"Hold on, we've arrived!"
The selfless man had carried Sho all the way to the city without pause, so exhausted that no strength remained in him.
Near the Shumrok Palace:
Arisa and Zeno were walking toward the city center.
"Are you here to hunt too?"
"No… well, yes, I came for hunting."
They arrived at Hanta Kyoka and entered. In front of the hunting selection board, only one poster remained—a sharp-toothed wolf named Arbesa. Arisa sighed:
"We're late… all the posters offering higher rewards are gone. Only this one remains, and it's only a bronze coin."
Zeno smiled, tore down the poster, and said:
"This is the one we'll take."
They approached the person handling the posters, who handed over the hunt.
"Hello, Aunt Mei."
When Mei saw Arisa, she pinched her cheek and said:
"Hello, my daughter. It's been a few days since I last saw you."
Zeno was surprised.
"You know each other too?"
Mei, excited, said:
"Of course! How could I not know my nephew?"
Zeno blinked in shock:
"Nephew?!"
Arisa calmly explained:
"Yes, this is my Aunt Mei, one of the oldest members of Hanta Kyoka from the Ichizoku Kyokogari clan—the ultimate hunting family."
Zeno frowned:
"Why does her family name differ?"
Arisa, still calm but slightly embarrassed, replied:
"Well, her mother comes from this clan. Our grandfather took four women from four different clans."
Zeno asked again:
"Why, then?"
Arisa lowered her gaze, blushing:
"Because it's a 100-year-old law."
Zeno thought to himself: So that means I have to take four wives too?
Arisa nodded:
"Yes."
Suddenly, her cheeks turned red. She leapt at Zeno, shouting angrily:
"You fool! Do you think I—!"
Arisa froze, steam rising from her head, her face burning red. She looked up to see her uncle laughing.
"How much you two resemble each other."
Arisa's blush doubled; she was about to melt into the floor. Meanwhile, Zeno laughed:
"Thanks for the compliment, Auntie."
Arisa feigned anger:
"Hurry up! Give us the permit, Aunt Mei—we need to go!"
Mei hesitated:
"But Zeno, my son, you don't have the approval plaque. I can't issue the permit."
Arisa glanced at Zeno and said:
"What did you do with the Forest Spirit? You didn't bring it, did you?"
Zeno smiled and tossed the coin he'd received from Itsuki into the air.
"Reikon Shoukan! (Summon Spirit)"
Suddenly, the entire Hanta Kyoka went dark, as if night had fallen. A faint purple light spiraled up from beneath Zeno's feet.
The glow spread, and with a swift rotation, the Forest Spirit appeared, illuminating the area once more. Everyone inside Hanta Kyoka stared in shock and fear.
Mei, eyes wide, gasped:
"Th-The Forest Spirit… how did it swear a blood oath to you?"
Zeno, calm as ever, replied:
"I don't know… ever since I saved it that night, it hasn't left me."
Everyone exclaimed in unison:
"You saved it?!"
Zeno nodded:
"Yes, it was bleeding. I healed it."
All at once, the crowd whispered:
"You healed it? Do you have magic?!"
Zeno remained calm:
"Don't you?"
Everyone's eyes turned white, and they collapsed to the floor in shock.
"Jigokugan!!! (Hellstone)"
"Saikotsuken!!! (Bone-Crushing Fist)"
A colossal blow struck the head of a red dragon, the force throwing it back into its chest.
Suma and his wife Astra fought a fire-breathing dragon.
Astra's face was bloodied and scarred, but her excitement and power radiated fiercely.
Suma, exhausted but brave, continued. He dug his four fingers into the ground:
"Daichi Kakooooo!!! (King of Earth)"
A massive boulder ripped from the earth, making Suma appear as small as a grain of sand beneath it.
A shadow fell across the dragon's face. Terrified, it spread its wings and tried to flee—but stopped abruptly. No matter how much it flapped, its armor prevented movement. Looking back, it saw Astra gripping its tail with a terrifying smile.
The dragon's chest burned red, and it opened its mouth to spew fire, aiming at Astra—but she didn't give it the chance. She swung her foot into the ground, holding the tail tightly, and shouted with devastating power:
"Jigokutatakiiii!!! (Hellish Strike)"
BOOOOM… GRRRRKKK
The dragon crashed onto its back, cracking the ground meters deep, yet it was still not defeated.
It tried to rise again, but a massive shadow loomed over it.
"Daichi-Assatsu!!! (Earth Pressure Strike)"
SHWOOOOOM!!!!!
As the boulder collided with the dragon, a colossal shockwave erupted, obliterating anything it touched.
SHWOOOOOM… BOOOOM…
Western Blood-Iron Territory:
"Everyone take cover! A massive storm is approaching from the Forbidden Forest!"
Northern Shumrok Territory:
"Earthquake! Everyone take cover!"
Eastern Arwania Territory:
"The mountains are collapsing!"
The Forbidden Forest sat at the center of the three great empires: Blood-Iron, Shumrok, and Arwania.
The shockwave from Suma's boulder swept across all three lands, but only one empire suffered severe damage—Blood-Iron, the sworn enemy of Shumrok.
Many houses were destroyed, and countless people were injured or missing.
A commander in the area arrived after the storm:
"Which direction did the wave come from?!"
"From the east… from inside the Forbidden Forest, sir."
The commander gazed silently toward that direction:
"A great war is about to break out!"
He ordered some troops to tend to the people while he rode swiftly to the capital on his steed.
Unintentionally, Suma and Astra had ignited a massive war…