Chapter 111: Nexus

The 23rd Guardian couldn’t hold back the growing Nexus Network.

Literally growing as each second passed, dimensions converged with each other, forming mutated pocket dimensions with much more threat than ever...

...

Following the success of his beast selling and after distributing beasts to Ulyssia’s friends, Terrence met with Winter in a tavern down below the inn where he was staying.

Winter sat across from him with a solemn face, carrying the kind of intense look of someone who had just achieved something truly remarkable.

"I have to thank you for your help, Terrence. If not for you, I wouldn’t be able to create a new squad for the Nexus clearing."

Terrence simply shrugged, taking a quiet sip from the cup of warm tea he had ordered. He lifted his eyes to look at Winter.

"It is all part of the plan. Didn’t I tell you before that I would provide a huge number of beasts to aid you?"

Winter opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but she stopped midway and carefully rearranged her thoughts.

"I still couldn’t believe that you could supply that much. I thought that selling me the Vampire Butler was already surprising, but fifteen high-grade beasts in a single day? And they are all ranked above C-Rank."

"Enough with the praises," Terrence cut her off smoothly. "I have sent a beast below to investigate, and it seems that the Nexus Network is creating something dangerous that we absolutely have to prepare for."

Terrence’s voice was filled with a firm, stern gravity, as if he simply couldn’t let the situation spin out of control.

Winter’s eyes shifted into complete seriousness as well.

"What do you mean by that? The Nexus is relatively stable at the moment. From my previous visit, the Guardian told me directly that he could stay sane for at least half a year." Winter answered, her brow furrowing.

Terrence cleared his throat quietly.

"Nope. That’s completely impossible. We have to act right now if you actually want to save the Hanging City."

Winter’s gaze lowered as deep concern filled her eyes. She bit her lower lip nervously.

Winter had been desperately wanting to stop the impending threat, but as the days passed, things were becoming increasingly complicated.

She couldn’t easily set aside the brewing political issues she had triggered ever since creating a new squad. Jonas, her father, strictly opposed her idea of forming another squad, believing it posed a massive threat to the authority of the city administration.

However, Winter hadn’t listened to his warnings. And now, equipped with Terrence’s generous supply of beasts distributed among the citizens of the Hanging City, she felt far more confident that her plan would actually work.

If things went successfully and the Nexus Network was erased for good, the city administration would have no other choice but to officially recognize their efforts.

"I want to clear the Nexus Network," Terrence said, pulling Winter’s attention right back to him.

"That’s complete suicide..." Winter bit her lip again, her shoulders dropping. "I’m so sorry for dragging you into this mess."

Terrence shook his head dismissively. He had wanted this all along, and he didn’t need to ask himself why he was doing it. After all, this was his own grand plan that would pave the way to ultimate success in his next step toward destroying the Lee Family.

Creating a powerful name for himself and becoming an undeniable threat to the family—all that public attention was absolutely crucial to his success. And not just that; the next subsidiary company associated with the Lee Family would now be thoroughly shaken by his recent accomplishments.

"Are you completely sure you want to do this right now? Forcing a clearing of the Nexus Network will drastically accelerate the local mana fluctuation. And if you get caught up in this mess, the city administration won’t leave you alone." Winter’s voice was filled with genuine concern.

"There’s no need to be worried about it. I have a solid plan in mind, and every move will lead toward the ultimate destruction of my forsaken former family."

Winter’s eyes widened at his cold determination. She quickly looked down to divert her gaze away from his intense eyes.

"I don’t know about that... I have already withdrawn from active operations against your former family."

"That’s perfectly fine." Terrence’s lips curled up into a slight smirk. "I can easily manage this on my own. Besides, Klein was preparing something special for me. I can just use it to easily sweep through the next leg."

Winter gave a quiet nod.

For a few long seconds, the tense atmosphere between them fell completely silent. They had nothing left to talk about at the moment, and all they could do was enjoy the brief pause to rest their weary minds.

However, they didn’t expect that their short rest would be violently shattered. Without warning, the earth suddenly shook violently beneath them, and the Hanging City’s massive metallic platforms creaked under immense strain.

The patrons inside the tavern instinctively reached out to grab onto nearby tables and pillars, bracing themselves until the earth finally stabilized.

Earthquakes like this were definitely not normal for the floating platform city. Whenever one occurred, the authorities would deploy full-force teams to thoroughly inspect every single floor to ensure absolute safety for the citizens.

"What was that?" Terrence asked, his eyes narrowing instantly.

"An earthquake, maybe?" Winter replied, adjusting her balance.

"No," he cut her off sharply. "That wasn’t a normal earthquake. I clearly felt a sudden change in the air—like a massive mana fluctuation."

Winter paused, holding her breath to observe the surroundings, and she quickly noticed the exact same unnatural shift in the air pressure. Her eyes slowly widened in shock as she abruptly stood up from her wooden seat.

"Hey!" Terrence called out as Winter suddenly bolted out of the tavern without another word.

He immediately rushed right behind her. The moment they burst outside into the open air, the scene before them couldn’t be explained by simple words.

Lying battered on the hard metallic ground was the 23rd Guardian—the Human Beast himself—covered in deep bruises and severe injuries.

Meanwhile, emerging directly from the deepest crack in the shattered earth was an impossibly colossal, red-scaled serpent beast. Its immense size was beyond anything normal words could describe.

It looked somewhat similar to Avery’s physical dragon form, but its sheer scale was on a completely different level. The creature was literally kilometers long and as thick as several multi-story houses combined!

Right there in the center of the platform, absolute chaos erupted.