He almost got caught.

This surprised him, as currently his spiritual sense was at the level of Supreme’s, and yet she felt it, meaning not only is her spiritual sense stronger than ordinary transcendent, but it also is quite sharp with high sensitivity.

She clearly wasn’t ordinary, half-step transcendent; her aura and calm demeanour weren’t just for show; she might truly be confident in her strength. Apollo was looking forward to seeing truly what she was made of.

As he observed her, Herold approached once more, noticing that Apollo had come out of his meditation.

He had felt Apollo’s uniqueness; his guts were telling him that if he could become close to him, he would survive.

Although it appeared idiotic, he believed his instincts, and because of it, he had reached where he today stands. He wasn’t born with massive talent or even in a terrifying ancient clan, but he was able to reach his current strength because of his guts.

So, he had to try, and this might be his chance.

Apollo glanced at him, a thought crossing his mind. ’Perhaps it was time to learn more. The various races... the hidden forces...’

If anyone here knew something useful, it would be Herold, as he seemed to be the guy who tries to be friends with as many people. And he was frankly the most active person in the Human Alliance.

"Herold, did you know anything about the warriors from different races gathered here?" Apollo asked.

Herold’s eyes lit up slightly.

"Hm? Of course," he replied without hesitation. "Among the thousands gathered here, no one would dare claim they know more about them than I do."

He spoke with clear confidence. Even he hadn’t expected that the opportunity to get close to Apollo would come so easily.

He usually likes to make friends, and he naturally was able to gather quite a lot of intel. So he can be sure he did have the best understanding.

"Alright, then tell me whom you think is the strongest here." Apollo asked with interest.

Herold didn’t hesitate.

"Among the hundreds of races gathered, there are five that stand above the rest—at least, from what I’ve learned."

There was a hint of excitement in his voice, almost like a child speaking about his favourite subject. It was a strange sight for someone at the half-step transcendent level—but Herold paid it no mind.

"They are..."

"The Dragon Clan."

"The Ashura Clan."

"The Alliance of Necros."

"The Elven Empire."

"And lastly—the Divine Beast Court."

"Oh." Hearing this, Apollo’s eyes glowed as he mostly agreed with the herald’s words. He had just scanned almost everyone with his spiritual sense; he also got the same thing. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Although there are still a few mysterious people whose strength even he cannot gauge clearly, overall Herold’s thoughts were right.

He glanced at Herold again, feeling that although this guy seemed unreliable, he actually was quite good.

Herold didn’t notice the change in Apollo’s look but thought he was intrigued by his words, so he eagerly continued.

"Then let’s talk about Dragon Clan first."

"They have the largest number of warriors here, thanks to their many branches. A significant portion of them has entered the ruins."

"They have quite a lot of half-step transcendents, but they seemed to follow the lead of the Young Dragon King, who seemed to have awakened after Rion changed."

"It said he had a very terrifying bloodline which seemed to surpass the transcendent level." He said with a bit of a serious expression.

Apollo nodded; he already felt the strength of the young dragon king Herold mentioned, and he was also mysterious power within him, which is likely the power of bloodline, which should be of supreme or even sovereign level dragon.

Herold continued, "Second came the Ashura Clan; it was completely opposite, as they are the ones with the smallest number of people."

"There are fewer than thirty of them here, yet every single one has reached the half-step transcendent realm."

He paused briefly, his tone growing more serious.

"The Ashura race is known for their overwhelming physical strength and their innate lust for battle. Each of them is a monster in their own right... and their leader—"

Herold exhaled softly.

"—is said to be a monster even among monsters that surpassed Ashura lords of previous eras."

Apollo nodded naturally; the Ashura race caught his eye. They naturally stand out as if they were ten feet tall with four arms covered with bloody tattoos and runes.

The Ashura were a legendary race—feared far beyond Rion itself. Though they had long since vanished from the outside universe, their legends still remained.

They were known as the embodiment of war.

Gods of battle.

They were too famous to not catch his eye.

Also, they really live up to their names, as he can feel each of their powers. All thirty of them were the best in their ranks.

And from what he can see, the leader, who was a foot taller than the rest, has terrifying power. In fact, it was terrifying that his physical body seemed to have broken the barrier and reached transcendent level.

He was the second individual Apollo had seen—after the Elven leader—who had crossed that threshold.

Apollo couldn’t help but feel a trace of surprise.

It seemed he had indeed underestimated the heroes born from ancient clans—those backed by countless eras of history and foundation aren’t simple.

"Next is the weirdest one: the beings of the Necros continent, who together formed the Necros Alliance. They are frankly the most unique, as although they aren’t from the same clan or race, they belong to the Necros continent."

Herold’s voice lowered slightly.

"They share the same unsettling aura... one filled with death and decay."

"To be honest, there’s very little we can learn about them. They’re the most mysterious of the five. I can’t determine their exact strength—but one thing is certain..."

"They’re terrifying."

"Even if you know nothing about them... everyone still believes that much."

Apollo wasn’t surprised hearing it, as even if he had to say, ’Is there anyone or anything that makes him feel troubled?’ to him, it would naturally be the group from the Necros continent.