Chapter Seventy-Six: The Royal House of Behemoth

Although the dark silhouette stood plainly before everyone, a strange sensation crept into their hearts, as though he had merged entirely with the mist—or rather, with the whole environment surrounding them. Aside from the overwhelming pressure that pressed down like a mountain, there was almost no sign of life emanating from him at all.

Gus’s face was pale as death. Though he forced himself to resist the terror within, his body trembled uncontrollably. He bit down hard on his teeth, so hard that blood seeped from his gums, his eyes bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the shadow before him.

Damn it! My legs are starting to give out!

Gus cursed inwardly, desperately trying to retreat step by step. At that moment, the shadow took a single step forward—just one—and Gus’s legs gave way entirely. With a thud, he collapsed to the ground.

Only now did Veil finally see the true appearance of the shadow.

Nearly two and a half meters tall, he was immensely robust, his body bursting with explosive muscle. Looking at his arms—heavens! Even his smallest arm was thicker than Veil’s thigh. His skin was a deep, dusky yellow, and he wore a set of armor so crude it seemed barely more than scraps. In his hand, he gripped a massive black sword, at least six inches wide, which added an icy and bloodthirsty aura to him. Veil even suspected that, were it not for his beast-like physique, an ordinary person would struggle just to lift such a weapon.

Thick brows and a rugged jaw gave him little distinction from ordinary humans, but what truly drew attention were the beast horns protruding from either side of his head—the unmistakable mark of a beastman.

Looking closer, Veil realized these horns were not like most others. According to his knowledge of beastmen, horns were no mere ornament; most beastmen had long horns, which they could use in close combat as weapons. Yet this figure’s horns were barely two inches long, almost useless in battle. But when Veil noticed their color and pattern, he was struck dumb with astonishment.

Spiraling patterns—golden spirals, no less!

Golden spiral patterns: this was the emblem of the Behemoth clan. This man was actually from the Behemoth tribe!

Anyone with a passing familiarity with beastmen would know that their race was a collective term for a multitude of tribes, large and small. Many of these tribes boasted formidable warriors, but among them, only the Behemoth clan could truly be called the royal bloodline of the beastmen.

For the Behemoths possessed knowledge of a beastman battle art—Berserk—that only a select few throughout the entire beastmen race could master.

Behemoth warriors were already vastly stronger than common beastmen, and once they entered the Berserk state, their strength could increase one or even twofold in a matter of moments. This made the Behemoth clan’s power far surpass all others. In the beastmen history Veil knew, the Behemoth tribe had unified the vast beastmen race more than once.

To put it simply, the Behemoth clan was to the beastmen what the royal family was to humanity.

But why was a Behemoth beastman here? And though he bore the iconic horns of his tribe, why did his face and skin resemble a human’s so closely?

Veil’s mind spun with wild conjectures. Meanwhile, the figure strode up to Gus. No expression could be read on his face, but Gus was so terrified that his own face was drained of all color. He clenched his teeth, and suddenly a blade of energy burst forth from his hand. He struck the ground, sending up a spray of sand toward the beastman’s face, then seized the moment to roll clumsily across the ground and flee toward the rear. The giant beastman watched Gus escape, his face unchanged. He brushed the sand from his face, bent his leg slightly, and in a blink, shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

“So fast!”

Veil’s pupils contracted. He had fought with Grand Soulmasters and knew well how swift their soul-powered bursts could be. Yet this beastman, relying only on his flesh, moved even faster than a Grand Soulmaster. In the blink of an eye, he caught up with Gus, intercepting him, and with one thick arm, seized Gus by the neck and lifted him effortlessly, like a chick.

“Help!... Please... let me go!... Cough, cough!...”

Gus’s eyes rolled white as he gasped for air, his face alternating red and pale. The Behemoth beastman remained unmoved, even tightening his grip so that blood began to trickle from Gus’s lips.

At last, a flicker of reaction appeared on the beastman’s face. He fixed Gus with an icy gaze and, baring his teeth, spoke in a dry, raspy voice, struggling with the words: “You... invaders... are there more?”

He could speak the human tongue!

This shocked Veil even further. No matter how intelligent the Behemoth beastmen were, it was unheard of for them to speak the language of humans!

“Boss... I say we should take this chance and try to run!...”

Buck, who had been supporting Veil, suddenly suggested. The former bandit had clearly suffered too many shocks today. Though he tried to stifle his fear, his pallor betrayed him. Worse still, whether from anxiety or terror, he unconsciously gripped Veil’s arm so tightly his nails dug deep into flesh, making Veil grimace in pain. If not for his depleted magic, Veil would have kicked the squinty-eyed man to the ground long ago.

He shook off Buck’s hand angrily. “Run? Where would we run to? Do you think, at our current speed, we could outrun that beastman?”

“But...”

Buck seemed about to say more, but Veil cut him off before he could speak.

“Shut up! Just watch quietly!”

Veil glared fiercely at Buck, then turned his attention back to the beastman.

...

“There aren’t any more!... I swear!... Cough, cough!... Please! Let me go!...”

Gus coughed violently, his voice hoarse as he pleaded. The beastman listened and nodded, then tossed Gus to the ground. Struggling with the unfamiliar human language, he said, “No... you... come... with me... to the tribe!”

“Cough, cough... cough, cough...”

Gus, thrown to the ground, gasped and twisted, trying desperately to crawl up. Suddenly, he rolled over, grabbed the unconscious Provise beside him, and hurled him at the beastman. Seizing the opportunity, Gus leaped up, unleashing his soul power in a burst, and instantly conjured a sharp blade of energy, thrusting it at the beastman’s heart.

“Hiss!”

The beastman’s eyes flashed with a terrifying red light, a murderous intent that swept through the fog like a chilling storm. His massive black sword lifted abruptly and fell with lightning speed and silence. A piercing sound rent the air, and a column of blood erupted, staining the mist around them crimson...