"Still a bit short of the target level, but... let's see what we've got so far. All units, materialize!"
Rover activated his Pangu Terminal's Echo module and summoned every Echo he'd collected that day. What appeared before Danjin's eyes made her scalp tingle.
"ROAAAARRRR!!!" x N
Dozens of creatures that had been Tacet Discords not long ago unleashed a deafening chorus. Havoc Warriors, Aero Predators, Clang Bangs, Cruisewings, Hoartoises, Electro Dreadmanes, Glacio Dreadmanes, Gulpuffs, Stonewall Bracers, Violet-Feathered Herons, Rocksteady Guardians, Havoc Prisms, Hoochiefs, and more.
Over thirty Echoes prostrated themselves before him.
An army of loyal soldiers greeting their commander.
And if one had to ask which among them was the most terrifying...
"ROAAAARRRR!!!"
The roar of a king among beasts erupted from the jaws of an enormous cyan tiger, thunderous enough to shake the earth beneath their feet and scatter the clouds overhead.
The instant this Echo appeared, every one of the other thirty-odd Echoes trembled. Their fear was unmistakable.
Danjin stood frozen, her voice barely a whisper.
"Ink-black dorsal armor. Cyan fur that no blade can pierce. A tail like a whip that could sweep aside an army. Four black paws traced with flowing gold. And that pressure, far beyond anything an Elite Class should radiate... there's no mistaking it. That's a Lightcrusher!"
"True, but his name's Lucky now. Big Black Tiger Lucky."
Rover patted the Lightcrusher Echo's flank.
"That's, uh... a great name?"
Danjin's eye twitched as she studied the beast. Everything about it radiated raw power and elegance, like a king among Echoes. And the legends bore that out: the Lightcrusher sat at the absolute pinnacle of Elite Class.
Half a step into Overlord Class.
She could carve through exiles like butter and handle ordinary Tacet Discords with ease, but against this tiger? A few swipes of those paws would be all it took.
Echo designation H54. High-danger Tacet Discord. Lightcrusher.
The strongest Echo in Rover's command.
Even with his abilities, taming it had been a brutal fight. That alone said everything about this creature's power. And now, as Rover swung himself onto the Lightcrusher's back and settled astride it...
"Oh, hell yes! Hahahaha!"
"ROAAAARRRR!!!"
He couldn't hold back his laughter, and the Lightcrusher answered with a thundering roar to match. Magnificent.
This was the Tacet Discord that had crushed countless players at full strength before the nerfs, the one that proved even among same-tier creatures, the gap could be an uncrossable chasm.
Danjin's eyes shone.
Before her sat the dark-haired, golden-eyed Rover astride the tiger's back. One hand gripping the horn ridge along its spine. The other holding a sword so battered it was barely recognizable.
He looked like a king on his throne. The words "cool" and "commanding" made flesh.
"Wait, why is there a Lightcrusher all the way out here? They only appear around Mount Firmament, and that's nowhere close."
"No idea. Maybe something drove it out of its territory, and it wandered this far."
Rover slid off the tiger's back and leaned against its flank. He looked like a young heir leaning against his Lamborghini, effortlessly magnetic.
One hand reached up to scratch beneath the Lightcrusher's chin.
The Lightcrusher: Purrrrrr...
Tiger or not, a cat was still a cat. The beast rumbled with pleasure and nuzzled against him, every ounce of its jungle-king menace evaporating into the demeanor of an oversized housecat.
Danjin clasped her hands together, watching with naked envy.
She had an Echo or two of her own, but they were Common Class runts that couldn't beat a single Havoc Warrior from Rover's roster, let alone this Lightcrusher. Her Echoes wouldn't even count as a snack for the thing.
Then something clicked.
Hold on. These drop rates don't add up!
Rover had fought over a hundred Tacet Discords today. And he'd come away with more than thirty Echoes.
Common Class Echoes dropped at a rate of one in ten. Elite Class? One in a hundred. And for a half-step Overlord like the Lightcrusher, sitting at the very ceiling of Elite Class, the odds were probably one in a thousand at best.
Danjin looked at the horde of Echoes gathered around Rover and drew a long, slow breath. How obscenely lucky is this guy?! Grinding out this many Echoes like it was nothing!
