Chapter 500 - 500 – Progress
Unsurprisingly, Yersi was the first to reach area D.
After killing enough High-Rank Demonic Beasts, she became a High-Rank Demonic Beast herself. She searched for more powerful prey but wasn't able to find any after several days of searching. She became increasingly frustrated as she realized that there were no beasts more powerful than her.
Due to that, she started reaching the edge of area A and was about to leave it.
BANG!
Yersi became incredibly shocked and afraid when a gigantic, white bird landed before her. This bird was so huge that she couldn't even see the entire thing! She had never seen anything even remotely like that.
This bird was the King who was responsible for keeping an eye on this area. Nearly no Divine Beast was fine with fighting beasts of their same level and always searched for more powerful opponents. Due to that, sooner or later, they would leave their area in search of more powerful opponents.
It was this King's job to inform the inhabitant about how to proceed.
"Eat enough beasts of your level to reach the next Realm. Then, you will meet more powerful opponents," the King transmitted to Yersi.
One had to remember that Energy Beasts had strengths equal to two levels higher than High-Rank Demonic Beasts. If Yersi entered area D without being a High-Rank Demonic Beast herself, she would most likely die.
Yersi wasn't able to fully understand what the King meant with his complicated words. She was still a Demonic Beast, and such concepts were foreign to her. Yet, she understood that she needed to eat more of the weak beasts present.
The authority of power that the King commanded compelled her to follow his orders. Due to that, she turned around and began to kill and consume one High-Rank Demonic Beast after the other. In just two weeks, she had consumed enough beasts to become an Energy Beast.
When Yersi had been a High-Rank Demonic Beast, she had been over ten meters tall, but as soon as she became an Energy Beast, her size decreased instead of increasing. This was an evolution, and her instincts guided her to keep her body as small as possible. Due to that, her size reverted to be only 1.5 meters tall.
When she became an Energy Beast, the King returned and took her away to area D. There, she would be able to find more powerful prey.
A couple of months after Yersi left area A, Cera also met the King responsible for her area. This king was a gigantic elephant. Cera also quickly managed to reach area D in two weeks after that.
When all this happened, Aris had just killed his first Mid-Rank Demonic Beast. By now, he had realized that he needed to destroy his opponent's means of retreat if he wanted to kill them. He despised that he had to do something like that, but he did it anyway.
Three months after Cera left for area D, Aris met the King responsible for his area. This one was a gigantic, emerald wolf. The wolf told Aris that he needed to consume more prey, but things went differently this time.
Aris hated this feeling that someone more powerful than him told him to do something. Instead of following the King's commands, he tried to pass by him.
BANG!
Aris was thrown back as the King shoved him away. Some of Aris' bones broke, but instead of becoming afraid, he only glared at the King with hatred. Then, he tried to pass the King again.
BANG!
More injuries appeared on Aris as the King struck him away. Yet, Aris continued in an effort to bypass the King.
Meanwhile, the King was nervous. He couldn't just kill Aris. Yet, Aris wasn't giving up! What was he supposed to do in this situation?
"Let him enter area D," Gravis said to the King.
"You do realize that he will most likely die, right?" the wolf answered.
Gravis sighed. "It's his choice. He is similar to me and doesn't want to be forced to do something. He wants more powerful opponents, and sooner than later, he will fight someone two levels above himself anyway. This situation will inevitably happen. So, there's no reason to delay it."
The King remained silent for a bit as he thought about Gravis' words. "Alright," he said.
Whooom!
A beam of light shone upon Aris, healing all his injuries. The King had called for a healer. Then, the King summoned some wind and took Aris with him to area D.
Meanwhile, Yersi had been confronted with reality. Whenever she had failed an ambush, the opponent would simply run away, but that had changed. Now, the beasts started fighting her directly if she failed in her ambush.
Yersi didn't have much experience in open combat, making it difficult for her to fight someone even one level above her. The enemy quickly overwhelmed her, but her scales protected her from harm.
Yet, that didn't deter the beast. Her first opponent chased her for hours, attacking her continually during all this. Due to that, Yersi was forced to battle the opponent openly. The direct fight took over an hour, but Yersi managed to kill her opponent. Yet, she had endured a mighty beating during the fight. Without her scales, she would have died several times over.
From this day forward, Yersi would need to fight many more open battles. Her ambush still worked most of the time, but as soon as someone fought her directly, it would become a slugfest.
