There were a few hours until sunrise, and many were asleep at this time. The birds that usually sang in their melodious tunes slumbered, and the kings of beasts rested. Humans were no different, as they slept to regain their strength during the night. Yet it wasn't the same for all of them. Just as there were some animals that hunted at night, some humans also progressed and worked at night. In this case, there were humans who chose to use this time to travel.
The wilderness was vast and filled with all sort of creatures. There were those creatures powerful enough to remain under the open sky because they didn't fear any ambushes from other beasts. Their power gave them the confidence to remain in the open yet feel no threat. There were also creatures that were sly and cunning. They weren't the strongest creatures in the wilderness, but their cunning and intelligence allowed them to survive in the cruel world.
A large snake hid between the grasses, its green skin blending wonderfully with the green grass. It was a creature that excelled in the dark. Hidden by the darkness and the grass, there was no way anyone would spot it. Its steely green eyes were fixed on a large beast that slept soundly in the distance. The beast it stalked was a large and powerful beast. This beast was, unlike the snake, a creature that excelled in the light. Its power had caused it to grow conceited. It had such confidence in its large paws, powerful claws, and strong jaw that held several massive and sharp teeth that it didn't even bother to find shelter in the dark. It slept soundly within the open wilderness, as though the world belonged to it and there was nothing that could bring it any danger.
*Hiss*
The snake hissed silently as it watched the sleeping figure with disdain in its eyes. Slowly it circled round the large lion-like beast, a task that took it a few minutes because it didn't want to cause any disturbance, until it was finally at the back of the lion. The snake wasn't as strong as the lion in a direct confrontation, and it was aware of this. But it was large, and its mouth had a pair of poisonous fangs that would surely cause the lion pain should it be bitten. It moved towards the lion slowly, inching closer and closer to the beast as every minute went by. It was extremely careful, and didn't let the disdain it felt for the careless creature reflect in its eyes. Its eyes were fully focused on the large predator, and its movements were full of caution. For it knew that it wasn't easy to turn a predator into prey. But since that was what it was trying to do, it had to be careful enough so that it would avoid a fatal direct confrontation that could see it become the prey instead.
*Hiss*
The snake's tongue slithered out of its mouth once it got close to the lion. A look of excitement flashed past those cold pupils as it slowly drew its head back and prepared to strike. In what seemed like forever, the snake continuously drew its head back as it arched its back with its eyes still focused on the ultimate predator of the wilderness. Finally, it struck.
*whip*
Like a whip that split space into two, the snake launched itself towards the lion in spectacular fashion. Its mouth was wide open, exposing its powerful teeth with its poisonous fangs gleaming even in the dark. Its launch was filled with power and agility. And it seemed that it had accomplished its mission when it was only a few centimeters away from biting onto the back of the lion.
Suddenly the sleeping lion's eyes snapped open, and in a series of extremely bizarre movements, it twisted its body and moved away, narrowly avoiding the bite of the snake. The snake looked so confused when its sneak attack failed. Snakes were generally more agile than lions. Generally, they weren't faster in a foot race, but when it came to a race of reactions and agility, they far outclassed the large cats. From that distance, with only a few centimeters between them, there was no way the lion should have been able to avoid the blow; yet it had. And the snake couldn't wrap its head around it.
*Roar*
The lion roared powerfully, and eyed the snake with a crafty expression on its face. A domineering aura oozed out of its body and descended onto the astonished snake. Feeling the oppressiveness of the lion's aura, the snake knew that its worst fears had come to pass. It wanted to avoid a direct confrontation, yet that was what it got. When the lion woke up, the snake abandoned any thoughts of killing it and concentrated all its efforts on fleeing. It panicked greatly as it tried to slither away from the lion and build up some distance between them. It felt that as long as it was able to create a gap, it would be able to get away due to the rich vegetation here. But when it tried to move it realised to its dismay that it wasn't able to.
*Roar*
The lion roared loudly with scorn, its eyes flashing with a hint of wiliness. It watched the snake playfully like it was watching a clown. It slowly walked towards the snake, its strides filled with the majesty and pride of a top predator.
5 meters
4 meters
3 meters
2 meters
1 meter
The snake panicked when it saw the lion right in front of it. It was a relatively large snake as it was over twenty feet long and 2 feet wide. But before the lion which was at least 7 feet in height and 10 feet long, it looked like a little pet. Once the lion got close enough, the eyes of the snake were filled with despair. It didn't notice it before since it was still dark. Although it had night vision, it didn't notice the difference between this lion and other lions. The lion was as dark as the night itself, and the only reason the snake was able to make out its form earlier was because it was sleeping on the grass. But now it was close enough it could see what it had missed. This lion wasn't a normal lion. It was a beast of legends that was so strong that even Predators would run away in fear at the sight of it. It was…
A Nether Lion!
