VOLUME 11: CHAPTER 8

VOLUME 11: CHAPTER 8

“The son of General Urkawi,” said Lark.

He didn’t expect to encounter the son of the so-called Immortal Beastman here.

Now that he’d taken a closer look, Lark realized that the gorilla beastman had similar features to the Commander of the Third Legion. The silver-black fur, the massive body, the grumpy-almost-scowling default expression. Without a doubt, he was the son of General Urkawi.

Surprisingly, based on his words, it seemed that he was more clear-headed than his father.

“I’m aware that we’re running out of time,” said Garkawi. “But please accept my request for a duel. Let me see it! The strength of the human who defeated my father!”

Despite the time constraint, the other beastmen didn’t rebuke Garkawi for his desire to fight against the human king. They knew of Garkawi’s circumstances, and had they been in his position, they would have done the same. Moreover, they wanted to see it too. They wanted to witness how powerful King Lark truly was, and this duel was an excellent pretext for that.

“Did your father pass down his techniques to you?” said Lark.

Garkawi nodded. “That’s right. Although I’m still far from perfecting it.”

Lark looked at Anandra, then at Garkawi. For several seconds, he pondered.

“You would have been the perfect opponent for my disciple here,” said Lark, “as both of you have learned the Seven Gates.”

“Both of us?” said Garkawi in disbelief.

It sounded preposterous.

The gorilla beastman warily gazed at the golden-haired man quietly standing on top of the seven-headed monster.

The Seven Gates of Mana was a technique passed down only to a select few within the Gorilla Tribe. In particular, it was passed down only to those who would be inheriting key positions in the tribe.

How did that human learn it?

Furthermore, it wasn’t a technique that a mere human could control or contain. A single mistake during training would literally destroy the body from the inside and tear apart the vessels and organs. It was not a technique a human body could handle.

One of the reasons why the Gorilla Tribe could continue passing down that technique to their heirs was due to their strong physique and strange constitution that enabled them to withstand the backlash of opening the Gates.

Lark sighed, “Unfortunately, we don’t have the leeway for a prolonged fight right now.”

Lark’s bracer quickly morphed into a beautiful translucent sword. For a moment, those who were seeing the sword for the first time were mesmerized. It was the most beautiful sword they’d seen in their entire life.

“I’ll grant your request. Let’s end this quickly,” said Lark. “Come.”

“Thank you, human king.”

Garkawi didn’t hesitate any further. Using those words as the cue, he activated his Gates of Mana. Slowly, the mana in their surroundings was sucked into his body, strengthening his muscles, bones, and tendons. And as though that wasn’t enough, a thin protective layer of mana started coating his skin, covering the entire body.

Garkawi felt indescribable strength fill his entire body. He felt as though he could punch through iron gates with his fists, lift massive boulders with a single hand, and rip apart the arms of his fellow beastmen with ease. With the Gates opened, he was certain he could block any and all attacks, no matter who opponent was.

“Anandra, what do you think?” said Lark. “How many Gates did he open?”

“He opened two of them, Master,” said Anandra.

Lark nodded. It was the correct answer. “Although he’s a lot weaker than his father, opening two Gates at such a young age is already an impressive feat. It’s really a shame that you’re not given the chance to fight against him. It would have been an invaluable experience.”

Currently, Anandra had already opened one out of the seven Gates. And with the guidance of Lark, he was close to opening the second one, too. His rate of progression was frighteningly fast, as most people would need at least five years to open the second Gate of Mana.

Lark didn’t miss this opportunity to teach his disciple more about the Seven Gates. “Do you remember what I’ve taught you before? The weakness of the Seven Gates.”

“I remember, Master,” said Anandra.

According to Lark, the Seven Gates provide the user with nearly inexhaustible mana in their body. The higher the number of gates opened, the larger the amounts sucked in from the mana in the environment. To those were unaware of how the technique worked, the user of the Seven Gates would seem like immortal monster capable of replenishing his mana reserves while in battle.

The muscles and bones strengthened with mana, coupled with the protective layer covering the entire body, would render most weapons and even magic useless. This was the same reason why General Urkawi, who’d managed to open three Gates, was called the Immortal Beastman in the United Grakas Alliance.

“The first method to defeat someone using the Seven Gates is to prevent him from absorbing the mana from the environment,” said Anandra. “And the second method—”

Lightning started covering the blade of the Sword of Morpheus.

