approached the small island Roani had mentioned.

*Thump.* A soft impact as the boat hit the edge of the island, then broke free from the sea's embrace and slid directly onto the sandy beach. The violent shaking seemed like an alarm bell calling to their souls. After being dazed for so long, Mels and the others only now realized they had landed on another island. Strangely, no one said anything at this moment; there was no surprise, no panic.

The Mad Venerable silently picked up the White-haired Wind God again, and the Seven Immortals of Myriad Changes helped each other onto land. Roani stared blankly once more in the direction where Frank Island should have been, then turned to the others and said, "Let's go. The base isn't far ahead."

The experience on Frank Island felt like a dream to Mels and the others at this moment. The island's destruction clung to their hearts like a nightmare. On the way to the base, no one spoke, nor did they know what to say. Everything had returned to calm. Nothing had changed, except for the vanished Frank Island.

After landing on the nameless island and walking for about two hours, the base Roani mentioned finally appeared before them. Located in a cave at the foot of the central mountain range on the small island, the base was extremely well-hidden. Not only was its entrance deep within the cave, but the door was also made of natural rock. If one didn't know the entry method, even reaching the deepest part of the cave wouldn't reveal the hidden world behind the rock.

Led by Roani, Mels and the others easily entered the base. Although the base wasn't large, it had three to four times more staff than the research center on Frank Island, totaling around two hundred people. According to Roani, apart from radical individuals opposed to the Frank government, the rest were his students. Since the base had its own food and freshwater supply, it could be considered a completely isolated paradise.

The first thing after entering the base was naturally to treat the severely injured and unconscious White-haired Wind God. Thanks to medical technology far surpassing that of the continent, after three hours of treatment, the chief physicians declared that the White-haired Wind God was out of danger and only needed time to rest. Upon hearing this news, the heavy stone weighing on Mels and the others' hearts was finally lifted.

After hastily eating lunch, Mels, Roani, and the others finally sat down in the underground conference room to discuss the strange events on Frank Island. Although everyone's thoughts differed and opinions varied, they all agreed that the mysterious enemy's super-advanced technological capabilities were beyond their knowledge and understanding. Therefore, although the discussion was heated, it ultimately yielded no results. However, everyone felt extremely fortunate to have escaped the enemy's attack.

About two hours later, the Cloud-reaching Sword God whispered a few words to Roani, then requested that everyone except Mels and the Mad Venerable leave to rest first. The Seven Immortals of Myriad Changes naturally knew what the Cloud-reaching Sword God intended to discuss, so they left without objection. Although Sol and the others also wanted to stay, due to their status, they could only silently follow the Seven Immortals out. Moments later, only Roani, the Cloud-reaching Sword God, Mels, and the Mad Venerable remained in the conference room.

"Master Roani, do you have any way to treat the young lady?" Seeing that everyone had left, the Cloud-reaching Sword God asked directly.

"Haha, regarding the condition of the eldest daughter of the Magic family, I actually have no solution!" Roani said with a smile.

Hearing his words, the hopeful expression on the Cloud-reaching Sword God's face instantly turned to disappointment. But Roani spoke again: "Although there's no direct cure for now, I have a general understanding of her condition and possible treatment methods!"

"Ah! Master, then please tell us quickly!" the Cloud-reaching Sword God urged eagerly.

"Don't rush, please listen to me slowly. About twenty years ago, when I was still researching Summoned Beasts, I remember a couple on Frank Island who couldn't possess Summoned Beasts brought their son to see me. Generally, if neither parent has a Summoned Beast, the child definitely won't have one either. However, that child possessed a low-level Summoned Beast!

After discovering this situation, as a scholar, I was naturally very excited and conducted a thorough examination of the child. In the end, I actually found that the child wasn't born with a Summoned Beast but had generated a Summoning Gem later in life! This kind of situation could be said to occur only once in several hundred years, which naturally attracted my attention even more. In order to fully explain this strange phenomenon, I asked the child to stay. During the half year he lived with me, I discovered that the child would sometimes be very irritable, sometimes very gentle! Finally, I realized it was his split personality causing physiological abnormalities. In other words, when one of his personalities emerged, he would possess a Summoned Beast, and when the other personality emerged, he wouldn't! This is exactly the same as the eldest daughter of the Magic family!

