The smell of roasted beef eased Vera awake. The effect of the sleepless week he had since he arrived at the Demon Continent was almost washed away.
Instinct acted before rationality; he jumped to the campfire and started feasting on the roasted meat.
Amidst the sound of chewing, Vera mumbled.
"A bit gamey for beef."
The grease lathered onto his face, akin to the blood from the war he'd fought just two days ago.
"Leave some for me, world's strongest." A quiet laugh mixed in with his words.
"Hmm..." Vera's head shifted violently. His cheeks filled with food and a stupid expression coupled with it.
"Hahahaha..." The man didn't even try to hold back his laughter.
Vera stared at the man with a stupefied expression.
"Danho?..."
Recollection began to kick in. Thoughts of the bloody battle flooded in. Vera's voracious appetite started to slow down.
"Gamey..." Vera's expression started to falter.
"Is this wildebeest meat?..."
Before Danho could respond, Vera's expression changed again. "
"Danho!!"
"What are you doing here?"
Danho broke into laughter again.
Overwhelmed by his laughter, Danho wheezed as he formed a sentence.
"Even you act like this."
As Vera's confused babbling came to a stop, the two finally had a coherent conversation. The wildebeest steak was turning cold as they spoke.
"How did it all end?"
"Wasn't anything special... Even though they are the dumbest of the lot, they can tell when they're losing."
"Did you carry me back after the battle?"
"Not really; I passed out shortly after the battle ended as well. The blood of the wildebeest seems to have warded off all animals in the surrounding area."
"..." Vera was confused by this revelation.
The higher-grade beasts in the Demon Continent weren't the type to run away from a fight.
"Battle is sacred to the demons, Vera. What we had against the wildebeest wasn't a true battle."
"Hmm..."
"Leaving that aside, what brings you to the Demon Continent?"
"You of all people should have already figured it out."
The warm atmosphere in the room turned serious. Day bled into dusk; the light in the camp turned dim.
"The guardians, huh..."
"Yeah..."
"Were you defeated?"
"Is it that easy to tell?"
"The fight you had against the wildebeest wasn't that of someone who's never seen defeat."
"..."
"Was he someone from that place..."
"Why do you think so?"
"I've been around, Vera. A hundred years is more than enough to challenge most of the five planes."
"..."
Vera took a moment to understand the enormity of Danho's experience. Realising there was no reason to hide the matter, Vera revealed what little he knew.
"My master and I think he's from above as well. That's pretty much all we know."
A moment of silence passed as Danho contemplated the implications of the matter.
"What about you? Have you come for the guardians as well?"
"That time is still a bit away. I came here to verify some intel."
"..."
"Don't worry, it's not something I need to hide."
"Do tell then."
"It was from an anonymous source, a credible one. According to them, there may be a technique remaining from the ascender's time."
"... That's definitely something you shouldn't share."
"It doesn't matter. Even if I told the whole martial world, they wouldn't be able to get it."
"That hard to get, huh?"
"Yeah. That also brings me to one of the reasons I told you."
"I need your help to get it."
Vera nodded silently, signalling for Danho to continue.
"I've already vetted the location. The guard was no joke."
"A peak-grade Naga. But it's not of any variant I know."
"All I can tell is that it's a whole lot stronger than any Archon variant I've met."
"Where do I come in here?"
"There are about five peak-grade Myrmidon Nagas along with it. I want you to handle them when I take care of the variant."
"As for your payment, I'm willing to share a copy of the technique for your assistance."
Vera took a moment to think. The excursion would be a detour from his main purpose on the Continent. But as of now, he hadn't even a clue about his goal.
"Ahh, fuck it, I'm not getting any closer to finding out where the guardians are anyways."
"I'm in."
"Alright, we'll wait for another day to recover. We set out the day after."
The two continued to chat for another hour or so, finally resting as night came.
***
The following day was very conducive for recovery. The blood of wildebeests seemed to be a very effective ward in the Demonic Continent.
Vera and Danho prepared some wildebeest meat and blood to carry along for the journey.
"You know, the Demon Continent is actually pretty beautiful."
"Yeah. Not being challenged by demons all the time really lets you appreciate the scenery."
Mountain ranges that broke into the clouds, crystal-clear lakes, and an opulent night sky.
Stars shone so bright, they felt like they were within reach.
The journey itself was also rather peaceful. The two were undisturbed by most beasts during their travels.
The occasional third-grade beast would appear but scamper off as soon as they smelt the wildebeest blood.
Without too much hassle, they reached the location in a week's time.
The technique was stored within what was colloquially referred to as the Forest of the Naga.
Not because of the abundance, but because of the quality.
From the moment the two had come into range, they could already feel the Naga's pressure.
Contrary to its name, there were almost no trees in the area.
Deep swirls engraved into the earth all over the place, clear indents in the ground where trees used to be.
Vera recognised what had caused this almost immediately.
"So much for a forest, huh..."
The quality of the Nagas could be inferred from the terrain alone.
"Well, this is what happens when you leave multiple peak-grade beasts in the same area."
"Infighting?"
"Probably not. Myrimdon Nagas have a strong sense of subordination to evolved Nagas. The battle marks are most likely from challengers of other species."
"Well, not that it matters to us."
"Yeah."
"The technique should be located near the western edge of the forest, right near the base of the cliff."
The deeper Vera and Danho explored the forest, the more intense the signs of battle were.
Blood stains ingrained into the ground, the occasional corpse lying on the ground.
"Don't nagas swallow the corpses of their opponents?"
"Seems like they have more challengers than they can stomach."
"Haha..."
As they spoke, a low rumbling approached from the northern end.
Their laughs slowly quietened. The two laid down their luggage. Their previous playful expressions turned to that of calm analysis.
"Anyway, let's get ready."
"Yeah... it seems like the owner has finally noticed us."
The ever-so-silent slither of a Naga seemed almost vestigial. Their bodies could easily be seen, even felt, from a thousand paces away.
The very terrain was reformed as they approached. Clouds of dust engulfing their surroundings as they zipped through the expanse of the forest in the matter of a few moments.
The forest's immensity itself was trivialised in their presence.
"Should something that big really be allowed to move that fast?"
"They really shouldn't..."
Even though six peak-grade Nagas were approaching them, there was almost no tension in their expressions.
The calm atmosphere alone was a testament to how much they trusted each other's strength.
However, this atmosphere didn't last for too long. As the Nagas had arrived, Danho heard something he'd never expected to hear in this life.
"..."
"Vera... did that Naga just speak to me?"
"Yeah..."
Danho was stupefied by the fact that demon beasts were capable of speech.
Vera, on the other hand, was struck with a realisation as he noticed the variant Naga.
Its body was sleek, visibly smaller than the Myrmidons around it. Its carapace was a deep black; its thickness was akin to that of thousand-year-old cold iron. Despite its size, it gave off an aura far more intimidating than its guard.
But this was not what caught Vera's attention. From the Naga's qi, Vera could make out a silhouette, one far clearer than what he had seen in the Blue Ogre's.
Is this the state that the Blue Ogre aimed to reach? ...
The dark of night rendered the continent's beauty invisible. Its presence leaving the forest lifeless. Turning the forest's quiet hum into a deep silence.