Sylas could have made just any contribution. He could have just taken a few days of focus to raise his E-tier Scorpion Warlord Armor to perfection, and then beyond. He had the foundation in Rune Mastery to do exactly that now.

But he didn't choose this path.

While it would help him, and it would certainly work—not only would it help the Emperor Scorpion Lineage—it was too short-sighted.

Others might have thought that Sylas was only doing this out of spite, or maybe even just to use this as a method to make others attack the Emperor Sanctum and kill them off on his behalf.

Sure, it was something that Sylas had thought of, but he wasn't someone who thought just one, two, or even three moves ahead.

Relying on others was what had landed him in this mess.

No. When the time came for him to deal with the Emperor Sanctum, he would do it personally and with prejudice.

So, Sylas didn't make any effort on the Scorpion Warlord Armor. Not with his Karma within him—not for now.

When his aura surged, and the crimson-golden line of a crown was etched right across his forehead, forests of gold forming in his hair…

It was the air of a Monkey King that was forming.

Salivar had been right about one thing. Sylas' Monkey King Armor had been continuously improving during their battle.

When he drew it the first time, he hadn't grasped Void Rune Mastery to begin with. Even if he had drawn it to 100% Mastery, there was a difference between drawing something inferior to 100% Mastery and a far more difficult Rune.

If Sylas could draw everything to 100% Mastery, he would already be able to manifest Unique Genes from thin air with a single thought, or even Gene Talents and Blood Essence beyond.

This time, though, Sylas was pulling out all the stops.

Standing there with his eyes closed and his face pointed to the skies, he looked like he had completely lost himself.

Sylas had read the rulebook of the Emperor Sanctum from front to back. In fact, that rulebook was responsible for the reason he had successfully reached Pure Spark Mastery in the first place.

But that rulebook was useful for another reason.

The Spirit Beasts of various Sanctums seemed quite random. Their own 001 Sanctum had dozens of Cat Spirit Beasts, but another might not have a single one.

What Spirit Beasts dominated certain Sanctums were very random, and the only necessary piece necessitated in all Sanctums were the main four.

That left a question quite out in the open.

How did these form in the first place?

Well, if one knew the story of Gralith, one might assume that the only way was for the Spirit of a powerful Spirit Beast to be sacrificed to a branch Sanctum to form the core of how they came to comprehend and grasp the Will of said beast.

The Spirit Beasts of the Emperor Sanctum often had many weaker spirits within them, and sacrificing a few wasn't a problem. These spirits also tended to be quite random, oftentimes Genes from many generations ago coming into play.

This wrapped everything in a neat little bow and seemed to explain everything.

But there was another method detailed in the rulebook, one so rare it had only been used during the infancy of the Sanctum and hadn't made an appearance since.

How were the original Spirit Beasts formed in the first place? That was obviously by comprehending and then absorbing said beasts.

Sylas had already done this. The difference was that he had never shared his method—and why would he? He had never had a reason to. Why should the Emperor Sanctum he planned to destroy one day ever benefit from his hard work?

The answer was that they shouldn't.

But now they would… for a short time.

If they could even produce a Rune Master capable of following after Sylas and grasping his methods in the first place.

And by the time they did produce such a genius through their new advantage as Demi-Gods…

There might not be a chance for them to rise up again with how powerful Sylas had become.

Today, Sylas would bestow them the gift of the Monkey King.

And this time, it would be the true Monkey. It wouldn't be a deviation of what they had grasped. It wouldn't be like the Scorpion that had forgotten who and what it was.

It would be filled with Pride.

It would show the Emperor Sanctum what their Path should truly look like…

And it would become a warning.

They would feel the vastness of his Pride and know that he would be coming one day… and that there was so very little that they could do about it.

A helm of jaw and canines snapped over Sylas' head, his hair billowing out the back as a tail of crimson wrapped in rings of heavy gold swayed to his back.

Illusory claws and fur formed over his arms, and then his legs.

Other than the helm, the more he modified armor, the less it looked like armor at all. It was as though the Pride of his very Scorned Wraps themselves were shining through.

He didn't need plated armor, he didn't need extra protection or the Will of a beast beyond himself to protect him.

No.

He only needed his fist. His claws. His teeth.

Sylas' eyes snapped open, the rings of gold around his irises flashing like blazing flames as he roared.

Concentric circles and shattering air painted in red and golden aura tore through the skies until the clouds dispersed and the blue of the scenery was wiped clean to reveal the blackness of the depths of space.

The planet shook, and all across the Sanctums—from the 001 to the 100, and then further to the Emperor Sanctum themselves…

Every spirit awoke, rising into the air in acknowledgment of a new arrival.

However, there was a long-established tradition of this matter.

The Lion. The Whale. The Ape. The Serpent…

Neither would react very much to a new arrival.

Until today.

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