Chapter 102: Cha.102 Last Standing (6)

Back in the Carwata Kingdom, inside the royal palace, the king sat upon his throne, reading Yorness’s report while the old man knelt before him.

After careful investigation, it has been confirmed that the former captain of Team Four, Valen Krosser, went missing during their last mission and is likely dead.

The boy, along with another member named Yasmin, who has no known surname, is also missing after betraying their team and working with several goblins.

The remaining two members are currently imprisoned and still under investigation.

The king put the report down without finishing it.

"Good job, Yorness. You may leave now."

"My king..." Yorness paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words.

"What if the prisoners don’t believe that the boy and the girl are still alive?"

The king picked up another document, barely paying attention to him.

"You are a useful piece, Yorness. Keep being this way. Now, leave."

His tone was cold.

Yorness lowered his head.

"My apologies, Your Majesty."

He stood and left the room.

The king then called for a servant.

"When is the meeting again?"

The servant placed a hand over his chest and lowered his head before answering in a calm, quiet voice.

"In under an hour, Your Majesty."

The king raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

Then he sighed in disappointment.

"I don’t mean the barbarian playroom with those other idiots."

His cold gaze fell upon the servant.

The servant immediately began sweating and dropped to one knee.

"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty, for my foolish mistake. Your important meeting is this afternoon, in about two hours."

The king continued staring at him.

The pressure was so great that the servant felt as if he were about to lose his mind.

Then the king simply turned his head and returned to reading his documents.

"I think it would be reasonable to see those idiots myself."

He paused.

"Prepare the carriage."

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty! Right away!"

The servant quickly left the room.

...

Inside a castle filled with Beastkin soldiers, something heavy hung over the atmosphere.

Rumors of a potential peace deal between the three kingdoms had spread throughout the castle, disturbing everyone.

A cat Beastkin whispered to his friend as they watched several elderly Beastkin praying and advising others to remain inside their homes without even opening their windows.

"What’s all this about?"

His friend looked at him with wide eyes.

"You don’t know? The Carwata tyrant might come here!"

"And so what? Isn’t this good news? We can finally kill hi—"

"Ouch!"

The cat suddenly cried out as an elderly woman smacked him on the head.

"Don’t you dare, you brat! Say something like that again and—"

She stopped herself and glared at him.

"This is a big day. Not a joke!"

The cat scratched his head.

"I’m not joking. Look at the warriors. They’re all prepared for when that tyrant arrives."

"It’s only you old people. Why do you have such a trauma anyway?"

The elderly woman closed her eyes.

"Well... it’s because..."

She slowly opened them again and turned her head toward the enormous castle looming in the distance.

It was a vast, ancient, and dreary structure.

Its dark-gray stone walls gave it a gloomy appearance, while statues of great Beastkin warriors stood silently around it.

...

The heavy oak double doors creaked open, revealing the Council Chamber tucked deep inside the castle’s old keep.

Sunlight streamed through narrow, deep-set lancet windows, cutting through the cool, quiet air and illuminating dust motes floating above a massive, polished mahogany table.

Twelve high-backed leather chairs surrounded the table.

At the head, however, there was no chair.

Instead, two kings sat facing each other on opposite sides of the table, at the same level, symbolizing equality and respect.

The first was a lion Beastkin with golden hair, sharp green eyes, and a massive build that nearly blocked the view behind him.

He wore a black ceremonial coat reinforced with golden armor around his shoulders and chest, with a long red cloak hanging behind him.

The Beastkin King.

The second was a goblin with unusual blue skin instead of the typical red.

He proudly exposed his upper body, which was covered in white tattoos depicting different demonic faces.

He had long black hair tied behind his head and two long lower fangs extending from his mouth.

The Goblin King.

The rest of the table was occupied by a mixture of nobles and high-ranking Goblins and Beastkin.

They whispered among themselves about the peace meeting.

"Do you think he’ll come?"

"Hard to tell. He hasn’t shown himself in so long."

"So are we wasting our time here? I knew this was a useless idea."

While the two kings remained silent, the others discussed the possible outcomes of today’s meeting.

Then something changed.

