The Dire Sovereign's breath rumbled through the cavern like a broken furnace as he continued to stare at Lyratheia, the female he had wanted to claim.

It wasn't that he loved her or anything—far from it.

The only reason he wanted her as his mate was that she had a fascinating ability—one that could make people loyal to her even if they were unwilling.

He wanted to have a child with her, hoping that the child would inherit both his and her powers, becoming someone who could transform the forest into a thriving empire.

But just then, before he could say another word, Kael stepped between the beast and Lyratheia, his golden eyes half-lidded, almost amused.

"Hey," Kael tilted his head, his voice light, "I've been meaning to ask it for a while, but could you please close your mouth? It stinks."

The beast stiffened.

Not because of the insult, as plenty had tried that before—and, of course, paid the price for it.

Its expression changed because Kael spoke as though he was trying to protect Lyratheia from it.

It was as if Kael was on Lyratheia's side, and the beast was not.

The Sovereign's muscles bulged with anger, stone trembling beneath its claws.

"…You stand with the dryad?" His voice was barely controlled, scraping low and feral. "You dare try to claim what is mine?"

Kael blinked slowly.

Then looked at Lyratheia.

Then back at the beast.

He was a bit slow to understand how an idiot's thought process worked, but as soon as he realized what the beast was thinking, he reacted to it.

"Oh—no, no," he waved casually. "She's not mine..." glancing at Lyratheia, he winked, "...yet."

Then, turning back to the beast, he added, "But she's definitely not yours, big guy."

Following that was a long silence.

In that silence, Lyratheia was stunned, still thinking whether she should laugh or shake her head, while Evethra and Selene were already doing the latter.

The Dire Sovereign, however, didn't like their relaxed attitude, so it snarled—an explosive, guttural sound that shook the entire cavern.

"You insect," it roared, rising to its full height, its ten-meter-plus frame looming like a mountain of muscle and bone. "You think to stand between my destined mate and me?"

Behind Kael, Lyratheia made a soft, strangled noise—half panic, half fury—her mood turning sour again.

Kael noticed that, making him frown a bit, but in the end, he only smirked, replying to the beats. "Well, you're loud. And wrong. A bad combination, in my opinion."

Then, he exhaled—

And the cavern trembled.

Golden mana poured from him in a tidal wave, pressure collapsing the air, crushing stone into dust at his feet. Cracks spiderwebbed across the cave floor like lightning.

Evethra, Selene, and Lyratheia, who were behind Kael, couldn't feel a thing, as he knew how to control his mana.

For the Dire Sovereign, however, it was an entirely different story.

He was hit with the full force of the mana pressure, causing him to stagger.

However, the beast did not kneel.

Not even an inch.

Instead, its own aura surged outward—a violent, primal force tinged with the instinctive will of an Alpha beast who ruled over the forest.

He would rather die than bow.

Kael's smirk widened.

"Oh? Still standing? That's new."

It was new, as Kael had never seen anyone who could resist his mana pressure.

The Dire Sovereign's answering growl shook the earth.

And then—

CRRRRRKKK—!

The cavern walls, unable to bear the pressure of two giants' mana, ruptured.

Stones cracked.

Massive slabs broke loose from the ceiling.

The entire cavern began to collapse.

Before even a pebble could fall on them, Kael flicked his fingers.

A six-by-six-meter stone slab screeched to a halt mid-air—caught in telekinesis—and Kael pulled the girls close beneath it as the world fell apart.

BOOOOOOM!!

The cavern came crashing down around them.

Dust swallowed everything.

Rubble thundered like avalanches.

The earth howled as it split.

When the debris finally settled—

A single floating slab hovered above the wreckage.

And beneath it stood Kael, one hand raised lazily, holding it up with telekinesis as if carrying a feather.

Evethra and Selene stood calm beside him.

Lyratheia, shaken but unhurt, pressed closer to his side.

Kael turned toward the girls. "Are you guys al—?"

But before he could complete his words, the killing intent struck.

Fast.

Massive.

Merciless.

The Dire Sovereign—using the dust cloud as cover—charged through the chaos like a golden-scaled meteor.

It wasn't scared of Kael, but because of the last exchange of mana pressure, it knew for sure that Kael wasn't someone it should go easy on.

No, the beast knew that it had to eliminate Kael as soon as possible.

Kael, however, didn't even blink.

"Oh, predictable."

He had been keeping an eye on the beast using his perception, so he knew exactly what the beast was going to do.