Since then, I've consulted almost all available records, trying to find a cure for split personality, but unfortunately, so far, I haven't been able to find a specific treatment method. However, I can confirm that to treat split personality, one must start with the Summoned Beast, not the person!" Roani said with a serious expression.

"Start with the Summoned Beast? Didn't you say that split personality leads to having two Summoned Beasts, or one personality having it and the other not? If that's the case, shouldn't we treat the split personality first?" the Cloud-reaching Sword God asked, puzzled.

"No, no, you misunderstand me! Actually, during my many years of researching Summoned Beasts, I discovered that Summoned Beasts are similar to parasites. We humans possess a very powerful energy; let's call this energy 'life energy' for now. Summoned Beasts rely on this energy to exist in this world, which is also why they cannot leave us humans to perform tasks independently!

The reason Summoned Beasts evolve is because humans continuously cultivate and enhance their own energy. So, the stronger the life energy, the stronger the Summoned Beast. However, it's also possible that due to the increase in life energy, the Summoned Beast doesn't evolve but instead gains enough capacity to support two Summoned Beasts!

Thus, your young lady's condition arises! Coupled with the fact that such individuals often have split personalities, we mistakenly believe that the split personality causes the possession of two Summoned Beasts!" Roani explained unhurriedly to the Cloud-reaching Sword God.

"If that's the case, then how can it be treated?" the Cloud-reaching Sword God pressed again.

"Hmm, that's the problem that can't be solved yet. The only method now is for the patient to continuously improve her martial arts cultivation, increase her own energy, until the Summoned Beasts she possesses evolve to the point where her life energy can only support one! Apart from this method, there currently isn't a better, more effective one!" Roani said slowly.

"I see. It seems that's the only way then!" After Roani's explanation, the Cloud-reaching Sword God generally understood Lannis's condition and also realized that there was currently no way to directly treat her split personality.

"Sigh, there's no other way. But it's also good. Otherwise, if one personality disappeared, and it happened to be Lannis... hehe, it's better for both to exist!" After hearing Roani's words, Mels couldn't help but sigh.

"Mels, what are you laughing about?" Roani turned to Mels and, noticing his smile, inquired.

"Nothing, nothing, I just thought of something amusing!" Mels covered up awkwardly.

"Haha, youth is always carefree. Mels, your purpose in coming here to find me should be to make your Summoned Beast stronger as soon as possible. Follow me." After saying this, Roani stood up and walked toward another room. Although unsure what Roani intended to do, Mels still followed him slowly. Outside the side door of the underground conference room was a long corridor. As the two walked through it, the echoes of their footsteps filled their ears, unintentionally adding to the mystery. After walking for about five minutes, they entered one after another the deepest part of the corridor—a cave constructed entirely from stone! It was called a cave because it completely lacked the marks of artificial excavation found in other parts of the base. This cave was entirely formed by natural rock formations!

"Mels, stand in the center and then activate your Summoned Beast." Roani, who had pushed open the stone door and entered first, turned and gestured to Mels. Hearing his words, Mels nodded slightly and then stepped forward. "Is it here?" Mels asked, turning back to Roani after walking into the center.

After receiving an affirmative reply, he softly called his Summoned Beast's name: "Little One, come out." Before his words even finished, the green Little One appeared on Mels's shoulder.

"Oh? So you possess an Undetermined Type! No wonder you came to find me!" Roani exclaimed in amazement, looking at Little One.

"Undetermined Type? What exactly is that?" Mels asked, puzzled.

"Haha, it's actually quite simple. Just like many newly discovered creatures and magical beasts, Summoned Beasts can also appear in never-before-seen types. We call these very rare types 'Undetermined Type Summoned Beasts'! Generally speaking, this type of Summoned Beast possesses very unique abilities, or they can evolve beyond their grade!" Roani explained.

"Ah? So that means I'll be very powerful? Uncle, who exactly are you?" Little One, who hadn't met Roani before, seeing his expert-like demeanor, couldn't help but ask loudly.

