Chapter 328 - Jotunheim (1)
"Do we need to unlock her true potential as well?" Talos asked after transforming back to his robotic self, "I don't think we have enough beast crystals left to do so."
"Nah. She's already stronger than all of you. No need to evolve her any further, for now." Arnold replied, "Either way, as you said, we don't have a lot of beast crystals remaining so I don't think it is feasible for me to evolve her. Then there's also the trust issues between us. She might have submitted to me now, but if given the chance she could betray me as well. We'll evolve her once she had gained my trust, till then the only thing bounding her to me is Scylla."
"Is she really related to Scylla?" Talos asked him.
"Well... I got the egg as a reward for killing Tiamut's so-called daughter so it might be true."
"I have a question as well... How is she still stronger than any one of us? I mean she's even stronger than Grock." Alice joined in on the conversation, "I thought beings tend to lose a couple of ranks after the resurrection, right?"
"That's what I'm confused about as well." Arnold nodded in agreement, "But there are too many variables for me to pinpoint a reason. It could be because she's a Godly being thus she retained her true strength even after being resurrected, or maybe it happened because Talos' reanimation skill got a facelift."
Talos and Alice both nodded. There were multiple reasons for it to happen, so what could they do? They couldn't go on blindly resurrecting godly beings like this or else it would end up biting them in the butt. This time they got lucky just because Arnold still had a higher rank than Tiamut. But it may not be the case the next time.
"The only way to solve this mystery is to use the skill on a variety of monsters and study what happens to them." Arnold proposed a solution to them, "And thankfully we have the best opportunity to do so now."
The duo gave their master a confused look. Where were they going to find beings like Tiamut? It wasn't as if someone had opened a supermarket to go in and start shopping.
Arnold knew what they were thinking. But rather than clearing their doubts, he took out the dungeon crystal and threw it towards Talos.
"This... I see. So this is what you meant master. It could work. With this, we can replenish our reserves of Beast crystals while simultaneously capturing other beasts." Talos said before handing the crystal back to Arnold.
"Um, guys... English please?" Alice
"You'll get to know in a while. But first, tell everyone to check their gears for the last time and to step back a bit. God knows what'll happen after I use this crystal."
"Yes, Master."
****
A few minutes later...
"Alright listen up!" Arnold yelled at the top of his lungs, "The dungeon we're about to enter is unlike anything we have been to before. So be vigilant at all times. Pay utmost attention to your surroundings and if you think you cannot take care of a monster by yourself, then do not hesitate and ask for help."
"Divide yourselves into groups of 10. The elite summons will be leading these groups and head into different directions so that everyone can make the best of this opportunity and level up as much as they can." Arnold continued, "Also if you find the boss of the dungeon, do not engage and inform me immediately. And keep an eye on the boss monster while I get there. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Master!" His army roared in unison.
"Tiamut and Scylla will accompany me. The rest of you feel free to form a group as you please. I'll open the dungeon in two minutes. So form the groups within that time."
"Your summons are quite well-behaved." Tiamut said as she walked over to him in her ancient battle armour.
The set of crimson armour had a squared helm with a faceguard which had been shaped like the face of her dragon form. Attached to its side were two small horns, one of which was partially broken. Maybe it broke during a previous altercation. The shoulder plates were fairly squared, wide and quite big. And was decorated with a small pointed tip, which is curved towards the back. Arnold guessed it was probably made to hold her weapon.
Her upper arms were protected by pointed, layered metal rerebraces which sat nicely under the shoulder plates. Her lower arms were covered by vambraces with a skull-shaped metal ornament piece on each outer side.
The breastplate was made from many layers of squared metal sheets. It covered the entire front and backside, but the attachment straps left her underarms exposed. Meanwhile, her upper legs were covered by a skirt of many layers of metal-like sheets that barely reached below her groin.
The lower legs were protected by greaves which had several layers of some mystical metal sheets on the outer sides, while the rest of her feet was left unprotected, it was done to ensure that the armour didn't hamper her agility. All in all, the armour looked quite intimidating.
"Woah, what's up with the insane armour?" Arnold asked her, "And where did you get it from?"
"It's my true form. Yours truly, the Immortal one, sealed it away when he defeated me as a punishment for declaring war against the higher gods." Tiamut explained it to Arnold, "But since you killed me, the seal came off and now I can use it again."
"Damn, godly punishments work in weird ways..." Arnold sighed, "I know of a few punishments as well, like killing, maiming, torturing, you get the gist. I wonder if he was truly infuriated by you or not. If he was why didn't he simply kill you? It would've been the easiest way to punish someone, right?"
"You mortals will never understand the humiliation a sealed armour cause to us gods. It's worse than death for us."
"I see, I see. You do have a weapon on you, don't you?" Arnold asked her.
"My claws are enough for me."