I felt a pang of mixed astonishment and endearment after the stranger, no, Izzie as she had called herself, left the Chimera Crew's lounge. As aware as I was of the fear rippling through the hearts of my compatriots, Iza Alruin was not a terrible person. Just a terrifying one with a ditzy exterior.

  Only an absolute fool would overlook the danger that lay within that woman. She might have been the most dangerous fighter in this darn coliseum, which would have been almost unimaginable to consider with the existence of the DreaGoth Warlords and machine pirates like Don Irusthook and Xiecruel participating in the same arena.

  Yet there she had been, seated between Sapshorla and Tilz, chatting animatedly with me about DreaGothian fashion trends and the recent restaurant establishments being built in the capital district of Jalkra's Clan.

  I wondered if she had been spying or preparing an assassination attempt before her upcoming match against Oath and Sapshorla, because I did notice the red katanas sheathed at her hips. My guard was up. Oath's guard was up. Everyone in the Chimera Crew shifted uneasily, ready for a plausible fight even if it would have been futile. In the end, Iza Alruin had only wanted to chat with me.

  One strenuous half hour passed with the blood vessel on my temple feeling like it would burst at any moment, only for the woman to wave goodbye to the group and say, "Aw, you guys have been good company, see ya" followed by a wink at Oath, then at Sapshorla, before departing for good. Somehow, I felt disappointed she was gone too soon.

  I actually enjoyed her company. Even taking the bait of the small talk. And the bait had been taken. Reading between the lines revealed the true reason for her visit. She wanted me to fight, swapping places with one of my teammates in the 2v2 match that would begin shortly.

  "We're set to begin Round 8 of the coliseum!" Bellatrixa's voice struck my ears. The announcer twirled. "Send down your fighters! The next round is between Jalkra Clan's famed Iza Alruin and the elegant weaver Ume the Jurogumo!" She gestured toward the two fighters approaching the Battle Zone arena. "And from the Chimera Crew, we have Oath and Sapshorla. Let's expect a battle that molds the very terrain into a splendid aesthetic!"

  "It's about time we head down," Sapshorla shuddered. The flowers sprouting from her hair withered, as though attempting to hide her worry.

  Oath nodded. Her stature grew more resolute as she straightened. "Oath will do her best. She will also ensure your safety, Sapshorla."

  "Sapshorla, would you mind if I..." I did not finish the statement as Sapshorla nodded, the huge flower petal on her head flopping with the desperate gesture.

  "Go ahead, KiAera. You're better equipped to handle the task. I would only wither on the battlefield and be dead weight holding Oath down if I were to fight. Sorry." The guilty look plastered on her face was disheartening to witness, but it proved we both shared the same distraught sentiment.

  I accepted her sincerity and stood from my seat.

  Outside the lounge, the arena announcer Bellatrixa had just waved her wand to transform the coliseum's battleground. The ground rippled and warped. In mere moments, the field became a misty gothic cemetery one might find in a vampire's manor, except there was no mansion, only the vast field, gravestones, looming gnarled trees, and citadel towers reaching feebly toward the darkened, cloudy, moonlit sky.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  I wondered if the site was a promise of burial. Considering who we were up against in the match:

  Iza Alruin, beautiful, pale with unblemished skin and dressed in a kimono with skull ornaments attached to her attire and draped from her green locks of hair, seemed to be some type of undead monster, though what exactly remained uncertain.

  And there was Ume, wearing a ghastly white bridal-like outfit. With her Jurogumo features—unmistakably a pretty human woman at the top and with an arachnid lower half, it was easy to believe the transformed arena would benefit her talent for weaving webs.

  The spectators gasped and shouted as I entered the Battle Zone with Oath at my side. This must have been how nerve wracking it felt for my crewmates whenever they stepped into the arena.

  The first murmur rose before I even reached the center line. It began as a ripple. Then a swell. Then a wave.

  "Wait… that's not Sapshorla."

  "That's KiAera."

  "The leader? The leader is stepping in?"

  The fog trembled with the weight of the audience's voices. I could feel thousands of eyes pressing into my back, measuring me, doubting me, recalculating the entire match in real time.

  Bellatrixa faltered mid flourish. Even she had not expected this.

  "Is that… a member exchange?" someone shouted from the upper tiers.

  "She's using the rule? Leaders don't enter mid bracket!"

