Chapter 229: I am Bahamut, not Ren
The toll of the bell they heard wasn’t for anything too important, nor was it a call for help or a sound of war. It was just a mechanism to announce when a team had completed their mission and made it to the sect. The one they heard wasn’t for them, but for the first team to arrive.
The first team to arrive was Aerith’s team, and to their confusion, the lady they were supposed to escort came along with them. It turned out that the escort mission was to the sect, and it had been very eventful. After the battle with the poison ivies, they managed to patch the carriage and get it moving, only to encounter the main boss of the jungle. Although they didn’t kill it since the veiled lady asked them not to... Not as if they had any chance, they still managed to injure it. Aerith also realized that he couldn’t use his full ability. He even felt weaker than his teammates when he was supposed to be the strongest. This was something he couldn’t understand...
Team Aerith had just passed through the massive gates of the Shadow Fang Sect when darkness swallowed the sunlight above them. A gigantic shadow fell over the entrance, and the air pressure changed instantly. The gate operators froze in shock and fear.
"BEAST ATTACK!"
"ABOVE!"
"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!"
The guards atop the walls reacted immediately. Ballistae rotated upward with loud metallic groans while disciples stationed near the gate drew weapons instinctively. Elemental energy erupted across the entrance as dozens of eyes snapped toward the sky. Aerith’s crow screeched sharply.
CAAAAAAAW!
Its feathers rose violently as its danger instincts kicked in. Aerith himself immediately reached for the handles of his twin swords, his stormy grey eyes narrowing. Something massive was descending the small cliff. They finally saw it.
A colossal serpentine creature emerged from the clouds, black-gold scales gleaming beneath the setting sun. Its gigantic body coiled through the air like a living calamity while its glowing golden eyes overlooked the entire gate area with terrifying intelligence. Several disciples paled instantly.
"A Tier 3?!"
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"Why is a Demigod beast here?!"
Even the veiled lady inside the carriage paused slightly. Her floating darkness elemental shifted forms silently beside her.
"Oh?" she muttered softly beneath the veil.
Meanwhile, atop the gigantic wyrm, a familiar group sat casually. Bahamut was lying comfortably atop the wyrm’s head as though he were riding a horse through a market.
"No way," Aerith muttered.
The wyrm began descending toward the gates, and that was when the panic truly started.
"FIRE!"
One of the gate guards almost gave the order.
BOOOOOOOM!
Bahamut jumped. The instant his feet left Nagini’s head, the air exploded beneath him. He shot downward like a meteor while black wings burst briefly from his back. The ground at the gate entrance cracked violently as Bahamut landed between the guards and Nagini, causing dust to explode outward. The pressure alone forced weaker disciples backward. Bahamut slowly stood upright while adjusting his blindfold casually.
"Relax," he said lazily. "She’s with us."
The entire gate area became silent. The guards stared at him, then at the colossal wyrm behind him, and back at him.
"WITH YOU?!" one gate operator screamed.
Bahamut blinked.
"Yes?"
"How are you saying that so casually?!"
Nagini lowered herself slowly behind Bahamut, her gigantic head stopping just above him protectively. Her golden eyes scanned the surroundings calmly while several disciples nearly fainted from the pressure alone.
Aerith stared blankly at Bahamut.
"Why do you always arrive like a disaster?" he asked finally.
Bahamut tilted his head, looking at the guy in confusion.
"I could’ve arrived louder."
"Please don’t."
Ren suddenly jumped off Nagini’s head next.
BOOOOOOM!
The six-foot humanoid rabbit landed beside Bahamut dramatically with his arms folded.
"Make way for the heroes!"
Dead silence. Several disciples stared at him. One girl fainted immediately.
"Did the bunny just talk?" Bartoc asked weakly.
"Yes," Sel answered while walking past him calmly.
"You get used to it."
"No, you don’t," Gabi corrected quietly.
The others descended shortly after. Lily hopped down gracefully before immediately attaching herself to Bahamut’s arm. Exildra followed elegantly, her golden eye glowing faintly beneath the evening light. Alana landed heavily enough to crack the ground slightly. The pressure coming from the entire group made the atmosphere strange. Aerith’s teammates subconsciously became alert because they knew that Bahamut’s group was dangerous: Very dangerous. They literally had a Tier 3 beast with them, and from how it listened to Bahamut, there was only one explanation. He had tamed it. As for the how, no one cared to know.
This world respected strength above all. Yes, there were different levels of strength and different methods to gain that strength, but were they all important? If a person proves to be powerful, what need is there to know how he got that strength? And how sure were you that you could achieve the same thing? Besides, something like beast taming required more than just... taming. Beast taming didn’t have a single method.
Some beast tamers beat beasts into submission. Others trained them from birth. There was never a single method to tame a beast. Looking at Bahamut and the wyrm, everyone instantly knew that he couldn’t have beaten the beast into submission. It was a Tier 3 beast, per what they could sense. As for bonding from birth, that wasn’t possible either. But no one cared for that at the moment because once again, Bahamut had proved that he was strong. Now, anyone who had thoughts of challenging him would think twice before acting recklessly.
"Ren?" A beautiful voice suddenly broke through the tension and silence. It belonged to the veiled lady, and she was staring right at Bahamut, who had for some reason taken off his blindfold. Ren stood by him and looked at the girl with suspicion.
"Huh?" Bahamut looked at her in confusion, trying to remember if he knew her.
"Ren, right?" The girl asked again, a hint of expectancy in her voice.
"I am Bahamut, not Ren," he answered flatly, then pointed towards the bunny. "This is Ren."
"Oh... sorry. You looked like someone I know..."
"No offense taken."
With that, they went inside, awaiting what would come next.
