Too focused on fighting against Nero, Lux didn't even notice that Jasper had appeared behind him, about to launch a sneak attack.

However, even if he noticed, he wouldn't care because he wasn't fighting alone.

There was a reason Asmodeus and Diablo weren't joining his fight, and that was because they were on the lookout for any potential threats that would take advantage of him as he fought against a Ranker, whose strength surpassed his own.

The Half-Elf knew that his Named Creatures were always watching his back and wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him as long as they lived.

This was why Orion and Pazuzu engaged with Nero even though they had no chance of winning. It was all to give Lux an opportunity to catch his breath from the continuous one-sided beating that he received from the teenage boy who had been corrupted by the power of the Abyss.

Now, the Ranker who had beaten him a few minutes ago, was pleading for him to stop, but the Half-Elf had no intention of doing so.

"""Dragon's Breath!"""

For the umpteenth time, Nero was once again bathed in Dragon Flames.

By now, he was already hoarse from screaming in pain as smoke oozed from his entire body.

He was like a classical vampire whose body started to burn up the moment they were hit by sunlight.

The smell of burning flesh was so strong that even the teenagers who were fighting in the distance could smell it.

Nero had now completely lost his mind and was no longer in control of his body. Unfortunately for him, that didn't matter to Lux.

The Half-Elf roared in anger as he charged towards the unmoving Abyssal Creature with his left fist raised high.

A moment later, his fist smashed Nero's face, making the latter take a step back.

Lux's right arm was broken, so he could only use his left fist to repeatedly to smack Nero's face over and over again, until the latter collapsed on the ground.

The Half-Elf knew that his opponent was already a spent candle and no longer had the power to resist him.

Truth be told, Lux was also at his limit, and the only thing that was sustaining him was his rage. Just like a beast acting only on his instinct, the Half-Elf pummeled Nero's face repeatedly until his fists were covered not only with Nero's blood, but also with his own blood.

"Die!" Lux pulled back his arm to give Nero one last smack on the head using all of his strength.

However, before he could bring his fist down to finally bring an end to the hateful bastard's life, a bony hand held his arm, stopping him from delivering the final blow.

"Killing him will not solve anything, Master," Asmodeus said as he held Lux's hand. "Besides, he will not die for real even if you kill him here in the dungeon. He will just reappear outside of the Domain of the Fallen and be treated by the Guardians of Wildgarde Stronghold."

Lux panted for breath as he listened to the Archlich's words.

Asmodeus was the wisest among his Named Creatures, and his words carried a lot of weight.

The Half-Elf knew that his Named Creature's words were correct. Killing Nero in the Sacred Dungeon would only temporarily satisfy his anger, but it wouldn't solve anything. Also, he had to think about the reactions of the Guardians of the Wildarde Stronghold.

'Speak your mind,' Lux said through telepathy. 'Since you stopped me, you have already thought of a way to deal with this, right?'

Asmodeus nodded before letting go of Lux's arm. 'Yes, Master. Right now, the root of Nero's power is the Seed of the Abyss that had taken control of his body. If we can take it out, not only will he lose one of his powers, we can also gain something from it.'

'You're quite ambitious, Asmodeus. Do you have a way to do what you are proposing?'

'I don't. But, there might be someone who will be able to help us.'

The Archlich then shifted his gaze on the Crystal Dragon, who was crushing the silver-haired man with his clawed hand, making the latter scream in pain.

As if sensing his gaze, Keoza glanced in Lux's direction and gave the Half-Elf a mischievous smirk.

'I overheard your talk a moment ago,' Keoza said, which made Lux's, and Asmodeus' bodies stiffen. 'Don't worry. We're all on the same side, so it's fine even if I eavesdrop in your conversation every now and then.'

Lux and Asmodeus were very tempted to say "it isn't fine!", but since they were going to ask Keoza for a favor, they kept their mouths shut and just waited for the Crystal Dragon to continue speaking.

'I can indeed take out the Seed of the Abyss from that brat,' Keoza stated. 'However, the seed that has fully bloomed in a person's heart will immediately die after it had been taken from the body of its host. For me, this is such a waste. So, I have a proposal to make.'

The Crystal Dragon then completely crushed the silver-haired man in his clawed hand, making the latter turn into particles of light.

After that he descended from the sky and landed beside Lux, and the unconscious Nero.

'My proposal is to transfer the Seed of the Abyss to a new host,' Keoza stated. 'And I have the perfect candidate for it.'

Lux and Asmodeus exchanged a glance at each other before shifting their attention back to the Crystal Dragon who had a devilish smile on his face.

'Who is that candidate?' Lux asked.

Keoza chuckled before pointing at the baby slime who had just crawled up on the top of Lux's head, where she belonged.

'No!' Lux shook his head firmly. 'I refuse to transfer the seed of the Abyss to Eiko. I'd rather destroy it before that happens.'

'Calm down and don't jump to conclusions,' Keoza said as he gave Lux a mischievous gaze. 'I'm not saying that we'll transfer the Seed of the Abyss to Eiko's body. I'm saying that Eiko has someone that could use the power of the Abyss to its fullest potential.'

The first one to realize what Keoza was referring to was none other than Eiko, who immediately spat a corpse out of her mouth.

Lux and Asmodeus looked down on Second's Body, whose upper body, especially the face, had suffered from third degree burns.

He didn't look like someone who had a quick and painless death. Even his pained expression was still etched on his face, proving how excruciating his death was.

When Eiko stored Second's body inside of her, the Vice-General had just died, so the corpse was still quite freshwarm even.

Just like Lux's coffin, Blackfire, which could store dead and near-dead humanoid creatures inside of it, the baby slime's "spacial storage" worked the same way. She could even store living bodies inside of her, as long as the latter agreed to be swallowed up by her or was unable to resist being swallowed by her.

'I'm sure you will reanimate him sooner or later, so why not do it now?' Keoza said as the tip of his draconic claw pricked Nero's chest, making the latter's body start twitching.

A few seconds later, the Crystal Dragon raised its claw and sticking to it was a black gem. If one looked closely, they would be able to see a faint crimson glow at its center, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Keoza then unceremoniously pricked Second's chest, embedding the Seed of the Abyss in the dead body's heart.

As if sensing that it only had one option in order to live, the black gem hurriedly turned into a black liquid, and merged with Second's heart.

The dead man's heart then turned black as ink as the power of the Abyss took complete control over it.

'Make him your subordinate before the Seed of the Abyss takes full control of his body,' Keoza stated. 'As long as you do that, you will be able to gain another powerful underling who will have the same power Nero had before his power was taken away from him.'

Lux nodded and began to use his skill, Animate Undead, on Second's body.

The Crystal Dragon was right. He already planned on turning Second as one of his subordinates, but he was thinking of waiting until he reached the Initiate Rank before doing so. However, since an opportunity presented itself, he thought that it would truly be a waste if he didn't take this chance to get a strong subordinate that had the power of the Abyss.

Several rows of text appeared in front of Lux, which made the Half-Elf pause for a bit. This was the first time that he had seen this prompt, and found it quite to his liking.

----------

< You are attempting to revive a dead body that has a high chance of evolving into a Unique Creature >

< Choose which group you plan to register this Unique Creature >

Choice 1: Necromancer's Covenant

Choice 2: Make the Unique Creature the Commander of your Animate Undead Legion.