Chapter 218: X’Uric
"What? You thought I cared about this war?" the Tier 3 beast said lazily, its voice rumbling like distant thunder. "It only started because your people stole from the poor girl."
Silence. Absolute silence fell over the battlefield.
Hakim and Forta stood frozen amidst the ruined desert, their breathing heavy, bodies battered and burned from the battle. Around them, molten sand bubbled softly while storms of smoke and dust drifted through the air. The horned beast began walking slowly toward Tunik while its massive body shimmered. Its colossal form shrank rapidly.
Lightning flickered around it as bones shifted and compressed. The gigantic beast transformed before their eyes into a six-foot-tall draconic wolf-like being covered in crimson fur streaked with white lines that glowed faintly beneath its skin. Four curved horns extended backward from its head while glowing purple eyes stared at Tunik calmly.
The pressure alone nearly made the sentinel collapse.
"You..." Tunik stumbled backward, his spear trembling violently.
The beast tilted its head. "What are you standing there for?" it asked casually without even looking at Hakim and Forta. "The war is over."
Its glowing eyes narrowed slightly.
"And you should probably reach him before the little wyrm does."
Hakim’s expression changed instantly. Forta cursed loudly. Both Demigods exploded forward without hesitation.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The desert shattered beneath their acceleration. They understood immediately. If the solar wyrm reached Tunik first, he would die, and it would not be a quick death either. The wyrm had lost its egg because of him, and beasts—, especially intelligent beasts, never forgot hatred.
Meanwhile...
Far closer to Senkeht, Bahamut stood before the restrained Solar Wyrm.
Ren held one side of the gigantic beast down physically while several warped spatial fractures trapped the rest of its movements. Even then, the creature still struggled violently, golden flames leaking from its jaws.
"It’s him..." Bahamut said with a dark grin.
Ren glanced sideways.
"What do you mean?"
Bahamut’s golden eyes gleamed beneath the blindfold.
"He’s the one who tried to assassinate me."
The solar wyrm froze slightly, almost as if it understood. Bahamut crouched slowly in front of the massive beast. The surrounding battlefield had grown eerily quiet now. Warriors stared nervously from afar while the remaining beasts growled restlessly. The wyrm’s hatred was obvious toward Tunik.
"Let’s be partners," Bahamut suddenly said.
Ren blinked.
"What?"
"What do you say?" Bahamut continued calmly, completely ignoring him. The solar wyrm stared directly into Bahamut’s glowing eagle eyes and growled lowly. It rejected him.
Bahamut tilted his head slightly.
"Hm."
For a few seconds, he observed the creature quietly. Then, he smiled. A small shepherd’s staff materialized in his hand from his system storage. The moment it appeared, the solar wyrm’s pupils shrank violently. Even Ren stiffened.
The staff looked ancient. Its wood was silver-black, twisted naturally like living roots, while a faint golden gem floated at its top, surrounded by tiny rings of light. But what truly shocked the beast was the aura. It felt ancient, familiar, and divine.
Bahamut raised the staff slightly.
"What about this?" he asked softly.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!
The Solar Wyrm roared instantly. Every beast on the battlefield halted immediately. Low growls spread throughout the battlefield. Then, one by one, they began retreating. The warriors of Senkeht stared blankly. Nobody moved. Nobody even breathed loudly. Because the impossible was happening right before their eyes. The full beast horde was leaving.
The solar wyrm slowly lowered its gigantic head before Bahamut. Ren’s mouth opened slightly.
"No fucking way..."
Even Sel, standing atop the wall, nearly dropped his bow. Far away, Hakim and Forta halted abruptly as they witnessed the horde turning around. The draconic wolf beast merely chuckled.
"Told you."
Across the battlefield, thousands of beasts vanished gradually into the desert horizon beneath the scorching sun. Just like that, the war ended.
...
Tunik knelt in the middle of the ruined battlefield, his body trembling violently as thick vines coiled around his arms, legs, neck, and torso. The vines pulsed with green light, not healing him this time, but restraining him. Every time he tried to struggle, thorns dug deeper into his skin.
Around him lay the aftermath of war.
The desert had been ravaged beyond recognition. Corpses of beasts littered the sand in countless numbers. Rivers of blood soaked into the dunes while smoke and heat still rose from the shattered battlefield. Parts of Senkeht’s walls had collapsed entirely, and the surviving warriors stood scattered in exhausted silence.
Nobody spoke because now they knew.
This entire nightmare... the deaths, the destruction, the fear, the constant attacks... all of it had begun because one man had been foolish enough to steal from the nest of a Tier 3 beast.
And worse, he had done it knowing exactly what could happen. Risa stood directly in front of Tunik.
The normally calm healer radiated a terrifying pressure now. Her green eyes glowed intensely while vines writhed behind her like enraged serpents. The killing intent pouring from her body was so dense that even seasoned warriors subconsciously stepped back.
"Tunik..." Her voice was quiet. "You doomed this town."
Tunik gritted his teeth. Sweat poured down his face as he tried to avoid her gaze.
"I-I didn’t know it would become this..." A vine slammed across his face.
PAAAH!
Blood exploded from his mouth as he crashed sideways into the sand, only for the vines to yank him upright again.
"You stole from a parent," Risa said coldly. Another vine struck.
Tunik screamed.
"And then," she continued, voice trembling with fury now, "you tried to murder our guests."
Silence. The warriors behind her slowly turned toward Bahamut and the others. He’d told her what happened that day.
Forta’s expression darkened completely. Hakim had arrived moments ago, still covered in burns and blood from the battle against the draconic wolf. His chest rose heavily, but the look in his eyes when he stared at Tunik was enough to freeze the air.
"You endangered all of Senkeht... because of your hatred."
Tunik suddenly laughed weakly. Hatred.
Yes... Hatred.
His eyes slowly lifted toward Sel and Exildra. "You don’t understand..." he rasped. "Those elves..."
The temperature around Forta dropped instantly.
"Do not," Forta warned, but Tunik continued anyway, years of poison finally spilling out.
"My mother suffered because of them!" he shouted hoarsely.
"She was enslaved! Broken! Used like an object!"
His voice cracked violently.
"And they walk around smiling?! Laughing?! Acting noble?!"
The battlefield became deathly silent. Even Sel’s expression changed slightly. Exildra stared quietly at Tunik, her expression unreadable. Tunik’s breathing became ragged.
"You think I care if this town burns?!" His face twisted. "I wanted them to suffer too!"
The moment those words left his mouth, killing intent exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
The sand beneath Risa shattered. The vines around Tunik constricted violently until bones cracked throughout his body. He screamed in agony as blood burst from his mouth again.
"You fool," Hakim growled. "You let pain turn you into a monster."
Tunik coughed blood while laughing weakly. "And what would you know...?"
Hakim stepped forward slowly. The pressure from a Demigod descended fully this time. The surviving warriors instantly lowered their heads from instinct.
"I know," Hakim said quietly, "that countless people nearly died today because you chose revenge over reason."
Behind him, Bahamut watched silently. His golden eyes remained fixed on Tunik without emotion. Ren stood beside him in humanoid form, arms crossed.
"That guy’s messed up," Ren muttered. "He was hurting long before this happened."
Bahamut said nothing. His gaze shifted toward the horizon, where the beasts had vanished. More specifically, toward the direction the draconic wolf had disappeared. That voice still echoed faintly in his mind.
Young Master.
His hand unconsciously tightened slightly. Something massive had just begun. And deep down, Bahamut knew the war in Senkeht had only been the opening act. And he was right...
"We will meet soon, Young Master. I am X’Uric." The same voice of the beast sounded in his head.
