Clad in battle armor and a spear on his hand, Hades glanced at the distant forest with a stern look on his face. There, multiple savage looking pair of light constantly looking at the city wall, like hunter preying on their prey, the light continue to linger with a clear malicious intention within.
Just seeing those eyes give a chill down every soldier's spin, but to Hades, they were not an issue.
More often than not, a beast horde triggered by the South Forest, as so they call, only involved magical beasts from the inner part and outer part of the huge forest. With strength ranging from Body Builder to Gold Expert Realm, to Hades who stood at late stage Gold Expert Realm, and the old man (his chess partner), surprisingly the magistrate of Maple Leaf City at late stage Jade Spirit Realm, thing were manageable.
If it was your ordinary beast horde, then while frightened Hades was, it was only because of a bad recollection of the past. To handle the beast horde, even without the help of the local sects, with him and the old man's strength, they were more than enough to settle those magical beasts. Well, if only.
"Are you sure the number of tinder lighten up was five?" Hades asked the soldier who had just arrive behind him.
Clad in a leather armor with bow behind his back, everyone could tell that he was a ranger most likely appointed as a scout. Though the watchtower was separated by 3 km away from one another, with a ranger's good eyesight, even if they don't have strength comparable to Hades, seeing thing at a further range was a trait they are born with.
However, Hades didn't asked because he doubt him, rather, he doubted his own hearing.
"Yes, Captain. The tinder number was indeed five." the ranger replied, while sounded emotionless he did, his lowered tone as if afraid of scaring someone was enough to tell Hades the disparity of the subject.
"Five huh... Old man, had the Crimson Sun Sect reply to our request for assistance?" the old man nodded, but didn't give a specific time to when will the reinforcement arrive, turning Hades's expression gloomier.
But he wasn't the only one, the old man himself, an expert at Jade Spirit Realm, a realm known to be comparable to an ordinary elder in a sect, showed such expression as well.
Separated by five rank, the number of tinder lighten up represented the difficulty of the beast horde they are facing. Two or lower was classed as Normal, where's the magical beast involve had strength ranged from Body Builder to Silver Beginner: resident of the forest outer layer.
Three and below, the resident of the forest inner layer come into play. Having strength sometime even surpassed Gold Expert Realm, entering the initial stage of Jade Spirit Realm, just this bit of change, increased the difficulty to Hard.
Moreover, had to be added, beast and human wasn't the same. With beast having an inborn much sturdy and strong physique than human, on the same cultivation realm, a human expert in Gold Expert Realm would never be able to win against a magical beast in the same realm, in a one on one battle, of course.
After all, a magical beast was in the end a mutated animal. Having no clear intelligent like human do and solely driven by their own instinct, finding themselves in an ambush by multiple human expert was normal. And with battle formation specifically to use quantity against quality, it show why Hades was confident even if they were unlucky enough to face a magical beasts on the old man's level.
The problem however, was the fourth and fifth tinder, which was Insane and Asura rank respectively. In Insane, Jade Spirit Realm magical beasts was norm and many. Joining the siege from within the forest core region, where's only the strongest could reside, the difficulty on defending against them was insanely hard.
There is a time when the fourth tinder was lighten up. At that time, the magistrate of Maple Leaf City was even stronger than the old man, stood at the pinnacle of Jade Spirit Realm. But even so, sacrificing himself was still not enough to save the city from being devastated, a memories that Hades wished he could forget.
So if even the fourth tinder could spell disaster to the city, what does the Asura rank was capable of? Uprooting the city? Massacre the soldier and civilian alike? The answer come as soon as he question them.
Roar!
At this moment, a loud roar reverberated in the air and pulled Hades from his thought. Attracted by them, all eyes stared at the distant forest where roar followed after another, echoed, and shacking the space around them.
"Oh my god," almost immediately, everyone face turned pale and couldn't help but trembled in fright. There, atop a huge tree, a crimson hues flashed madly at them. Though far the beast was, with his huge ape figure clinging on the tree's trunk and blocking the moon shine, it was hard not to notice them.
"Bloody Ape, an Earthly Martial Realm magical beast," the old man said, his voice shaking in disbelief, while Hades staggered and took two step backward instinctively.
Around the Bloody Ape's form, a faint hollow glow surrounded him. And though never witness an expert at the Earthly Martial Realm before, from the Bloody Ape's aura that far surpassed the old man beside him alone, he could tell that the former was nothing but disaster.
