Chapter 148: Chapter 148 - Plan B
"Meow?"
A hoarse cry left Byakko’s throat.
"Guardian Deity-sama, please... come back with us," one beastman begged.
The white tiger only tilted his head. Its golden eyes was blank as though he didn’t recognize them.
"Meow?"
The beastmen stiffened. Then fury erupted.
"Blasphemy!"
"How dare you humans domesticate our Guardian Deity!"
"You dare raise him like a housecat!"
One warrior sprang forward, aiming to strike the nearest soldier.
But before he could land the blow...
Byakko vanished and reappeared in front of him. His paw flashed out. With a single swipe he smacked the beastman’s head into the ground, pinning him to the ground.
[I said meow, you fools! How many hints do you need? How dare you rampage in my master’s domain!]
The words seared straight into the beastmen’s minds. Meanwhile, the humans heard nothing.
Shock rippled through the tribe. This was no imposter indeed... only their Guardian Deity could speak within their souls.
The pinned beastman smiled weakly. "Guardian Deity-sama... thank you for showing me mercy."
Byakko put a paw on its head and its head shook.
[Hopeless morons. All of you. Go home and stop dragging trouble to my doorstep. I can’t stand being surrounded by meat-brained muscleheads like you.]
The beastmen’s expressions collapsed into despair.
"Guardian Deity-sama... did we somehow offend You?" another asked with his trembling voice.
A low growl rumbled from Byakko’s chest.
[Yes. First offense. You all are morons. You’re literal mother-fucking idiots. I might consider returning when you learn to think beyond breeding and brawling.]
Byakko glanced at the humans who were watching in confusion. It then softened its posture and offered them an innocent "meow." Byakko’s tail curled like a playful kitten.
But his thoughts lashed back toward the beastmen.
[And another thing... Your offerings? Trash. Here, I can eat anything I want just by acting cute for my master. Get out. Don’t ruin our paradise. Fate must have hated me, saddling me with you muscleheads.]
The human soldiers began to murmur. It was obvious now. The beastmen could understand the great white tiger.
Judging by the despair etched on their faces, their attempt to reclaim him had failed.
Some whispered that the stories were true. Byakko really was the Guardian Deity of the West.
And if that was true then Lucien... the man who treated this divine beast like a household pet... was far more formidable than them.
A sudden rush of wind cut through the silence.
A sinuous shadow descended and settled beside Byakko.
The Azure Dragon had arrived.
[Byakko... Never the honest one, huh?] Seiryu’s voice echoed directly in the tiger’s mind.
[What am I supposed to say? That I fled from the Phoenix and now skulk in safety? If I tell them that, these idiots will charge to their deaths trying to avenge me. Better a lie than a pointless slaughter. I may have failed as a Guardian Beast but I won’t let them die helplessly. Only our master can defeat the Phoenix.]
Both beasts exhaled a weary sigh.
They never told Lucien they could speak telepathically. To them, a pet’s role was to look adorable and stay silent. If they suddenly started holding conversations, the charm might vanish.
This was the safest place on the continent. Neither guardian intended to risk exile.
[We are fortunate the master found us.] Seiryu continued. [Even after my essence was drained, I was given a second life. He must be the savior the "Honored One" foretold. The one who will free us from this confinement.]
[I have long suspected as much. My egg’s flight across fate’s currents was no accident. It was destiny’s hand that placed me at his side. Yet... the Phoenix resists. He has no wish to see these chains broken. To him, this confinement has become a throne. Playing sovereign of a cage is still sovereignty and he has grown drunk on the illusion of dominion.]
Byakko’s golden eyes narrowed.
[And let’s not be naïve. Beyond these walls, we don’t know what waits. Freedom could be salvation... or ruin. To break these chains might unleash a curse as easily as it brings deliverance. That uncertainty is why the Phoenix clings to this prison, pretending it is paradise.]
Both ancient beasts rumbled an uneasy growl.
Just then, Cielius returned. He was carrying a limp Leo using magic.
"Don’t worry. He’s alive," Cielius said when the beastmen bared their fangs.
He could have finished Leo but he hadn’t. Leo wasn’t the real enemy.
It didn’t take long for Cielius to piece things together. Someone had led these beastmen here. How else would they know their Guardian Deity waited on the far side of the map?
He knelt and roused Leo.
The old warrior blinked in confusion... until his gaze found Byakko. Instantly, he dropped to one knee.
Byakko gave a sharp huff and sent a thought straight into Leo’s mind.
[Idiot. You fell for someone else’s trick. Apologize to the Old Master and explain everything.]
Leo froze as shame darkened his features. Centuries of battle-honed cunning and still he’d been played.
It was true that their Guardian Deity was here. But... Ashreth must have counted on their nature, knowing they would charge in the moment they heard where their Guardian Deity was. He’d even helped them travel, never expecting a greater threat to be waiting.
In a twisted way, their strength was a blessing. Had they been weaker, the guilt of slaughtering innocents would have haunted him as a warrior.
Leo exhaled as he recalled the earlier fight. He could double his strength by burning his life force using berserk. If he was against Ashreth, he would be a match. But against Cielius, none of it mattered. Even if he sacrificed everything, he would lose.