"There's a special breed of person known as the blessed." Rover crossed his arms, a hint of pride creeping into his voice. "Probability doesn't apply to them. If they want something, the universe delivers on the first pull. And wouldn't you know it... I happen to be one of those people."
His gacha record back in his old life had never gone off-banner. His personal best was a full constellation chain in a single ten-pull.
Rover was that rarest of specimens: the lower the odds, the higher his actual pull rate. A walking statistical anomaly.
And now, surrounded by his Echo legion...
He looked like a shadow monarch who needed only to whisper "Arise," and an army of dark soldiers would materialize at his back.
"We're still a long way off, honestly. But it won't take forever."
He stretched and smiled to himself.
He hadn't found his dream on Solaris-3 yet. But starting with the things he wanted to do felt right, and right now he wanted to collect every species of Echo and build an army worthy of the name.
When the time came to throw down, he'd summon a horde of high-tier Echoes and let the enemy stare into the abyss. And even if some opponent was strong enough to fight through the entire army, they'd discover the most dangerous thing on the field was Rover himself. He and the female Rover would stand there applauding while they showed the poor fool the meaning of true terror.
What it means to be Solaris-3's reaper duo!!
Future enemies: (Wait, who's the villain here?!)
"Come to think of it, I think we flew a bit too far. This isn't the outskirts of Jinzhou anymore. This is the actual battlefield."
Rover scanned the surroundings. Weapons jutted from the scarred earth at odd angles. The air reeked of blood.
"And those two are gone..."
"Hm? Who's gone?"
"Emmm, two flower ladies with a stalking habit."
"Who?" Danjin blinked.
Rover shook his head. Not important right now.
In fairness, he couldn't blame Camellya and Phrolova for losing track of him. Chasing someone who could zip across the sky with the Flight module was a losing proposition for two beings rooted to the earth.
The pair had sprinted after him, gasping for air, only to watch him launch vertically into the sky from a standing start. Before they could even catch their breath, he was a speck on the horizon.
Camellya / Phrolova: "Dammit!!"
Meanwhile, a certain blue butterfly tucked safely inside Rover's pocket preened with vindication. See? It has to be me. I'm the only one who can stal... er, keep track of... no wait, keep company with the Rover at all times!
Rover was about to call it quits on the hunt and regroup with the female Rover and Yangyang when...
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
"Hm?"
Frantic, ragged footsteps.
Both of them looked up. A Midnight Rangers soldier stumbled toward them, his uniform shredded, his body a map of wounds. Behind him surged a pack of frenzied Tacet Discords, hellbent on finishing him off.
"What are you doing out here?! Run! The defensive line's been breached! Get to the reinforcements, now!" the soldier screamed.
The instant he registered how young Rover and Danjin looked, duty seized him. He skidded to a halt, raised his weapon with a trembling, blood-slicked hand, and turned to face the oncoming mini Tacet Discord Tide. He would buy these kids time to escape.
I only fell back to report in the first place. Now these two know the situation. They'll carry the word back. Which means... it's time I stopped running and gave these godforsaken monsters the fight they came for. Come on!!
He never got the chance to charge.
"ROAAAARRRR!!!"
The cyan Lightcrusher vaulted over him with a single bound, one paw swatting a cluster of Common Class Tacet Discords into oblivion.
The soldier's jaw dropped. "Wh... what?!"
And it wasn't over. Rover drew a fresh sword, flipped on his war face in an instant, and walked up beside the ranger. He pressed his remaining medical supplies into the man's hands. Then...
"Rest up, soldier. I'm taking command of this stretch of battlefield. And I like to do things my way. All units, charge!"
The Echoes: "ROAAAARRRR!!!"
Rover's blade swept forward, pointing at the enemy.
Thirty-plus Echoes roared as one and surged into battle.
A war of Echoes, spectacular beyond anything the battlefield had ever seen, erupted across the scarred earth.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Note: Thanks for the amazing support, guys! We almost reached Top 30 in the Powerstone rankings!!
Still 50 Powerstones for an extra chapter, and if we somehow make it to Top 20, I'll drop 5 extra chapters