Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 262: Stalked By a Starving Beast



[Golden Cosmos: 19

Infinite Twilight: 12

Azure Blades: 1

Blazing Horizons: 0]

Leonidas stood with his arms crossed, his gaze locked on the colossal screen displaying the score. His expression was calm, analytical, and for a moment, almost satisfied. Despite the widening gap, the numbers still showed a glimmer of hope for Infinite Twilight.

"It's still doable," he murmured, his voice low and steady. "We can win if we play it intelligently. Not everyone is the Pharaoh, after all. The others have a chance."

He closed his eyes briefly, as if mentally strategizing, his confidence unwavering. And then, his eyes snapped open, blazing with fury.

"So why... why..." he began, his voice rising. His composure shattered as he shouted at the screen, his voice echoing through the viewing room. "Why is the fool who can beat them in one second wasting time chasing the only one we're not sure we can defeat?!"

On the massive screen, the final's live feed showed Rex relentlessly pursuing Eratz through the dense forest. Their movements were a blur, their speed phenomenal, leaves and branches scattering in their wake.

Rex's frustration was palpable, his voice carrying even over the hum of the drones filming the chase.

"Get back here, you little shit!" Rex roared in rage.

Eratz glanced back briefly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Hmph," he muttered to himself. "He could bite." His eyes scanned the surroundings, taking

in the terrain as he zigzagged through an increasingly dense part of the forest.

The underbrush thickened, creating a maze-like environment that Eratz used to his advantage.

"Still need to stall him a bit more," Eratz thought, his mind racing. "Things are almost done."

As they passed through the dense thicket, another group lay hidden among the bushes. Erynn, Lira, Dorian, and Maris crouched low, their breaths shallow as they watched the two fighters flash by in a whirlwind of speed and chaos.

"What the fuck was that?" Lira whispered, her voice trembling.

Erynn held up a hand, signaling for silence.

"Nothing we should worry about," she replied, her tone firm but quiet.

A sudden explosion nearby shattered the relative calm. The group tensed, hearts pounding, as the ground shook beneath them. Without hesitation, they ducked lower, their instincts screaming for them to stay hidden.

At the site of the explosion, Zane lay sprawled in a smoking crater, his chest heaving as he struggled to push himself up. Across from him stood Silver, his expression smug, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

"It's good how easy this is," Silver said, his tone light.

He raised a hand, summoning a massive grass turtle beast. The creature's shell bristled with thorn-like vines, its eyes scanning the area.

"Stay here and see anyone attracted by the noise, I need to know who are the superpredators in this area," Silver commanded the beast before turning on his heel and sprinting away, vanishing into the forest.

Back at their hideout, Lira's face was pale, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the edge of the bush.

"Maybe we should move," she whispered, her voice shaky. "It's not safe here anymore." Erynn nodded thoughtfully, rising to a crouch.

"You're right," she said, her voice calm but deliberate. "We should find somewhere safer." She paused, a sly smile crossing her face as she pointed toward the direction of the explosion. "And I know just the place."

Maris blinked in confusion, his brow furrowing.

"Wait, what? The explosion?"

Erynn nodded, her confidence unwavering.

"Exactly. No one would expect us to hide there. It's the perfect spot."

Lira's mouth opened in protest, but no words came out. Instead, she exchanged nervous glances with Dorian and Maris, who both seemed equally torn between trusting Erynn's instincts and running in the opposite direction.

Finally, with hesitant nods, they followed her lead, heading toward the chaos. The forest seemed to close in around them as they moved, the distant echoes of explosions and roars serving as a constant reminder of the danger lurking at every turn.

The team approached the site of the explosion with a mix of caution and curiosity. The clearing was a scene of chaos, a large crater dominated the landscape, with Zane lying unconscious at its center. Standing guard over him was a grass turtle beast, its calm demeanor oddly unsettling.

For a moment, they all froze, taking in the surreal tableau. Normally, they would rush to their teammate's aid, but there was one glaring problem: the presumed culprit was not another fighter but a ridiculous-looking beast. The absurdity of the situation made them hesitate.

"Does losing to a wild beast even give anyone points?" Lira whispered, her voice tinged with incredulity.

Before anyone could respond, the grass rustled. They flinched and turned sharply, only to see Milo emerging from the greenery, his expression as hurried as ever.

He stopped, looked at the group, then at Zane, then at the turtle, and finally nodded to

himself.

"Understandable. Have a good day," he said casually, before turning to leave.

But before he could take another step, a firm hand landed on his head.

"Hold on, you little punk," Erynn growled, gripping him tightly. "Where do you think you're

going? Don't you want to tell big sis what happened here?"