He let out another long breath.
’For a warrior, true disgrace lies in surviving defeat... yet if this battle was born of misunderstanding... then clinging to life carries no shame.’
Resolve settled over him. Leo lifted his head and revealed why and how they have arrived here.
•••
Back in the capital.
Lucien let out a sigh. His battle against the monsters earlier had pushed him to Level 90. And though he hadn’t crafted the magic circle, he had been the one to trigger it... earning him experience from the villages that were caught in the explosion.
His strength surpassed others of the same level.
And as for Ashreth... he was no longer an insurmountable foe.
Yet Lucien knew better. The visions he had seen within the mural world revealed that the Guardian Beasts possessed a secret art capable of surging their strength beyond limits. Ashreth had not yet shown his full power.
And Lucien himself... still held back. His trump cards remained untouched. Morphis alone was already enough to tilt the balance in his favor.
Lucien fixed his gaze on Ashreth.
"You should have stayed dead." Lucien muttered.
Ashreth’s lips curled into a sharp grin. "And deny you the honor of being crushed by my hand? No, boy... my true strength begins now."
Flames blossomed. First came wings of fire... then the slow burning away of human flesh. It revealed a more sinister form beneath.
Ashreth surged forward. His movements tore shockwaves through the earth. Lucien met him head-on. Their clash split the air with a sound like the heavens shattering.
Steel screamed against flame as the greatsword bit into Ashreth’s blazing spear.
For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze... until Ashreth’s aura erupted, forcing Lucien back with raw power.
Lucien slid across the sky. A spark of excitement flared in his eyes.
Ashreth’s human vessel blazed brighter with every heartbeat. His strength was rising in violent surges. With the body’s destruction, he also lose access to Light Magic Attribute.
Lucien smiled. "I don’t intend to drag this out. Time to use a bit of my trump card."
He reached into his inventory and drew a small crystal vial. Inside, blood writhed as though alive. He cracked the seal, letting the liquid spill across the Gargoyle Ring on his finger.
’This much will do,’ he thought. ’He isn’t worth more of my resources.’
"But... how—" Ashreth’s eyes widened. "That strength... that aura! How do you carry the Gargoyle Lord’s presence?"
Lucien winced. ’Of course he’d recognize it.’
He met the Phoenix’s stare. "Oh? Why do you look afraid?"
Ashreth flinched.
Then... with a hiss like tearing metal, he shed the last trace of his human guise. A colossal form of living fire unfurled. His wings scorched the night.
His aura spiked.
The secret art of a Guardian Beast ignited in full.
The battlefield trembled as if the world itself held its breath.
And then... Ashreth turned.
Without warning... the blazing titan wheeled and fled.
Lucien blinked. He was stunned for a heartbeat... then launched after him.
He was beside the Phoenix in an instant.
Ashreth didn’t even try to mask his retreat. Pride and reputation? It didn’t matter.
He fled and Lucien pursued.
High above, the sky burned with their chase.
Below, the capital fell silent.
Everyone watching now knew who had been lying.
And as the full shape of the Phoenix blazed across the heavens, the last illusions shattered.
Ashreth was not the man they had believed him to be.
Just then—
A soldier sprinted to Midas’s side. His voice was taut with urgency.
"Lord Edric... unidentified objects are approaching from the south. Their speed is... unnatural!"
King Midas’ gaze sharpened. For a moment, he remained silent. His fingers tapped against each other as though he was calculating invisible lines on a chessboard only he could see.
He had seen vague signs of a great clash in the future. It was an inevitable storm that would shake the continent.
But this... this felt far too soon.
His expression grew grave.
"Strange... the threads of fate hinted at war yet the time should not be now. Am I misled by shadows... or has the storm accelerated?"
A faint crease formed on his brow. He closed his eyes briefly, searching the currents of destiny. But all he found was silence. Emptiness.
Then—
A sudden roar of wind split the skies. Shapes burst through the clouds
The Federation army had arrived.
Lucien’s eyes widened at their vehicles.
"Storm Discs! Impossible... how could they exist here?"
Ashreth’s face twisted in shock. His composure completely faltered.
"You... how do you know that name? Have you... have you stepped into "that" place?!"
His thoughts scattered.
He had killed Lucien’s true parents.
If Lucien had indeed "reached" that place... victory was no longer possible.
Panic flashed across the Phoenix’s eyes.
The proud phoenix abandoned victory for survival. His schemes shifted seamlessly into another path. Plan B.
Then... he screeched. A cry so piercing it split the heavens, rolling like thunder across the skies. It wasn’t just a sound. It was a call
And suddenly... The skies warped. The horizon itself groaned and bent as though the world was being torn apart.
A figure emerged from the rift. His presence was steeped in corruption.
"I knew... it would come to this."
The voice was hoarse. It rasped with an unnatural echo.
Malrik Golddust.
But not as Lucien remembered. His skin was deathly pale and his eyes were sunken yet burning with madness. The air around him was heavy and suffocating.
And worse... the artifacts that clung to him. They bled with writhing miasma.
With deliberate slowness, Malrik raised his goblin staff.
The artifact hummed.
And suddenly...
The heavens erupted.