"Little One, don't speak rudely! This is the Phantom Beast Mentor, Master Roani! Right now, he's trying to find a way to make you stronger!" Hearing Little One's disrespectful words, Mels immediately admonished him.

"Haha, it's alright. Hmm, it even possesses language ability. That's truly rare!" Roani smiled slightly, not minding. Then, Roani walked along the edge of the cave toward the western side.

Once he stood firmly, he spoke: "Mels, this is one of the ancient facilities left behind by a precursor civilization. Although it differs greatly from the ruins on Frank Island and has no technological remnants, it possesses very unique abilities! In a moment, I will activate the machine here, and a low-level Summoned Beast will appear beside you. Of course, it will be your enemy! But remember, you can only use your Summoned Beast to attack. You absolutely must not use your own power to attack, otherwise it will be completely meaningless!"

After his words, when Mels nodded to show he understood, Roani reached his hand into a small hole in the rock wall. Suddenly, Mels heard a loud mechanical sound emanating from the cave. The surrounding stone walls began to rotate rapidly before his eyes, and the speed increased. When his eyes could no longer distinguish the surroundings, a trace of emerald green light appeared before him.

After about five minutes, the surrounding rock walls gradually stopped moving, and a miracle appeared before Mels's eyes. The gray-white rocks had disappeared, replaced by an expanse of lush greenery. Mels, as if he was in a jungle, looked at the grass on the ground and the trees around him, hardly believing his eyes.

"Mels, this is one of the ancient people's technologies. Although I don't know what it's called, it creates a real space. Everything here can be controlled by me, yet the things created have the same effect as real objects! In other words, if you get injured here, you will still be injured when you return to the real world!

Alright, now I will start releasing the Summoned Beast. Your first task is to work hard to improve the synchronization rate between yourself and your Summoned Beast, try not to use verbal commands to control its attacks!" After Roani's words fell, about ten meters in front of Mels, white light instantly gathered, finally forming a physical attack-type, low-level Summoned Beast—a Razor-Claw Monkey!

The Clawed Monkey, as its name suggests, is a creature resembling a monkey but equipped with a pair of sharp claws. Its attacks primarily consist of biting, clawing, and high-speed movement. Though not particularly powerful, it can be quite troublesome!

Having grown up under Sarikat’s guidance, Mels was naturally very familiar with the habits of this summoned beast and well aware of its terrifying explosive power. Therefore, before the monkey could attack, he immediately commanded Little One: “Little One, watch out for its speed—go!”

Seeking to gain the initiative, Mels ordered Little One to attack first. However, this attempt proved futile. The plump, round Little One made a confident gesture, then leaped from Mels’s shoulder and charged at the Clawed Monkey. Unfortunately, its limbs were simply too short to build up any real speed. After running hard for a while, it had only managed to cover about ten meters! Seeing this, Mels grew anxious inwardly—but could do nothing about it.

In truth, as soon as Roani saw Little One’s form, he understood that speed was its greatest weakness. That’s precisely why he chose the Clawed Monkey—not particularly strong in attack, but extremely fast—as Little One’s opponent. This wasn’t just to test Little One’s power, but also to gauge the synchronization rate between Mels and Little One!

Just as Mels watched Little One with growing anxiety, the Clawed Monkey seemed to lose interest in waiting for Little One to attack. Letting out a long screech, it immediately began running on all fours, baring its teeth and circling Little One menacingly, as if issuing a challenge.

This was clearly Little One’s first encounter with a Clawed Monkey. Originally, according to Mels’s strategy, Little One was supposed to approach the Clawed Monkey at high speed, then spray a wide area with strong acid to restrict its movement and inflict damage. However, due to the speed disparity, Little One was clearly no match for the Clawed Monkey now—let alone capable of spraying acid to harm it.

Forced to constantly turn in place to keep the Clawed Monkey in front of it, Little One was clearly at a loss against the enemy’s speed. Meanwhile, the Clawed Monkey, after running at high speed for a while, seemed to gradually figure out Little One’s capabilities. About a minute later, it suddenly let out a loud cry, leaped high into the air, and extended its claws—tipped with long, sharp nails—directly pouncing toward Little One!

