Chapter 118 - Rapid Changes In the next week that followed certain events, movements could be seen across the Beast World that made many powerful figures apprehensive. There were a variety of Demon Legions that were spreading out from the former Draconic Kingdom and waging war to the remaining three Mythical Kingdoms. Multiple Demon Kings were leading their forces against these powerful kingdoms that held powerhouses of LEGENDARY rank, and some MYTHICAL ranks at their forefront. These powerhouses found the forces of demons shifting around with extreme urgency these few days, causing them to tighten their own defenses and wonder what they were planning now. The Demon Kings had their own headaches as they had to soon move pieces towards the Northern Lands while keeping their positions and defending from the attacks of beasts. Another factor that became a problem to consider was that who would be the one to head out to the location where one of them faced a True Death? None of the Demon Kings were cowards, but the reality that a being with the power to truly kill them existed gave them great feelings of apprehension. It was a feeling they were not used to before. Talks and arguments took place as specific Demon Kings were chosen to lead their Legions towards the Northern Lands in the coming weeks. They would begin marching out the moment more information was gathered and their forces were reassembled as they returned even more firepower on the fronts where they were waging war against the Mythical Kingdoms. Demon King Orias would be the one to head towards the Northern Lands first, her unique skill making her ideal for carrying out reconnaissance. Information would be key for them as they moved forward. Deep in the center of the taken over Draconic Kingdom, the Sin of L.u.s.t, the 32nd ranked Demon King Asmodeus was calmly sitting on a throne of a grandiose castle. The throne was open to a large hall where lines of [Minotaurs], [Ogres], and enslaved [Dragons] were present. Asmodeus had his eyes closed as he furiously used the Ultimate Skill that granted him glimpses of the future as he tried to predict the best possible ways to move from now on. On the face of his Ultimate Skill, who could possibly stand against him? Outside of the castle was a terrifying presence standing guard like a dutiful dog. The being standing guard was a humongous [Bone Dragon]. Many people wouldn’t recognize this figure if they tried, but those close could see glimpses of who the being used to be. Although he was now mostly bones, his power seemed to be just as domineering. This was the being that used to be the ruler of the Draconic Kingdom, now standing guard dutifully for the invaders that took his life and enslaved his people. The terror of demons had yet to truly reach the minds of the beings in the Beast World, as they now began to move seriously. --- A few days had passed since the terrible battle between two snowy mountains that took the lives of thousands. At some point during the battle, the Ill.u.s.trious King had disappeared from the clutches of the enemy in a silvery light and appeared behind the defense lines where his soldiers swarmed to protect him. He, along with many of the injured individuals fighting on the Frozen Kingdom’s side had all received healing from the Saint that appeared in the skies during the battle. Thousands of lives had been saved through his hands, and yet, nobody knew where he was. As the powerful beast continued to clash with the Demon King some distance from the battlefield, the Saint had disappeared from everyone’s eyes. This wasn’t the only one to disappear, as the EPIC beasts that reinforced the Battalion Commanders were also gone as soon as the battle was finished. The horrifying corpses that were moving in the battlefield to decimate the Demon Legion also rushed to the mountains soon after, leaving behind a field of blood and gore, but not a single corpse in sight. No matter if they were human, beast or demon, not a single corpse remained on the battlefield. This sort of power caused much apprehension and reverence on the forces of the Frozen Kingdom as many questions plagued their minds. What was the identity of the Saint that saved so many lives? Where did the Sword Beast that clashed against the Demon King come from? There were many questions with no answers as the process of healing was taking place in the Frozen Kingdom. The Ill.u.s.trious King was heavily injured in the battle, the result causing him to lose his right arm even after the constant healing lights fell from the Saint. What many people didn’t know was that the biggest loss he received from the battle...was the loss of his first son. The older prince was jailed in a secret location under the orders of the King as soon as the battle finished. The trusted Battalion Commanders did not raise any questions as they did what they were told. The powerful king has lost a limb, and also lost much more, as the shock of stupidity and betrayal from his own blood made him despondent. Was he such a bad father that his own son would plot to take down everything they had built? No! There had to be something else... The king was searching and grasping for straws as time passed, trying to understand the sequence of events as much as possible. This was the terror of Demon Kings, where even though they had won the battle, it still felt like they lost something much more. A shattered family where a son acted against his own father, who else can enact such a scene? As problems were solved, new ones arose. The damage the demons had caused on the counties and dukedoms before they reached Valen County and Shadow Dukedom were plentiful, destroying many of the farms, warehouses, and homes of common people. There was also the death of thousands of the Kingdom’s elite forces, which caused a reduction of much of the workforce to clear dungeons for their resources and reduced adventurers of high skill that were required to cultivate the freezing lands of the Frozen Kingdom. Many people found money and food becoming tight as more and more refugees from surrounding counties and dukedoms rushed into the kingdom. People wanted protection from the onslaught of demons, and they wanted food that was quickly becoming scarce as the Kingdom worked to provide during these times of war. If nothing changed, hundreds of thousands of people could die from the hunger and cold. Against all of these depressing events, it was the Queen Elect that had been moving rapidly across the kingdom that made many nobles turn their eyes. Even before the huge battle between the demons had taken place, Princess Adelaide had begun commissioning for new plots of farms to be prepared and seeds to be sown. Many were wondering why the Princess was doing this, as anything planted right now would take weeks if not months to cultivate and be ready for harvest. This was especially so for the lands in the frigid environment they were in. Many of the nobles were calling for the Kingdom to reach out for help towards the Mythical Beast Kingdoms they hadn’t had many relations with. They pointed out the powerful beast that had come to their rescue as the sentiment that during these times of war, the Beast Kingdoms were becoming more accepting of working together with humans to survive against the invaders of their world. Uncertainty was in the air as the people in the Kingdom were in a period of mourning these past few days, while also gaining hope from the powerful strength of the beings that saved them. The Ill.u.s.trious King and many of the people of the Frozen Kingdom wondered. Where were they now?