"Your son is making good progress." Dracula said, turning to Lincoln.
"All thanks to you, Big Brother... Otherwise, that kid, Christopher, would have killed us both," Lincoln replied with a small smile. "What's next?" he asked.
"The Master can take on the barricade alone, so our help isn't needed. But we need to make sure nothing stands in his way," Dracula said calmly.
"I'm getting reports from the Guardians that Christopher is in the city... everywhere," Lincoln said, raising an eyebrow.
"Everywhere?!" Dracula turned to him with a confused expression. "What do you mean by that?"
"Everywhere... He is everywhere," Lincoln repeated.
"He might be heading here as we speak."
RING!
Dracula pulled out his phone and answered the call.
"Master! We need help!" came the terrified voice of the first Guardian.
"Help?! Can't you kill some ordinary people?!" Dracula yelled at him.
"No! Not them! Fast!"
'This fool shouldn't be this terrified,' Dracula thought, his brow furrowed. "What is happening there?"
"Chris... Christopher! He... he is everywhere!" the second Guardian yelled.
"You! You have Shadow with you!" Dracula reminded them.
"Shadow is dead! We need backup—"
The voice cut off abruptly.
"...?!"
Dracula turned to Lincoln, and without a second thought, the two shot into the air, flying toward the Guardians' location.
____
"So weak!"
BAM!
Lucas crushed the head of the fifth Guardian under her paw, her gaze fixed on the remaining first and second Guardians.
"Why are we delaying?" Reaper asked, his red fur glowing with an eerie light.
"Let's wait for the reinforcement," Lucas said, her eyes sweeping over Christopher's twenty clones.
"You! Stay back!" the first Guardian stammered, backing away in fear.
"Stay back?" Lucas continued walking toward them. "I don't know the meaning of that."
"....?!"
"...You?!"
The two remaining Guardians were dumbfounded. The two beasts before them were both sky-stage beasts with a combat strength of Lv15. They couldn't win! Not with Christopher's twenty clones, all of whom possessed the power of a supreme-level awakener.
"How dare you?!"
BOOOM!
Dracula and Lincoln landed before the two Guardians, their eyes blazing with killing intent as they stared at Lucas and Reaper.
"Now I understand. These are Christopher's clones," Lincoln said, his gaze moving over the clones.
'Shit! We can't win here!' Dracula thought inwardly. 'We're outnumbered and outmatched... I shouldn't have come.' He sighed softly.
"Retreat," he ordered.
"How cute."
Reaper placed a paw on the ground, and instantly, a red blood barrier rose from the earth, enclosing everyone inside.
"This?!"
Dracula and Lincoln looked up in shock.
"We need to get out of this barrier! That beast's strength will keep on increasing in here!" Dracula yelled, drawing his sword and shooting toward Lucas.
"Then we are fighting!" Lincoln summoned his long sword and followed close behind.
The two horrified Guardians looked at each other. They knew if Dracula and Lincoln were unable to do anything, they were all dead!
"I won't go down without a fight!" the first Guardian yelled, lunging forward with his sword.
"Yes!" the second Guardian added, but before he could move, his head flew into the air and landed before Dracula, Lincoln, and the first Guardian.
"...?!"
The three of them turned around to see a black horse with two horns and a bladed tail.
"Not this beast!" Lincoln exclaimed in shock.
"Things just got a whole lot harder!" Dracula said, unleashing his full strength. His muscles expanded, and his eyes turned blood red. "We're going all out!" he yelled.
Lucas watched them for a second, then with a powerful leap, shot toward them. Reaper, the clones, and the horse followed close behind.
_____
[Back to Christopher.]
BOOOOOOM!
Christopher opened his eyes, staring at Leyla, who had just broken through and entered the supreme level. "Impressive," he muttered.
BOOOOOOM!
Following right behind her, Advika finally merged with the goddess and broke through, entering the supreme level as well.
"Huh? Something isn't right." Christopher stood up, staring at the dense, unstable amount of life force swirling around the two of them, compounded by the life force tide.
BOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOM!
Katherine, Adonis, and Chloe all broke through, entering the master level.
"I... I finally did it!" Katherine yelled, jumping to her feet.
"Wow! I never thought I'd enter the master level this early," Adonis muttered, getting to his feet. "All thanks to Brother." he added, staring at the notebook in his hand.
