"Yes," Isaac answered
"You’re not worried that whatever kills her will drag you into the same mess?" Beroga gave him a mocking smile.
"Emily has plenty of powerful summons. I’m not exactly weak either. Besides, she still owes me quite a few things because of our business deals. I’m not walking away from that just because someone says she might die." Isaac simply shrugged.
There was no point explaining the rest of his thoughts. Isaac was confident that, at the very least, he could protect himself and his wives even if everything around them collapsed. With Beroga, the East Sea Dragon King, the Ancient Dwarf King, Avery, the Elemental Spirit of Machine, the Sword Empress, and soon Ki Beli standing on their side, eliminating them would not be an easy task.
Even if the Seventh Queen’s support disappeared next month, Isaac doubted many people could force them into a corner.
On top of that, he planned to strengthen Catherine today before attempting the Conqueror Trial tomorrow. If everything went according to plan, their growth would become even more absurd, and by the time they reached Florathi, they would have every reason to hold their heads high.
That confidence did not mean Isaac intended to become reckless. He would still prepare multiple contingency plans in case something unexpected happened because that had always been his way of doing things. Being prepared and being afraid were two completely different matters, and he had no intention of hiding simply because of an uncertain future.
"I am done," Sage Sea announced.
Everyone’s attention shifted toward Ki Beli as Emily and the others walked over. Ki Beli’s eyes swept across the group before stopping on Beroga, and the hatred in his gaze became impossible to miss. Beroga noticed it as well, but he didn’t say anything.
Isaac stepped forward without wasting any time. Ki Beli’s condition left him completely defenseless, and ending his life took little effort. One clean strike was all it took before his body collapsed onto the ground.
Emily immediately began raising his spirit.
As Spirit Element gathered around her, Isaac finally understood why Beroga had called Ki Beli the strongest fighter the Purification Cult possessed in their Sector. Even after becoming a Spirit and suffering the natural disadvantage against Emily’s Spirit Element, Ki Beli remained frighteningly powerful.
Every punch he threw shattered the ground beneath him. Shockwaves spread through the Moon Dimension, carving fresh craters into the earth every time his fists connected with something. His physical strength alone was enough to make the battle difficult.
Even so, the result was never truly in doubt. Emily already had Beroga, the East Sea Dragon King, and the Ancient Dwarf King fighting for her, and together they steadily overwhelmed Ki Beli. The battle lasted longer than expected because of his toughness, but eventually he was defeated.
Emily wasted no time taming him.
The moment the process ended, Ki Beli glared at her with open hostility.
"I’m not going to work for you," he said through gritted teeth.
Now that he had become a Spirit, he couldn’t attack Emily no matter how much he wanted to. Under normal circumstances, Emily could simply force weaker Spirits into obedience through Spirit Element alone, but Ki Beli’s strength made that approach ineffective. Fortunately, the contract itself prevented the worst-case scenario.
Without Emily’s orders, Ki Beli couldn’t harm anyone. That absolute rule applied regardless of how unwilling he was to cooperate, so there was no risk of him suddenly going on a rampage. It saved everyone from dealing with another unnecessary fight.
Emily didn’t argue with him.
"Go and rest for a while. We’ll talk later," she said calmly.
She raised her hand, and Ki Beli disappeared into her Soul Space before he could object. The contract gave him no ability to resist being recalled.
Once he was gone, Oz looked Beroga up and down with obvious curiosity.
"I couldn’t ask earlier because everything was happening at once, but how are you even here?" he asked.
"I died and got summoned." Beroga answered in the same flat tone as always.
Oz stared at him for several seconds without saying anything. Then he burst into loud laughter, forcing Beroga’s eyelids to twitch in annoyance. Even so, Beroga remained completely silent.
"Well, I guess we’re fellow summons now. Let’s just leave the past where it belongs. Come, enter the Soul Space. Things have gotten surprisingly interesting over there," Oz said after catching his breath.
He casually threw an arm over Beroga’s shoulder. The Ancient Dwarf King had already disappeared into the Soul Space before the conversation even began, leaving Beroga to simply nod in response.
Isaac watched them for a moment before looking toward Emily.
"Something’s happening inside your Soul Space?" he asked with curiosity.
Emily smiled awkwardly. "The Spirits have been fighting each other. They’re calling it the First Great Spirit Tournament. Every Spirit I have is powerful, and they’re all pretty proud of themselves. That pride was making teamwork difficult, so Tirra suggested holding a tournament to settle where everyone stands. Once they know their place, cooperating should become much easier."
"It’s honestly a lot of fun to watch, and participate into." Oz nodded enthusiastically.
Isaac raised an eyebrow at that. A tournament inside the Soul Space wasn’t something he had ever imagined, but considering the personalities gathered there, it somehow made perfect sense.
"Aren’t you worried about losing? You and Ezekiel don’t have mana anymore, and Beroga should be in the same situation since he’s using Emily’s mana now," Isaac asked Oz.
Oz laughed even harder than before. Beside him, Beroga looked at Isaac as though he had just asked an incredibly foolish question.
"We might not have mana anymore, but nobody reaches our level by relying on mana alone. Mana is important, but it was never the only thing that made us strong," Beroga said.
"So you have something else?" Isaac asked.
"Yes, I mainly use Aura together with mana. Even without mana, I can still unleash devastating attacks through Aura alone. As for him..."
He grunted and pointed toward Oz.
"I don’t know what he’s relying on, but he must have something too."