Soul system:Return Of The SSS-Ranked Troublemaker-Chapter 30: Jeju Island (7) Guardians

The portal began to distort, its edges glitching and shifting, as if reality itself was breaking apart like a corrupted file in a computer game.

From below, humans and students watched in horror.

Then—

A massive hand emerged.

It wasn’t flesh.

It wasn’t even normal.

It was a colossal hand made of pure energy, a swirling mass of colors that shouldn’t exist, constantly shifting between shades of red, blue, violet, and gold.

As it stretched outward, the portal expanded unnaturally, warping like a rubber band being pulled to its limits.

"What... what is that?" Zion’s breath hitched.

His legs trembled.

And then—he fell to his knees.

The sheer pressure of its presence was suffocating.

Then—a head appeared.

It was humanoid in shape, but it had no face.

No eyes.

No mouth.

No features.

Just a blank, shifting figure, its form flickering between solid and intangible, constantly rewriting itself as if reality was struggling to define it.

The portal stretched even further.

And then—it stepped out.

A towering figure, standing at least 20 to 30 feet tall.

The moment it fully emerged—

Everything went silent.

It didn’t attack.

It didn’t move aggressively.

It just stood there.

Energy radiated from its form, distorting the air around it.

Zion clenched his fists. "What... the hell is this thing?"

Testing a theory, he picked up a small stone and threw it at the figure.

TAP.

The stone bounced off.

His eyes widened.

"It’s solid."

His mind raced. If it had a physical form, that meant—

"SIR! IT’S A SOLID FORM! I THINK IT CAN BE DAMAGED BY PHYSICAL ATTACKS!" Zion yelled.

Yet—the creature didn’t react.

Its featureless head tilted slightly, scanning the battlefield.

Then—

The students who had been holding down the Monarch suddenly collapsed to their knees.

Their bodies trembled.

Their energy—drained.

The Monarch, watching this unfold, gritted his teeth.

His expression darkened.

His voice, for the first time, lacked amusement.

"Jin. Pull out that goddamn sword."

Jin glanced at him. "...What?"

"NOW." The Monarch’s voice was dead serious.

Jin didn’t hesitate.

With a firm grip, he yanked the sword from the Monarch’s back. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Flesh twisted, muscles regenerated, though scars still remained.

Jin exhaled. "Tsk. Thank god I have 20 kinds of animals that can regenerate."

Then—they turned back.

More figures had arrived.

Not enemies.

Allies.

The Pro Heroes of Korea, China, and Germany—who had remained at the base—had finally joined the battlefield.

A man in heavy armor stepped forward.

The Mighty Knight.

His gaze locked onto the towering figure, his tone calm yet filled with realization.

"I see. So that’s why... before I left here, the Blue Gemstone was radiating."

His hands tightened around his weapon.

"Could it be... a Guardian?"

Jin’s expression darkened.

"According to history, there are nine gemstones."

"Seven have been found."

"And five entities like this have already appeared."

He narrowed his eyes.

"This is the sixth one."

The Monarch’s fists clenched, his massive frame tensing.

"So it really is... huh."

The Monarch of Primal flexed his claws, watching them regenerate perfectly once again.

He grinned.

"Are you little piglets ready?"

Jin exhaled sharply.

"We shouldn’t use physical force."

The Mighty Knight turned to him. "Then what do you suggest?"

Jin’s gaze didn’t waver.

"Do you have anyone on your team who can use Mystic Arts? Specifically, someone who can use Telekinesis?"

The Mighty Knight’s eyes narrowed.

Then, he turned to the gathered Pro Heroes.

"EVERYONE! DOES ANYONE HERE USE TELEKINESIS?" he bellowed.

Immediately, five Pro Heroes raised their hands.

Mighty Knight smirked. "Good."

Then—another hand went up.

A female student.

Celestia.

Her voice was steady, yet serious. "I can also use Telekinesis. Though... I’m still a beginner."

A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd.

"Hey, isn’t she from that famous family?"

"Yeah, the Vaelthorne House. Noble bloodline of Mystic users."

"No wonder she’s beautiful."

"Tch. You still wouldn’t have a chance, man."

Jin smirked, unfazed by the noise.

"Heh... I still have my trump card."

He pulled out a metal card from his deck, but this one was different.

It had the image of an ordinary chain.

His voice rang out, commanding:

"CHAIN OF UNBREAKABLE BINDS—I SUMMON YOU. DRAW!"

From the card, massive black chains erupted, coiling and twisting like living serpents.

Jin’s eyes flickered toward the telekinetic users.

"Now, put those around the Guardian."

The five Pro Heroes and Celestia focused, extending their hands forward.

The chains levitated, wrapping around the massive entity’s limbs, torso, and neck.

But—they struggled.

Even with six telekinetic users, the sheer force resisting them was overwhelming.

Jin clenched his jaw. "I didn’t expect this to be easy... but still... those aren’t normal binds."

Then, he turned to the Monarch of Primal.

"Hey, Monarch."

The beastman grunted. "What?"

Jin’s lips curled into a playful grin.

"Would you be a dear and help us out?"

He batted his eyelashes, feigning innocence.

The Monarch twitched.

"Tch—ugh, fine."

With one powerful leap, the Monarch caught the chains mid-air.

As soon as he grabbed them—his muscles strained.

"Shit, this is heavy..." he muttered under his breath.

Yet—he gritted his teeth and climbed the Guardian’s massive body, his claws digging into its energy-infused form.

Once he reached its head, Jin yelled:

"NOW! CHAIN ITS NECK, THEN BIND THE REST OF ITS BODY!"

The Monarch and the Telekinetic Users worked together, wrapping the enchanted chains around the Guardian.

The bindings tightened, locking into place.

Then—one final command.

"NOW—LIFT IT!"

The Pro Heroes focused their Telekinesis, attempting to levitate the Guardian.

But then—something unexpected happened.

The Guardian rose effortlessly.

It floated without resistance.

Jin’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

"...Wait. Why is it weightless?"

For a moment, silence.

Then he shook his head.

"...Never mind. We’ll deal with that later."

As the heroes lifted the Guardian using their combined telekinesis, something strange happened.

The trees that were supposed to be crushed under its massive form...

Didn’t break.

Instead—they phased straight through its body.

As if the Guardian wasn’t truly solid.

As if it were pure energy.

The sight sent a wave of unease through the gathered fighters.

"Tch. What the hell...?" Jin muttered, his grip tightening on his sword.

Meanwhile, the Monarch of Primal stood a few feet away, checking his claws.

Something had felt strange earlier.

For a brief moment—just as he grabbed onto the Guardian’s body—

He had felt something.

Something seeping into him.

His eyes narrowed.

But after a second, he shook his head.

"...Never mind. It’s nothing."

Or so he thought.

What he didn’t notice—

Was the tiny, shifting energies still clinging to his claws.

Dark, multi-layered energy, pulsing faintly.

And before he could even perceive it—

The strange energy sank into his skin.

At the same time—the leaves from the surrounding trees, now touched by the Guardian’s energy, also flickered with the same eerie, black glow.

But just like before—

The energy was sucked inward.

Vanishing.

As if the Guardian wasn’t just made of energy—

But something far more dangerous.