There was a graceful peacock flying through the hall, its powerful wings with each beat summoning wind and snow that only enhanced its beauty.
The creature was the apex of the cultivators' research.
Naturally powerful and beautiful.
However…
My aura neutralized its powers and then the peacock couldn't even stay in the air.
I bit its neck, the soft flesh sinking in easily as the bones cracked deeply, the sound echoing throughout the silent hall.
The princes and princesses of Axel watched me from afar, frightened, unable to do anything and still being punished for trying.
The crowd whispered among themselves with increasingly perverse smiles.
"The king's children cannot contain him, let alone teach him… this is our chance to acquire a new guardian beast."
Words like these came from dozens of different families and explained a lot to me.
Obviously, many of these cultivators could stop me and even protect the exotic pets.
But it simply wasn't interesting to them.
It was better for the royalty to be embarrassed and the tutor to be reconsidered.
With a sigh and feeling my anger finally fading, I dragged the peacock's body out of the hall.
The peacock's body left a trail of blood wherever it passed, which was normal for me as a hunting beast, but evoked disgust in the king's spoiled children.
I made my way to the gardens and then lay down to enjoy the meat while looking at the stars in the sky.
There was some delight in that.
A strange, yet incredible pleasure.
'I think I know why…' I laughed amused. 'I did exactly what the legacy spirit wanted.'
I could feel my body growing stronger again, but more than that, somehow my mind felt clearer.
My consciousness seemed to have become stronger as a result.
'Maybe I should torture the brats more often.'
I laughed at the thought and then…
I kept eating with an amused smile, with the breeze and leaves around me, under a silver sky.
I didn't know what I was.
But I knew what I was made to do.
And that was it.
Footsteps slowly echoed behind me.
I didn't look back.
Agnes swallowed hard as she prepared to speak.
But before she did, I said it.
[ You don't know what I am nor what I'm capable of. ]
My eyes fell heavily on her.
[ But I know what you are. You're just a spoiled little princess who doesn't even know what she's doing or what she's dealing with. ]
Her lips trembled for a few moments as her eyes welled up.
"I know… I'm sorry, I'll talk to my father and abdicate my position… although he'll probably say no."
[ Of course, he wants his children to be strong but it doesn't take long to see that you're all the worst kind of disappointment. I think in the end, I understood why he didn't care about your deaths. ]
Agnes kept holding back tears as much as she could, but she was at her limit.
She knew that crying here would only prove me right, prove that even words could hurt her.
Less than aura, just words were enough to wound her.
She clenched her hands as her whole body trembled and her eyes didn't blink.
Soon she raised her hand and began removing the ring.
"I guess I don't need this anymore."
[ No, you don't. ]
She finally threw the ring onto the ground, from that moment on we could no longer communicate.
The king was away and this act was probably meaningless.
Even so…
Agnes did it, turned and left with slow, straight steps.
Again, her straight and confident posture only betraying the purpose and showing her real turbulent emotions.
I sighed deeply, now it would be difficult to acquire food. But again, my consciousness grew.
Without thinking too much about it, I went back to eating as more footsteps echoed.
For a moment, I thought Agnes had something more to say.
However, my sharpened senses told me those footsteps did not belong to her.
They were fast and soft, but more than anything, silent. So silent that it was a challenge for me to perceive them.
My eyes were drawn once more to Agnes's ring, thrown on the ground.
Suddenly, a hand came out of the darkness and grabbed it before putting it on.
I laughed amused.
Agnes never knew that I understood human language, she always relied on the ring for direct mental transmission.
Thus, it was easy to notice that, no matter the language used by whoever wore it, anyone could communicate through it.
I looked from head to toe: a blonde woman with ornamented hair, of noble origin with radiant green eyes and a dress of the same color.
Everything about her screamed nobility and glamour, except for one detail that many would miss.
The steps, the posture, the gestures.
All of them betrayed the elegance that should have been innate.
[ Kai, right? ]
The mental transmission was made while she vocalized a language that sounded more like a series of primitive grunts.
[ That's what they call me. ]
Her smile suddenly widened.
[ I've been watching you from afar all night and had a question to ask. ]
Suddenly, I stood up already imagining what it was about.
Words weren't necessary.
[ I really wanted to know how strong you are? ]
Before she could finish speaking, she had already lunged at me.
Quickly, her leg swung like a whip against me and without much thought I counterattacked with my claws.