Seeing Little One in danger and the Clawed Monkey already airborne, Mels immediately issued a mental command: “Little One, spray acid!”

Telepathically connected, Little One quickly received Mels’s order. It slightly opened its mouth, and a mist-like curtain of acid rain instantly covered an area of about three square meters in the direction of the Clawed Monkey’s attack.

Mels fully expected the Clawed Monkey to be severely injured by Little One’s attack. He never imagined that the airborne monkey would suddenly twist its body—much like a skilled human martial artist adding force mid-air—causing its body to descend at an incredible speed! The moment it neared the ground, it exploited the brief gap before the acid fell and swiftly closed in on Little One!

A cold flash of light—and Little One’s small body was sent flying into the distance like a kite with its string cut!

Seeing Little One successfully attacked—though unsure whether it was seriously injured—Mels still shouted and rushed toward Little One, hoping to act as a temporary protector.

However, at that moment, Roani’s voice rang out again: “Mels! Have you forgotten what I said earlier? Your responsibility is to improve your synchronization with your summoned beast. Battles inherently involve casualties. How can you give up right at the start?”

Hearing Roani’s words, Mels paused, then slowly stopped his steps, looking painfully at the fallen Little One.

“Little One, hang in there! Try harder—don’t give up!” Mels cheered Little One on repeatedly in his heart.

“Boss, it hurts! But don’t worry—I’m not that easy to defeat!” After a while, Little One finally responded. At the same time, it began struggling to readjust its body—which had been deformed by the heavy blow—back into shape, then slowly got up.

Seeing that Little One seemed largely unharmed, Mels’s spirits lifted! He then asked silently, “How are you? Can you continue? If not, I’ll ask to stop.”

“Boss, I want to fight! I want to get stronger!

Every time we face danger, I can only watch you risk your life while I can’t help! I want to help you, Boss! I want to help you defeat the bad guys! I want to fight!”

Staggering to its feet, Little One voiced its heartfelt thoughts in its own tone. Hearing this, what more could Mels say? He knew that Little One could understand his own feelings. Although he had never disliked Little One, he had complained more than once about its weak combat abilities. It was precisely because of this that Little One wanted to fight—to help Mels!

The Clawed Monkey seemed to be under Roani’s control and temporarily refrained from attacking. Only after Little One was fully back on its feet did the Clawed Monkey begin advancing toward it again. Perhaps emboldened by its previous victory, this time the Clawed Monkey no longer proceeded cautiously. Instead, it swaggered confidently as it closed in on Little One!

Seeing the Clawed Monkey approaching again, Little One mustered its courage, clenched its two tiny fists, and seemed prepared for another life-or-death struggle with the enemy!

“Little One, that stinky monkey moves very fast. Don’t confront it head-on! Lure it into attacking from the air, then spray half your acid upward and half toward the ground. That way, it won’t be able to get close to you!” Mels advised, closely observing the situation.

“Okay, Boss—I got it!” Little One responded with a firm nod. Sure enough, after swaggering closer, the Clawed Monkey suddenly changed its pace, swiftly ran to Little One’s side, then leaped high into the air, pouncing toward the green Little One!

Following Mels’s strategy, Little One first used half its acid to block the Clawed Monkey’s aerial path. Then, before it could descend, Little One immediately sprayed the remaining half toward the ground to block its landing area!

The foolish Clawed Monkey, thinking it could gain an advantage like before, didn’t expect Little One to change tactics. As a result, when it landed, one of its hind legs was struck by Little One’s acid!

Even though only a small amount of acid made contact, the corrosive pain was still unbearable, causing the Clawed Monkey to shriek wildly!

Seeing Little One achieve a partial victory, Mels happily shouted, “Little One—well done!” For Mels, Little One’s victory felt like his own. Nothing was more exciting than victory!

However, just as Mels was filled with joy, Roani’s cold voice cut in: “Not good at all! So far, your synchronization rate with your summoned beast is only around fifty percent. There’s been no improvement whatsoever—let alone reaching the seventy percent needed for assimilation! And the summoned beast’s combat power hasn’t changed at all. There are absolutely no results!”

After hearing Roani’s words, Mels simply smiled and said unconcernedly, “It’s okay. Actually, I’m just happy that Little One is alright!

