After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back

Chapter 429: How did you catch on to me?

Nina addressed the beastmen of Serpent City: "You’ve all been deceived by Milt. This isn’t a Soul-Gathering Array, and it won’t cure anyone. This is a Devouring Array, designed solely to drain your abilities and life force."

The citizens reeled in shock. Had Milt lied to them?

By now, most of the beastmen were inclined to believe Nina. After all, her previous claims had consistently proven true, and she had just exposed the blatant lies told by Milt and his inner circle. Furthermore, she had gone out of her way to protect the city’s females and cubs, whereas Milt, their own City Lord, hadn’t spared them a single thought.

"Lady Nina," Milt challenged, "I’ve never even heard of a Devouring Array. Besides, what could I possibly gain from stealing the strength and life force of my own people?"

"Because just like Tair, you are one of the main masterminds behind the recent string of murders," Nina countered. "In fact, your ability is even stronger than his, and you’ve killed far more beastmen."

The fact that he could absorb such a massive influx of energy all at once proved his strength was immense—certainly no weaker than Tair’s.

The crowd gasped in utter horror. Was Milt a killer too? He possessed that same vile ability? Even Ming and his team were taken completely by surprise.

Milt narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t expected Nina to deduce that he possessed the ability as well.

Just as he was about to spin another lie, a weak, rasping voice echoed from a distance. "I can prove that Lady Nina is telling the truth. Milt is the real mastermind. Tair was just a pawn he set up from the start to shield himself."

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice. It was Alar, who had been heavily injured by Milt earlier.

Slumping weakly against a stone wall, Alar pressed on, "The only reason Milt is this powerful is because of that evil ability. He started murdering beastmen a long time ago. He just kept his hunts outside the city back then, which is why none of you noticed."

He paused to catch his breath. "If you don’t believe me, go search the secret chamber beneath the City Lord’s estate. The bodies of many missing beastmen are hidden there." He pulled out a dark, tainted stone. "And the reason I know this is because I was one of the killers too. I was his accomplice. You all know what this crystal signifies."

He glared venomously at Milt. He had seen everything earlier; Milt had nearly killed Penny, and that strike aimed at Xirin had been thrown with zero regard for his daughter’s life.

Milt shot a chilling glance at Alar. The old dog is remarkably hard to kill.

An elder standing behind Milt scoffed. "He’s a traitor to his own kin. How can anyone believe a word he says?"

"Alar might be a traitor, but I choose to trust the Lord of the Barbarian City," Harin spoke up, breaking the silence.

"I trust her too."

"So do we."

...

One after another, various elders and ordinary beastmen began to chime in.

"Harin! You would seriously side with an outsider over your own people?" one of Milt’s loyal elders barked.

"An outsider? That ’outsider’ has been protecting our females and cubs this entire time!" Harin shot back furiously. "Meanwhile, what have you lot done?"

It broke his heart to see that even the city’s females and children were currently trapped inside the perimeter of the array. He had never imagined that the monster responsible for the most bloodshed in their city would turn out to be the City Lord they respected most—and now, the man wanted all of them dead.

"Exactly! Milt doesn’t deserve to be our City Lord, and the rest of you don’t deserve to be elders!"

The rest of the Serpent citizens burned with fury. This was especially true for the males who had been stationed inside the original boundaries; those traitors hadn’t lifted a finger to protect the vulnerable, and they had actively blocked everyone else from going out to help.

"City Lord Milt, do you intend to keep lying?" Nina said. "When you approached me earlier, you never actually wanted to cooperate. You just wanted to lure me here so I would help you eliminate Xirin, leaving you free to siphon my energy afterward. A perfect two-for-one strategy, wasn’t it?"

Seeing that the game was up, Milt finally let his mask slip. A cold sneer replaced his gentle facade. "Nina, you really are terrifyingly smart. Every word you said is spot on."

