Lord Of Beasts

In a modest living room, far removed from the chaos of the gate, a young boy sat in front of a television. His attention was caught by the sudden shift in programming from his cartoons to an emergency broadcast.

”Uncle Ethan’s on TV!”

Adonis’ voice rang out with excitement.

At the table behind him, conversation halted immediately.

Mark turned his head sharply, his expression shifting from confusion to concern as he stood and approached the screen.

For a moment, his worst assumption surfaced.

”Did he... get locked up again?” he muttered.

The way he was escorted out after what he had done the night prior, he had come to the same conclusion that Ethan had initially.

But then he read the headline, his eyes widening as he did.

”An A Rank gate...”

His gaze lingered on Ethan’s name.

”...And he’s a C Rank now?”

Mark was genuinely surprised, and being C Rank was not insignificant. Then again, after seeing Ethan in action, he already knew that his friend had at least reached that level, and had likely surpassed it.

That was not what mattered.

What mattered was that he was in a gate that most C Ranks would only be cannon fodder within and usually required an S Rank to clear. The Association’s guidelines suggested at least one Titled of the rank above the estimated rank of the gate to guarantee success in clearing it.

Those gates also wouldn’t be closed off, and members of the clearing squad could return to the entry point to leave and request reinforcements.

’It’s like danger follows him everywhere he goes.’

Mark exhaled slowly, running a hand down his hair.

”He’ll be fine,” he said aloud, more for the sake of the others than himself.

”He always is.”

The words felt hollow.

Because deep down, he knew the truth.

There was nothing he or any of them could do for Ethan now.

He was literally in another realm to them, and they were mere spectators, watching from afar, hoping and waiting.

That helpless feeling settled in his chest, the same one Ethan despised before receiving his Title: the feeling of insignificance in a world ruled by forces far beyond human control.

Mark clenched his fist slightly.

”Just don’t die, you idiot,” he murmured under his breath.

-

Back inside the gate, before they made any move toward the next objective, Ethan’s gaze drifted toward the scorched, purple-eyed woman standing beside him.

Kaela.

’Her tits were amazing,’ he zoned out momentarily, reliving the moment from earlier.

Then he quickly snapped out of it, feeling Elara’s glare on him and not wanting to be ganged up on again by the ladies.

’But she’s just putting on a strong front.’

After defeating an A Rank beast and two B Ranks alone, even she couldn’t fully recover. Her posture was looser than usual, her movements slower, and though her aura still flickered faintly around her, it lacked the overwhelming intensity it had displayed in battle.

She was still a dangerous monster, but far from her peak.

And if they were going to get out of this place, they definitely needed her at her best, or at least as close to it as possible.

Ethan scratched the back of his head, glancing between her and the path ahead.

”You want a ride?” he asked casually.

Kaela raised a brow, clearly not expecting that.

Before she could respond, Elara’s head snapped toward him, her red eyes narrowing immediately.

*You’re offering to carry her?* she signed, her body language and expression accusatory.

Ethan blinked, then sighed.

”Not me,” he clarified. ”My beast.”

Without waiting any longer, he extended his hand slightly.

A pulse of mana surged, the tattoo on his chest glowing before leaping into life.

The massive Fenrir then materialised out of thin air, its dark fur rippling as if caught in an unseen wind, its crimson eyes glowing with quiet intensity. The ground beneath its paws cracked slightly under its weight, the sheer presence of the B Rank beast enough to make even the air feel heavier.

Dave stiffened, and the Bulldozer instinctively stepped away.

Even the B Ranks among them and Liora were on edge, watching with sharp interest.

Ethan, however, simply gestured toward it.

”You can ride it too if you want,” he added.

Elara puffed her cheeks out slightly, clearly jealous, before turning away with a small huff.

*I don’t need it.*

Ethan chuckled under his breath.

’It’s cute when she’s annoyed.’

Meanwhile, Kaela did not hesitate for even a second.

”Don’t mind if I do.”

With what little strength she had recovered, she leapt onto Wolfy’s back in a single motion. It was not graceful, but it was effective, and she landed seated atop the massive beast with a grin that bordered on manic.

Her fingers gripped into its fur instinctively.

”This is insane,” she said, laughing. ”It’s like having a living motorbike.”

Wolfy huffed lightly but did not resist.

If anything, it seemed... fine with it.

Ethan tilted his head slightly.

’Does he like her?’

He had only ever seen Wolfy act this compliant with Elara, aside from himself. The Fenrir had its own personality and pride, and was a sentient beast that, although he had dominion over it, could resist his instructions.

Yet here it was, letting Kaela sit on its back as if it were nothing.

Then again, it had not minded Liora riding it earlier either, though that was alongside its master.

Ethan’s lips twitched.

’It’s definitely a male. I mean, I knew that from its, you know. But it’s funny to see this side of it.’

He wasn’t sure about Talon, and definitely wasn’t sure about Spark, but the gender of his beasts didn’t really matter to him.

Though it did raise questions.

’If they were female, could they get pregnant? Would that count as another beast? And when I summoned it, would they both appear?’

Ethan went down another rabbit hole of thoughts as he watched the scene.

Eventually, he pushed it aside.

’If I were a beast, I’d only let the pretty ladies ride me too.’

A quiet laugh escaped him.

’Like master, like beast.’

That earned him a few strange looks again.

At this point, everyone was used to Ethan randomly zoning out or laughing to himself, but that did not make it any less unsettling and intriguing. Because the more they watched him, the more obvious it became that they had only seen a fraction of what he was capable of.

They had all seen him fight on at least one occasion, but none of them understood him, and that bothered them. The one who knew the most about him was definitely Elara, but even then, how could she understand what even Ethan himself didn’t?

Everything about the Lord Of Beasts was a mystery, one many were interested in cracking, some more so than others, like Lucas Holt.

Meanwhile, the man himself was thinking about something entirely different.

’Once I evolve that Lightning Dragonfly...’

His grin widened slightly.

’I’ll have lightning too.’

Wind with Talon, Fire with Spark, and soon...

Electricity.

He was practically building a toolkit of abilities that most Titled would never even dream of having access to. His first beast was also not to be underestimated, an all-rounded predator that was reliable in all situations.

’That’s so broken.’

And the key to unlocking it all was still Evolutionary Shards.

His gaze drifted forward, toward the endless expanse of floating islands.

’Five A Rank beasts...’

His eyes gleamed faintly.

’That’s a lot of fucking shards to collect.’

While others saw danger, overwhelming odds, and potential death...

Ethan saw opportunity.

”Let’s move,” Kaela said from atop Wolfy, snapping everyone back to reality.

And so they did...