Boom!!
Crimson flames collided with the yak's head, its white fur curling slightly from the heat, emitting a charred smell.
"Moo~"
It lowered its head and looked at the human who was engulfed in flames.
Then, without paying any further attention, it continued destroying the makeshift tents around it.
With a single stomp, the tents collapsed like toy blocks, and the female warriors lying inside turned into pools of blood.
Dier, who had intended to lure it away by drawing its attention, was momentarily stunned.
"What deep-seated grudge does it have against you?"
"Well, it's a bit complicated to explain."
"Then we'll talk about it later."
Maintaining his fiery state, Dier grabbed a machete and sprinted toward the yak.
As the Flame Devourer, he wielded the power of Flame Power and naturally remained unharmed by the flames.
Perhaps due to the strange rules of the Pirate world, even his clothes remained untouched.
The yak still ignored him, single-mindedly stomping on the "blocks."
Dier extinguished the flames on his body, carefully clenched the machete between his teeth, and leaped up to grab the long white fur on the yak's belly.
Climbing along the fur, he swiftly made his way onto the yak's back.
"Moo~"
Likely feeling the itch, the yak began to shake its body.
Dier crouched slightly to steady himself, and the flames around him reignited.
"Time for some grilled yak meat!"
Unlike normal yaks, which only have long fur on their bellies, this white yak was covered in long fur from head to toe.
Boom!
The fur became the perfect fuel, and the flames spread rapidly until they engulfed the entire yak.
"Moo! Moo! Moo!!!"
The intense burning sensation made it cry out in pain, its already crimson eyes now filled with madness.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
It began thrashing violently, crashing into the surrounding trees in an attempt to extinguish the flames.
Leaves rained down, colliding with the flames and producing thick smoke.
Dier crawled forward on its back, preparing to sever its neck.
He had to act fast—otherwise, a wildfire might break out.
Moving even quicker, he soon reached the neck.
He hacked at it with the machete but found the thick hide impossible to cut through.
This was just an ordinary machete, lacking the sharpness of a famed blade.
Without hesitation, he bit down instead.
His teeth were far sharper than the machete.
The tough hide parted like butter under his bite.
Once an opening was made, tearing it wider became much easier.
Dier swallowed the unpalatable piece of hide and plunged both hands into the gap, ripping it open.
Once the wound was large enough, he picked up the machete and began slowly slicing through the flesh.
The yak, feeling the pain, struggled even more violently, smashing trees until they snapped and collapsed, kicking up clouds of dust.
Dier dug his fingers into the flesh to keep from falling off while his right hand continued sawing with the machete.
Soon, the blade met resistance and could go no deeper.
It had reached the yak's spine.
A grin spread across Dier's face. He tossed the machete aside and thrust both hands downward until he felt the hard bone.
Without pause, he gripped the spine and yanked upward with all his might.
Crack!
A crisp sound echoed as a piece of the spine was torn right out.
"Moo!!!"
The white yak let out a deafening roar, its face twisted in human-like agony, its crimson pupils filled with terror.
It staggered forward a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash.
Boom!!
The loud noise startled birds into flight from the forest.
Sally and others from the Forest Village stood dumbfounded, staring in shock at the burning yak.
Had it really been dealt with in less than three minutes?
"Stop gawking and help put out the fire!"
Dier shouted at them while holding a bone in one hand:
"No need for anyone to leave now. We're having beef today!"
The scene fell silent for a moment before erupting in cheers:
"Wooohooo!!!"
The children's voices were especially enthusiastic, their gazes filled with admiration as they looked at Dier.
The fire caused by the yak wasn't large—only scattered flames flickered on the fallen tree.
With everyone working together, they quickly extinguished it.
Dier took the opportunity to demonstrate his water creation ability, adding more "belief" to this power.
After finishing these tasks, he approached Sally while chewing beef and asked:
"Now can you explain why this bull kept targeting you all?"
Sally nodded,
"This one's male."
"And the other one was female?"
"No, the other was male too."
She pulled out a green disc called the Forest's Blessing and explained:
"But the other one was originally female, until we accidentally turned it male."
"Earlier, when we were transforming men into women, one extremist suddenly changed his mind and threw the Forest's Blessing away—"
"It unfortunately hit the female yak's forehead."
"They were originally our tribe's partners, guardian beasts. It happened during mating season when they were copulating."
"Then the female suddenly turned into a male during the act."
Sally lowered her head sheepishly and pursed her lips.
"Two bulls in heat started fighting violently, so we evacuated immediately."
"Later we returned to retrieve the Favor of the Forest, intending to change the other yak back."
"But because of mating season, that bull wouldn't let us near it."
"If we missed the throw, we'd lose the Favor of the Forest, so we took no action."
"This original bull thought we made its mate disappear, so it kept hunting us."
Dier: "..."
If I were that bull, I'd hunt you down too.
After silently mourning the poor bull for a second, Dier swallowed his beef.
"Now that we have food, want to come along? Maybe there's medical treatment for this condition outside."
"Better not. Just let the children leave."
Sally shook her head, pointing at the miraculously surviving Gleiber:
"Though others in the tribe aren't as extreme as her—unwilling to even let children go—"
"Most still refuse to leave, preferring to die here."
"Ancestral glory, I understand."
Dier nodded, inexplicably reminded of the Shandians on Jaya Island.
Even after four hundred years, they still upheld their ancestors' promise to ring the Golden Bell.
They kept fighting the Sky Islanders for this.
Though their homeland had been invaded and taken by Sky Islanders, compared to the Forest Follower Tribe, the Shandians were fortunate.
At least they still lived, unlike the Forest Follower Tribe facing extinction.
After leaving half the yak behind, Dier departed for the beach with a group of children and the other half of the carcass.
Sally accompanied them—there were still hostages on the ship who hadn't been released.
The return journey went smoothly without any incidents, and the group soon arrived at their destination.
As the boat approached the shore again, Robin quickly ran down, her face full of concern as she asked:
"How did you end up like this? Where did all this blood come from?"
"I'm fine, it's cow blood. I'll just take a bath later," Dier replied casually as he stepped onto the deck.
"Let me tell you, the experience with that tribe was truly bizarre..."
Since she and Hina had left earlier, they didn't know what had happened afterward. Dier decided to recount the events to her again.
"Wait a minute!"
When she heard about the strange illness, Robin suddenly brightened up and said somewhat uncertainly:
"I think I might be able to cure this disease."