  "She's the first one!"

  I kept hovering forward while in my Merecritt form. The air felt heavier now from expectation.

  From the balcony of Jalkra Clan's Wait Zone, I saw him. Indeed Jalkra leaned against the railing with one arm draped lazily over the stone, his massive frame unmistakable even from across the arena. His posture appeared relaxed, but his gaze was sharp, focused.

  Not on Oath. Not the field.

  Me.

  His eyes narrowed slightly, then his lips curved into something between a grin and a challenge.

  "So the leader comes down herself," a spectator muttered near the lower stands. "Iza Alruin must be something else to drag her into the dirt."

  Another voice answered, louder, speculative. "Or maybe KiAera's scared? Maybe she doesn't trust her own lineup."

  I let the words pass through me. Noise is only noise if you accept it. Beside me, Oath adjusted her stance. She was in battle attire.

  Her chin length silver blue hair still shimmered like crystal under the false moonlight, but it was bound back with thin silver clasps that caught stray strands before they could obscure her vision. The crystalline mouse ears atop her head refracted the pale glow of the arena, scattering it in faint prismatic arcs. The hovering shield structures behind her had expanded into layered hexagonal plates, translucent yet impossibly dense, rotating in slow, defensive orbit.

  Her attire had shifted from soft skirted elegance to fitted combat regalia. A sleeveless armored bodice traced her lithe frame. A short reinforced battle skirt fell over crystalline-threaded leggings, flexible yet durable. The ensemble retained its modest silhouette, but there was no mistaking its purpose now.

  Oath in battle was not adorable. She was resolute. The fog parted around her as if it respected her perimeter.

  "Oath stands ready," Oath said. The crystalline plates behind her hummed softly.

  Across from us, Iza clapped her hands together once. Her delight was genuine.

  "Oh my," she said brightly. "You really did come down, KiAera!"

  Her red katanas remained sheathed, but her posture shifted ever so slightly. Weight balanced. Shoulders loose. Eyes sharpened. She had wanted this.

  Ume paused mid silk thread, her arachnid lower half anchoring against a gravestone. Even she looked mildly startled, though her composure returned just as quickly.

  Jalkra straightened at the balcony. Even from this distance, I saw the flicker of calculation cross his face.

  Good, I thought. Let them adjust. I lifted my chin slightly and allowed the crowd to see my face clearly.

  "Member exchange confirmed!" Bellatrixa announced, her voice recovering its theatrical edge. "Chimera Crew Leader KiAera enters the fray!"

  The roar that followed rattled the citadel towers, toward the first leader to step into her own bracketed match. The first to make use of the rule others treated as a safety net. History was not made by sitting comfortably in a lounge.

  I met Iza's gaze again.

  "You wanted me," I said despite the chorus reverberating around them, though I knew she could hear. "I'm here."

  An Administrator has fallen. A Chimera has risen. The System has begun its Ultimatum.

  KiAera clawed her way from prey to Sovereign, forging the first monster sanctuary in a brutal monster-ruled world.

  Music, games, food, and comforts? Her monster lords are baffled by human cultures and have never imagined them, yet KiAera wields them to usher a new era for monsterkind.

  But a sanctuary alone will not suffice. The Sovereigns stir, reality-bending Overlords have taken notice, and whispers of a long-dormant System Ultimatum hint that the world itself is counting on her… and judging her choices.

  To protect her people and uncover the truth behind her improbable survival, KiAera must lead and challenge everything even she thought she knew about power.

  Human → Chimera Sovereign MMORPG System World Evolution & Monster Fusion Monster Sovereign Politics Kingdom-Building & Defense Ful-Ruin Network Mystery A Thousand+ Chimera Forms

  ?? Frequent Hand-Drawn Character Artwork

  Illustrations of major characters, Chimera evolutions, Sovereigns, and Sanctum leaders released alongside major arcs.

  ? READER SIGNAL ARCHIVE ?

  @CrystalOverlord: This escalated from neat monster LitRPG to sovereign-tier epic absurdly fast.

  @SanctumStrategist: Monster lords as a subordinates? A side cast that actually matter? I inhaled 40k words in one sitting.

  @UltimatumWitness: This feels like someone smuggled a published series onto Royal Road.

  ? 100,000+ Words in Draft ? Guaranteed Updates