The Heartwood
Silver was only given a brief description of the Heartwood and some of the beasts that could be found in the Heartwood.
The Heartwood was given such a name because of the countless number of Heartwood trees. It was also a place that housed very powerful mystic beasts, Nightmare beasts, and much stronger beasts.
His mother never gave him a detailed description of the Heartwood since she never expected him to go so deep into the forest.
In fact, even if Silver wanted to, he would not be able to make it out of the Greenbelt. He could barely kill a savage beast, talkless of surviving a dire beast, mystic beast, or even a nightmare beast.
In fact, his mother told him about Nightmare beasts mainly because of beasts like the crimson lion cub which would seem weak, but their backings were extremely fearsome and powerful.
Most Spartans would have never heard about Nightmare beasts unless they graduated from the Spartan Warrior Academy where they taught extensively on beasts, bloodline cultivation, combat, and so on.
However, not only did Silver encounter a Nightmare beast, he encountered two powerful Nightmare beasts. And now, he was at the edge of the Heartwood.
Silver could feel himself becoming fearful and anxious, but despite trying to control himself, he could not help it.
He was non-cultivator and he was near a place even his father had to be cautious about. It was even an astounding feat he was not shivering in fear due to the natural and powerful aura that was surrounding the Heartwood.
"I think this is too much for the beginning of my story right?" Silver released a soft sigh with visible sign of difficulty.
"Now what do I do?" Silver glanced to his right and then his left. He saw a nearby cave when he did, but his gaze did not linger on it.
Then he looked behind him.
"How do I go back home?"
His eyes flashed with helplessness and also a tinge of despair which he tried to snuff out before it messed with his decision making.
Sigh
He released another sigh, "I obviously cannot go into the Heartwood. I'd just die before I even know it."
Silver fiddled with his fingers as he gazed at the Heartwood with sweaty palms.
He looked behind him again, "If I choose to go back, I might run into another Nightmare beast or a Mystic beast, or a dire beast. In fact, even an Animal could kill me in my current state."
Silver shakily raised his severely injured arms.
"I can't fight at all in this condition. I'd die before I even know it." Silver furrowed his brows.
A few seconds later, he released a soft sigh.
"Well, it doesn't matter. The answer is crystal clear and obvious. I have to go back."
Silver turned, and then he started walking. It was extremely difficult and painful, but Silver knew he had no choice.
He was not safe at all, and he needed to keep on walking to survive.
"I don't even know the way back to Sparta. I just hope I don't get lost." Silver mumbled with a tone filled with exhaustion and a tinge of despair.
Just as he was walking, he felt the ground beneath him tremble, his surroundings becoming exceedingly quiet, and the heavy presence of something approaching him.
His eyes widened and a fearful expression instantly appeared on his face.
He looked around, and then he saw it.
No!
He saw THEM!
The two crimson lions which had destroyed a portion of the Greenbelt and also caused his recent injuries.
A Male Crimson Lion and a Female Crimson Lion!
And their eyes were brimming with such rage, hatred, and killing intent that Silver found it hard to breathe. His condition even made it worse for him.
The two Crimson Lions walked calmly and slowly towards him, allowing Silver to see the two Nightmare beasts in their glory.
The female was at the forefront and she was…stunning.
It was such a weird word to use for a beast, but Silver could only think of that word when he saw the female crimson lion.
She moved with a sinuous elegance, and her fur was a lighter shade of crimson, almost luminescent. Her sleek and toned body exuded a deadly beauty, and her eyes which were a piercing emerald green was filled with so much malicious intent and anger that it made one feel somewhat entranced and also fearful as they gazed into her eyes.
As for the male, he walked behind her, makiing it to seem like he was nothing but a guard for the female crimson lion. But he knew that only a fool would have such thoughts.
The male was much stronger, and his powerful muscles ripples beneath his coat of rich, crimson fur that seemed to shimmer like liquid fire in the dappled sunlight. His mane was a cascading waterfall of dark, velvety red, flowing down his neck and shoulders, giving him an almost regal appearance. His eyes were a deep, glowing amber which contained a sort of supreme confidence and authority.
Every movement he made was filled with grace and lethal precision, with his claws leaving deep impressions in the soil with each step.
Their figures were far, and to understand how far they were from him. It would take Silver about twenty minutes at his full speed to reach where they were.
The reason why he could see the crimson lions was because of their massive height. They were about twenty foot tall (approximately six meters). That was almost half of the height of the Spartan great wall.
Silver knew that although the crimson lions were 'far' from him, they could close the distance before he could say 'Jack Robinson'.
When he noticed that their gaze was on him, his heart skipped multiple beats. He could feel a heavy and menacing pressure engulf him, and he could also feel their killing intent and rage as they gazed at him.
And he instantly knew why.
'See what my greed has caused me. I'm going to die!' Silver thought with a frozen expression which was completely filled with fear.
Silver guessed that the crimson lions were probably coming after him because he took the corpse of their child, and they had knew that the corpse was on him due to a special connection they had with their children.
But what Silver did not know was that the crimson lions were not sure if their child was actually with Silver.
And that was because of the spatial ring he had.
Silver's spatial ring was much better than the spatial rings of most people, and it completely cut off the connection between the crimson lion cub and the parents.
But what the crimson lions could sense and smell was the aura and blood of their child on Silver. Also, they could see the last moments of their child's death.
The crimson lion cub had gone close to Silver, causing a sliver of its aura to touch Silver. Also, when it was killed by Hans, some of its blood splashed on him, further stregthening the aura of the crimson lion cub on him.
And, Silver also touched the corpse of the crimson lion cub, further strengthening the aura of the crimson lion cub on him.
The crimson lions could not find the corpse of their child, and this enranged them. They knew that it was Hans and Joe that killed their child, and they might have left Silver alone if they could find the corpse of their child.
But since they couldn't find the corpse of their child, they were further enraged and chose to kill Silver.
However, even if Silver did not keep the corpse of the crimson lion cub, the chances of the crimson lions not killing him was about two percent (2%).
Silver did not know this, but what he did know was that he had to escape.
And he had to escape fast!
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[A/N: This chapter is not edited.]