Chapter 459 - 215: Facing Reality

They had been walking through the passage the entire time, their surroundings never changing. It was like a catacomb, a long corridor that seemed to stretch on endlessly. It wasn’t until the Black Knight stopped and turned to the side that the Beastmen realized that, at some point, a light had appeared ahead, chasing away the Darkness.

"Go on in. My Lord is waiting for you."

The Black Knight’s voice once again echoed in the Beastmen’s souls. After walking for some time, the Beastmen had calmed down and were no longer so resistant. ’What’s done is done,’ they thought. ’We’ve come this far, might as well see it through.’ The Beastmen composed themselves and stepped forward.

Their vision blurred for a moment before clearing again. They had arrived in a spacious room. Directly in front of them was a nine-tiered high platform made of piled Skeletons. Atop the platform was a throne, and on it sat a young Human.

Below the platform, twenty Black Knights stood in two rows on either side, like a display of Heavy Armor.

Staring at the Human on the throne, the four Beastmen were a little dumbfounded. They had guessed that the enemy leader would also be a Skeleton. After all, everything they had seen on their journey was either bones or Skeletons. The only thing they couldn’t see clearly was what was inside the suits of Heavy Armor.

They never would have imagined it would be such an ordinary-looking Human.

Li Ziyu looked down at the Beastmen below and beckoned with his hand. "Come forward."

His voice wasn’t loud, but by some magic of the Great Tomb, the Beastmen could hear him as clearly as if he were speaking right next to them.

The four Beastmen hesitated for a moment before walking to the base of the high platform. The three Gorilla Beastmen placed their right hands on their chests and pounded them forcefully in a salute to Li Ziyu. The Leopard Woman, however, stood quietly, showing no sign of saluting, her eyes instead filled with curiosity.

Li Ziyu didn’t mind the lack of a salute and asked directly, "Are you creatures of this world?"

The Gorilla Beastmen shook their heads. One said in a serious, earnest tone, "We are not native to this world, but our Tribe is indeed in this world. Our Tribe is prosperous and powerful, and it has many strong Warriors."

As he spoke, the two other Gorilla Beastmen began to inhale sharply, letting out "HOO! HOO! HOO!" sounds, as if providing a backing track for their companion. Li Ziyu was taken aback. ’Seriously? Do they need to make such a grand entrance? Do they come with their own background music?’

However, he understood what the Gorilla Beastman was getting at. It was just posturing. The hidden meaning was essentially, "You may have captured us, but you’d better let us go, and quickly. We have people backing us up, and they’re ridiculously strong. If you don’t let us go, we’ll have them come beat you up." That was the gist of it.

The corners of Li Ziyu’s mouth twitched up in a disdainful smirk. ’Threaten me? Is that supposed to work? If you want to take me out, you have to find me first. And I have this entire Fortress. Even if I can’t win a fight, can’t I just run?’

’Ugly, and they scheme too much. All this nonsense is pointless.’

You couldn’t be too lenient with this type of character. So, Li Ziyu leaned back, adopting a lazy posture, and asked in a curious tone, "What kind of Beastman Race are you? Gorilla Beastmen? I thought all Beastmen were humanoid. Why do you still look like gorillas? Did you not evolve properly?"

Upon hearing this, the three Gorilla Beastmen flew into a rage. They let out constant roars of "HOO! HOO! HOO!" and shouted at Li Ziyu, "How dare you insult us! We are Messengers! Are you trying to declare war? The Ape Race will never surrender! Go on, kill us!"

"Silence!" Li Ziyu, annoyed by the noise, snapped. His icy voice echoed through the empty room, making the Beastmen’s eardrums ache. They immediately fell silent. Li Ziyu then continued, "You need to understand something clearly. You are not Messengers. You are captives—my captives. You will answer what I ask, and nothing more. I don’t like to keep useless people around."

Those words brought the Apes back to their senses. When you’re under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head. They didn’t want to die. It was fine to express a little anger, but only by being obedient could they hope to survive and get a chance for their kinsmen to rescue them.