Chapter 447 Domains

Standing atop the highest peak in the mountain range was a magnificent Griffin.

Emerald wings stretched from its powerful body, each feather gleaming like a polished gemstone. Its muscular, lion-like frame was covered in rich green plumage, while enormous talons gripped the stone beneath it. Its hooked beak and piercing eyes gave it an almost regal appearance.

Talon.

Not the little Skyrend Hawk he’d acquired on Floor One.

Not even the Griffling that had struggled to increase its potential.

This was a mythical beast, an A Rank creature that had forced its way beyond the limits of its previous existence through sheer determination.

Ethan stared at it for a moment before a smile spread across his face.

“Look at us now.”

The wind carried his voice across the mountain.

“Remember when you were just a little bird I picked up on Floor One?”

Talon turned its head toward him.

Ethan laughed.

“Come on. You remember. You weren’t exactly terrifying back then.”

The Griffin let out a sharp caw before turning its gaze toward the distant horizon.

Ethan shook his head, still smiling.

He couldn’t blame Talon for being proud. It had come a long way, and the strength it possessed now was something neither of them could have imagined when he had first acquired it.

More importantly, Talon had earned every bit of it.

Ethan’s smile softened.

“Seriously, though. Well done, and thank you for saving my life.”

Talon’s feathers shifted in the wind.

It didn’t look back, but Ethan felt the familiar connection between them tighten briefly.

That was enough.

He left the Griffin to enjoy its lofty perch and continued onward.

The next domain nearly blinded him.

Ethan stumbled as a barrage of flashing colours assaulted his eyes.

Red.

Blue.

Purple.

Green.

Lights pulsed across an endless black expanse, changing colours so quickly that he felt his brain trying to escape through his ears. Electronic music pounded from somewhere in the distance and the floor beneath his feet flashed in time with the beat.

He stared.

Then he stared some more.

“…What the fuck?”

Something shot past his face in a streak of orange light.

It looped around his head, vanished behind him, and reappeared upside down in front of his nose.

Spark.

The Ember Wraith was zipping through the air, leaving trails of fire and glowing embers behind it. Its small, flickering form darted between the flashing lights, apparently having the time of its life.

Ethan slowly turned to follow it.

“What is this place?”

The Ember Wraith answered by launching itself into a spinning loop.

“Is this a disco?”

Spark zipped toward him, circled his head three times, then shot upward and burst into a brief explosion of harmless sparks.

Ethan flinched.

“Okay! Glad you’re having fun!”

Spark rushed back down, weaving between his arms and darting around his shoulders.

Unlike Talon, which preferred to maintain an air of dignity, or Wolfy, which enjoyed a good scratch, Spark seemed incapable of remaining still for more than half a second.

It was like visiting the nightmare of someone who’d consumed seventeen energy drinks and decided to build a nightclub inside their skull.

Ethan rubbed his temples.

“How do you even live here?”

Spark spun around him again in response.

“Right. Stupid question.”

He watched the Ember Wraith zip off into the distance, then return with renewed enthusiasm. Despite the assault on his senses, Ethan couldn’t help laughing.

‘Wolfy’s in hell, Talon is on Everest, and this thing is in a nightclub.’

At least Spark was happy.

“All right, little fireball. I’ll come back again.”

Spark immediately shot through a cluster of lights, setting off a spectacular burst of orange flames, as if to bid him farewell. Ethan shook his head and moved on before the music drove him insane.

Storm’s domain was considerably quieter.

At least, initially.

Ethan appeared atop a vast sea of clouds, the white expanse stretching in every direction beneath a dark, stormy sky. Towering thunderheads rose around him, their enormous shapes illuminated by flashes of blue-white lightning.

The clouds beneath his feet rippled like water, yet somehow supported his weight.

He glanced down.

Then he took another cautious step.

The clouds held.

“…How is this even physically possible?”

That was when a bolt of lightning suddenly cracked overhead.

Ethan instinctively ducked.

“All right, noted. Don’t question the physics.”

Storm hovered in the distance, the enormous dragonfly suspended above the clouds. Its translucent wings vibrated rapidly, surrounded by crackling arcs of electricity. Lightning danced across its body before leaping into the surrounding air, and the entire domain seemed to respond to its movements.

Storm wasn’t merely occupying this place.

It was controlling it.

Clouds gathered and dispersed at its command. Lightning arced through the sky in intricate patterns, forming temporary networks of electricity before vanishing into the storm.

Ethan watched with genuine fascination.

‘So this is what it looks like when Storm can use its abilities without having to worry about conserving mana.’

It was impressive.

More than impressive, actually.

If Storm could bring even a fraction of this control into the physical world, its combat potential would be terrifying.

‘It could literally become a storm.’

The giant dragonfly turned toward him, though it could see him without doing so.

Its wings slowed.

Ethan smiled and raised a hand.

“Hey, Storm.”

The response was less than enthusiastic.

Electricity crackled more violently around the beast’s body.

Ethan’s smile faltered.

“You’re not going to zap me, are you?”

Storm remained motionless, its compound eyes fixed on him.

He could feel its wariness through their connection. Unlike Wolfy, Talon, and Spark, Storm wasn’t particularly interested in welcoming him into its domain.

Perhaps it considered this place its own territory.

Or perhaps it simply didn’t appreciate unexpected visitors, even if it was its master.

Either way, Ethan didn’t feel like dealing with it.

“Just relax.”

A thin arc of electricity snapped between Storm’s wings.

“Yeah, I got the message.”

He took a step back.

The connection between them remained intact. Even here, in this spiritual domain, Storm recognised him as its master and knew better than to attack him outright. Even without Beast Suppression, Ethan could overpower it.

But there was no need.

He gave Storm a final nod.

“Seeya.”

With that, Ethan left his Lightning Dragonfly’s realm.

‘I’m probably not going back there, haha.’

Despite that thought, he was amazed by what he had just experienced.

Ethan had explored the domains of his four beasts, which he didn’t even know existed, and one remained. He stood in the darkness once more, feeling the final presence waiting for him.

His newest beast.

The Leviathan he’d defeated in the Aquatic Expanse.

Tide.

Even as an infant E Rank beast, its potential was absurd. Water Manipulation was an S Rank skill, and its eventual evolution would produce something truly monstrous.

But what would its domain look like?

A vast ocean? A peaceful lake? Perhaps an endless underwater kingdom?

‘What does it even look like?’

Ethan grinned.

“All right, Tide. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The darkness rippled.

And the space around him began to change once more…