Chapter 68: The Final Piece

Within a few seconds the Lizard lord was dead!

<Ding!>

[Successfully killed Level 8 Elite "Rock-Back Lizard Lord" above your level. Gained 1,200 EXP!]

["Greed" effect triggered. Obtained additional items: [Lord Lizard Skin] ×1, [Heavy Leg Armor (Uncommon)] ×1!]

[Soul Essence absorbed! Obtained +3 Constitution from target "Rock-Back Lizard Lord"!]

[Ding! Your level has increased to Level 6!]

Silas’s eyes snapped open. He stared at the corpse lying before him, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.

That Elite Lord; A monster that had seemed as invincible as a demon god only moments ago, had actually been killed in an instant.

Silas slowly raised his head. His gaze followed the metal gauntlet, still shimmering with a cold blue light, until it reached the familiar, stern face standing before him.

His pupils trembled.

It was him! The mysterious powerhouse who had saved him in the warehouse.

The man who had given him the [Resolute Tower Shield], the very shield that had kept him alive through countless desperate battles.

And now... He had saved him again. Twice.

The realization struck Silas harder than any blow the Lizard Lord had delivered.

For years, he had survived alone before and through the apocalypse. He had endured hunger, desperation, betrayal, and countless nights when death seemed easier than waking up the next morning.

With his gruesome experience in the modern gladiator arena he had learned not to expect anything from anyone.

He had buried every hope beneath layers of pain and built an iron wall around his heart. But now, that wall finally cracked. Then, It collapsed completely.

The gratitude of being saved from certain death, the overwhelming relief of surviving, and the weight of receiving the same man’s kindness twice surged through Silas’s heart like a breaking dam.

His eyes reddened as Aiden retracted his gauntlets and calmly walked toward him.

He stopped in front of the blood-covered giant, who was still breathing heavily like a wounded beast.

"We meet again, Silas." Aiden glanced over his battered body. "What happened?"

Silas stared at him. His lips trembled. For a man as large and intimidating as an iron tower, the sight was strangely fragile.

His fingers tightened around the warhammer.

Then,

Clang!

He released it. The heavy weapon fell onto the gravel.

Then Silas took one step backward. Then another.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The next moment, Silas lowered himself onto one knee.

THUD.

The gravel shifted beneath his tremendous weight. He raised the [Resolute Tower Shield] above his head with both hands.

The shield was covered in cracks. Its surface was battered and scarred from countless impacts.

Yet Silas held it as though it were something sacred.

Because to him, it was. It had saved his life. It had witnessed his struggles. And now, it would bear witness to the promise he was about to make.

Silas lowered his head. The man who had refused to bow before countless hardships finally bowed willingly before someone else.

His voice came out hoarse, roughened by exhaustion and emotion.

But every word carried an unprecedented firmness.

"Silas’s life was given by you." He paused. "Twice."

His fingers tightened around the shield. "This shield has witnessed your kindness..."

His bloodshot eyes lowered. "And it has also witnessed my weakness."

His voice grew steadier. "From this day forward, this shield and this body belong to you."

Silas’s head lowered even further. "I am willing to follow you through fire and blood. I will stand before you when danger comes. I will carry your enemies’ attacks upon my shield. And if the day comes when death stands before you..."

His voice became heavy with absolute conviction.

"I will stand between you and death."

Silence descended over the canyon. Silas pressed the cracked shield firmly against the ground.

Then, with his head still bowed, he spoke the words that carried the full weight of his gratitude, desperation, and newfound purpose.

"Please... Take me in."

There were no elaborate promises. No grand declaration. Only the simplest and heaviest vow a man like Silas could offer.

His life, his shield and his loyalty. Everything he had left.

... Aiden looked at Silas kneeling before him.

His gaze lingered on the [Resolute Tower Shield] held above Silas’s head. Its surface was covered in both fresh scars and old marks, each one a silent testament to the battles the man had survived.

Then Aiden looked at Silas himself. He could feel it. The heart that had been frozen by despair was beginning to thaw.

The flame that had nearly gone out was reigniting, faint at first, but growing steadily brighter.

Perhaps Silas didn’t want to speak about what had driven him to such a state.

Then Aiden wouldn’t ask. In this apocalypse, who hadn’t been swallowed by despair at some point?

Aiden stepped forward. He didn’t reach for the shield. Instead, he placed one hand firmly on Silas’s broad, solid shoulder. "Get up."

His voice remained calm, but there was an almost imperceptible gentleness beneath it. "What I need isn’t a servant who kneels before me. I need a brother who can fight beside me..."

Aiden’s hand tightened slightly around his shoulder. "Someone whose back I can entrust with my life, and who can entrust his life to me."

Silas’s body trembled faintly.

"Your shield remains in your hands. Your life belongs to you."

Aiden paused before continuing. "From now on, live for yourself... And for the team we’re going to build together."

Then Aiden extended his hand. "Welcome to the team, Silas."

Silas suddenly looked up. His tiger-like eyes were already red. For a moment, he simply stared at Aiden as though trying to engrave those words into his soul.

Then, Hot tears finally rolled down his cheeks. The tears of a man who had endured too much for too long.

Silas nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

He rose to his feet. The towering figure wiped the blood and tears from his face with the back of his hand, then picked up his warhammer and strapped the [Resolute Tower Shield] securely onto his back.

He straightened. His broad shoulders squared. His spine rose like a mountain.

The despair that had weighed him down moments ago was gone.

What remained was determination. From this moment onward,

"Silas the Bulwark" had officially joined Aiden’s team.

Aiden watched him for a moment before turning his gaze toward the distance.

Luna was still sitting inside the Rezvani, watching the scene with undisguised curiosity.

A faint smile touched Aiden’s lips..The blueprint for his future team had finally been completed.

The final and most crucial piece had fallen into place.

DPS. Support. Tank. The foundation of an iron triangle was now complete.

Aiden’s team finally had something it had been missing from the very beginning.

A solid backbone. A shield that would stand at the front.

And a man who could be trusted to never take a single step backward.