“—Is to strike the user with force far stronger than what the protective layer could handle,” said Anandra. “A force that ignores everything the Gates could confer.”

Lark smiled. “Well said.”

By this time, Garkawi had fully opened two Gates and started charging toward Lark.

Garkawi roared, “For my father! I will defeat you here, human king!”

The speed of Garkawi was on par with the one Van showed while in a battle trance against Hatch during the second round of the tournament. Within just a few seconds, he reached the place where Lark stood. Garkawi gripped the shaft of his glaive tightly. He gnashed his teeth, and using the strength of his entire body, he swung his glaive down toward Lark.

Lark raised the Sword of Morpheus and blocked the attack head-on. Lightning crackled, and the ground below them immediately split apart upon impact.

The body of the human king looked thin and fragile, and it felt as though even someone from the rabbit tribe could make him lose consciousness with a single punch. But surprisingly, Lark wasn’t sent flying the moment Garkawi’s glaive struck his sword. He didn’t even budge and simply took the brunt force of the attack.

“You need a better weapon,” said Lark. “Don’t entrust your life to that cheap chunk of metal.”

Garkawi’s eyes momentarily widened upon seeing his glaive form chips and cracks. Although he coated it with mana, the blade of the glaive shattered, and Garkawi instinctively took several steps back. It was a steel glaive forged by a famous blacksmith, but the sword held by the human easily cut through it.

“Feel free to challenge me again,” said Lark. “Once you receive a weapon that could withstand this beloved sword of mine.”

Lark lightly swung his sword down. Garkawi leapt back to evade the attack, but to his surprise, the sword elongated and successfully cut through his body protected by a layer of mana. Garkawi flinched as blood spurted out.

Like a snake, the Sword of Morpheus changed shape and shot toward Garkawi’s thigh, piercing it. And without stopping, it also started piercing his shoulders, stomach, arms, and legs.

All of the beastmen who witnessed this battle turned silent. The Beast King, in particular, was fascinated not only by the sword skill display, but also by the sword capable of changing its shape.

The beastmen watching the duel were aware of how powerful Garkawi was. He was among the favorites to win this year’s tournament, and within the Gorilla Tribe, only the current Chief could fight against him evenly.

They couldn’t believe that Garkawi was being toyed with like this.

It was no longer a duel, but a one-sided beating.

Garkawi didn’t even last a full minute before falling down to his knees. His chest rapidly rose and fell, and blood profusely dripped down his numerous wounds.

Although the Seven Gates of Mana constantly sucked in mana from the environment, his current mastery of the technique didn’t allow him to instantly regenerate the wounds inflicted to him by the Sword of Morpheus.

With great effort, Garkawi forced himself to stand up. Blood dripped down his mouth as he spoke, “This is my loss.”

There was no hostility or hatred within Garkawi’s voice. His voice was filled with nothing but uncertainty, frustration, and self-loathe.

“Just tell me one thing, human king,” said Garkawi. “How is it? How is my strength when compared to my father?”

Lark didn’t sugarcoat his words. “You are still greatly lacking compared to General Urkawi.”

A smile slowly formed on Garkawi’s face. He laughed, “Hahaha! Is that so? I am glad to hear that!”

Garkawi turned to the direction of the Beast King and bowed his head. He said vehemently, “Your Majesty! First, I apologize for demanding a duel with the human king despite the current circumstances! I realized that I am severely lacking! I shall stay here and recuperate! And if needed, or if His Majesty calls for it, I shall immediately depart for the Iron Mountains to join the battle!”

Lark still had a few healing potions with him, but he decided not to hand it out to the beastmen this early. Nothing good would come out of revealing his cards here.

“And human king! No, King Lark!” said Garkawi. “This duel has been an invaluable experience! A stronger weapon! A stronger technique and body! In a few years, I shall come to challenge you once again!”

If Lark had killed Garkawi’s father using dirty tactics, he would have fearlessly charged toward this human even at the cost of his life. He would have done anything he could to avenge his father, the so-called Immortal Beastman.

But Garkawi knew that Lark fought his father fair and square.

It was a battle between warriors, and for the Gorilla Tribe, dying while fighting against a strong warrior was the greatest honor. They believed that only warriors who’d died valiantly in battle would be permitted entry to Three God’s domain.

