>BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!<

The earth rumbled, causing Gerard to awaken from his daze in a flash.

“Who’s the boss around here?” A loud and imposing voice called out.

It sounded feminine, but the Beast King had no idea of any of the females who would dare cause a ruckus this unpleasant.

From the penthouse where he was peacefully lying, he groaned while getting to his feet.

‘Shit… who the hell…’

Grumbling lazily, he stood.

“You on the roof! Yeah, I can sense you. You’re the strongest here, right?”

It was impressive that she had been able to sense his level of power even though he was yet to make his appearance.

That was what went on in Gerard’s mind as he quickened his pace to reach the edge of his penthouse so he could get a good look at the intruder.

‘A female… being this imposing? Hmmm…’ The Beast King finally arrived at the edge of his residence’s roof, only to see a being he never expected.

‘Human? A human woman?’

The lady that filled his vision had crimson hair, and her eyes were glowing violently. It was enough to faze Gerard for a moment.

Her teeth were displayed as she grinned widely.

“You’re the Beast King, right? I challenge you!” She suddenly spoke, pointing at him with utter disrespect.

It had been a while since Gerard received such treatment, so he was a little slow to catch on.

No warrior had challenged him in years, and none of those who came before were females—talkless humans.

The human woman who stood beneath him was quite brave. He gave her full marks for that.

‘But, she’s too naive. How can she expect me to—’ Gerard thought to himself, tired of the many weaklings he had been dealing with ever since he attained recognition.

Rather unfortunately for him—or rather, everything around him—the Beast King was unable to complete his thoughts.

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<

The compound settling upon instantly cracked apart, shattering the summit where the woman stood.

The house, where Gerard was so proudly watching from, turned into blocks of debris. The other buildings suffered the same fate, collapsing instantly.

The broken buildings and devastated hill caused an imbalance around them, but that was simply settled by the human woman’s next move.

>VWUUUUUUUUSSSSHHHHHH!!!<

Everything ended up being consumed by her crimson energy, turning into dust.

The luxurious compound and homes that were specifically built with the best materials—serving as the supreme residence of an absolute being—were so easily devastated beyond recognition.

“According to that kid, if you don’t accept my challenge, I’m meant to resort to this…” The red-haired woman was now looking at Gerard with determination.

With no platform to stand on, she was suspended in the air—the same as Gerard.

“You…” The Beast King growled, flapping the enormous wings behind him.

His deep frown slowly transformed into a wide grin—matching the woman who was before him.

The bored and apathetic look in his eyes was no longer anywhere to be found. Instead, his energy swelled with power, and his muscles bulged as a result.

“… You crazy bitch!”

Now having the eyes of a predator ready to devour his prey, Gerard focused his gaze on the stranger.

‘I’ll beat the ** out of you!’

***************************

‘Perfect!’

I was watching the battle from a safe distance, along with everyone else on my team.

After Serah destroyed The Beast King’s compound—and supposedly with everyone inside—I was certain that he would be more motivated to fight.

‘I transported every person in the houses, though, so they’re safe…’

The Beast King didn’t know this, though, so he wouldn’t be holding back at all.

I had finally set the perfect stage to watch Serah engaging in unbridled combat.

‘I’m sure you prefer it this way too, Serah. You get to show your full capabilities—no rules!’ My grin broadened as I looked beneath me.

At this point, all the denizens had halted their activities and now looked above them.

Their focus was on the two figures that floated in the sky.

One was none other than their Beast King, then the other was an unknown human woman.

The people all watched, as though ready for entertainment.

No one felt any sense of unease—of course, except for my team members.

“I-is this really alright? We just entered the territory of our potential allies and you pull this off?”

Freya was the one speaking.

She couldn’t comprehend why I would choose the path of violence. But, there was no need for her to.

“You’ll understand eventually. Just watch.” I spotted Maria staring at me from the corner of my eyes.

“Observe this fight too, Maria. Serah Crimson was your superior in the Imperial Forces, right?”

“Y-yeah. What about it?” Her tone was slightly flustered.

“Well, have you ever seen her go all-out?”

“No. No one throughout the Kingdom is a match for her in combat, or so I’ve heard.”

I nodded, then turned in the direction of the floating beings, observing as they readied themselves for combat.

“Well, you might get to see her do that now.”

“Is the Beast King that strong?”

I wanted to burst out laughing, but controlled myself. Maria’s question was stemming from ignorance, after all.

“Beast King is the title given to the strongest Beastfolk around. Heredity or Lineage had nothing to do with it. Absolute strength is all that matters. An Average Beastfolk can best a Mage or Intermediate Martial Artist in combat, so just imagine what their most powerful elect would be like.”

Though that was probably the only thing going for them—power.

Their animalistic traits, as well as their superior bloodline, gave them the perfect bodies suited for violence.

Even the Demons feared them to an extent. The Dwarves who preferred solitude above anything else had to form ties with the Beastfolk because they recognized the power of their neighbor.

Judging by how the War was going to turn out, this would be the last place the Demons would siege.

The reason was common sense.

Still…

“That’s why this fight is the best.” I smiled.

A match where absolute power would collide; even I was slightly throbbing in excitement.

‘Now then, show me, Beast King! Show me just how powerful you are!’