Chapter 131: Hiddens

The smell of earth lingered through the air as hundreds of leaves slowly fell toward the ground, carried by the gentle wind. Deep within the forest of the elven settlements, a tall waterfall poured down from the cliffs above, releasing tons of water every second and filling the surroundings with the constant roar of rushing water.

Beneath the waterfall, a man with elongated ears and greyed skin sat peacefully upon a large rock. The water descended directly toward him, yet before a single droplet could touch his body, it was repelled by an invisible force, splitting apart and flowing around him as though something unseen refused to let it pass.

The man was none other than one of the Twelve Constellations, the Onyx Elf. His eyes appeared tired, carrying the exhaustion of someone who had witnessed countless battles, yet there was a strange sense of comfort within them, as though he had already accepted the nature of the world around him.

He slowly opened his mouth and spoke, his voice nearly blending with the sound of the waterfall.

"Fighting is futile when even the gods have allowed the world to move as it does; the only way to truly enjoy your existence is to defy the paths others have carved for you and walk upon your own.

"If an obstacle stands before you, do not waste your life fighting around it, simply cut it in half and continue forward, for there is no one in this world who can decide the destination of your path except yourself." His voice reverberated through the entire forest with a gentle warmth.

"The God of Death does not care what I do with the power he has given me," the Onyx Elf continued, closing his eyes as the water continued falling around him. "His will was simple: follow no one, bow to no one, and allow no existence to dictate the path I choose for myself."

His eyes slowly opened. "If the Thousand Petal, the Sword Magician, or even the Scarlet Queen herself were to stand before my path, I would not ask them to move."

A faint smile appeared on his face. "I would simply destroy them first."

---

The Salean Kingdom stood at the center of the eastern continent, recognized as the strongest kingdom in the entire world. Two of the Twelve Constellations had originated from its lands, and through the power and influence of those individuals, Salean had expanded far beyond its original borders, absorbing territories and establishing influence across distant parts of the world.

Its military strength was unmatched, while its financial power and abundance of goods allowed it to maintain an enormous economy. Multiple races lived throughout its territory, each swearing loyalty to the kingdom and contributing their own cultures, resources, and abilities to its growing civilization.

Because of this, when the Scarlet Church launched its attack against the kingdom, the incident quickly became global news. The Scarlet Church was no ordinary organization either, as two of the Twelve Constellations were connected to it, giving the church influence that stretched across kingdoms, races, and even continents.

Inside one of the fortresses located along the western coast of the southern continent, a man stationed upon one of the watchtowers suddenly noticed bubbles appearing across the surface of the ocean.

At first, he paid little attention to them and simply assumed they were fishermen returning from the sea with their goods.

But the bubbles continued to increase.

What began as a few scattered bubbles soon became hundreds, then thousands, spreading across the ocean until almost the entire sea surrounding the fortress appeared to be boiling.

The soldier’s instincts immediately screamed danger, and without wasting another second, he rushed toward the alarm bell and pulled it with all his strength.

DING! DING! DING!

The sound echoed throughout the fortress as soldiers immediately began rushing toward the walls. Before anyone could determine what was happening, a powerful explosion erupted across the surface of the ocean, sending an enormous wave into the air.

The soldier instinctively ducked behind the tower wall as water crashed against the fortress. After several seconds, he slowly raised his head and looked toward the ocean, only for his eyes to widen.

Three enormous lizards were slowly emerging from beneath the waves.

The soldier stared at them for several seconds before finally exhaling in relief. "Oh... It’s just the recently tamed beasts of the Beast Emperor."

His expression relaxed slightly. "Ichido, Oni, and Sandel."

Calling it relief would have been a stretch, however, because the three creatures standing before the fortress were far from ordinary beasts. They were known as the beasts of the beasts, creatures that stood at the very peak of the beast hierarchy, powerful enough that the Beastman Kingdom itself classified them as Beast Kings.

The soldier turned around and shouted toward the fortress below as soldiers continued gathering around the walls, many of them still panicking because of the alarm bell. "FALSE ALARM! It’s the three beasts of the Beastman Kingdom!"

He pointed toward the enormous creatures approaching the coastline.

"Quickly, inform the griffons! Have them escort the beasts through the city so they don’t accidentally destroy any buildings!"

Standing atop the head of one of the enormous lizard beasts was a man dressed in long, flowing robes. His garments danced with every step of the massive creature beneath him, yet he remained completely steady, his arms crossed as he calmly observed the kingdom ahead.

"So this is the Salean Kingdom," the man said, his eyes scanning the distant buildings and bustling streets. "What a vibrant place indeed."

The man standing upon the Beast King was none other than Estoa, the Beast Emperor, ruler of the Beastman Kingdom and the individual responsible for taming the three monstrous creatures that now traveled beneath him.

Today, however, he had not come to wage war or display his strength. He had come as a political representative, intending to meet with the leaders of the Salean Kingdom and discuss a threat that had begun lingering within the darkness.

A force that was growing quietly.

A force powerful enough to stand on equal footing with the Scarlet Church.

And if the rumors were true, the Beast Emperor knew that neither the Beastman Kingdom nor the Salean Kingdom could afford to face it alone.