Upon sharing the last remaining Golem's vision, the High Priestess ordered it to quickly deal with the threats standing in front of it.

A bound female Hobgoblin and a Were-Vixen shouldn't have been a big deal against one of her Golems.

Things did not go as expected, but that did not displease the High Priestess.

Seeing the blazing flames rising up from the Were-Vixen's body, her interest was piqued.

It only took a couple of moments for her to order the Golem to focus exclusively on the Fox, and to bring the Fox to her.

'If I can have the Fox and slowly drain her Life Force… The power it would give me could change everything. The two sources emitting Azaroth's Magic… I could go after them myself after turning her Life Force into power!'

The order to focus on the Fox, however, turned out to be the Golem's downfall. Ignoring the female Hobgoblin turned out to be a fatal mistake.

Because of her sudden interest in the Fox, as well as how it went with the other two Golems, the High priestess momentarily forgot herself.

Her hand separated from the Follower's head. 'In the whole world, she must be the last…'

Akane placed a hand on the Golem's head and, simultaneously,

"ARRRRGGHHHHHH!!!" The High Priestess screamed as the flames burning the Golem were transferred to her.

Sharing senses was an incredibly dangerous thing to do.

Her whole head was covered in fire. Her hair, skin, and flesh quickly burned.

"You're Highness!!" Thankfully, the Follower kneeling swiftly leapt forward, his head connecting to the High Priestess' palm.

The burns, wounds, and flames were immediately transferred to that Follower, and the High Priestess was as good as new.

Huff… Huff….

She breathed heavily while the Follower screamed as his head was scorched by the flames.

The rest of the Followers turned towards the three linked to the Golems' hearts.

The last one spasmed and burned. All three had died.

They clenched their teeth, lowering their gazes in shame and frustration.

The High Priestess remained silent with her gaze to the ground, and the burning Follower gave his last breath.

The kneeling Followers, who made a large circle around the High Priestess, stood up at once.

"Send me!"

"I will do better!"

"Their Life Force wasn't enough to strengthen the Golems!"

"Send me, your Highness!"

The apparent failure led to them offering their lives on a platter to comfort and please their High Priestess.

However, she did not need comfort.

"Far to the east, on the outskirts of the Arima Kingdom…" The High Priestess whispered. "All kinds of them lived. They blessed the land, protected the forests, the beasts, the animals, and the Humans. They were seen as Protective Spirits and Guardians with unmatched strength and power."

The Followers listened intently.

"Though they were Guardians that blessed the land where they lived, King Arima the 13th decided that they were too big a liability. Their strength, when left unchecked, when left alive for too long, couldn't be controlled or tamed. They were wild Spirits in many ways. Using all the power and funds at his disposal, the 13th King of the Arima Dynasty made ridding his Kingdom of their existence his priority, paying exorbitant amounts to Knights, Mercenaries, and even to all kinds of foreigners."

The High Priestess pulled the black string of cloth off her face, revealing the widest smile on her face.

"Come." She gestured, and ten Followers lay on the ground.

The Followers were convinced that the Life Force of ten Followers used to strengthen ten Golems would surely be enough, but that wasn't the High Priestess' goal.

The ritual took place once more. Only this time, it wasn't three or ten Golems that rose, but one.

One hulking monster standing five meters tall with four muscular limbs, and a couple more extending from its back. The earth shook as it stepped closer to the High Priestess.

Normally, using the Life Force of different beings this way shouldn't be possible. Ten souls, even when lowered to their base instincts, should not be able to coexist and move at once.

"Good boy." The High Priestess smiled, as the gigantic Golem kneeled in front of her.

The ten souls should be fighting one another for control, but that did not happen.

The remaining Followers shed tears upon seeing this, upon understanding why it was possible.

The ten souls were one, united by their deepest, most sincere instinct and feeling, which was their love and reverence for the High Priestess.

"They should have been annihilated. None should remain. She must have escaped somehow and sought refuge in the Werebeast Village. They probably welcomed her as one of their own, despite her not being a Beast at all."

The High Priestess pointed at the forest's entry, and the gigantic Golem stood up, cracking the ground below it.

"Bring her to me. The Fox. I want her alive. If I have her, getting Azaroth's Heart will be a thousand times easier."

The Golem nodded.

"Bring me the Fox. Bring me…"

The High Priestess bit her finger, already craving all the Life Force available in the forest.

"The Last Kitsune."

***

Meanwhile, Amon's conversation with the Hobgoblins was interrupted as the Black Stone embedded in the back of his hand started shining.

It was Resonance, and Amon could instantly tell what had happened.

"You've found them, huh?" He muttered, staring into the distance. "I guess you've licked your wounds for long enough, and have finally gone back to the village."

After defeating the Golem, it had slowly walked into the pit in which its corpse and those of the Goblins rested.

"I'll need you to get big and strong, alright." Amon chuckled.

The pit had been prepared expressly for its enjoyment. The corpses of all the Goblins that had remained around the village, as well as heaps of the black, corrupting liquid it was so fond of.

It gobbled them up one by one, and the black coat that used to cover its body slowly grew back.

"Don't lose my trail, and get much, much stronger on the way so that I…" He smirked.

SCREEEECH!!

"Can devour you."

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