Hegemon awoke as the sun rose high, its rays shining directly into the mountain crevice. The exhaustion from yesterday's rule-breaking punch had lessened, and the magical energy within him, thanks to Lily's constant regulation, had been fully restored.
"You're awake?" Lily sat beside him, roasting some roots and smiling. "You really risked your life. When you fainted, the contract was completed. I checked it carefully; that entity is a Sky Leviathan, an ancient mythical beast. This contract allows your souls to harmonize, and you can summon it anytime."
Hearing Lily's explanation, Hegemon smiled slightly. Looking back at the map, with over 30 kilometers of rugged mountain road ahead, an idea struck him. Hegemon closed his eyes, concentrating his mind to awaken the mark in his soul.
Boom!
The space above the cliff cracked, and the colossal whale entity, Leviathan, appeared proudly. It lowered its body, allowing Hegemon and Lily to climb onto its back. With a gentle flick of its tail, the sky monster sped away at breakneck speed, transforming the distance of dozens of kilometers by land into a short flight of less than fifteen minutes.
At the fortified gates of the Western Kingdom, the soldiers guarding the city suddenly fell into utter panic. Air raid sirens blared as a gigantic black shadow, ten times the size of a normal whale, descended from the clouds and landed directly on the square in front of the main gate.
"Enemy attack! Form ranks! Call the mages!" the captain of the soldiers roared, hundreds of magical spears and arrows trembling as they pointed at the monster.
Amidst the suffocating tension, Lily jumped down from the whale's back first. She held up the Elf village emblem and the map bearing the sacred sword Kenji's seal, loudly explaining, "Please calm down! We are not enemies! We are friends of Lord Kenji, guided here by him!"
Hegemon then jumped down, standing beside Lily. Seeing the symbol of the kingdom's hero, the soldiers regained their composure, lowering their weapons, but their eyes still betrayed their horror as they looked at the giant creature behind him.
Hegemon turned around, gently patting the Leviathan's cool skin: "Thank you. Now go back to your sea or sky to rest." The giant whale let out a deep, loyal cry before dissolving into particles of light, flying back into the seal on his hand.
Lily watched them go, playfully nudging Hegemon's arm: "Now look what's happened! Your contract allows you to summon it anytime, but we've already attracted so much attention just by arriving in the capital. The peaceful days ahead are probably over!"
Hegemon could only shake his head and chuckle wryly. Hegemon and Lily then stepped through the magnificent city gates, officially beginning a new chapter in the turbulent Western Kingdom.