"What did that damn girl do? Stirring so much trouble as soon as she escape into the forest? Is she insane?" Hades cries, in both frustration and regret. Alas, a pill for them, never did exist.
And giving Hades no time to depress, the Bloody Ape roared once more.
As if the roar was a command, the other magical beasts followed, roaring for a long while before started to sprint on the long prairie, toward the city wall. Myriad color started to glow around them; silverish, goldish, and emeraldish. Turning the prairie, to a disco mat. But hardly able to snap themselves out of their stupor, when the soldier realize what their enemy cultivation base was, they staggered and some even had lost their will to fight.
Aside from the Bloody Ape who remain on his tree, a dozen or so magical beasts glowing in darker-emerald shade stood on the ground, watching their brethren advance. And though seperated by a distance of 10 km away, when his soldier floundered, Hades instinctively heard a snort from the Bloody Ape.
"They're toying with us!" Hades roared a moment later, but quickly composed himself when the beast horde reached at an approximately 8 km away. Right, just a few minute had passed, yet they were already near, a normal occurrence while fighting against four-legged beasts, worst, when they were strong and beyond.
"Compose yourself, fool! Ranger shot a barrage of flame arrow to slow them down. Soldier, ready the catapult, prepare the logging as well as the gasoline. They're just some beast with furs, burned them and they will flee!" Hades instructed, snapping everyone from their stupor. And following them, the battle or more like the defense against the beast siege finally started.
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But while bombing sound and roar echoed in the air, whiles the ground shook and tremble ever so lightly, in a huge luxury mansion inside the Asagi's estate, a ghastly pale looking young lady sat by the window in a nonchalant expression.
Without any care of the ongoing battle, the young lady had her eyes locked on the city wall but were looking beyond. A faint smile could be seen on her dark-pale lips, which, injected a bit of 'life' on her lifeless self.
"Had my clothes prepared?" the young lady asked, a moment later. To which, four similarly ghastly pale looking maidservant nodded in reply. On their hand, pieces of her clothes was presented neatly, and noticing them, the young lady walked off from the window.
"It finally time to meet his highness, how long had it been?" she have no idea. But shrugging them off her mind, she let the maidservant do their job, undressing her dark dress and dressed her up in a clean and new purple kimono.
No sooner than later, the dressing come to an end. Dressed in a fitting purple kimono, her hourglass like feature were all to see. On her hair, a golden hairpin kept her hair from falling. Preventing them from hiding her beautiful pale face. But knowing that her dark lips wasn't suitable for her meeting with 'his highness', she wasted no time in instructing the maid to put on some light makeup, turning the ghastly pale looking young lady into a maiden suitable for the calling, fairy.
"Now, I'm ready," she said, and as though hearing them. At the corner of her chamber, the space cracked, and following them, dark-purplish mist coalescent into a two meter portal.
Seeing the anomalies, the four maidservant become vigilant, showing their sharp nails like claw and bared their fangs toward the portal. But knowing full well who they were, the young lady waved her hand and stopped them. Before slowly, taking a step toward the portal front, wheres a figure suddenly dived into her embrace.
"Mom!" childish and lovely, Yui called out for the young lady, and though surprised by the young miss sudden appearance, the maidservants immediately bowed in respect, congratulate her for her return.
"Greeting to your highness," ignoring the little girl however, the young lady nodded toward the still opened portal. Knowing full well, and understanding him so much, she know that he was currently trying to figured out something. So for him not replying her greeting, wasn't something unexpected.
"Master?" though being ignored by her mother make her feel sad, Zed sudden silent take most of Yui's attention. But while she was still wondering what was happening, the young lady simply pushed her hand inside the portal, pulling Zed out of them and guided the man into her bed.
"Take all the time you need, your highness. And while waiting, allowed your personal maid, Daisy to cuddle with you," the young lady said, and under the disbelief gaze of everyone, embrace Zed and snuggled into his embrace without much reserve.
"Mom, what are you doing to master?" confused and jealous, Yui eyebrow ached in wonder. But before she could take a step forward toward Daisy, the latter waved her hand and a beam of light penetrated Yui's forehead, sending her into a world of memories and flooded by emotion.
"You stay where you are. Your time hadn't come yet," Daisy mumbled, and continue to stay in his embrace, with a blossoming smile that could never be more prettier.