Cera had it a bit easier but not that much. She had more direct combat experience than Yersi, but her enemies also had more combat experience than her previous ones. These fights required her to make use of more of her weapons.
Yet, thanks to these fights, Cera managed to realize the hidden advantage of her body.
This hidden advantage was her flexible waist.
She learned to evade attacks without actually stepping to the side, giving her a prime opportunity to counterattack. As soon as she realized that advantage, the fights became way easier. Beasts on that level weren't used to this kind of evasion.
When Aris arrived in area D, he nearly died several times.
These beasts were two levels above him, and one attack was already powerful enough to injure him severely. Luckily, due to his direct combat style, he already knew how to take advantage of his waist.
His first Energy Beast nearly killed him several times, and Aris was forced to retreat. Luckily, due to him only being a Demonic Beast, the opponent didn't care enough to chase him for a long time. Aris wasn't even close to being a snack.
When Aris had his first fight, Yersi and Cera already managed to kill their first opponents. Yersi still had a lead over Cera, but Cera was closing the gap.
Aris' second opponent also beat him severely, but not as devastatingly as the first one. Yet, Aris still had to dodge several sure-death strikes. In the end, he was forced to retreat again, but that didn't demotivate Aris.
In fact, the opposite was true. Aris felt as alive as never before. He loved this feeling of his own life hanging by a thread, unknowing of the nervous and sweaty Gravis who kept watching Aris' brushes with death. It took everything out of Gravis to not involve himself.
Aris' third opponent was about equal to him. The fight dragged on for a long time, but in the end, the opponent decided to retreat. This was one of the beasts that had also entered via area A, and it had a weak mindset.
Yet, Aris saw progress and wanted to become more powerful.
His fourth opponent fought with Aris for a long time, and in the end, Aris managed to kill his first beast two levels above himself. Yet, the last strike had nearly killed Aris. He was lucky to be alive.
Aris quickly consumed the corpse, but at his level, this singular corpse wasn't enough to make him become an Energy Beast, but that wasn't such a huge problem anymore. Aris had taken the first and hardest step. Killing the first opponent two levels above themselves was always the hardest.
The next fight also took a lot of time, but Aris managed to win without nearly losing his life.
After consuming that corpse, Aris finally became an Energy Beast. Cera and Yersi had already become Mid-Rank Energy Beasts by that time.
Yet, Aris was just as powerful as them now.
A year passed, and Cera and Yersi already became High-Rank Energy Beasts. They had also learned to use their lightning by now, which was surprisingly Destruction Lightning. Destruction Lightning was something that only Lords received with their evolution. Yet, Aris, Cera, and Yersi already had this as Energy Beasts.
Cera and Yersi left their areas and met their Kings again. Cera followed the King's command and ate more High-Rank Energy Beasts until she became a Spirit Beast. Then, she left for area F.
Yet, Yersi had felt alive as never before as she decided to fight enemies more openly now. She wanted more powerful opponents. Due to that, Gravis allowed her to get to area F without waiting for her to become a Spirit Beast. He had done the same thing for Aris back then, after all. It was her decision.
Aris wanted to exit the area while still being a Mid-Rank Energy Beast, but this time, Gravis gave a firm no. Two levels and three levels were a gigantic difference. One could overcome a two-level difference with tactics and battle experience, but that was not true for a three-level difference.
The opponent was too hard to injure, too fast to react, and too powerful to defend against. All manner of combat experience didn't save someone from overwhelming power.
Aris held firm and wanted to leave, but the King never gave him the opportunity. Aris first needed to become a High-Rank Energy Beast. It took hours to convince Aris to become more powerful, but he didn't like that one bit.
As soon as he became a High-Rank Energy Beast, he walked out of the area again and looked coldly at the King. He, obviously, wasn't happy in the slightest.
With this, all siblings entered area F. Now, they were in the same area and could finally come across one another. Gravis wondered how they would act when they met each other. Would they be interested when they saw someone like them, or would they directly try to kill each other? Gravis wasn't sure.
Aris managed to kill some Spirit Beasts and became a Spirit Beast himself.
Cera found some Divine Beasts and battled with them. Now, the enemies were no longer weak. Some enemies could also fight a level above themselves.
Lastly, Yersi fought her first opponent two levels above her.