Chapter 243: Bad News

Kaelen thought that it would take a very long time after the Eastern continent people arrived at the other side of the teleportation array for the couple to receive news of their children.

Unexpectedly, only half a day after they just left the Aegis tribe to head to the Illusion Forest, the communication bracelet on Kaelen’s wrist flashed continuously.

Kaelen pressed to open it nervously. Steady breathing sounds came from the other side, then an urgent asking voice: [Uncle Draven, is it done yet?]

[Uncle doesn’t know either...]

Kaelen’s eye sockets stung, Sane also felt his nose tingling. He answered on Kaelen’s behalf: "Finnick, Draven, can everyone hear clearly?"

The other side fell dead silent for a moment, then immediately burst out:

[Hear clearly hear clearly! Chief, I hear your voice!]

[Daddy! Daddy! This is Finnick!]

[Daddy! This is Ryder!]

[Ya ya ya ya!]

[Ya ya~]

Kaelen was moved listening to each familiar voice transmitting from the communication bracelet; hearing the soft ’ya ya’ sounds at the end, his soul trembled slightly. Among these newborn twins, was one a Sub-Beast? Was it Ignis or Orion?

"Kids, Draven, are you all still in the Northern continent?"

Sane was a bit calmer than Kaelen; his voice trembled asking about the situation on the other side. Draven recounted each event clearly, about the tribe facing the invasion crisis from the large Cities, about Zale’s and the Southern Continent Tribe Alliance’s decision.

He said excitedly: [Lord Chief, Lord Priest, you two calculated truly skillfully. We intended to depart for the Southern continent tomorrow when the weather clears up, yet today the Golden Bull and White Elephant tribe people already arrived.]

Draven chatted with the two of them for a few sentences then handed the bracelet back to Finnick and Ryder. Unlike the joyful emotion when just connecting with their two fathers, this time the children fell unusually silent. Except for the soft ya ya sounds occasionally slipping in, the two older children did not say anything.

Kaelen found it strange, asking: "Finnick, Ryder, do you have something you want to tell Papa and Daddy? Oh right... your two younger siblings have hatched right? Did they encounter any trouble?"

Finnick’s and Ryder’s bodies trembled slightly. Kaelen heard clearly sniffing sounds like crying. His heart melted into water, speaking gently into the bracelet:

"Why are you crying... Be good, Papa and Daddy will soon return to you, don’t cry~"

[Papa...]

"Yes, Papa is here."

[Papa... Daddy... I am sorry...]

Kaelen and Sane were slightly stunned; before they had time to ask anything, Finnick on the other side burst into loud, extremely miserable crying. Sane clumsily leaned close to the bracelet, awkwardly comforting him. Kaelen bit his lip, his tears falling profusely.

From birth until now Finnick had never been away from his two fathers like this; perhaps the boy was very scared. Kaelen truly only wanted to turn back to the Aegis tribe, jump into the teleportation array to return and hug his child immediately.

[Papa... I... boo hoo... I lost Fifth Brother.. boo hoo... I am sorry...]

Fifth Brother... Ignis?

What happened to the boy?

Kaelen felt his vision go dark; Sane immediately supported him. This time Kaelen did not faint, only gripping the bracelet tightly, his pale white lips trembling endlessly unable to speak a word. Sane supported Kaelen to sit leaning his back against a tree trunk, took off the bracelet from Kaelen’s wrist, bringing it close to his mouth. He spoke in a cold voice:

"Finnick, do not forget you are a beastman!"

The crying on the other side gradually lessened, only intermittent sobbing remaining. Sane’s voice softened a bit, speaking mildly to his son: "Can you still talk? If not, let Chloe speak for you. Be good, your two fathers do not blame you, do not pressure yourself."

Chloe’s voice immediately transmitted from the other side:

"Chief Sane, Finnick truly cannot be blamed; the situation at that time was truly very weird. ’Beep’... The bag... ’beep’... completely did not have a single tear, did not slip or tear, yet just stepping out of the teleportation array Ignis had ... ’hiss hiss’...

We searched for a very long time but could not find him in the Northern continent.

The Southern Continent Alliance side also searched everywhere but found no trace. We wanted to send news over there to you but every message sent, regardless of the material, upon entering the array burst into flames. If a person stepped into the array, the array also did not activate.

Chief, we suspect... Ignis going missing was not accidental!"

Sane smirked, his gaze turning cold, around his body flashing streaks of purple lightning.

Just now when Chloe talked about the weird part, the signal suddenly became interfered with. Kaelen punched down the ancient tree in anger; Saint Beast level Magical Energy shot straight up to the sky, within the pure Natural energy faintly hiding an un-concealable killing intent.

The mysterious force playing tricks immediately shrank its neck back, returning the normal signal, letting Chloe’s subsequent words fall into the couple’s ears without missing a single word.

"Finnick!" Kaelen tried to suppress the madness in his veins, gently caressing the bracelet Sane was holding, his voice light: "It is not your fault. Do not cry. Papa will go find Ignis and bring him back for you. From now on, our whole family will never have to be separated again, Papa promises..."

Finnick sniffled: [Really? Papa... I am very scared...]

"Do not be scared. With Papa here, whoever dares to touch a single hair of yours, Papa will make them unable to raise their head for ten thousand lifetimes! Finnick, promise Papa, let go of this guilt that is not yours, take care of your older and younger brothers for Papa. Okay?"