Now that she had unmasked him and he had lost the people’s trust, there was no point in pretending anymore. He had initially hoped to keep up the act because Ming and the others were present; he wasn’t entirely sure the expanded array could kill them, nor did he want to execute them out in the open. But since Nina had seen through everything, he changed his mind. They were her allies and would naturally believe her, so he would just ensure none of them left this place alive today.

A flash of genuine curiosity crossed his features. "But tell me, how did you catch on to me?"

He was certain he had played the part of a supportive leader perfectly without leaving any openings. Why had she suspected him? Was it because Xirin claimed he was the informant? But there was no logical link between the two.

"First, while you outwardly appeared to be acting in the city’s best interests, you were subtly steering the narrative from behind the scenes. As the City Lord, you easily had much better options at your disposal," Nina explained calmly. "Second, the Serpent clan places immense value on pure bloodlines. The fact that someone with your pedigree could garner enough political backing to secure the seat of City Lord was highly suspicious in its own right."

She swept a glance over Alar. "When Alar fought you earlier, he consistently pulled his punches, which proved his true loyalty lay with you. Given that he was the one who proposed this array in the first place, the truth becomes obvious when you factor in how the formation interacts with the sacred artifact." She then pointed to the ground beneath her feet. "Furthermore, the spot you led me to happens to be the absolute focal point of the array. Could you be any more obvious?"

While the ordinary beastmen couldn’t quite grasp the strategic nuances, Ming and the high-ranking officials of the Serpent clan understood perfectly.

Milt raised an eyebrow. "I see."

His bloodline had always been a sore spot, and those arrogant old fools had always looked down on him for it. But after today, that sole flaw would be permanently erased.

An excited, manic light danced in his eyes. "I must admit, I’ve coveted your energy for a very long time." He then glanced at Odian. As expected of a High Priest; the man was incredibly knowledgeable to recognize such a rare array.

Nina had clearly known the formation was a trap from the start, yet she had still been bold enough to walk right into it for the sake of the sacred artifact.

"So you were the one who poisoned the water supply too. This entire crisis was a calculated conspiracy from the very beginning, wasn’t it?" Nina pressed.

Milt smiled with supreme self-satisfaction. "Indeed, it was all my doing. But you realized it far too late. You’re standing at the absolute epicenter where the array’s power is concentrated. Even if you know everything, what can you possibly do about it now?"

The citizens glared at him with pure hatred. Even though they had already believed Nina, hearing the confession straight from Milt’s mouth filled them with a profound sense of betrayal and fury. Yet, a crushing despair soon followed. He’s right. We’re all paralyzed by the array. Even if we know the truth, what difference does it make?

Nina ignored his gloating and asked one final question: "The tip-off about Idir’s father... was that you too?"

Milt didn’t bother hiding it anymore. "Yes. But the man truly did carry a curse; I merely told everyone the truth. The ones who actually killed him were that pack of greedy, selfish, and cowardly beastmen."

Idir clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Even if Milt hadn’t struck the physical blow, he was the true architect of his father’s death.

Milt turned his full attention back to Nina. "Are you done with your questions? Because if you are, I have work to do."

"I’m done." A flash of deadly cold light mirrored in Nina’s eyes. It was time for her to get to work as well.

Paying no further attention to her, Milt moved swiftly, placing several high-grade crystals onto the hidden runes surrounding the sacred artifact. Instantly, the array’s power multiplied manifold, and the siphoned energy began rushing violently into the artifact.

He activated his ability, greedily absorbing the refined energy flowing out from the sacred stone. The light in his eyes grew brighter and wilder by the second. After today, he would become the most powerful entity in the entire beast world, ascending to the highest bloodline of the Soaring Serpent clan. He would conquer the world and stand above all creation.

As the beastmen felt the drainage accelerate, absolute despair washed over them. Were they really going to perish here today?

Yet, right at the peak of Milt’s ecstasy, several massive, thick vines suddenly erupted from the shadows behind him, striking with the speed of a thunderbolt.