Before Darius could even open his mouth, Gorath exploded in fury, his voice booming like a volcanic eruption:
"Another one of these insects! When will they give up?"
His entire frame ignited, skin turning into living magma as flames cascaded off him. In the blink of an eye, his colossal body shot forward, blazing like a falling star as he hurled himself in the direction of the distant explosion.
The air trembled in his wake.
Darius remained where he was, his expression tightening into a frown. Gorath's words grated on him more than he cared to admit. It wasn't so much the insult itself—it was the underlying truth of it. Even he was growing weary of this endless cycle.
And it had all begun one month ago.
The reigning Eldros Kingdom—his father's dominion—had declared a bounty that shook the continent. A reward of over a million mana stones for the confirmed locations of Stage Three beings. The more, the better.
The bait had been irresistible.