"Yep... That brother of yours helped us this time," Chloe said, opening her eyes.
"Um... guys."
The two turned to Katherine, who was pointing at the figure staring at them with a smile.
"Brother?!" Adonis was stunned.
"The three of you should get off this building," Christopher said in a calm tone.
".....?!"
Katherine, Adonis, and Chloe looked at each other in confusion, not understanding why.
"Look at them," Christopher said, gesturing to Leyla and Advika.
The three of them turned to the two girls and were dumbfounded by the dense, unstable energy radiating from them.
"You should go," Christopher said, adding, "Wait for now... maybe three blocks away."
"Okay... Draki is on his way," Adonis said.
__
[Three Minutes Later.]
WHOOSH!
The red dragon shot down from the sky, accompanied by Hellfire and Christopher's two divine-stage blood eagles.
Adonis leaped into the air, landing on his beast's head. "Come on!" he yelled at the two girls.
Chloe and Katherine nodded and followed his lead, landing on Draki's head behind Adonis.
"One question, Brother!" Katherine yelled, staring at Christopher.
"What is that?" Christopher asked with a smile.
"What's the weakest beast in your collection?" she asked.
"Divine rank with a combat strength of Lv10."
".....?!"
The two were dumbfounded.
"What about your strongest?!" Chloe asked out of curiosity.
"He is my strongest." Christopher gestured to the sky above the skyscraper, where a huge golden dragon descended, hovering over the building.
"Is that a half celestial stage beast?!" Chloe exclaimed in horror.
"Thanks to the life force tide, my beasts are getting stronger... Grim, Lucas, Reaper, and Death are left," Christopher muttered to himself. "They must all enter the half celestial stage before the life force tide stops." He nodded at them.
"Go now!"
Adonis nodded, and with a command, Draki spread his wings and shot into the air with the three of them, leaving Christopher and the two girls alone.
"Tiamat! What's happening?!" he yelled, as Tiamat appeared beside him, her phantom form floating toward Advika and Leyla.
"It seems these two are ready to merge with their spirits," Tiamat said with a thoughtful expression. "I'm also shocked; it has only been one week... I still don't know how Advika put some sense in that bitch."
"I understand Leyla. My mother already made a way for her... The life force tide just fastened the process. But Advika is a whole different story," Christopher said, sitting back down.
"I will stay here and see how everything turns out."
"You know, you would have entered the Grand Ascendant rank if you had gotten my second fragment... You know exactly where it is," Tiamat said with a frown.
"True... But I can't leave Cordelia and travel for seven days," Christopher said, turning to face her. "We need to stabilize everything first. For now... help me conceal their energies. I don't want any ants disturbing us."
"Really?! Then what is that guy for?" Tiamat asked, pointing a finger at Lazarus.
"Backup," Christopher answered, and closed his eyes.
"...Backup?!" Tiamat was stunned.
____
[Advika's Consciousness.]
"You do know what you're doing, right?" The Fire Spirit asked, staring at Advika, who stood amidst a sea of flames.
"This is the only way," Advika replied. "This past seven days, I have attacked you so much that I lost count... Isn't the darkness in you erased?" she asked with a frown.
"It is... But your body isn't strong enough for my full power," the goddess explained. "Of course, you will gain a huge increase in strength, but you still need to know how to stabilize the power before even thinking of using it... And that will take time." She added, "I like you, Advika, from the start... And I want you to be safe."
"The only way I can be safe is with my full strength! You chose me for a reason! And that's to stop evil! Now! There are evils in my city! Without my strength, I won't be able to help, and my life will be in danger! Please!" Advika pleaded.
"Christopher is there, same with the Light Spirit," the goddess pointed out.
"You are a goddess who doesn't rely on others! Why would you want your successor to rely on others for her safety?!" she yelled at her.
The goddess was silent. After a few seconds of deep thought, she exhaled. "My child... this strength, you will lose control the moment you wake up—"
"Christopher is close by to help me!" Advika cut her off, adding, "You always said we are destined to be together, maybe you are right... He might be the only one that can quench my fire." Advika said in a low voice.
"Indeed, he is the only one that can do that... Okay, child!" The Goddess finally stood up from her throne, her gaze fixed on Advika.
"Let's hope you won't kill him before he helps you... Advika Evander, successor of the fire spirit, I now give you all my powers."