Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2849: Savaged

"Ten minutes!? That’s bullshit—damn it, damn that inspector!"

The Dark Avatar’s curse rang through the mountain as he strained with everything he had, both arms trembling while he desperately suppressed the torrent of Khaos energy erupting from the four gates. Each surge slammed into his will like a tidal wave, tearing at his consciousness.

Outside the mountain, the situation had already spiraled far beyond chaos.

The eclipse and the Star-Devouring Beast’s awakening sent violent shockwaves rippling through every layer of the domain, triggering earthquakes that split the land, winds that howled like screaming spirits, and pressure waves that crushed forests flat beneath their passage. Every ecosystem suffered under the distortion, but none were affected more violently than the dark orcs.

The overwhelming primal presence pouring from the beast pierced straight into their bloodlines, igniting something ancient and feral within them. Rational thought vanished as instincts seized control, eyes turning bloodshot while breathing grew ragged and uneven. It was as though the beast itself had reached into their minds, pulling invisible strings, guiding their rage toward the most violent contradiction in the land.

Their gaze locked onto the opposite bank of the river.

Toward the Elysian Tree.

"They’re coming for the tree!" the Dark Avatar shouted, panic lacing his voice.

The Chizpurs were already moving.

Five brothers stepped forward as one, massive figures anchoring themselves like living fortresses while dozens of younger kin took position behind them. At their command, the earth responded—stone walls surged upward, layered rock formations twisting and interlocking to form defensive bulwarks meant to slow the inevitable charge.

The clash was brutal from the first heartbeat.

Hundreds dark orcs smashed against stone with berserk force, axes biting deep as rock shattered and blood sprayed across the ground, while the Chizpurs held their line through sheer resilience. The river ran red as bodies fell, yet the tide did not slow—because the orcs were not finished.

"DURAK!!"

The dark orc champion’s roar shook the battlefield itself as he broke free from his ranks, muscles swelling with savage power and eyes burning with uncontrollable fury. He charged straight through the collapsing formations, raw strength overwhelming the combined efforts of the Chizpur brothers as stone defenses cracked and shattered beneath his advance.

Axes spinning, Durak tore through the Chizpur village and into the forest beyond, every step carving destruction into the land, bloodshot eyes fixed on his goal.

For a moment, nothing seemed capable of stopping him.

Then the forest answered.

With a thunderous impact, a massive bear burst from concealment, earth and roots exploding outward as Artio, the guardian beast, slammed into Durak’s side. The collision sent the orc chief hurtling back through the trees, trunks snapping like twigs as both crashed across the forest floor in a storm of debris and roaring fury.

Through it all, the Light Avatar remained utterly silent.

Sweat streamed down his brow, soaking into the roots beneath him as the ancient fey spell finally began to take hold. Threads of translucent jade light pulsed into existence, weaving themselves through the air and sinking into unseen anchors buried deep within the Star-Devouring Beast. Each pulse tightened the bindings, to calm, restrain, and return savage spirits to balance.

This spell had subdued the beast many times in the past.

But this time, the beast resisted.

The eclipse had changed it.

The lingering will of the Wolf Gods had fused with the creature’s core, twisting its nature. Across its vast, dark body, crimson runes began to ignite one by one, burning with savage authority as a brutal aura surged outward, shredding the jade threads as if they were brittle glass.

ROOOAAARR—!

The bindings snapped.

With a single convulsive surge, the Star-Devouring Beast tore free from the restraints, its massive form exploding out of the mountain in a storm of debris and fractured space. Its eyes—no longer mindless, no longer wandering—locked onto a single point with terrifying clarity.

The Elysian Tree.

And the Light Avatar seated beneath it.

"NO!!"

The Dark Avatar’s shout was laced with pure panic as he watched the beast leap across the river in a single bound, its colossal body slamming into the ground and charging forward like an unstoppable catastrophe. Without hesitation, he unleashed everything he. had, spatial energy roaring outward as layers of distortion and compression slammed down across the beast’s path.

BAMMM

Space twisted. Gravity screamed.

It far from enough.

The Star-Devouring Beast pushed through the bindings with raw, impossible strength, its momentum crushing the Dark Avatar backward as trees splintered and shattered around him. His body was dragged through the forest, each impact drove him deeper into the earth.

"I—I can’t hold it!!" he shouted toward his twin, his voice cracking as the pressure overwhelmed him.

In response, the land itself rose to answer.

