Chapter 175: Heretics Settlement [2] Within mere minutes of breaching their defenses, he wouldn’t only be extracting personal revenge for the constant harassment and attempted murders, he’d also be making progression toward his daunting S-rank beast elimination task by killing their guardian creature. Thinking about the s-rank beast, a sudden thought emerged in Moon’s mind. Without turning to look directly at Selene beside him, he whispered, "Does your evolution task explicitly require you to defeat an S-rank beast in solo combat? Or just participate in killing one?" Selene shook her head. "No, it doesn’t specify solo requirement. Just that I need to successfully kill one S-rank creature." Moon made his decision immediately. "Do you want to claim the killing blow on their guardian beast? I can provide full support in the battle and weaken it too, but let you land the final strike for task credit, just in case." Selene’s eyes widened with shock and surprise. This was a completely unexpected offer that she hadn’t remotely anticipated. She understood perfectly well that Moon also needed S-rank kills for his own evolution requirements, offering to sacrifice one of those precious opportunities for her benefit represented enormous generosity that even brothers wouldn’t provide for each other. "A-Are you absolutely sure?!" Selene whispered back urgently, her voice cracking softly from disbelief. "You need these kills just as much as I do. Maybe even more, given your task requires more than one." Moon’s expression remained calm and resolute. "I’m completely certain." Moon’s reasons for providing the kill to Selene were many. She had been a great teammate, never leaving his side when he needed her, and she had also made his mind clear some things that he found hard to do. Another important reason was because he wanted to keep his relationship with her strong. The more time he spent with Selene, the more confident he was about her mysterious background, and once they left this hidden realm, she would be able to help him with many things. Including finding S-rank beasts, by helping her, he would also be helping himself later on. Selene stared at Moon’s handsome side profile with an expression mixing gratitude, surprise, and something deeper she couldn’t quite name. "Thank you. This... this means more than you probably think." Moon simply nodded once, then refocused on the mission ahead. "Then it’s settled. We work together to bring down their guardian beast, you claim the final blow for your task. Now let’s move, we have Heretics to deal with." They continued their cautious advancement toward the Heretic settlement. Once they crossed the five hundred meter mark—the halfway point—they were finally able to clearly observe guards stationed around the entire fortified area. The Heretics had constructed relatively short watchtowers, with two armed guards positioned visibly on each elevated platform. The settlement was surrounded by four such watchtowers positioned at each corner of the roughly rectangular perimeter, with primitive wooden walls connecting them to create a complete defensive barrier. Moon and Selene observed patiently for several minutes, slowly circling around the settlement’s exterior while searching for the optimal position to eventually launch their attack from. When you were significantly outnumbered by enemy forces, properly optimizing the battleground became critically important for achieving victory rather than suicide. As they carefully studied the settlement’s defenses and began formulating their plans, a group of Heretic warriors suddenly arrived at the main gate from the direction of the island’s interior. With them came five bound prisoners in absolutely terrible physical condition, being dragged roughly along the ground. Leaving behind trails of blood behind them. Moon’s eyes widened in pure disbelief once he recognized the captives before him. "Moon... that’s... that’s Yara," Selene’s voice sounded beside him, filled with complete disbelief and horror. Right before their eyes, Yara, Gratis, and the other three Savi warriors they’d separated from just hours earlier were being brutally dragged as prisoners. One of the warriors had his entire arm completely severed at the shoulder, the wound still seeping blood. The others were heavily injured with broken bones clearly visible, including Yara herself who was being dragged mercilessly across the rough ground by her long hair gripped in a Heretic’s fist. ’What the hell happened to them? Did the Heretics ambush them on their way back to the village? Or did something happen at the Savi settlement itself that forced them to get captured?’ Moon immediately changed position to gain better visuals. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎 "We need to move now. It seems like we’re going to be fighting much sooner than planned," Moon whispered as he used the various trees as natural cover, advancing closer to the settlement’s walls. Selene followed without question, her expression hardening with determination. Once they’d climbed a particularly large tree that provided elevated sight lines directly into the settlement’s interior, Moon’s eyes widened further with pure disbelief. Inside the settlement’s central area stood Yara and the other captured Savi warriors, bound to wooden posts in what was clearly preparation for execution or torture. But that horrifying scene wasn’t what shocked Moon most profoundly. It was the massive, majestic creature lying on the floor, bleeding in the settlement’s center. A beautiful white swan of enormous size—easily five meters tall with a wingspan that must have exceeded fifteen meters when fully extended—lay collapsed on the blood-soaked ground. Its white feathers were matted with crimson blood, and distinctive red plumage that should have been vibrant now appeared damaged. ’That’s the White Swan, The Savi Clan’s guardian beast.’ Moon realized, feeling angry slowly rising in his chest. Heretic warriors danced and celebrated around the dying creature, swinging their weapons in victorious chants and occasionally stabbing at the beast corpse to provoke agonized reactions for their entertainment. The guardian that had protected Yara’s people for generations was dead, and its corpse was being toyed with. Moon’s hands gripped the tree branch he was perched on hard enough that the wood cracked audibly under the pressure. Selene’s face had gone pale with horror. "They... they killed the Savi guardian. That means the village..." She didn’t need to finish her words. If the White Swan had fallen and Yara was captured, the Savi village itself had likely been destroyed or subjugated completely. Likely way before Yara and others returned.