The weakest Nether Lions were rare Mythic Class Magical Beasts. They were very powerful and had a strong bloodline. And although they were still Mythic Classes, they were stronger than even Pseudo Legendary Class Magical Beasts. But they were lazy by nature, and rarely provoked other creatures unless they were hunting for food. Because of this, they were never the cause of any Overflow. However, they were largely found in Enchanted Forests, and not in the relatively barren wilderness. The snake was an ordinary beast which couldn't even be classified as a Low Class Magical Beast. If it knew that the creature it was going up against was a Nether Lion, it wouldn't have been so stupid as to go ahead with its plans. Alas, it found out too late.
The lion slowly walked past the snake. When it reached the tail of the snake, it stopped. Its long spiky tail caressed the snake slowly like the beast that tried to sneak attack it was an old friend. As the tail of the lion gently stroked the spine of the snake, it shivered in fear. Suddenly the spiky tail descended on the snake with venomous power and broke the usually agile creature in half.
*Boom*
The flesh and blood of the snake rained down from the sky as the Nether Lion roared lazily and resumed its slumber.
"You sure are lazy," a voice was suddenly heard. The lion opened one of its eyes sleepily, and looked at the figure that appeared. But once it saw the person, its eyes snapped open as it roared in excitement. Right in front of the Nether Lion were two people. These people were covered fully in black cloaks that made it difficult for one to see them properly in the dark. Yet the Nether Lion's impressive night vision allowed it to easily make out their figures. And it seemed to recognize them. It run towards the figure on the left. This person was hunched over and holding a strangely shaped cane. The crown of the cane was shaped into a Lionhead. It looked strong and sturdy and seemed to be made of precious and rare materials.
"I'm happy to see you too," the old woman laughed brightly as the lion run round her in circles. Her laughter was slightly husky, as if she hadn't spoken in decades, but her voice was comforting. The Nether Lion lightly rubbed its big head against her covered frame when it heard her words. It was hard to believe that a Nether Lion, a beast renowned for its arrogant and uncaring nature would be this smitten with a human. Yet the evidence of the truth was right there.
"I have a job for you," the old lady spoke tenderly, as though she was speaking to her own child. The Nether Lion perked its ears when it heard the old woman, seemingly understanding what she was saying.
"My son recently acquired a precious jewel: a young man with unusual origins and limitless potential. He's in danger. Or rather, he'd be in danger soon. I need you to find him and protect him. Don't hesitate to show your true form if that's' what it takes to save his life"
The old woman commanded and the lion nodded its large head indicating that it understood.
"It's marvelous; the intelligence of a Heavenly Nether Beast," the man next to her spoke for the first time. His voice was filled with traces of envy when he looked at the Nether Lion.
That was the true identity of the beast. It wasn't a Mythic Class Nether Lion, but a Beyond Legendary Class Heavenly Nether Beast! The term Beyond Legendary was not known to the humans of this world, but it was familiar to Ancients and other Primordials. It was a creature that was so powerful that even Nightmares would usually choose to avoid it. They would not fight the beast unless they had no other choice but to.
Hearing the words of the man, the Heavenly Nether Beast growled at him. Long horns extended from its head and huge wings appeared on its back. Its aura grew so strong that it was suffocating. But all the man did was snicker at the beast. Although his breathing grew labored, it was clear that he wasn't threatened by it. Or rather, he knew that it wouldn't hurt him because of the presence of the old woman.
"Ignore him," the old woman gently comforted the Heavenly Nether Beast and rubbed its mane. Then she reached into her cloak and retrieved a strand of hair. Even the darkness of the night couldn't obscure the brilliant golden color of the thick hair strand. The Heavenly Nether Lion looked at the hair strand in surprise, as though impressed by it. It took in the scent of the hair greedily when it felt the powerful bloodline the hair contained and then swallowed it whole.
"Go," the old woman ordered, and it roared loudly and flew into the sky. Its figure disappeared in no time.
"You are set on protecting the boy huh," the man commented once the Heavenly Nether Beast disappeared.
"I am. He's an important asset. One that would possibly allow us to curb the threat of Elementals and Barbarians once and for all. Since the disappearance of the greatest Ancient Spiritualist, Komfo Anokye, we have been bullied by the two races. That boy gives us the chance to fight back."
Once she was done with her statement she walked away.
"Do you really think that boy can be compared to the Great Basileus? That's a high evaluation," the man laughed and followed her.