Roots burst from the soil, thick as towers, while Twilight Vines surged upward in writhing masses, coiling around the beast’s limbs and torso. Layer upon layer of living restraints wrapped themselves tight, buying precious seconds as both Avatars poured everything they had into slowing the charge.

Still, the beast did not stop.

With a deafening roar, it threw its head back and opened its jaws wide, chaotic energy condensing into a blinding sphere of destruction. The air screamed as the blast was released, a catastrophic beam tearing straight toward the Elysian Tree.

The situation had reached its breaking point.

It was at that exact moment—when annihilation seemed inevitable—that a new light ignited.

Not from the towering Elysian Tree, but from the smaller, almost forgotten sapling that stood beside it.

The glow was gentle at first, fragile even, yet unmistakably alive.

From within that light, a tiny figure burst forth.

A small plant-like creature, no taller than an arm’s length, its body woven of tender vines and budding leaves, flew straight into the path of the devastating blast. With both of its tiny limbs braced forward and its bright, innocent eyes fixed ahead, it struck the chaotic energy head-on—not with force, but with will.

BAAAMMM

The explosion veered upward.

The beam of destruction was deflected just enough to scream past the Elysian Tree, carving a canyon into the sky before dispersing harmlessly into the upper firmament.

Silence fell.

Every being within the domain froze in disbelief.

Even the Star-Devouring Beast halted mid-motion, its massive form trembling as its attention was drawn to that impossibly small presence hovering before it.

The madness in its eyes wavered, replaced not by clarity, but by recognition.

At that exact moment the small creature was not facing the beast.

It was facing Emery.

More precisely, it was facing the fragment of Emery’s true soul, buried beneath layers of rage, corruption, and divine madness.

That tiny figure carried something the jade bindings could not.

Memory.

Emotion.

Connection.

A sound escaped Emery’s lips—weak, broken, barely a whisper torn from the depths of his being.

"Twik..."

The small creature trembled, then answered with a series of familiar, uneven sounds, its voice soft but overflowing with warmth.

"Kuang... kuang... ku... ku..."

Twik.

His little companion.

Awakened from slumber.

Reborn in a new body.

As Twik drifted closer, a gentle purring resonance of pure nature energy spread outward, washing over the domain like a spring breeze after endless winter. The savage aura around the Star-Devouring Beast faltered, its violent pulses slowing, its monstrous breathing growing uneven.

The madness receded.

Not erased—but quieted.

Across the land, the dark orcs froze mid-charge, their bloodshot eyes clearing as the primal frenzy drained from their bodies. Weapons slipped from nerveless fingers. Knees buckled. Silence replaced slaughter.

Moments later, the jade thread bindings flared to life once more—this time with much less resistance.

They wrapped fully around the beast’s essence, sinking deep, locking into place with absolute authority.

Outside the domain, the final moments of the ten-minute limit ticked away in heavy silence.

Yet before anyone could act, it became clear to all who were watching—the colossal beast was already changing. The violent aura surrounding it weakened, the savage howls fading into strained, broken breaths as its towering form began to shrink. Dark fur receded, monstrous limbs twisted inward, and the overwhelming presence that had crushed the island slowly collapsed upon itself.

Moments later, the transformation ended.

Emery’s human form reappeared, kneeling amid shattered stone and scorched air, before his strength finally failed him. He slumped forward, unconscious, his body trembling faintly as the chaotic struggle within his soul continued unseen. But the external threat was gone.

Seizing the opportunity, the Cardinal withdrew the Divine Cross. The oppressive pressure vanished instantly, leaving behind only exhaustion and devastation.

With no raging beast left to justify further bloodshed, the Inspector had no grounds to attack. His expression hardened as he issued swift orders instead. High-grade restraining artifacts were deployed at once—sealing chains of law and authority locking around Emery’s neck and limbs, suppressing his power completely as preparations were made to transfer him for formal judgment and trial.

Nearby, the Storm Lord, grievously wounded and barely standing, watched the scene unfold with burning resentment. Rage twisted his expression, but his strength—and his authority—were spent. There was nothing he could do but endure the outcome.

That day, once heralded as an auspicious celebration, had become a catastrophe etched into history.

More than half of the Astiel elite lay dead, their Grand Elder fallen, their strength shattered before the eyes of countless witnesses. With so many factions present, the damage to the Astiel clan’s reputation was immeasurable and irreversible.

And while one legacy crumbled—

another rose.

Across realms, whispers traveled swiftly, heavy with terror and reverence alike.

A name was spoken again and again.

The Savage Grand Magus.