Papa’s voice was very different from normal days, but Finnick suddenly felt strangely peaceful. The boy took a deep breath, saying solemnly: [Yes, I can do it Papa!]

Kaelen smiled, inquiring after each child again. Sane looked at the terrifying smile on his lips, a cold chill running down his spine. After disconnecting with the children, Kaelen’s figure suddenly flashed, in an instant already traveling a mile away, leaving a trail of flowing light in the air.

"Kaelen! Don’t! Now is not the time yet!" Sane also chased after him, swooping down stopping in front of his mate, extending his two arms blocking him.

Kaelen’s eyes were completely red at this moment, not caring whether the timing was right or not. He only wanted to charge at the Head Divine Attendant, uprooting those bastards. So what if it was a God? Just an old man about to enter the grave trying to salvage his last breath; even if his bones were crushed and flesh torn apart, he must skin Him.

No, he must not just skin Him! He wanted to throw Him into the Purgatory Fire Hell for ten thousand years, then slice every piece of flesh off Him to feed the dogs!

Sane was blown far away by the Saint Beast level pressure. He somersaulted twice in the air then braced his hands on the ground, skidding for a dozen meters, his two boot heels plowing two deep trenches in the dirt.

Having just braked to a halt he charged forward again, his pupils suddenly shrinking.

The clear blue sky suddenly changed color, turning bright red like boiling lava. Clouds condensed into fireballs, raining down towards Kaelen.

Kaelen glanced up, smirking once.

He continued running swiftly on the road, a green sword blade gradually gathering in his hand. Then he shouted once, slashing straight at the sky.

Blinding green light tore through the red sky, stretching from one horizon to the other, leaving a jade-green rift stretching across the blood sky. Dozens of falling fireballs were cleaved in half by the slash, exploding mid-air, raining down a shower of scorching hot ash.

For half a breath, the whole world fell silent.

Then the green rift in the sky closed.

Closed slowly. Calmly. Like an eye that had just finished blinking.

And the red sky split into ten, into a hundred, into a thousand. Clouds rolled into fireballs so numerous that looking up one only saw a red net gradually tightening down to the ground.

"Kaelen!"

Sane roared, his whole body exploding with a blast of purple lightning. Purple lightning erected a blocking wall, fully taking the first wave of fireballs. Continuous explosion sounds rang out like rolling thunder, the shockwave pushing him sinking into the ground up to his knees.

He gritted his teeth, pushing the lightning wall up another level, then charged to his mate’s side.

The two stood back-to-back amidst a scorched black land.

"You retreat!" Sane shouted, his voice hoarse amidst the explosions: "This is not a human attacking, it is a God attacking! However much you fight back it multiplies that much!"

Kaelen did not answer.

He slashed. Slashed. Slashed.

Every green sword strike shooting up was a patch of sky being torn apart, and every time it tore the sky healed again, redder, thicker, heavier.

Sane could not stop the cold chill running down his spine.

Not because of the thing overhead but because of the grass under Kaelen’s feet.

The circle of tender grass around where he stood was wilting, changing from lush green to withered yellow, then gray, then crumbling into powder. That circle kept expanding gradually with each sword strike, one meter, two meters, five meters.

"Kaelen!"

Sane grabbed his mate’s wrist, roaring into his ear: "Stop! You are burning your own origin!"

Kaelen turned his head looking at him. His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils shrank into tiny dots.

"Sane, I hate Him! On what basis is my life controlled by Him?! I must kill Him!!!"

He yanked his hand away, continuing to slash.

A fireball slipped through a gap in the lightning wall, piercing straight towards his back. The eight-petaled lotus flower on Kaelen’s chest flared bright.

Eight petals bloomed open simultaneously, spreading into a brilliant silver halo fully embracing him. The fireball smashed into that halo, dispersing like a handful of ash blown by the wind.

The eight petals shattered together, falling loosely onto the scorched ground; Kaelen did not even look down.

The sky began to descend.

Not a fireball rain anymore. An entire layer of dense red clouds overhead was shrinking, pressing together, getting heavier, swooping down lower bit by bit, until the whole sky became a lava sea hanging suspended right above the two’s heads.

The air was so hot that the rocks underfoot began to crack open.

Kaelen’s complexion changed. He swung his hand, massive vines carrying origin life force broke through the ground under Sane’s feet emerging, interweaving into a sphere wrapping Sane, tightly without a single gap. Sane inside roared in pain, using force to pry open the vine cage but it still did not budge.

Sane gathered Divine Energy into his two hands, using Purple Lightning to burn each vine.

When he broke open a gap, Sane immediately transformed into his beast form, spreading his wings breaking apart the cage crawling out.

Kaelen had repelled an attack wave but his sword had also broken. He knelt on one knee, blood streaming down from his two nostrils, dripping onto the scorched ground, hissing once then evaporating.

The circle of dead grass around his feet now had spread over thirty meters.

The green light on his body extinguished completely.

The red clouds in the sky had all gathered into a giant fireball, seemingly It was pouring all its power into this final strike. Kaelen looked up with difficulty, only seeing a flash before his eyes, then his vision suddenly went pitch black.

He was tightly locked within his mate’s protective circle, his two hands unable to move, his face pressed against his mate’s warm hot scales.

He heard his heart beating right next to his ear.

"Don’t..." He breathed weakly: "Sane, don’t..."

"Bennett..."

Kaelen heard Sane calling him, his voice as gentle as the autumn wind: "I love you."