And so, his mana flared—telekinesis and wind twisting into a shimmering barrier above them.

BOOM!!!

The Sovereign's feet crashed into it with enough force to crater the earth.

The ground beneath Kael and the group exploded in a spiderweb of cracks because the attack's power was transferred from the barrier to the ground.

Yet the barrier didn't so much as ripple.

Kael tilted his head, unimpressed.

"That's it? This is what lets you brag about being the strongest in the forest?"

The Dire Sovereign didn't answer.

But the rumbling beneath Kael's feet grew louder.

Lyratheia's eyes widened in sudden realization.

"KAEL—!! That won't be eno—"

"Too late."

The beast grinned.

The golden light burst from its body—

A primal aura, ancient and violent, coating every scale, every muscle.

Sovereign's ascendance.

Kael's barrier trembled, fractured, splintered, and then shattered, all in an instant.

It was as if it were a layer of thin ice, as the beast's feet were now moving down at the group, ready to crush them.

Selene's breath hitched as her mana flared, ready to use her time dilation ability, while Evethra tried to move in front of Kael.

Lyratheia's face, on the other hand, was drained of color.

And Kael—

Kael's eyes gleamed with sudden excitement.

"Well," he whispered, hair rustling in the blast, "that's more like it."

And the next second—

BOOM!!

The beast's feet crashed into the ground, causing the earth to shatter, while pieces of rock flew everywhere.

The Dire Sovereign let out a low, rumbling hum—deep and satisfied—as its massive foot sank into the shattered earth.

Dust billowed. Cracks raced outward like fleeing serpents. For a heartbeat, the beast basked in triumph.

Then its eyelid twitched.

Because there was… nothing below his feet.

No crushed bone.

No blood.

Not even a ripple of resistance beneath its heel.

The Sovereign frowned, claws curling into the crater.

From behind the drifting dust, a familiar lazy voice called out, "Well… that's a first. I didn't know my barrier could break too."

The beast jerked its gaze toward the sound.

Kael stood a good forty meters away, relaxed as ever—hands in pockets, golden eyes half-lidded in amusement.

Behind him, Evethra and Selene looked composed, while Lyratheia stood tense, breathing unevenly.

Kael tilted his head. "Teleportation is useful, right? It gets you out of any situation."

Evethra and Selene nodded their heads, as if agreeing to his words.

But Lyratheia did not share his relaxed mood.

She rounded on him immediately, voice tight and controlled, the worry leaking through her calm tone.

"Kael… have you ever fought a real S-rank beast before?"

Kael blinked. "Evethra and I killed a while ago, remember?"

Lyratheia shook her head sharply. "Those were not true S-ranks. The Dire Sovereign is different. Beasts at this level always have a special ability—one that defines their entire threat. You should never let an S-rank get close without knowing what that ability is!"

Kael rubbed his chin, looking genuinely curious. "Oh? Really? That's interesting."

"And you wouldn't even let me tell you what his abilities are," She continued, exasperation slipping through her politeness. "You said the fight would be 'more fun if the mysteries stayed mysteries.'"

Kael let out a sheepish chuckle and raised both hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. My bad. I underestimated him. Happy?"

Before she could answer—

BOOM—!!

The Dire Sovereign launched itself again, tearing a trench through the earth as it charged.

It blurred—a golden mass of violence and intent—straight toward Kael and the girls.

Selene and Evethra jerked as they noticed it, and even Lyratheia tensed—

But they were too slow.

That was when Kael snapped his fingers.

FWIP.

The girls vanished from beside him, reappearing safely far to the left.

Kael, however, blinked out of existence—

—And materialized on the beast's opposite side, dust spiraling around him in a lazy twist.

The Sovereign skidded to a halt, claws carving ravines into the stone as it pivoted, its furious snarl echoing across the ruined cavern.

Kael stretched his arms over his head, cracking his neck.

"You know," he said conversationally, "it's rude to interrupt people. Patience is a virtue. Or so I'm told."

The beast roared, muscles bulging with golden fury.

Kael's smirk sharpened, excitement flickering in his eyes like lightning.

"Alright then," he said, dropping his arms and shifting his stance. A light breeze swirled around him as his mana flared like an awakening sun. "Now that the talking is done—"

He slid one foot back.

The ground groaned.

His golden eyes burned.

"—let's fight properly."

Now that he knew that he had to be careful around the beast, he wasn't going to relax.

However, he still wanted to test some things, and since a live dummy had presented itself, he wasn't one to walk away.

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