"What happened?"
Raphtalia felt the vibration from the ground and asked suspiciously.
"Get your friend down first; obviously something is going on up there."
At this moment, Jason knew that Yatri must have started tampering with the seal of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, just as he had anticipated.
Raphtalia stopped hesitating, drew her long sword, and cut the iron chains binding Kiel's hands. Losing the pull of the chain, the weakened Kiel fell to the ground.
"I have some medicine here. Drinking it can heal your wounds. While it won't heal you all at once, it will help you recover gradually."
As Jason spoke, he squatted down, took out a bottle of medicine from the storage shield, and handed it to Kiel.
Suddenly, Kiel slapped the medicine from Jason's hand to the ground.
"I don't need sympathy from a human like you."
Kiel raised his head, his eyes full of hatred. Being tormented by humans for so long, he had turned his anger toward Jason.
"Kiel, how could you do this? He's the Shield Hero, not only did he save me, but also—"
Before Raphtalia could finish, Kiel interrupted her.
"What kind of nonsense Shield Hero is he? He's no different from those damned humans! If you're truly the patron saint of the legendary shield hero, where were you when our village was destroyed? When we were tortured to despair, where were you? Lyfana is—"
Kiel roared with all his strength but didn't finish. A fist came toward him.
Jason's punch nearly brushed Kiel's cheek, hitting the wall behind him.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the punch left a large hole in the wall, and cracks spread out like spider webs until they covered the entire front wall.
The immense sound shook Kiel's eardrums, making him feel as if his whole brain was pulsating. He stood there in shock.
"Who do you think you are? Why do I have to save you? Just because I'm the Shield Hero? I don't care. The only reason I'm here today is because of Raphtalia. Don't blame your weakness on someone else. And finally, if you ever say something like that again, I'll kill you, even if you are Raphtalia's friend. Know your place kid"
Jason's voice was calm, but Kiel could feel the biting coldness emanating from him. There was no doubt—he would definitely kill him.
"Master Jason, I apologize on his behalf. This isn't what he truly thinks. He's just suffered too much here, and now he finds it hard to trust humans."
Raphtalia quickly explained for Kiel, knowing that Jason was the kind of person who would do exactly what he said. If he said he would kill, he wouldn't hesitate.
"I know. Otherwise, his head would already be gone from that punch."
Just as Jason finished speaking, the ground shook again. "There's no time, kid. If you can still move, go to Lyfana. She's still alive. Stay with her until this is over. Raphtalia, let's go!"
Jason didn't wait any longer and immediately ran outside.
"Kiel, what Master Jason said isn't wrong. The truth is, we were too weak. If we had been stronger back then, maybe none of this would've happened. Now, let's do what Master Jason said."
Raphtalia placed the medicine bottle in front of Kiel and ran outside after speaking.
As Kiel watched their retreating figures, a tear slipped from the corner of his eye. He quickly wiped it away, picked up the medicine bottle from the ground, and drank it. Then, leaning against the wall, he staggered toward Lyfana's cell.
Not long after, Jason, Raphtalia, and Filo reached the atrium. Jack, Irene, and the others had also gathered.
Yatri, now missing both arms and covered in blood, stood before a massive stone tablet in the atrium, chanting incantations.
Even though no one understood the words, it was clear that nothing good was happening.
"It's said that a brave warrior once defeated a powerful monster and sealed it in this town. It looks like he's releasing the seal that's keeping the monster imprisoned."
Raphtalia muttered, sharing what she knew.
"Isn't that a bad thing?"
Jack was startled.
"What's so bad about it? Lord Shield Hero mentioned earlier that he wanted to break a certain seal, so this must be what he was talking about. Clearly, everything is going according to his plan."
Irene remained calm, as usual.
"That's true, but let's get ready. That thing is full of good stuff!"
Jason smiled and nodded.
Their absolute trust in Jason meant they didn't question whether releasing the legendary sealed monster was good or bad.
"Damn Shield Hero! It's all your fault, all because of you! Now you'll perish along with this world, ha ha…"
At this moment, Yatri had finished chanting, laughing wildly like a madman.
The huge stone tablet began to crack with a loud crackling sound, and pieces of it gradually started to crumble.
"Kill! Kill them all! Annihilate that damn Shield Hero, and I will be blessed by the gods, haha..." Yatri laughed maniacally, his face twisted in a ferocious expression. His armless body made him look like a broken toy, teetering on the edge of sanity.
Suddenly, the ground shook more violently, and a purple beam of light shot down from the sky. A massive crack appeared in the sky, resembling a catastrophic wave.
"Master!"
Filo, who had been standing by Jason's side the whole time, seemed to sense danger. Her feathers stood on end, and she stared up at the sky, shouting a warning.
Jason also looked up, seeing a giant foot with sharp claws slowly emerging from the crack. It was followed by a body wrapped in tough, thick skin, and finally, a monstrous head with glowing, lantern-like eyes. Its huge mouth, filled with razor-sharp teeth, looked as though it could tear through anything effortlessly.
This beast towered over 20 meters in height, resembling an ancient dinosaur in appearance.
"Ding! Selection task completed. Reward: 2% completion of the Garp template!"
"Ding! Please make a choice!"
1.: If you fail to kill the Tyrannosaurus Rex and it is finished off by another monster, there will be no reward.
2.: If you kill the Tyrannosaurus Rex with your own hands, you will be rewarded with 3% completion of the Garp template.
3.: If, within half an hour, you manage to kill the Tyrannosaurus Rex without destroying the town, you will be rewarded with 6% completion of the Garp template. If you fail, there will be no reward.
The task to summon the Tyrannosaurus Rex had just been completed, and a new selection task had appeared again.
As expected by Jason, summoning the Tyrannosaurus Rex was just a preliminary task; the real challenge was yet to come.
Just as Jason thought it was over...
"Ding! Please select....!"