A girl with black wings folded her arms and glared at herself.
She looked at Epirna with a cold expression. Glancing at the people nearby, she stood like a statue, blocking the path between them and Epirna, arms crossed.
“Fine. I won’t touch them. But who are you? A human?” Epirna asked with a guarded expression. She had never seen such a hybrid before.
What had happened on the continent while the kingdom had closed its doors and isolated itself? Were creatures like this roaming around now?
Yanid didn’t answer and just stood there, showing no intention to attack. Only then did Epirna realize why she had appeared.
“Did she really come out to protect those weaklings? Was that her only goal?”
The three who had been fighting her also looked at Yanid, clearly flustered. They didn’t seem to know her, or if they did, they weren’t on the same side.
Then it hit Epirna—the intruders who had hunted the Griffin and the Death Worm. But now, it seemed there wasn’t just one intruder, but several.
“I thought the blue wolf and the blonde human were the intruders, but who is this? Did this one take down the monster?”
The woman, whose motives were unclear, just stood there with her arms crossed. Even when Epirna deliberately left an opening, she just watched.
She really didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking. The tiger gave her a suspicious look but then looked away. If she wasn’t going to attack, that was fine.
Was this a sign that she wouldn’t make the first move but would retaliate fiercely if provoked? Hah. The tiger was already losing interest.
If they were going to fight, they should go all out. What was all this? Thanks to that, the tension had cooled. Epirna glanced around her thoroughly destroyed museum, her eyes flashing.
“So… what are you planning? Are you really going to fight to the end?”
“Epirna! We’ve come to make a deal!”
The lion seized the opportunity and shouted loudly.
“We acknowledge your position as Beast King and won’t do anything to undermine it. But allow us to go to the Empire. Is that such a difficult request?”
“You’ve already damaged my dignity and authority, and now you’re spouting nonsense.”
“If you refuse, let’s fight to the end. Let’s see who lives and who dies.”
The lion stood firm. Roka and Ardein didn’t want this, but they couldn’t back down now.
They clenched their eyes shut and exuded a fighting spirit, though inwardly they were cursing the lion.
“Show them our strength, and they’ll back off!” This could go on until someone died. This is why you shouldn’t trust others. But it was too late now.
The first to back down here would lose. Even if their hearts were pounding, they had to show strength to gain any concessions.
“Hmm…”
The tiger also swallowed a sigh.
Going all the way here wasn’t what she wanted. After tasting the Dragon Breath, she had become quite cautious.
And that young wolf had a fierce energy. The human woman’s unknown techniques were also tricky. Considering all this, fighting to the end wasn’t a good idea.
They might not be able to kill her, but they could drive her to flee. The proud tiger would rather die than run away with her tail between her legs.
If it came to that, she’d rather go down fighting, but it was best to avoid such a situation altogether. Now, the tiger wanted to find a reasonable excuse to retreat.
“There’s one condition.”
But she couldn’t be the first to withdraw. She was the king of the Beastman Kingdom, the representative of all beastmen. Even in retreat, she had to maintain her dignity.
Dignity and authority might seem like nothing, but for a ruler, they were indispensable. Especially since the Beastman Kingdom was held together by Epirna’s authority alone.
Losing that would shake the very identity of the nation. How could she end this without losing face? After much thought, the tiger made a proposal.
“I’ll hold a new Beast King Tournament. You, enter the tournament.”
“Me?”
“If you defeat me in a fair one-on-one match, I’ll acknowledge my defeat and accept all your conditions. I’ll even hand over the Beast King’s throne.”
It wasn’t just about dignity—it was also about eliminating future competitors.
Yanid was an exception. That woman, whatever she was, clearly wasn’t a beastman. She didn’t have the qualifications to challenge her throne.
“Will you kill me if I lose?”
“If you lose, I’ll at least maintain my dignity. I’ll prove to all beastmen that I’m the strongest. Do I really need to kill the loser?”
But that wolf was different. If it trained in hiding for years, it could reach her level. She had to kill it before that happened.
“Fine, we accept that condition.”
While they were pondering, someone stepped forward. Roka blinked. She turned her head toward the voice.
Sir Urban, who had been quiet until now, spoke with strong conviction, deciding someone else’s participation.
“Let’s meet in a week.”
“Oh? Confident, are you?”
“More than enough. Finally, we can end your tyranny.”
“Wait, what are you talking about!”
“Fine. Let’s do that. A week is too short, let’s make it two weeks.”
The tiger laughed, pleased with Urban’s boldness. Now that she had a reason to retreat, Epirna smiled contentedly and floated into the air.
“Two weeks from now, meet me at my palace. I’ll prepare the stage by then. Be warned, if you don’t show up and keep your promise, I’ll come find you.”
Whoosh!
The tiger left without looking back. The lion glared at Urban with a protesting look.
“Hey, old man. Was that necessary? Robo and Kisea will be here soon. Why not just push through with a full assault? We have five Masters here, five! Including that woman who might be a Master, that’s six.”
“Exactly! Who gave you the right to decide for others?”
As soon as someone spoke up, Roka also got angry. The dog stroked his beard and muttered.
“Whether it’s a full assault or taking them down one by one, we don’t know. Epirna’s personal strength surpasses any of us. Without certainty that numbers alone can defeat her, cornering the tiger isn’t feasible.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s no guarantee that woman would help us attack Epirna. We might be able to defeat her, but we couldn’t drive her to death.”
If the tiger truly abandoned her dignity and authority and reverted to being a wild beast, she would attack like a predator, fleeing when at a disadvantage and striking when advantageous.
No one could stop her if she did that. Epirna’s personal strength was absolute.
If she survived, even if the Beastman Kingdom fell, the threat wouldn’t diminish. They’d have to live in fear forever.
“Then a one-on-one fight is even worse, isn’t it?”
“I told you. There’s a powerful weapon left inside you.”
Urban pointed at Roka’s heart with a confident expression.
“If you can refine that maternal power, I guarantee you can kill Epirna and more. Trust me. Her giving us time might be her worst mistake.”
Roka blinked.
“I’m not doing that.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I’m not participating in the Beast King Tournament.”
Thud!
Roka slammed her tail on the ground. She was deeply dissatisfied with these so-called “comrades.” Wolves, dogs, foxes, lions—they were all the same.
“I’m going to the Arctic! Honestly, I don’t trust you, old man. Or you, lion. All you do is lie!”
Just a moment ago, it was like that. Her loved one had almost been in danger.
The girl was furious now. She pointed at the lion.
“What did you say earlier? That woman is clever and wouldn’t recklessly charge into a fight! And then what happened? We almost had a disaster!”
The lion, who had been silent, finally shut his mouth…
