Chapter 171: Tanaka Among Beastfolk

The magic circle under the Wolf King’s throne suddenly flared up. A pole made of black spear shot out from the floor, filled with poisonous mana hissing and rushing at Aldren’s breast. Guards tried to stop it, but they could not reach the king in time.

Tanaka sighed. His body lengthened over the hall in a streak of azure waves, and before the spear could damage Aldren, Tanaka swallowed it whole, absorbing all of its harmful magic. The hall fell silent as he formed himself again near the throne and looked at the place where the dark spear had just been.

"Aren’t you going to try again?" Tanaka asked dryly. The Wolf King looked at him, surprised. "You swallowed the attack?" he asked. "Yes," Tanaka said. Tanaka turned his head to the gathered rulers.

"And before any of you try to think of another attack, I want you to know that I’m not vulnerable to poison. Whatever spells you plan to use against me will have no effect," he declared. His gaze fell on one of the ruling figures, Veyra Vossari. Her ears had stood up in anger, while one of her tails had stopped moving. Tanaka studied her carefully and did not comment on his discovery.

Instead, he focused on one of the pillars holding the ceiling, where the magic circle from which the spear had shot had been at its base. Tanaka’s slime form had taken most of the poison with it when he had eaten the second attack, so it was fading away. "If the bastard that set this trap wanted to see my true powers, he only had to ask," Tanaka said with a smirk.

Several rulers exchanged uneasy glances, but Tanaka’s expression faded away. "But since someone decided to try twice to kill me inside this hall, I guess it would be best if everyone saw me for what I truly am," he said. His mana suddenly flared up in the room.

It was a mix of red and black, and its presence sent several guards to the floor and a spear clattering to the ground. Even the banners above the hall flapped furiously, though there was no wind. Tanaka stood in the middle of the hall, his demonic aura filling it up. He did not smile.

"I’m not here to hurt anyone. I came to learn about your people and to see if Eldoris’s Kingdom could benefit from trade with your nations," he said evenly. Tanaka’s aura flared up again. "Do not mistake that for an invitation to attack me, because if any of you decides that a slime is not a challenge, then I’ll show you how much power I truly possess," he warned.

Almost everyone in the hall was silent. Tanaka began to look around slowly. "Anyone wants to try?" he said. There was no reaction at all. Garrath Goldmane, the Lion King, could have been laughing at almost everything Tanaka had said, but now he studied the slime monster with a frown. He could feel immense power in Tanaka’s presence, but it was an oppressive force, almost demonic in nature.

Tanaka turned to face the Wolf King. "You may want to sit back down," the wolf king said evenly. "No, really," Tanaka said with a dark grin. "It would be best for your people if no one tried to piss me off again!" Aldren rose from his throne. "Lord Tanaka, I believe your message has been delivered loud enough," he said.

Tanaka turned to the Wolf King and raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. Aldren nodded. "Yes," he replied evenly. "Eldoris’s ambassador has made himself quite clear." The pressure in the room had not lessened, forcing some of the weaker rulers to stumble, but the Wolf King stood his ground, despite the fact that his lungs were burning from the effort of doing so.

Tanaka observed him for a moment before he let some of his power fade away. It was enough to allow some of the frightened rulers to regain their composure, but Tanaka’s aura presence was still very much felt in the hall. Aldren looked at the broken floor nearby. "You are much stronger than we anticipated," the Wolf King remarked.

Tanaka’s expression did not change. "Perhaps that’s because your reports were low on their estimates," he replied. Raizen stepped forward. The Star Wolf King’s claws made a sharp noise as they hit the floor, and his own demonic aura filled the room. Unlike Tanaka’s, Raizen’s presence was more like that of a beast, an ancient predator claiming its territory.

"This hall is filled with my people’s guards," Raizen said. "No one will try to hurt Lord Tanaka again with that kind of protection," he added, his golden eyes narrowing dangerously. "Should anyone try to piss him off again, I will make sure they suffer greatly before I rip their intestines out." Tanaka turned to face him.

The two rulers’ auras mixed, and several wolf guards lowered their heads. Raizen’s gaze swept over the assembled leaders. "Lord Tanaka arrived here without any demands or questions. He came peaceably and obeyed this hall’s laws without question," he said. The Star Wolf King’s fangs were visible, and his dark aura practically screamed of his anger. "He should not have been attacked."

Raizen stepped forward. "If anyone in this room cares to attempt what those cowards before you have just done, you should know that Lord Tanaka will not be taken off guard again. I would remind you that I am the strongest warrior this land possesses, and there are few in this room willing to try a direct fight against a Monster Lord," he warned.

His growl reverberated across the hall, and several powerful beastfolk lords could not stop looking at the new Monster King. An elderly wolf beastman got up from the seats behind the throne. His fur had turned to a nearly white gray, and a deep scar crossed from his left ear to the corner of his mouth. On his chest were the house marks of the Frostmane Clan. He looked intently at Raizen.

"That aura..." the old beastman whispered. Raizen turned to face him. The elderly wolf’s eyes were wide. "The silver fur! Those eyes! This presence..." he said. He took a step closer. "Have the Star Wolves truly gone? They were supposed to be forgotten in the annals of history." There was a murmur among the wolf nobles, and Aldren’s facial expression changed slightly.

"Clan Elder Svarn. Explain yourself," Aldren said. Svarn did not answer right away, as if trying to decide whether Raizen was worth his time. "There were beasts older than the Wolf Crown’s bloodline," the old beastman muttered, "...and these Star Wolves were among the strongest." Tanaka looked over his shoulder at Raizen. The Star Wolf King’s face was unreadable as he studied Svarn.