The Chimaera's body twisted and turned into unrecognisable shapes. It felt like the corpse was resisting Ashton's power, which was strange since it was the first time Ashton had felt such strong resistance.
Every dead soul loathed being forced back to the domain of the living. Thanks to necromancy, the resistance was barely noticeable for Ashton.
That's why it surprised him when he was still facing indisputable resistance despite having the grim Reaper's powers.
"Damn it!" Ashton cursed under his breath and was forced to use his powers to the fullest.
Using [Association] skill inflicted wounds upon him, and it almost felt like hundreds of razor-sharp teeth were gnawing at his bones. As he forced himself, the painful sensation spread all over his body like wildfire.
Unbeknownst to Ashton, he wasn't just resurrecting the Chimaera, but even the creatures the Chimaera had consumed. The resentment within those creatures would make any necromancer rethink their decision to revive a Chimaera.
The creatures had been forced to become part of the Chimaera once. Following its death, they were finally at peace. But now, Ashton was forcing them to become a part of something sinister again. There was no way in hell they'd obey him without putting up a fight.
As if that wasn't enough, the Lizardman, a prideful race, also rejected the Chimaera. After all, they often saw Chimaera as an imperfect and weak creature.
In a gist, it might seem like Ashton was trying to resurrect and merge two souls; in reality, he was dealing with nine separate souls. It would have been suspicious if none of the souls objected to being vilified again.
"I am the emissary of death, damnit! OBEY ME!" Ashton yelled in frustration and took out Reaper's scythe to further boost his stats.
For a strange reason, as soon as Ashton equipped the scythe, the struggle within the souls lessened significantly. For a moment, he thought it was the weapon's power but realised that wasn't the case.
Being the Grim Reaper, Ashton could feel a soul's emotions. When he used the scythe, the souls ceased resisting, almost as if they were scared. Although he had had the scythe with him for a while, it was the first time he had sensed someone fearing the weapon but not him.
Naturally, he got interested in exploring more about the scythe and its relationship with the afterlife. But for now, he was content with resurrecting a new summon.
Within moments, his efforts were successful and in front of him was a towering beast with the head of the Lizardman. The rest of the body consisted of creatures from the swamp, walking on two massive dragon-like hindlegs and wielding two swords made of bone.
"I didn't expect it to look this intimidating." Ashton mumbled while going around his new 'creation', "AT least the stats don't look as bad as I expected."
The Chimaera wasn't the strongest among his forces but was shy of achieving that position. With proper training and nurturing, it might become a force to be reckoned with.
Unfortunately, for now, the inexperience of the Chimaera from their past life made the new form ineffective in combat. The ineffectiveness must have conflicted with that of the Lizardman, which reduced the overall stats.
"I can't use you in battles directly." Ashton stroked his chin, "Your new body is of a monster that doesn't know how to fight like an intelligent being."
Just then, Sven willingly appeared before him, kneeling. As soon as the Chimaera saw Sven kneeling, it followed suit.
"Eh? I raise a Chimaera or a mimic?" Ashton snickered before turning his attention toward Sven, "What's this about?"
"I would like to train the new soldier if you approve, my lord," Sven replied without raising his head, "I am confident in my ability to teach-"
Just then, the rest of his summons joined the fray. Surprisingly, even Atlas jumped at the opportunity, which was highly unexpected as he was known to be a loner.
"What do you think you all are doing here?" Sven sternly remarked, although angered, he did not want to show his wild side before their Master.
"Just doing what you are," Celeste replied and rushed to hug Ashton's leg, "Master, let me have him. I'll make him a good boy like you made a good girl out of me."
Her hands slowly ventured eerily close to Ashton's nether regions, which promptly earned her a smack to the face. But Ashton regretted his involuntary action after seeing the bitch in heat just enjoy being hit.
"Ah... yes! YES!" She began shaking violently as if she... found some relief.ραпdα `n?ν?| сom
"Fucking masochist," Atlas scoffed before bowing before Ashton, "Lord, it's no secret that I am the strongest amongst your servants. That point alone should be-"
"There," Raven interjected, his dagger about to be plunged into the titan's neck, "All your strength wouldn't matter if you get killed before you can act. Speed is always the determining factor in a battle. The quicker you attack, the sooner you win. I rest my case, my Lord."
Before Gokung could do something, Ashton raised his hand, ending the infighting, "Stop your nonsense before I smack all of your asses."
Celeste looked excited about the proposal, but Ashton ignored her and continued, "All of you will train him. After all, absorbing skills is his primary ability. Am I right, Shadow Chimaera Drakon?"
Drakon, pleased with his new name, nodded vigorously. Absorbing one's flesh wasn't the only thing he was capable of, but he could also mimic someone's skills as long as he could figure out how to execute those moves.
His innate ability of [Mimicry] was why he knelt before Ashton after watching Sven do the same.
"Great, so it's decided. All of you will train Drakon in [Valhalla]," Ashton announced before turning towards Drakon, "I look forward to testing your skills after a month."
***
That following day, it was time to leave earth behind. Goodbyes were always tough but also necessary to move forward. Even Alucard personally showed up to bid farewell to the hero of Livan, and so did Hana.
Following Ashton's departure, the leaders of three communities were set to have a conference to cement their partnership further and work together to boost earth's reputation in space.
Priska and Otiga would remain on earth to look over the earthlings and guide them. After much debate, Ricochet decided to stay on Earth with Nora.
Ashton didn't question him but gave him the task of discovering the mastermind behind creating the Chimaera.
While everyone was preparing to leave, Ashton, Anna, Anna's parents and Avalina were having a family lunch. Alucard and Hana joined them in the festivities.
Montagu was sad his 'princess' was leaving him again, but after being choke-slammed once by Anna, he was back to his usual jolly mood.
"I'm warning you," Montagu mumbled while shoving greens down his throat, "you better take care of her and her needs, or else no matter where you are, I'll hunt you down and-"
"Get your behind kicked back to earth." Anna interrupted, and the entire table broke down laughing.
"I must say," Alucard said, "When I first saw Ashton, I would have never dreamed he would grow so much. You might not be my son-in-law anymore, but I am just as proud of your achievements and Avalina."
"I wouldn't have gotten so strong without your guidance in my formative years-" Ashton replied but was interrupted by Kass.
"Captain, the ship is ready to depart."
"Got it. Start boarding everyone else. We'll be there soon." Ashton replied as everyone left, leaving him and Avalina alone for some time.
"Do you have to go?" Avalina mumbled, and he nodded.
"But you don't have to worry," Ashton replied while hugging her, "With the advanced communicators Priska brought with her, I'll always be a day away from you. Just one call, and I'll teleport to the Eastern Palace and be at your service instantly."
Avalina hugged her son tightly. Deep down, she knew Ashton had more responsibilities to worry about than just earth and his family. As a mother, taking care of the earthy problems was the least she could do to ease his worries.
"Fine, be a free bird." She mumbled before kissing his forehead, "But remember, if you ever need something, we'll be right here for you."
"I know, ma. See you later, and don't overwork yourself!"
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