Both kings suddenly turned their heads toward the entrance.

They had sensed something approaching.

And in the next moment—

The doors opened.

A new figure stepped into the chamber.

He had dark hair, blood-red eyes, and pale skin framed by a handsome face.

He wore a heavy cloak of deep-red velvet, while a golden crown rested upon his head.

The moment Carwata’s king stepped inside, the entire atmosphere changed.

It became heavier.

Colder.

Unpleasant.

Most of the people in the room struggled to breathe under the pressure.

Yet not a single one dared to speak.

The king didn’t look at anyone.

His eyes remained fixed on the head of the table.

He walked toward it, grabbed a chair, and forcefully pulled it out from beneath a Beastkin noble.

The man fell to the floor.

He didn’t even dare open his mouth.

The pressure coming from the king completely overwhelmed him.

Rafael simply walked past him and sat down comfortably.

He rested his head against one hand and lazily gazed across the table.

His red eyes were enough to make everyone else lower their heads and stare at the floor.

Then the Beastkin King finally spoke.

"Lower your pressure. This is a peaceful place, King Rafael."

Rafael glanced at him for a moment before answering slowly.

"Why would a low creature like you want to talk to me?"

The lion frowned.

The disrespect in Rafael’s tone was obvious.

A tyrant vampire dares to speak to me like that?

He kept his expression calm.

"It’s about the current war. We are willing to make a peace deal again, if you give us a binding vow that you won’t unleash that thing."

Rafael simply stared at him with his cold red eyes.

The Lion King began to feel uncomfortable as the tension in the room grew.

But then the Goblin King slammed his fist onto the table.

"YOU PROMISED!"

He glared at Rafael.

"You promised you wouldn’t do anything in this continent! Are you breaking your own promise to us? The promise you made to our mentors?! Is this where your race’s pride ends?"

The Lion King’s eyes widened.

STOP TRIGGERING HIM, YOU IDIOT!

He slowly glanced toward Rafael, waiting for his reaction.

But to his surprise...

Rafael didn’t look bothered at all.

He simply sighed, as if he were already bored.

"Of course I won’t do anything. Don’t worry."

He stood up.

"If I wanted to destroy this place, I would have done it a long time ago."

He paused.

"I’m just a spectator now."

A collective sigh of relief echoed throughout the room.

The expressions of the people around the table relaxed.

Their tense bodies finally loosened.

Then Rafael walked toward the exit.

But just before leaving, he stopped.

Without looking back, he whispered something.

The Lion King couldn’t hear him.

"What did you say?"

Rafael didn’t answer.

Instead—

Pain exploded throughout the room.

The two kings and everyone around the table suddenly screamed.

Something was growing from their bodies.

New hands emerged from their backs.

Additional eyes formed on their elbows.

Their bodies twisted and deformed.

They felt as if their brains were being split in half.

They couldn’t move.

They couldn’t think.

They could only scream.

They watched in horror as the people around them transformed into hideous monsters.

Even the two powerful Fourth-Step kings couldn’t stop the transformation.

Screams echoed through the chamber.

People cried and begged, believing they were about to die.

Their new limbs continued growing from their bodies.

Their senses slowly faded.

Their bodies began collapsing into masses of flesh, tangled limbs, and countless deformities.

Then—

Everything stopped.

Their bodies suddenly returned to normal.

As if nothing had happened.

But they didn’t realize it.

They continued screaming.

Continued crying.

Continued begging.

Until a sharp voice cut through the chamber.

"Silence."

Rafael’s command echoed through the room.

Every person immediately submitted.

They became completely still, staring at their own bodies in disbelief.

No one moved.

One minute passed.

Then three.

Then ten.

Then thirty.

Not a single person moved a muscle.

Not even their eyes.

Finally—

One full hour passed.

The two kings slowly turned their heads toward the entrance.

Rafael was gone.

He had been gone for a long time.

Only then did they realize they could breathe normally again.

But inside their minds, they already understood.

They finally understood why their elders had been afraid of that creature.

It wasn’t because Rafael could kill them.

It was because he could kill them all... and simply chose not to.

That was what placed him far above them.

A creature they should never dare meet eye to eye.