Chapter 64: The Oathkeeper’s Last Oath [Part 4] "Sir Leo!" Alex shouted at the guardian golem desperately fighting against the berserk Boss Monster that was hell-bent on ripping its body apart. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 "Don’t interfere!" Leo ordered. "It’s very dangerous right now! Wait until its berserk phase is over!" The Oathkeeper didn’t seem to give a damn about his missing arm. He continued exchanging blows with the spider despite being at a disadvantage. By now, the Catkins had succeeded in cutting off two of the monster’s hind legs. With that, it could no longer jump like it used to. Enraged by the loss, it had gone berserk. Right now, the only thing it wanted to do was kill and rip apart anything that stood in its way. The battle of the two behemoths was so intense that no one could get near them without getting hurt. The first Oathkeeper gave his all to safeguard the seeds of the next generation of the Clawford Tribe, which he had vowed to protect hundreds of years ago. Leo’s remaining Will understood this was the last time he could help his people. Although he knew he wouldn’t be able to defeat the Boss Monster, he would inflict as much damage as he could so Alex and the rest of the Catkins could finish it off. A minute later, another arm of the Guardian Golem was successfully yanked away by the Boss Monster. Alex’s and the Catkins’ expressions turned grim. But the Oathkeeper had no intention of giving up. After losing both arms, he used his legs and kicked the monster repeatedly on the face. Using every part of his body, Leo fought, and fought, and fought some more. When the monster was close, he used his head to headbutt it. When it tried to distance itself away from him, he slammed his body against it. Alex, who knew why Leo was fighting so desperately, couldn’t help but feel emotional. He was looking at a true Hero. Even though his original body had died hundreds of years ago, his Will and determination to protect his tribe still remained. So when one of the spider’s legs successfully yanked the golem’s head from its body, Alex and the Catkins all cried out in anger. Although the Boss Monster’s berserk state was still active, Alex no longer cared and rushed towards it with a furious roar. The Catkins finally realized the true identity of the guardian golem that had desperately tried to protect them. That realization banished all the fear they felt, replacing it with the thought of vengeance. Just like the young human, all of them charged at the Boss Monster, not caring that they might very well die. Even Lavinia, who usually had a good head on her shoulders, sprinted toward the enemy, her eyes brimming with killing intent. However, even with anger fueling their blows, they couldn’t suddenly overcome the difference in strength. One by one, the Catkins were sent hurtling. The Boss Monster’s frenzied attacks left them with moderate to serious injuries. Even Alex’s nose and mouth were bleeding after tanking several blows that would surely be fatal had they landed on the Catkins instead. After getting severely hurt, he was no longer agile enough to evade the web balls that the spider had spat in his direction. Before long, he had been turned into a human cocoon. While everyone was fighting desperately, Alex felt himself sinking into darkness as the injuries and exhaustion he suffered washed over his body. At the same time, particles of light flew out of the guardian golem’s body and headed toward the cocoon where Alex was trapped in. This light merged with Everguard, making the shield in Alex’s hand glow faintly. "Old friend, let us fight together one last time," Leo said to his partner, who had accompanied him for many years. As if replying to his wish, Everguard shone brilliantly, instantly healing all of Alex’s injuries. It then emitted a golden flame that burned away the sticky web, freeing the young man. Alex’s consciousness, which was about to fade, suddenly returned. He then stood up and looked at Everguard, which was still shining brightly. Despite that brightness, Alex wasn’t blinded by it. In fact, he felt that Leo and Everguard were burning what remained of their life force to fight one last battle together. This golden light wrapped around Alex’s entire body, filling the young man with the strength that would allow him to accomplish the Last Oath the two protectors of the Clawford Tribe wished to fulfill at all costs. At that moment, a scream reached the young man’s ears. The Catkins watched in horror as their Young Miss used her body to shield one of them from the fangs of the monster. Lavinia could have turned a blind eye and allowed the young Catkin to get devoured, but her body moved on its own before she could even think. But she didn’t regret it. It was the duty of the Hartwell Clan to protect the Clawford Tribe. ’I’m sorry, brother, father, mother, grandpa,’ Lavinia thought as she closed her eyes and braced herself for the incoming attack that would end her life. But the bite she expected didn’t come. Instead, she heard a metallic clang behind her. It was then followed by a pained screech that made her turn around to see what was happening. The first thing she saw was the back of a young man, whose body was glowing with a golden light. She then saw the mutant spider lying on the ground, with its legs flailing like a turtle that had been flipped over. Just as she wondered if she had died and was simply looking at an illusion, the young man raised his leg and kicked the spider like a soccer ball, sending it flying. Lavinia, the teenage Catkins, and those who were watching the battle in the secret room stared in disbelief. What they were witnessing was simply too incredible. Alex, who was brimming with strength at the moment, raised his shield in front of him. "Shield Rush!" He then ran forward so fast that he left a trail of afterimages. Before the mutant spider could even fall to the ground, he arrived and followed up with another attack. "Shield Charge!" The young man’s entire body turned into a golden comet that slammed against the Boss Monster, creating a powerful explosion. A pained scream escaped the monster’s mouth as it rolled several times on the ground due to the force of the impact before coming to a complete stop. Just like everyone else, it couldn’t understand why the weak human, whom it had treated as a joke earlier, was suddenly so powerful. The monster’s berserk state had ended the moment Alex’s Shield Charge connected with its body, making it feel a pain it had never felt before in its life. Alex gazed at the monster, whose health had decreased drastically after receiving his combination attack. Due to Leo and Everguard burning their life force, Alex’s strength had increased drastically, boosting him to temporarily become a Rank 7 Oathkeeper. This was the highest Rank Leo had achieved in his lifetime, allowing him to protect the Clawford Tribe during his generation. The mutant spider, who was on its last legs, tried to prop itself up from the ground but failed to do so because of its injuries. It then noticed something white and small standing near its head, looking at him with a glare. The Boss Monster opened its mouth in an attempt to bite the little guy, but Dim Dim wasn’t fazed by it. Instead, the Dim Sum God took out the monster core that had been charged with Lavinia’s Mgic power and tossed it inside the monster’s mouth before jumping away to safety. Dim Dim had been hurt by the mutant spider earlier, so it had been waiting for the right opportunity to get its revenge. Just as the Boss Monster was wondering what had been tossed inside its mouth, it suddenly felt something hot inside its body. A moment later, its body expanded before bursting apart, sending flesh and blood flying in every direction. The monster’s head fell on the ground rolling. It only stopped when it hit Alex’s feet. Without hesitation, the young man raised his glowing shield and slammed it on the monster’s head with all the strength he could muster. The spider’s head shattered like a watermelon, leaving nothing behind. When the monster’s body started to turn into particles of light, the young man heard two voices inside his head. ""Thank you, Alex."" The young man recognized Sir Leo’s voice and instinctively knew that the second voice belonged to the shield in his hand. Everguard had gained sentience over the years and had poured everything it had into accomplishing its final task. The sound of something breaking reached everyone’s ears as the shield, which had protected the Clawford Tribe for hundreds of years, finally broke apart after fulfilling its last mission. Alex knelt and gathered the shield’s broken shards one by one and piled them up together. When he was done, he pressed his hands together in prayer and thanked Everguard for fulfilling its last oath before it left the world to reunite with its dear friend, who had gone before it.