BANG
The sudden impact made us both recoil as I looked in admiration and surprise.
Her leg should have been ripped off by that attack, but surprisingly, it was intact, firm and strong.
Before I realized it, new attacks fell upon me.
That noble woman fought like a beast, delivering quick and powerful punches and kicks.
Her open palm advanced like a blade and left me with a large cut on my body that diverted my focus for an instant.
But worse than that, her aura advanced like an arrow, taking advantage of my opening and quickly striking unobstructed.
Weakness washed over my body.
Her movements seemed to explode with speed.
I clenched my teeth; it had been a long time since I needed to give my all just to keep up with a fight.
My body imbued itself with aura for protection. However, it was easier to break than to defend.
Her aura kept piercing me, while I couldn't even follow where her arrows were coming from.
More and more blows fell upon me, each of her hits meaning a new aura attack putting me in a position of certain defeat.
It was bad to recognize this.
But she was stronger than I was.
However, the more she struck me, the clearer my head became.
I felt an idea forming in my mind, an idea that seemed to connect to the heavens.
A true enlightenment.
Suddenly, I called upon my legacy consciousness, not to replace me.
But to merge with me.
[ Your feats have been recognized; you have gained the skill [Consciousness Technique(Lv.1)] ]
The world seemed to slow down, her unpredictable movements quickly becoming easy to see and predict.
Now, this is going to be fun.
Quickly, I began to counterattack.
Different from before, I didn't generate aura shields or arrows.
I imbued aura directly into my claws.
Panic spread through her eyes as my claws were about to collide with her attacks.
However, she couldn't do anything in that instant.
Weakness overtook her as my blows became even more ferocious.
Gritting her teeth, she summoned hundreds of aura arrows above us.
This time, I wouldn't be struck!
My claws cut through the arrows, closing the distance step by step until I reached her.
[ Damn… I lost. ]
She said with a defeated expression as my claws fell upon her chest.
Even so, I didn't stop the attack.
Her body shot toward the garden fountain, destroying it and bouncing for several meters before being stopped by a bush.
With a sigh.
I slowly approached my intruder friend.
[ So, what do you think? ]
I asked proudly of myself, humans were right about this: I was incredible.
[ Well, more or less, I could've won. My techniques are all superior. I just didn't expect you to use a consciousness skill you got as a pet. ]
'That wasn't the answer I wanted.'
[ I've seen stronger… you're a three out of ten at best, and that's me being generous. ]
Suddenly my body trembled.
[ Back home, there's a Wild boy with no mutation at all capable of fighting Ferocious beasts, and he doesn't even have consciousness yet. He doesn't even know he exists! ]
She then stood up, bringing her hand to her face and pulling the skin which came off easily.
Suddenly, her clothes seemed made of light along with the skin and ornaments that quickly dissolved.
In front of me, she was no longer a person.
Two brown eyes stared at me amid dark hair and what looked like a raccoon-mask pattern.
A beast with a humanoid figure.
Earthly Demon!
My eyes fixed on her in total shock as I analyzed that magical figure.
She smiled playfully while teasing her eyebrows.
[ What's wrong, never seen a woman and already crazy to mate here and now? ]
I coughed dryly before refocusing. She laughed through the entire process.
[ May I ask what you came here to do? What interest do the demonic species have in the castle? ]
'Considering the day, she must be after information about me and my brothers.'
[ The interest of the demonic species? Pfft hahaha, as if there were any interest in this end of the world. ]
I frowned, hearing another unexpected answer.
[ I was nearby, heard that the idiot king here is missing and that he had a castle full of good stuff. So… I went in and took the good stuff. ]
She suddenly showed me a leather bag from which she pulled a series of jewels, talismans, books…
She stole all the most valuable items from the castle during the party…
[ But I must say, I didn't expect to see someone like you here. ]
She once again looked me up and down with a smile; for some reason it gave me chills.
[ For a pet, you're kind of special, though a bit mediocre and weak, and small and… Well, I mean, a true demon is much more than what I'm seeing. ]
[ I know I'm special, no need to tell me. My aura is at its peak and— ]
She laughed again, interrupting me.
[ I know, I know, you did the bare minimum. That really is surprising for a pet, almost like you want to be people. ]
[...]
Why the hell did I even want to meet the demonic species?
Not even she recognizes me as a person.