Milo raised an unimpressed eyebrow, meeting her gaze.

"My sister told me to never talk to strangers," he replied. "So no."

With that, he twisted out of her grasp and darted away, running as fast as his small legs could

carry him.

Erynn frowned, her annoyance bubbling to the surface.

"Well, well... free points," she said, cracking her knuckles. "Guys, you know what to do."

But before they could act, a calm, mocking voice spoke from behind them.

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

They turned sharply and found themselves face to face with Silver, who was advancing on

them with a smirk.

His presence was like a dark cloud settling over the group, the confirmation they made a

terrible decision coming out of their bushes.

Everyone turned pale as he surveyed the scene.

"My... only small freaks everywhere. Thank my senses for bringing me to such a... fruitful

location," he said, his grin widening.

Dorian groaned under his breath.

"Infinite Twilight..."

Maris, however, frowned and murmured to his team.

"Wait," he said, nudging the others. "It's only Silver. He's not that dangerous, right? If we

fight him together, can't we win?"

They exchanged hesitant glances, their fear warring with the logic of his words. Silver tilted his head, inviting them with a smug smile.

"Go ahead," he said. "Try your luck. See how far it gets you. But seeing your faces, I know it won't take a minute to introduce you to the ground."

The tension reached a boiling point, both sides ready to pounce on each other, when Milo suddenly reappeared, skidding to a halt in the clearing.

"My... my father also told me to beat the honor out of any stranger who touches a child... and I am a child! And you touched me like no one ever touched me before!"

After Milo's dramatic declaration, a heavy silence fell over the clearing. Everyone seemed

frozen.

All eyes turned to Erynn, the center of Milo's glare. Silver broke the tension first. He slowly

turned to Erynn.

"Hey..." he muttered.

Erynn, equally bewildered, shook her head firmly.

"No. Never. Don't even start," she snapped, throwing up her hands as if to wash her hands of the situation. "And what are you looking at me for?! Kill him! I'm only here for his bounty!"

Silver's brows furrowed as he turned back to Milo, wondering what exactly was happening.

Milo's eyes saddened, and he gulped.

"You... you... you are after my booty?"

"FUCK!" Erynn's scream cut through the clearing like a battle cry as she lunged forward, attacking Silver and Milo simultaneously, igniting chaos.

In another part of the forest, Colin and Catarina kept moving cautiously, jumping from

branches to branches.

Colin's face was filled with worry as her eyes darted around the dense woods.

"I hope Eratz is okay," she murmured, her voice barely audible.

Catarina's ears perked up, and she shot Colin a reassuring smile.

"Nya, no one can beat Boss when he has a plan. He'll deal with Goldust like it's nothing." Her

tail swished confidently as she adjusted her pace to match Colin's.

Colin nodded but couldn't shake her unease. Her pace faltered slightly as she admitted.

"It's just... I just want to help as much as possible. I trained for a long time... I don't want to be

a burden." Catarina's expression softened.

"If you're here, you're definitely not a burden, nya. Besides, Boss wouldn't have brought you along if he didn't think you'd pull your weight."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Before Colin could respond, Catarina's ears twitched, and her eyes widened. "Watch out!" she

cried.

A massive ice bird swooped down from the canopy, its razor-sharp talons grazing them as they barely dodged. Colin hit the ground rolling, while Catarina spun midair with feline grace.

As she landed, she snapped her fingers, and the ice bird shattered into a sparkling rain of shards. Both girls stood on the ground, their breathing heavy as they scanned the area. "Ah... you dodged that," came a nonchalant voice. Iris emerged from the shadows, her

posture relaxed, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

Catarina immediately stepped in front of Colin, her claws extended as her tail flicked in

irritation.

"Stay behind me, Colin," Catarina hissed.

Before Colin could respond, another voice rang out behind them.

"It's because you switched your target at the last second."

Both girls whirled around to see Devak stepping out of the shadows, his hands gripping the

unconscious bodies of Aelric and Selene, one beneath each arm.

His smile was calm, almost playful, but his eyes held a dangerous gleam.

"Oh, there's no need to be so tense," Iris said with a sigh, her voice dripping with mock disappointment. "It was only to make the game funnier."

Catarina's claws tensed, her tail puffing slightly as she growled.

Colin swallowed hard, clutching her hands into fists, but her eyes betrayed her anxiety.

In the arena, the scoreboard updated on the big screen, glowing ominously:

[Golden Cosmos: 19

Infinite Twilight: 15

Azure Blades: 1

Blazing Horizons: 0]