“I’ll look forward to it,” said Lark.

Lark’s sword morphed into a bracer. He leapt on top of the Scylla’s body.

“We’re running out of time,” said Lark. “If everyone is ready, we’ll depart for the Talverton Stronghold right away.”

The Beast King, his royal guards, and the remaining semi-finalists nodded their heads in agreement. Van, in particular, desperately wanted their group to depart right away.

“To the Iron Mountains,” said Lark.

“Yes, God Evander!”

The Scylla opened its wings wide and jumped up, creating a gust of wind. It flapped its wings, and together with the translucent mounts, flew toward the direction of the Iron Mountains.

***

For half a day, Lark’s group continued flying in the sky.

It was already late in the evening when they arrived at the Talverton Stronghold. And although the evening sky was devoid of celestial bodies, they could clearly see the stronghold below.

The reason for this was simple:

“It’s on fire,” mumbled one of the Royal Guards.

Looking below, Lark’s group saw the stronghold blazing in flames. The long wooden walls connecting the stone towers, together with the barracks, were being engulfed by flames.

It was an inferno.

Even from the sky, they could feel the heat below. Even from above, they could hear the war cries of beastmen, and the roars of demons. The scent of burnt wood, flesh, and blood permeated the air.

“Hold your ground!”

“Our fathers, the Three Gods, are waiting for us in the afterlife!”

“May our ancestors guide us!”

“Men! We shall defend this place until our dying breaths!”

“For the Alliance!”

“For the Alliance!”

Outside the barracks, thousands of beastmen fought against a massive horde of demons. With just a single glance, it was apparent that the horde numbered at least a few hundred thousand.

Three Fire Giants continued pulverizing the stone towers, spewing torrents of fire to the beastmen warriors every now and then. Parasitic Demons infested the bodies of vulnerable preys, while the Flesh Eaters and Tormentors fought the beastmen in a melee, slaughtering them by the dozen. Wraiths and Phantasms also roamed the battlefield, and they proved to be difficult opponents for those who were incapable of infusing their weapons with mana. In addition, dozens of Demonic Ogres, Demonic Trolls, and over a hundred thousand of Lesser Demons also joined the battle.

Every now and then, the Sky Demons in the flying in the sky would swoop down, grab a beastman from the ground, then tear their flesh with their sharp talons while flying in the sky. And once they were done toying with their prey, the Sky Demons would drop the nearly-dead bodies toward the ground.

“W-What’s this?!” growled the Beast King.

All of the beastmen Lark took with him was trembling not only from terror, but also from anger. From their current vantage point, they could easily see the entire battlefield. They could easily see that the warriors in the stronghold were being slaughtered and trampled on like ants, one after another.

Although the warriors of the stronghold desperately fought back, they were devoured not only by the sheer number of their enemies, but also by the vast disparity between their strengths.

Although King Lark had already warned them of the demon’s invasion, hearing about it and seeing it in person proved to be an entirely different matter.

It was a nightmare.

The scene was so horrifying that it felt as though they’d just descended to the underworld.

The screams.

The scent of burnt flesh.

The sound of metal hitting claws and flesh.

The cackles and screeches of demons.

The beastmen’s blood curdled as they watched their kin being slaughtered.

“What the hell is this?!” roared the Beast King. He could no longer stand seeing the one-sided massacre.

Mana overflowed out of the Beast King’s body. His mane lightly glowed and his entire body, together with his claws, grew twice in size. Judging by the flow of mana and the Beast King’s current physique, Lark surmised that the Beast King was at least two times stronger than before – and this was due to the nature of an albino lion.

Now that the sun was no longer up, the Beast King was no longer shackled by his unique constitution.

He could now openly show the power of the creature that was said to be on par with the Voiceless One of the Principality, the so-called third strongest human in the rankings of the Council of Scholars.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

The Beast King jumped down and propelled himself toward the direction of a Fire Giant. Several Sky Demons swooped toward him, but they were immediately cut down by the claws of the Beast King.

“YOU DAMN DEMONS!” roared the Beast King on the way down. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY PEOPLE!”

It was a shout filled with pure, violent rage. And his roar, infused with mana, echoed throughout the battlefield. The beastmen who’d been fighting for their lives instinctively looked at the direction where the Beast King was falling.

And the next moment, they saw massive claws of pure mana cut down the hand of a Fire Giant.