The Giant Earth Turtle’s pitiful roars were drowned out by Antero’s mad laughter.

“Okay, playtime’s over, Antero,” Gaap ordered. “Store it.”

The Gigantic Golem giggled as if the Halfling’s orders made it extremely giddy.

In front of everyone, the Golem of Destruction held the Giant Earth Turtle with both hands and squeezed it tightly. Its action was similar to someone trying to squeeze a rubber ball to make it smaller.

At first, Lux and the others didn’t understand what Antero was doing.

But after a bit, the Giant Earth Turtle slowly shrank in size. From a hundred-meter-tall giant, it became a small round boulder that Lux estimated to be only around a few meters tall.

This caught everyone completely by surprise and confused with what was happening.

When Antero stopped, it briefly admired its work before casually tossing the Giant Earth Turtle inside its mouth as if it was a piece of candy.

“Okay, take a nap for a while,” Gaap ordered, and the Giant Golem of Destruction, which covered the sunlight due to its humongous size, disappeared without a trace as if it didn’t exist in the first place.

Gaap casually walked toward Lux as if he was just an ordinary old man strolling in a park.

Flamma, who was standing beside the Half-Elf, subconsciously took a step back when the old Halfling neared them.

He didn’t expect that the old man who was eating peanuts with him a while ago had the power to command a monster that could easily wipe out the Blackrock Clan from the face of the world.

There was simply no way to fight against a creature with such a background, even though its current rank was only an Empyrean-Ranked World Boss.

“Master, what are you doing here?” Lux asked as soon as the Halfling was only a few meters away from him.

“I decided to take a stroll,” Gaap replied. “Fancy meeting you here.”

The corner of Flamma’s lips twitched after hearing the old man’s excuse. How can someone casually take a stroll inside the Gate of Famine and summon a Calamity Class creature right off the bat?

Lux only shook his head helplessly because he knew that his Master had come to help him even though he didn’t ask for it.

The Half-Elf then glanced at his finger and stared at the ring that had a skull embedded in its center, which he received as a gift from Gaap.

He had used his Appraisal Skill on this ring a long time ago and knew that one of its special functions was to instantly teleport Gaap to his location as long as he was in Elysium.

Also, the teleportation skill had a one-month cooldown, which meant that Gaap wouldn’t be able to take a “casual stroll” to where the Half-Elf was for the next few weeks.

“Master, I didn’t know you were so awesome!” Lux praised the old Halfling, who was staring at the city in the distance where his revived Monsters were fighting against their own brethren. “To think you are hiding something like this. I now see you in a new light.”

“Hahaha, it’s just a small thing,” Gaap replied. “There’s more to where that came from, you know?”

The Half-Elf then began to praise his Master, which made the Halfling very happy. Although he knew that Lux was only flattering him, he decided to play along.

This was to ensure that those who were watching the Half-Elf’s actions from wherever they were would understand how close his relationship was with the red-headed boy.

“Are you perhaps Gaap the Tormentor?” Aur who landed a few meters away from Lux and his Master asked. “I’ve heard many stories about you and your Master from my Mother.”

“And you are?” Gaap asked with a smile.

Naturally, he already knew who Aur was, but he needed to continue acting in order to maintain a domineering impression.

“Aur,” Aur replied. “I am from the Crystal Palace.”

“And what is your relationship with my Disciple?” Gaap inquired in a haughty manner. “Are you friend or foe?”

“Neither,” Aur replied in a heartbeat. “We barely know each other.”

“Oh?” Gaap smirked, but he no longer made any comments.

The Halfling then shifted his gaze to his Disciple and poked him with his walking stick.

“What are you dozing off for?” Gaap frowned. “There are still monsters around. Go get them.”

Lux nodded as he followed his Master’s order without a word of complaint. Gaap had secretly told him his reason for coming, and it made the Half-Elf feel warm inside, knowing that his Master was looking out for him.

The Half-Elf had always been the one doing his best to help and protect others from harm. Having someone do the same to him touched his heart in more ways than one, and it made him feel grateful to have a Master like Gaap in his life.

While the Half-Elf was busy cleaning up the battlefield, Gaap stood still while using his walking cane for support. He looked like an Emperor who had everything under control. But, if one looked a bit closer, beads of sweat had already started to form on his forehead, and his complexion had become slightly pale.

“The sun is bad for your skin, Master,” a doll-like lady with blue hair, wearing something similar to a black gothic dress, appeared beside Gaap.

She was holding an umbrella in her hand and used it to shield her Master from the sun, while using her body to block Aur’s view, preventing the Dragon Prince from seeing the Halfling’s complexion.

“Thank you, Carol,” Gaap replied. “The sun is indeed harsh today.”

Carol smiled and nodded her head. “Do you want me to make you some refreshments, Master?”

“Sounds good. Thank you very much.”

“My pleasure.”

Carol then snapped her finger, and two zombie maids appeared beside her.

They then took out a small table and a chair, allowing Gaap to sit comfortably. A moment later, one of the zombie maids began to massage the Halfling’s shoulder, while the other offered him some fruit juice.

Half an hour later, Lux and the Defenders finished cleaning up the remaining Monsters. Cheers of victory spread in the surroundings as General Fahad waved the flag of the Yelan Kingdom, signaling that they had managed to win the battle, which they originally thought was unwinnable.

————

Royal Palace of the Ammarian Kingdom…

“It cannot be!” The silver-haired devil was in complete utter disbelief after witnessing everything that happened with his scrying mirror.

He wasn’t surprised that the Monster Army that he sent was eliminated.

What made him feel agitated was the fact that he recognized the Golem of Destruction that suddenly appeared inside the Gate of Famine.

“This isn’t supposed to happen!” The silver-haired devil pounded the armrest of his throne in order to vent out the frustration he was feeling. “Why did you have to appear here of all places? Why?! Antero!”

As part of the invading army that had descended from the Void to conquer Elysium, he knew more than anyone else how domineering the Gigantic Golem was.

Even the Royal Abyssal Family didn’t dare antagonize it for it was an invincible existence that sat at the peak of the Demigod Rank.

Now that Antero had made its appearance, the silver-haired devil had no idea how to proceed with his plan.

He didn’t know that Antero’s Master, Gaap, couldn’t simply summon the Golem of Destruction whenever and wherever he wanted due to the huge price he had to pay every time the Halfling summoned the Indestructible Golem.

However, even if he knew, the silver-haired devil still wouldn’t dare to gamble his life facing such an imposing threat.

All it would take was a simple flick of the Golem’s finger to end his life and destroy the years of painstaking work that he had completed in order to escape the prison that had trapped him for centuries.