Chapter 644: Escape

The moment the words left Felix’s mouth, veins bulged across Riksharaja and Vyaghra’s temples, while Mriga’s grip tightened around the beads in his hand.

The three beasts rose from their seats instantly.

"What the hell did ya just say!?" Riksharaja’s booming voice echoed throughout the hall.

Vyaghra had already appeared between Felix and the trembling Gumiho, pulling out his daggers.

Riksharaja hadn’t even taken a step when one of the elders from the Floraisan Clan appeared before him, his sharp claws hurtling straight toward Riksharaja’s chest.

"I have seen enough of you lowly beasts’ disrespect," the elder muttered.

His hand was about to reach Riksharaja when it was stopped by a shield of light ascending between the two.

The elder raised an eyebrow. Although he had not put much strength into the attack, there shouldn’t have been any beast or human in the room capable of blocking his strike.

His gaze shifted toward Mriga, the one who had cast the shield.

’This shield shouldn’t be something capable of being cast by a Level Three Demi-God.’

Jae Hyun’s eyes also widened at the sight of the shield. The last time he had fought Mriga, the latter hadn’t been capable of forming such a powerful barrier.

He had grown stronger.

But was it enough to hold back a Middle-Stage Celestial Realm Dragon who was considered as powerful as the peak of Level Nine Demi-God?

The shield held for a moment, its radiant surface trembling under the elder’s claws. But as the elder channeled even more Soulforce into his sharp claws, several cracks spread across its surface.

Mriga formed a series of hand signs, hurriedly casting another layer of shielding light.

"Not so fast."

The second elder from the Floraisan Clan appeared before Mriga, hurling a kick toward him.

Boom!

The space cracked as the kick landed squarely across Mriga’s gut. Blood splattered from his mouth, and his body went airborne, breaking through the sound barrier.

He was sent flying through the ceiling, leaving behind a gaping hole that revealed the dark, cloudy sky outside.

The shield protecting Riksharaja shattered, and the elder’s claw continued toward his gut.

"GRAAAAHH!!!"

Riksharaja roared, the size of his body rapidly expanding until he reached more than a dozen feet in height.

His muscles bulged as his aura surged violently around him.

He tightened his fist and hurled it forward in a punch, twisting the space along its motion.

Boom!

The moment his fist collided with the elder’s claw, the entire hall tore apart from the collision, turning into nothing but exploding debris that flew outward for several hundred metres.

The stone walls crumbled under the tremendous impact, while fragments of the ceiling and shattered pillars were sent flying in every direction.

The Demi-Gods created shields before themselves to protect against the flying debris. The Neige Clan elders appeared before Vincent, who was still seated on his chair, and blocked all the dust and debris coming his way.

The second elder of the Floraisan Clan who had sent Mriga flying reached Felix, making sure the overwhelming force of the collision didn’t cause him any harm.

Vyaghra took advantage of this opening.

A dark shadow spread from his body, rapidly taking the shape of a sphere that covered Gumiho and himself inside it. The darkness swallowed their figures completely.

The next moment, when the shadow sphere vanished, the duo were gone without a trace.

Meanwhile, the earth-shattering punch that Riksharaja had landed was effortlessly stopped by the elder’s palm.

"How dare you touch me, lowly beast," the elder growled.

His arm suddenly expanded, turning draconic. It reached twice the size of Riksharaja’s massive fist.

The elder grabbed his fist and, with a single twist, broke his wrist.

Crack!

"AAARGH!"

Riksharaja growled in pain, his expression twisting from the agony, but he didn’t seem to back down.

The elders from the other two clans hadn’t made any move yet. Nor had the Demi-Gods.

He needed to hold this elder back until Vyaghra had enough time to escape.

Riksharaja ignored the pain in his broken wrist, throwing another punch toward the elder with his free arm.

Bam!

Another explosive strike landed, shattering the stone floor beneath them and turning it into a massive crater. Several cracks appeared in the space around them as the impact rippled outward.

But again, his punch had been blocked.

Meanwhile, the frown on Felix’s face deepened.

He pivoted on his feet and walked toward the chair placed beside Vincent’s.

He sat lazily upon it and ordered the elders from the Floraisan Clan, "Bring her back."

The elder who was fighting Riksharaja was about to break his other arm as well, but immediately let him go.

"Yes, Young Master," both elders nodded simultaneously.

Their purple, old draconic wings expanded from their backs, stirring the dust around them.

"Not so fast!" Riksharaja shouted, rushing toward them.

"Get lost," they muttered.