For a long time, I’ve wanted Little One to become stronger. But after many experiences, I’ve gradually realized that as long as Little One and I cooperate well, we can still defeat enemies together!

My foster father often told me that no matter what enemy you face, they have a weakness. If you find that weakness and use the right tactics, even with a significant power gap, you can turn the situation around and defeat the enemy! I believe that from now on, as long as Little One and I are united, it doesn’t matter if Little One doesn’t actually evolve!

Master Roani, I’m very grateful for your guidance. For me now, Little One is the most important partner. So, I don’t want to see it get hurt again. Please stop the battle.”

Mels’s sincere words left Roani momentarily speechless. For a long time, Roani had studied various summoned beasts and their abilities. For him, there were only level distinctions—no emotions involved. However, today, from a young man’s words and gaze, he understood that summoned beasts were no longer just tools for battle. For a master who truly loved their summoned beast, they were not only the best combat weapons—but also their most loyal companions! “Alright, then… Mels—watch out!” Just as Roani was about to stop the illusionary battle, he suddenly noticed that the Clawed Monkey—which had been confronting Little One—was using Mels’s distraction to charge at Mels at high speed!

Its gleaming claws emitted a cold, sinister light under the illumination. The Clawed Monkey’s speed was among the fastest of ordinary summoned beasts. The distance of less than ten meters vanished in an instant under its thundering limbs. Seeing the unprepared Mels about to be attacked, Roani’s heart leaped into his throat!

It turned out that after being attacked by Little One, the Clawed Monkey immediately realized that Mels was the true culprit behind its injury! Although it was merely a creature simulated by ancient technology, its disposition was modeled entirely on the real thing. In other words, as long as it existed, there was no difference between it and a real Clawed Monkey!

Therefore, upon realizing that Mels was the true enemy it needed to eliminate, it pretended to create distance from Little One. Then, seizing the moment when Mels was talking with Roani, it swiftly and silently closed in on Mels at high speed—seeking revenge!

“Boss!” Little One, noticing something was wrong, cried out in alarm.

“Huh?” Hearing Roani’s shout, Mels turned in surprise to face the direction of the Clawed Monkey’s pounce. At that moment, the Clawed Monkey’s sharp claws were less than half a meter from his chest. No matter how fast Mels reacted, it seemed impossible to avoid the attack!

Seeing that serious injury was unavoidable, Mels still made a final effort, throwing his body backward as fast as he could—hoping to minimize the force of the Clawed Monkey’s attack! However, the claws still tore through Mels’s thin clothing. A trickle of blood immediately sprayed from the shallow wound where the claws had penetrated his skin by about two centimeters! “Boss!” Seeing Mels injured, Little One let out a heaven-shaking roar. In an instant, a deep green light shot from the top of Little One’s head, swiftly entering Mels’s body! As the light entered, the Clawed Monkey—intent on taking Mels’s life—suddenly exploded backward dozens of meters as if struck by lightning!

“As… assimilation!” Looking at the protective net forming around Mels and the motionless Little One, Roani trembled as he picked up the crystal ball used to test synchronization rates. On it, a distinct blue color had formed! Blue—representing a synchronization rate above seventy percent! Assimilation, initiated by the summoned beast! What was happening? Even Roani didn’t understand—nor did he know what would happen next.

In the arena, Mels’s chest now bore only a small wound. After he regained his balance, the green light and protective net suddenly vanished from his body!

Little One remained standing dazedly in place, seemingly unconscious. Completely unaware of what had just happened, Mels looked at himself in confusion, then at the fallen Clawed Monkey, before finally turning his gaze to Little One!

“Little One—are you okay…” Before Mels could finish his sentence, an even more intense burst of green light suddenly erupted from Little One’s body! To others, this light might have been blinding—but to Mels, it felt incredibly gentle! He had experienced the warmth of this light once before—under Skeleton Ridge, during Little One’s first evolution!

The unknown summoned beast was finally evolving again! No one knew what form it would take—but Mels believed that as long as it remained Little One, it would be his best partner. No matter what changes occurred, it would forever be Mels’s most precious summoned beast!