Lord Of Beasts

Inside the Concealment Construct, Liora and Darius were relaxed.

Almost too relaxed.

They sat comfortably within the shimmering barrier, completely hidden from the outside world. No sound escaped, no scent leaked, no energy fluctuated beyond its boundaries - it was a perfect hiding place and one of Liora’s finest creations.

”Are you sure they cannot hear us?” Darius asked, glancing outside.

Liora laughed, waving a hand dismissively.

”Of course they cannot. This is my barrier. Nothing gets in or out unless I allow it.”

She leaned forward slightly, watching Ethan and the others move across the island.

”And what is that beast he is riding?” she asked curiously.

Darius shrugged.

”I’ve seen him use something similar before... but that is not the same.”

She gave him a questioning look, as if to ask when he had seen him do so, but she didn’t bother asking him about it.

Meanwhile, the Explosive Spear’s gaze lingered on Wolfy.

’That thing has gotten much stronger.’

They silently watched in mild amusement as the trio of C Ranks searched the island. The fact they were still alive after Phase Two alone was impressive enough, and they were quite an odd trio.

But then, Ethan started walking straight towards them.

Darius blinked.

”There is no way, right?”

Liora frowned, her confidence wavering slightly.

”That is not possible.”

Ethan did not stop.

Step by step, he approached directly and unerringly, until...

Knock. Knock.

His hand tapped against the invisible barrier.

”Hey,” Ethan called casually, ”you going to hide in there all day?”

There was silence for a moment before Liora dropped the concealment, the barrier vanishing instantly. As soon as she did, the veil had been lifted, and there they both stood exposed and staring at him.

”How did you sense us?” she demanded immediately.

”What happened on your side?” Darius added.

”And what is that beast?!”

Questions came one after another.

But even Ethan couldn’t explain exactly how he had noticed that something was off, and internally attributed it to his instincts.

”I can perceive mana with my eyes, so I felt that its flow was uneven in this area. But even I was unsure where or what exactly was the cause behind it. As for him...” Dave was just as baffled as Liora, or maybe even more so.

Somehow, Ethan’s mana senses were even sharper than the man who could literally see it.

The blue-eyed man barely reacted.

Instead, he answered about what had happened on their side and what he had faced up until this point, exchanging information with them efficiently.

And in the end, relief settled over them.

They were not alone anymore and now had a skilled B Rank and a useful A Rank with them.

”You guys really managed to defeat three B Rank beasts?” Liora said, clearly impressed.

Ethan shrugged.

”Something like that.”

He downplayed it completely, even though he had essentially carried the fight himself.

”Good job, Dave, Ethan, and... Bulldozer.”

Her tone was genuine and encouraging, but still felt absurd. As the highest-ranking among them, she thought it would be a friendly gesture and keep them motivated for what was to come.

But it was odd being praised like that by someone who looked younger than all of them.

Ethan blinked in surprise, then laughed.

”Aw, thanks.”

He reached out and patted her head, like he did with his nephew Adonis.

Liora froze, completely taken aback.

No one had ever treated her like that, let alone someone who had been an E Rank the day prior.

”What are you doing?!” she snapped, immediately starting to pound her fists against his chest.

”Do not treat me like a child!”

Ethan just laughed harder, her reaction exactly like a child’s.

Dave snorted, and even Darius cracked a smile, but one of them wasn’t nearly as amused.

Off to the side, the large, grey-skinned man stood silent.

”I have a name too,” he muttered.

Feeling both left out and as though he didn’t matter, the rhino in human form wallowed to himself, but nobody cared or even glanced his way.

After that, they moved together.

There was no reason not to, and in a gate like this, numbers mattered, especially if they were an A and a B Rank. Meanwhile, for them, Ethan’s quiet confidence and that B Rank beast also made him a useful companion.

Dave and the Bulldozer were a bonus.

But they weren’t searching for the Boss Beasts just yet, and instead wanted to find the remaining survivors, if there were any.

”Jump on,” Ethan offered Liora.

She was hesitant, but eventually obliged and formed a platform beneath her foot to climb into Wolfy before settling behind him. Her hands were loosely held around his waist, but she was tense, ready to squeeze tightly at any moment.

And as uncomfortable as she looked, she would be lying if she didn’t enjoy it as the Fenrir pranced around. The giant beast was completely unaffected by the additional load, and if anything, began to show off.

”Can we get a ride too?” Darius asked.

”Sorry, there’s no space,” Ethan instantly responded, despite there clearly being room.

’This is my mount, and only I can use it. But I’ll let the occasional chick join me because I’m such a chivalrous dude,’ he joked internally.

They moved across island after island, careful and alert.

It was hard to get your bearings in such a place where everything you saw in every direction looked the same. There was no compass they could use, nor any way to know where the others in the squad had spawned upon entering the gate.

But then they saw something in the distance.

There was a strange expanse where the floating islands had thinned out, debris drifted aimlessly, and empty space dominated everything.

At the centre of it all was a single small island, suspiciously isolated.

Naturally, they were drawn to it.

But getting there was another matter.

Ethan frowned.

’I really don’t feel like summoning Talon.’

He could very easily, but that would reveal even more of his abilities, which made Ethan uncomfortable.

’I’d like to keep as much as I can concealed so that if I ever do need it against one of these fuckers, they’d never see it coming.’

It was a wild thought, but one that was true to his character.

As reckless as he was, Ethan was also quite cautious, especially when it came to other humans, who could never truly be trusted.

And so, he glanced back at Liora.

She didn’t need him to ask and had already begun moving her hands, conjuring a platform of shimmering energy that formed beneath their feet.

Then another.

And another.

Stepping stones across the void.

”Why not just move one platform and fly us over?” Ethan asked, genuinely curious.

”Creating new ones is less straining than moving an existing one,” she replied simply.

He wasn’t sure how that made sense, but none of them questioned it, carefully stepping across the constructs of solidified light that were floating above an endless drop.

It was definitely disorienting, and their lives were in Liora’s hands, but it was working.

One by one, they crossed the gap until finally, they reached the singular island amidst this giant clearing.

And what awaited them there left them all stunned...