With a casual sway of their hands, they released sharp blades resembling roses toward Riksharaja.

Each one left a deep cut across his body, but he ignored the pain and continued rushing forward without slowing down.

His speed was too slow.

Before he could reach them, the duo were already gone in a blur.

Riksharaja didn’t spare a glance at the ruined hall. Ignoring the blood dripping from his broken wrist and the countless cuts across his body, he chased after the elders.

Silence fell over what remained of the hall.

Dust slowly drifted through the air, settling over the shattered stone and broken pillars. The once-grand hall had been reduced to a scene of complete devastation.

Mo Feng, Jae Hyun, and Kharos exchanged worried glances.

The negotiation was out of the question now.

The moment the beasts defied the dragons, their annihilation was already set in stone.

Still, none of them looked relieved.

Once the beasts were gone, there was no guarantee the dragons wouldn’t turn on the humans next. They needed to prove they were still useful, for the sake of their own survival.

Jae Hyun rose from his seat and clasped his fists toward Vincent.

"Lord Vincent, allow us to assist the elders in capturing the beasts. We—"

"Sit," Felix cut in sharply, not even looking at him.

Jae Hyun’s words died in his throat.

"Stay at your seats and witness."

A cruel smile crept across Felix’s face as he leaned against the chair.

"I will thoroughly corrupt that so-called Goddess with my own hands. You should be honored to watch."

Jae Hyun’s fists tightened beneath his sleeves, but he lowered his head and sat back down.

’Corrupt her...’

He didn’t dare let the thought show on his face.

Beside Vincent, the two Neige Clan elders leaned slightly toward him. Their voices reached only his ears through the Distant Whispering Technique.

’Young Master Vincent, should we offer our aid in capturing the beasts?’

Vincent’s eyes lazily followed the dust settling throughout the broken hall.

’No need,’ he replied. ’Let’s enjoy the show for now.’

The elders bowed their heads and said nothing more.

---

Inside the Senseless Dimension...

There was no land beneath, no sky above.

Only darkness stretched in every direction as far as the eye could see, so silent that even footsteps seemed to be swallowed by it.

The oppressive darkness was endless, leaving no sense of direction or distance. There was nothing to distinguish one point from another in this boundless void.

Vyaghra ran through the void with Gumiho held by the wrist.

"N-no...pl-please stop..."

Gumiho’s lips trembled, her voice barely above a whisper. Her face was drained of all color, her pupils shaking violently. Her clothes were soaked from the cold sweat clinging to her skin.

"I-it hurts...it hurts..."

Her breath came in short, broken gasps.

"I’ll be good...pl-please don’t touch me...no more...not again..."

"Please...someone...anyone..."

Vyaghra’s steps gradually slowed.

Her entire body was shivering in his grip, her eyes staring at something that wasn’t there.

’An anxiety attack...’ His jaw clenched.

He stopped and turned to face her.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty!" he called loudly, gripping her shoulders.

Her eyes finally moved, landing on his face.

But the terror in them didn’t fade.

"D-don’t come near me!" Gumiho whimpered, trying to pull herself free and stumbling backward.

It was as if she saw the old Fox Clan ancestor standing before her, the one who had tortured her for years.

"Stay away...I’ll be good..."

"It’s me, Your Majesty. Vyaghra," he said, softening his voice as much as his rough throat allowed.

She didn’t answer.

Her trembling continued, her gaze unfocused as memories she desperately wanted to forget resurfaced within her mind.

"Please pull yourself together," he pleaded.

"The Fox Clan ancestor is gone. He was killed by Lord Aruma."

Gumiho’s trembling paused. Her eyes slightly widened.

"F-father..."

"Yes. The ancestor can’t harm you anymore."

Vyaghra held her gaze.

"Even if he was alive, you are far stronger than him now. Our Master didn’t train us to become cowards."

The moment she heard the word ’master’, Maximilian’s face surfaced in her mind. He was smiling at her warmly, as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

The image of his gentle smile gradually pushed away the terrifying memories clouding her mind. The shaking in her body finally stopped.

Gumiho took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead with a trembling hand. "Master...if only Master was here..."

Then she shook her head, her eyes slowly regaining their focus.

"No. I can’t keep depending on him. I must survive this with my own strength."

Vyaghra’s lips curved slightly.

"We will survive—"

His words stopped mid-sentence.

Crack!

The darkness in front of him split like shattered glass, revealing a gigantic draconic eye staring down at them from the overworld, its purple pupil narrowing.

"Found you!"