The Divine Elements

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“So, Xardath has finally decided to make his move.”

A deep voice reveberated within the large throne room.

“He has an army of beasts camped a few miles away from our city. I estimate that they will be at our wall by next week, your highness.”

A giant eight-foot ape declared as he crossed his unnaturally massive arms across his chest.

“What do the rest of you think that my next move should be?”

Weir asked solemnly, while glancing at the gathered beasts in front of him.

These were the elite Nobles within his city, and the group that directly served under him. Each one of them was at least at the peak of the Vajra stage, and some had even broken into the Saint stage.

“This is not the first time that an enemy Beast King has tried to invade our city. We need to face him head-on and fight a full-on battle.”

A lizard-type beast spoke out, as its tail tapped against the floor.

“If we do that, we put our citizens at risk. Our best strategic move is to bide our time and fight a defensive battle from within our walls. We can minimize the loss of our troops this way.”

A large turtle stated in a calm and cool voice.

“You are forgetting that Xardoth’s elite troops belong to the griffin race. They can easily fly over our walls and masacre us from the inside. Have we considered any diplomatic talks?”

Another beast refuted while shaking her head.

Soon, the Nobles burst into a series of arguements on what the next course of action should be.

“Just challenge him to a one-on-one battle, your highness.”

A smooth and equally powerful voice sounded out, overpowering the voices of the others in the room. A dark panther prowled ahead to the front, as he bowed before the Dragon King.

“Jarken…”

The other Nobles whispered amongst themselves when the mysterious panther appeared.

Although most members of the Nobles were somewhat equal in power, Jarken was a beast with a special bloodline and his bloodthirstiness was something that even they feared.

If anyone had to decide who the most powerful among the Nobles were, the name ‘Jarken’ would be the first thing that would come to their mind.

“You think he will accept that?”

Weir asked with a slight smile on his face.

Jarken was the closest person he had whom he could call a friend besides Laris. If not for his nature of disappearing and travelling throughout the Desolate Mountains, then Jarken would have been made in charge of his army instead of Laris.

Many thought that the powerful panther was a cruel and cold-hearted beast, but Weir knew that Jarken was one of the most intelligent and caring beast among them. His reputation of a savage beast spread a few years back, when Jarken had mutilated an entire group of bandits.

Some had their limbs chewed off, some with their intestines spilling out of their stomachs, and the rest simply had their bodies severed into several parts. Towards the end, none of the five hundred bandits resembled their original form, and their gut-wrenching cries of agony had haunted any that came close to the newly formed graveyard.

When one of the Nobles had found the panther in the middle of the night, Jarken had his jaws clenched around the head of the Bandit Leader, and crushed it while staring into the eyes of the Noble. The rest of the Nobles soon arrived and gazed at the carnage around them.

With his dark coat of fur stained red, the large beast let out a savage roar and ripped the flesh off the Bandit Leader bit by bit.

That scene had been so deeply etched into minds of the Nobles that many were scared to even be in his presence.

The only ones who knew the reason for the bloodbath that day was Weir and Laris.

“He will. His goal is to defeat you, not the city. The troops are there in case you don’t face him and to forcefully draw you out into battle. When he comes to the city gates, challenge him to a battle, and he will definitely agree. His griffin race is already very few in number, and he will not want to risk their lives.”

Jarken spoke in a calm and collected voice.

“Sigh… why does he have such a grudge against me? We will discuss this matter later, and don’t let any news of this matter leak to the citizens yet. Dismissed.”

Weir said in a tired tone.

“You seem to have a lot of things on your mind.”

Jarken chuckled once the rest of the Nobles had left the room.

“Not many things… just a single person… let me tell you about him.”

Weir stated while rubbing his forehead.

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“F*uck! Where in the heavens did the little master go?”

The black lion cursed out loud, while inspecting the various shops in the city.

The tracks had let them into the marketplace, but after seven hours, they still had not found any traces of the young white lion.

“Let’s stay at an inn tonight, and we’ll resume the search tomorrow morning.”

The black lion commanded his subordinates, and they began walking away with worry in their hearts.

Their little master was very innocent and weak. The guards sincerely hoped that no misfortune had befallen on the young griffin.

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