At sunrise, Ashton sat cross-legged on a large boulder at the foot of a mountain in Dragonia. With his eyes closed, he was waiting for Felix's arrival. But his mind wasn't nearly as calm as he appeared.

Bonnie had died at Felix's hands, which only showed they had underestimated Felix's soul abilities. But with the Ancient Sage's Mirror Shard, that wasn't too concerning.

However, Terrence's death had truly shocked him.

Both he and Terrence were among the Four Inferior Protectors of the Eight Guardians, and they were evenly matched. They had competed more than once, but it always ended in a draw. Though they never fought to the death, this gave a pretty good indication of their relative abilities.

Yet, despite this, Felix had killed Terrence. This was why Ashton had accepted the stranger's proposal to work together against Felix. Otherwise, with Terrence's fate as a warning, going alone would be nothing short of suicide.

Not far from Ashton stood four people. There were three e