The Empyreal Gem Master

Roars.

Bellows of an unknown source!

They heard them ringing out even amidst the howling winds and storm of snow as Alexander's gaze became increasingly heavy.

In the next moment.

His hand flashed with silver brilliance as the Summon Undead Ability Gem only appeared briefly before it sank into his chest.

Anastasia, who paid more attention to him, caught this action as she blinked, and she was even more shocked in the next moment as she could swear she saw glimmering gems follow this first one in disappearing into his chest.

Did…the Ascendant Master not already have a Gem Recipe in his Nine-Link Gem Socket? What was this?

A Peacock Beast Lord only gazed on in confusion while within Alexander's mind, many lines of communication flowed between him and the Enneagram!

After the full breakdown and extraction of the Scion of the World Tree Gem Recipe, another one was effectively slotted in place as its recipe began to be put together by the Enneagram- using what Beast Lord Dread had along with other viable Support Gems.

At the same time…

"You, you, you…stay and ensure that this Nurtured Tree remains untouched. Anything that approaches- kill!"

His command was steadfast.

He spoke through the lines of connections of his Minions as he selected some to stay behind, and others would be following him.

Moments later, a Tier 6 Orc Minion and a Peacock Minion joined him, Claire, Vishpala, and Anastasia as their figures began to rise from the Nurtured Tree, the other Orc Minion and Peacock Minion along with Nueire and others being left behind to protect everyone else.

There were too many changes occurring right now and unknown levels of danger.

He couldn't just sit still as at this moment, he wanted to go see the massive mountain that rose out of Carthage and took the lives of millions!

It was covered with multicolored radiance as if it were a treasure mountain- hazy clouds wrapping around its vibrant trees and obscuring one from fully seeing what was within.

But the heavy roars were coming out from there as they had to see just what this change had brought forth.

It was supposed to be Energeia Star Ascension.

An elevation of the World into something even grander!

It certainly seemed grand, but why did it come with such destruction?

"Let's go!"

SAA!

With a booming voice, he and his Mintuns turned into streaks of light across the heavy snowstorm and went toward the multicolored mountain.

Heavy, buffeting winds.

Extreme coldness that didn't seem like it wanted to stop just at below freezing.

Heavy atmospheric concentrations of Energeia that shocked Alexander as he felt his over half spent reserves of Energeia regenerate three times faster.

"Be ready."

They neared the mountain as their eyes and senses were extremely sharp, the scattered roars they could hear every now and then eerily quieting down the closer they came.

And within seconds…

SAA!

They broke past layers of snow as they saw the beginning of the massive mountain.

And they knew it was the beginning of the mountain because distinctly, even its soil was shimmering with brown shining radiance, a line drawn showing its borders with the rest of the land around them!

Dense and tall trees covered by snow and shining with light rose all around in abundance, their trunks and leaves so thick that one couldn't even see a mile into this mountain that seemed to be a few hundred miles long.

Alongside this, extremely dense mist seemed to be covering everything nearby, making it hard to see anything else apart from one's vicinity even more.

"Master, my senses are telling me that maybe we don't really need to go into this mountain."

The voice of Anastasia echoed out warily as she looked around while they flew halfway up the trunk of the tall trees.

Everything around them seemed to be brimming with intense lifeforce, and yet carrying a sense of eeriness at the same time as it was hard to describe!

"Proceed slowly and be ready to move at any moment, we have to understand what happe-"

…!

Time felt like it slowed.

His pupils constricted as he rapidly moved backwards, his head just quick enough as inches away from his eyes- a stinger ablaze with poisonous green flames flashed.

SKRREE!

It was too quick!

He barely just dodged as Anastasia appeared in front of him with a deadly glare, her hand flashing out and releasing a semilunar silver spatial glow that seemed capable of cutting apart space itself.

But…

BOOM!

The stinger struck out and actually shattered Anastasia's silver light, her hands coming to cover her chest as the stinger smashed into her and flung her figure back!

Spears of blue lightning from Claire and attacks from Vishpala, Orc Minion, and the other Peacock Minion then all smashed out in sequence ahead of them as finally, the stinger was pushed back.

…!

The outline of what it was connected to was clear.

A massive creature!

The stinger retracted upwards as from the branches of the tree, they could see a creature with the lower half of a scorpion…and the upper body of a white furred wolf.

The eyes of this world radiated a shocking glare of destruction, its pupils shining with blue light as this wasn't the most astonishing thing.

It was the fact that around the body of this creature, they could see a massive Blue Gem sticking out of the head of the wolf!

Not within a Socket- but simply sticking out of its skin and muscles as it were fused into it.

And on the back of this wolf until past the halfway point where its fur disappeared and the reddish, scaly exterior of the scorpion's lower body, they saw green and blue gems also sticking out like jagged rocks in a line!

A thin blue line connected all of these massive gems as they currently shone with heavy power.

There were 8 massive blue and green Gems in total sticking out of this creature.

Alexander looked at it with a thumping heart as his Enneagram glowed brightly in his chest, its Analysis blazing out with brilliance at this moment as in front of his eyes, a name appeared.

[Tier 8 Mutated Gem Chimera- Scorpiowolf]

[Vigor]:: 155, 555 (+200,000 from the Tier 1 Blessing of Ephesus)

[Energeia]:: 155,555 (+200,000 from the Tier 1 Blessing of Ephesus)

…!