The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

Chapter 259: Vigilante or Devil?

Solaria was enormous.

Beyond the great cities existed countless towns, villages, settlements, and frontier regions. Vast forests stretched between provinces. Mountain ranges housed hidden dangers. Ancient ruins from forgotten civilizations dotted the landscape. Beast zones remained scattered throughout the kingdom, serving as both opportunities and threats.

Even the mighty Solarian government couldn’t monitor every corner of its territory. This was why sects like the Shadow Fang Sect existed. This was why adventurers were needed. This was why powerful cultivators remained valuable. Despite humanity’s achievements, the world remained dangerous, and recently, that danger had begun growing.

People were disappearing. Entire trails were going silent, caravans vanished, and families lost contact with loved ones. The Four Great Families had already begun private investigations. The royal family had become involved, and even the Pharaoh of the Shadow Fang Sect had taken notice. Something was moving beneath the surface of Solaria, and it was dangerous enough to attract the attention of Tier 4 beings. Somewhere within that vast kingdom, hidden among bustling cities, noble estates, remote villages, and forgotten ruins, the truth waited.

For Bahamut and his companions, the Kingdom of Solaria would no longer be merely a distant human nation. It would soon become a battlefield. A battlefield where enemies hid behind masks, allies could become targets, and even surviving until tomorrow was not guaranteed.

...

Night had fallen over Throst. Unlike Aurora, whose streets remained bright long after sunset, or Obosu, where music and festivities often continued until dawn, the City of Throst respected the darkness. Its people lived on the frontier, and they understood that danger preferred the night.

The city itself was built from reddish stone carved from the surrounding desert cliffs. Towering walls surrounded it while watchtowers burned with blue-flamed braziers that illuminated the streets below. Yet even those flames could not chase away every shadow, especially tonight.

A cloaked merchant hurried through a narrow alley. His breathing was ragged, and his eyes darted nervously left and right. He had noticed it hours ago. Someone or something was following him. Every time he turned around, he found nothing, but every time he accelerated, the feeling intensified; the sensation of eyes on his back.

"H-Hello?"

His voice echoed weakly, but no response came: the alley remained silent. The merchant swallowed and continued walking. That was a mistake. A massive hand suddenly shot out from the darkness. The merchant’s mouth was covered instantly: his scream never escaped. His eyes widened in terror as several figures emerged from the shadows, covered in black robes with hidden faces.

The merchant struggled desperately, but it was useless. One of them pressed a strange crystal against his forehead, and a sickly green light spread across his skin. The man’s body convulsed violently, and then... Silence.

His eyes lost focus, and his struggles ceased like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"Successful," One of the figures spoke.

"The compatibility is acceptable," Another nodded.

"Take him."

The unconscious merchant was lifted effortlessly. Moments later, the group vanished into the darkness.

Another disappearance. Another victim. Another life stolen from Solaria.

...

Outside Throst, several kilometers beyond the city walls, the group moved quickly across the land. There were six of them. The unconscious merchant floated behind them, suspended by mana. Everything was proceeding according to plan until one of them stopped.

"What is it?"

The leader frowned. The man looked behind him, but he saw nothing. Just dunes and darkness, yet his instincts screamed. Throst was closer to the desert.

"We’re being followed."

The others immediately became alert, and their senses expanded. Mana spread outward, but they still found nothing.

"No one’s there."

"I’m telling you-"

A gust of wind interrupted him. The place suddenly became quiet. No animals cried or moved. There was no sound, not even wind. The leader’s expression changed.

"Move."

Nobody questioned him. The group accelerated instantly and crossed dunes, rocks, and dry valleys. They passed through abandoned ruins, thinking they might’ve lost whatever or whoever was following them, but the feeling remained. It was even getting closer.

One of them looked back and saw nothing. Another looked back, still nothing. Yet fear continued growing. Eventually, they reached the outskirts, a region where massive stone formations emerged from the sands like giant teeth.

The leader finally stopped.

"Come out." Silence answered him. "Whoever you are, come out!"

Still nothing. Several seconds passed, and then, they heard a sound—a single footstep.

Crunch!

The group spun instantly towards the sound. Atop a distant stone formation stood a massive wolf. It was eight feet tall, with fur that was black as midnight. Its body was covered in scars, and its eyes glowed crimson. This was not beast eyes, but predator eyes.

One of the kidnappers cursed.

"A beast?"

"No."

The leader’s face paled. Someone was sitting atop the wolf. It was a woman. Long white hair flowed behind her while a black cloak covered her body. A dark mask concealed her face. Only her red eyes remained visible, cold, emotionless, and murderous. But those weren’t what captured their attention. It was the pair of rabbit ears protruding from her head, long, snow-white, and completely out of place.

One of the kidnappers laughed nervously.

"A rabbit?"

The woman tilted her head. The movement alone made several of them shiver. Then she spoke in a soft, feminine voice. It was a terrifying voice.

"Found you."

The next moment...

BOOOOOM!

The wolf vanished. The stone formation exploded as sand erupted into the air. The kidnappers barely reacted before something crashed into their formation.

SHRRRK!

Blood sprayed as a body split in half. The wolf appeared among them like a nightmare. Its jaws tore through flesh effortlessly. One kidnapper screamed as a massive paw descended.

CRUNCH!

His skull exploded. The remaining four retaliated instantly. Spells erupted: wind blades, fireballs, earth spears. The attacks crossed the battlefield simultaneously. The masked woman moved.

She leapt from the wolf’s back, her body twisting elegantly through the attacks. When she landed, a pair of curved daggers appeared in her hands, her red eyes glowing. The closest kidnapper died first.

SHING!

His throat opened. The second lost both arms, the third lost his head. The fourth tried to flee. It was a desperate and stupid decision. The wolf caught him in three strides, and its jaws closed around his torso.

SNAP!

The man disappeared between its teeth. Only the leader remained, his body trembling.

"What are you?!"

The masked woman slowly approached, her daggers dripping blood, while the wolf stalked beside her. The unconscious merchant remained untouched behind them.

"You’ve been taking people."

No answer came. The leader attempted to run. A dagger flashed.

THUK!

His leg exploded, and he crashed face-first into the sand. The woman reached him moments later, her crimson eyes staring into his soul.

"Who do you work for?" The man laughed. Before she could react, blood poured from his mouth. Poison. A suicide measure. His body convulsed, and seconds later, he was dead.

The woman stared silently as the wolf sniffed the corpse and growled. They had lost the trail again. The rabbit-eared woman sighed.

Above them, the moon illuminated the battlefield. Five corpses, one rescued victim, and another dead lead. Far away, hidden somewhere within Solaria, the people responsible remained untouched... for now.

The woman climbed back onto the wolf. Its crimson eyes looked toward the distant lights of Throst, and they both disappeared into the darkness like ghosts.