Benimaru submerged himself in a pool of blood. The moment his body was fully submerged, he felt his pores opening on their own and absorbing the rich energy of the blood.
Benimaru could feel his entire body strengthening as time passed, but there was no sign of him getting closer to breaking through to the next minor stage. However, he wasn't worried about that, as he could feel his vitality energy becoming much more potent.
'I can't feel much in such a short time. But as time goes on, its effects will start to show. This is too great. I do not know if I can find this by myself in the wild in the future.' Benimaru was completely mesmerized by the effects of the blood.
However, after thinking with a clear mind, he guessed something. 'Maybe it will be hard. The big guys wouldn't let this kind of rare treasure be left out. The only ones I could find are probably in places that are hard to reach.
Sighing in distress, he resumed his cultivation. It would do him no good to think about this anymore.
While Benimaru was cultivating quietly, he didn't know someone else was watching him silently.
"This little guy has truly not disappointed me." An old man uttered softly, who was just above Benimaru, in the middle of the sky.
This was none other than Hart, the old storyteller.
Hart wanted to travel to other places after giving Benimaru and Ravenna some money, but for some reason, his heart told him to stay. Hart was someone who followed his instinct and didn't care about logical stuff, he wanted to see magical stuff, miracles incarnations.
So, while Benimaru was cultivating for sixteen years, regaining his lost lifespan, Hart was telling stories in the nearby cities. He immediately noticed Benimaru when he left the cave. From then on, he kept an eye on him and his crew.
Hart was already fascinated by Benimaru's claim that Ana—a human—was his past life's daughter. His curiosity grew more intense when he began to see Benimaru's work and journey. Hart, for a long time, once again felt he was watching a legendary story unfold before his eyes. Because his powers to turn normal demons into high ranking ones, to find more interesting characters like Okarino and Belal, and to get into the big war in Migotanie City and influence it more were what he was searching for.
At first, he wanted to interfere with Benimaru as he was harming the humans but when he found the works of the church himself, he refrained from doing anything. What broke his heart was not the church turning out bad but humans—his own race—killing each other.
However, what permanently solidified his interest in Benimaru was the God of War's blood and the portal that it came out of. Even he couldn't pry into it.
'For millions of years I have been roaming this world and guarding it from complete collapse; however, I don't mind because this is the job for us Sky Guardians. So, to relieve my boredom, I went on the journey to see how others blazed their paths. There have been only two people in those millions who could bring me emotions of all kinds.' Hart stared at Benimaru intensely and thought with wonder. 'Can you do it too, being the first demon?'
Hart has lived for many years and seen many things, so he knows many things that others might not know. For this reason, he had no issue with demons being the protagonists in his eyes right now.
Suddenly, he looked to his right side and squinted his eyes. He muttered softly. "Oh… those guys seem to have begun to prepare. I don't know how much they can harm the Church of Goddess Ignia. Ahh… the Star Shower of Prosperity, I miss this event so much. When I was able to see it with my own eyes, I was nothing but a chess piece for the big guys. Now, let me witness the chaos taking the top seat."
Hart is in ecstasy right now. He had no one in his life that he could call family, friends, or even enemies. The only thing that could pump his dying heart was the journey of young heroes, making his heart boil.
Hart looked below at Benimaru. 'I will come back after five years. I have many things to check and make sure of now. I hope you don't die before I come back, little guy.'
Then Hart vanished into thin air, as if he wasn't there to begin with.
At that moment, Benimaru raised his head and tilted into confusion. 'Am I hallucinating? I felt someone watching me. Was it the gods? Hmmm... if it is you, god of destiny, just wait.'
Benimaru went into a deep cultivation state, more motivated after thinking about his archenemy, the God of Destiny.
…
South-west of the EverGreen Region, in the deepest part of the dense forest that had towering trees that would break one's neck if they tried to look up at their crowns.
Forests, rivers, and mountains teeming with life were what made the EverGreen Region, or, in the language of this world, the Tapir Region. These were its specialties. So, this dense forest was the norm, as the edges of this region were full of them, but the dense forest of the southwest side was blocked by a sea of towering mountains that blocked one's view to see what was on the other side.
Near those mountains were multiple wooden houses that had circular domes made of straw and sticks. However, these wooden houses were bigger than the ones used by tribes. The windows were as tall as an adult human's length. Their doors were like the giant gates of smaller cities, which were used for the main entrance.
On the top of a tree crown, one could see such a building too; however, this was a bit different than others. On its outer wall, several large and small heads were lit by torches.
Inside this particular house, six Silverback Gorillas were sitting before each other on both sides. They were thirty meters tall and eight meters wide. Their wideness was stretched this far because of their beefy arms, which had the strength of unknown horror.
Most of them had passed their adult lives, except a few. So, one could see them with leisurely eyes. However, that shouldn't fool you, as any one of them could wipe out any baron-level city with the swipe of their hand.
But these Silverback Gorillas were sitting respectfully before a human, who was taking the seat above, looking down at everyone. This man was none other than the Silverback Gorilla clan leader, Garmain.
It might be confusing to many who are not familiar with beast clans, but if someone among them can reach a certain stage in the power realm, they could transform themselves into their human form. The one who could achieve it would instantly become the leader of the clan.
"So, what you said was true?" Garmain asked, resting his head on his arm.
"Yes, leader. They have used the blood of our clan for their own sakes."
"Leader, we can't stay quiet anymore."
The six below Garmain were all the elders of the clan. They were all expressing their anger and wanting Garmain to do justice.
However, Garmain didn't answer immediately. He glanced at everyone and thought to himself. 'Hmmm… these guys actually used the blood of my clan. Are they not afraid of us, not even me?'
Garmain didn't doubt this information, as they had their own spies who would send secrets that anyone wanted to hide.
"Elders, we have sent a request to the headquarters of Goddess Ignia's church, right?" Garmain asked something else, as he wanted to be more sure before making a decision.
One of the elders spoke up, on behalf of others. "Leader, we sent it the moment we received this information, but they have yet to give us a proper answer. They told us they have nothing to do with this incident and are refraining from talking further.
Garmain's eyes widened in shock, not expecting them to go this route. To satisfy other people, one had to give them something in return; everyone knows that, and so does Garmain. For this, Garmain was expecting to give them something valuable to make them quiet, and Garmain would be satisfied with that. He didn't want to create a big conflict and endanger other clan members' lives.
But it seems like the church didn't care about it or they weren't afraid of them in the first place.
"These lunatics! They dare to use my clan and not care about it. Tell everyone to wake up; it's time to let everyone in the EverGreen Region remember our clan's glory." Garmain stood up in anger and walked outside.
He raised his head and looked to the side. He asked with his eyes widening. "Are we doing anything wrong, Sky Guardian Hart?"
Hart floated in the air and shook his head while smiling. "Nothing. I was just making sure if there was a valid reason."
"Now, good luck, Garmain. I will be watching you." Hart vanished before Garmain's eyes, leaving Garmain smirking.
"Watch me, old man Hart."
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