Kyle cleared his throat with a twitching brow as Jian shot him a side-eye.
"Guys, let's get moving. The symbols I left will disappear in just a minute or two."
He started floating, and everyone followed him. They ventured deeper into the dark forest, heading south. Bia let out a yawn and started flying beside Kyle in her smaller form.
Due to their numbers, the sky was filled with numerous figures, which captured the attention of the slumbering monsters deep within the forest.
Kyle let out a sigh when he spotted a few monsters eyeing them from below. In a swift motion, he raised his hand and drew symbols to conceal everyone's presence as much as possible.
After about half an hour, they halted a few meters away from an open area surrounded by tall trees.
All eyes were drawn to the open area, which was teeming with an overwhelming number of low-rank and high-rank monsters. Amidst them, a colossal two-horned Lynx was sitting on a makeshift throne of rocks, its towering height casting a shadow over the entire area.
The creature's eyes gleamed with arrogance as it stared at a few monsters, causing them to hurriedly scatter in different directions. Its body was adorned with iridescent scales that shimmered in the light.
Alec let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and approached Kyle with a serious expression.
"So, what's the plan? I mean, we have a good number of people, but most of the monsters around the monster lord are at least (S)-Rank, and I even sensed a lot of (SS)-Rank ones..."
Kelvin glanced at Jian, who had been the most excited about all this, but now seemed to be the quietest among them all.
He bumped into Jian with a dry smile.
"What, scared now?"
Jian arched his eyebrow with a grin. He would be lying if he said he wasn't taken aback, but he had experienced countless encounters with monsters in the realm. Or, more specifically, he had been chased around so much that it had become second nature to him.
"Nope, I am ready to fight!"
He raised his hand in the air and wanted to shout, but Sia clamped his mouth shut. The fox demi-human glared at him with furious eyes.
"If you so badly have a death wish, I'm always ready to toss you out in front of the monsters! Shut up!"
Jian blinked and nodded shyly. If it were someone else, he would have never agreed, but well, she was beautiful, so it's all good.
As everyone whispered about how to handle the monster lords as quietly as possible, Kyle blinked and looked at Bia, who sat silently on his shoulder. A shiver ran down the phoenix's back because she was all too familiar with those two innocent eyes.
-'Stop! Don't look at me like that! I'm getting goosebumps!'
Kyle raised his brow as he grabbed her before she could fly away. Bia shook her head, but Kyle didn't even glance at her. He focused his gaze on Alec with a serious expression.
"First, Bia will go and talk to the monster lord. She's a legendary beast too, and since the monster lord has already reached the highest rank, I believe it has enough understanding to communicate. If that doesn't work, I'll go and lure the other monsters, and the rest of you will have to take down the monster lord."
-'Noooo! I don't agree!'
Kyle paused and then let out a sigh.
'You can fly, and I don't think the monster lord would be idiot enough to immediately attack a fellow legendary beast. Plus, your presence is superior to his. Just try to talk to him and lead him away from the other monsters, or if that doesn't work, run away. I'll take care of the monsters that try to follow you.'
Bia stopped and instantly started checking her chances of getting away with an intact body. She saw Kyle's expression and knew she didn't have any other choice. After grumbling for a few seconds, she agreed with an angry look that screamed she wouldn't talk to Kyle after all this.
In front of the duo, Alec thought for a minute and furrowed his brow.
"We can handle the monster lord, but would you be okay with so many monsters chasing you?"
Kyle's lips trickled upward into a smile.
"Now, if I want, I can teleport almost outside the dark forest. Do you really think they have the ability to capture me?"
Alec blinked and then let out a chuckle.
"Well, even I am not confident enough in that area."
Kyle nodded at the others and gestured for them to be ready. The moment the monster lord is alone, they have to distract it in a different direction and take it out of the picture.
In the next second, Bia increased her size with a grumble and soared above the open area. Kyle blinked and vanished behind her.
A bunch of flying monsters spotted Bia's presence and immediately flew up to circle her.
Bia cursed in her mind, but she could feel that Kyle was only a short distance away. His presence was probably hidden due to the artifact.
Her wings fluttered gracefully in the air, catching the attention of the huge monster lord sitting on a makeshift throne of rocks. It raised its head and narrowed its glowing eyes.
The flying monsters around Bia made faint noises, trying to figure out who she was.
'Who are you?'
A deep, unpleasant male voice sounded in Bia's head. She looked down at the tall monster lord who had stepped down from his throne. She cleared her throat and silently wished that after spending so much time with Kyle, her acting would be as good as his.
-'I'm Bia, the majestic lord of this area. Who the hell are you, disturbing my peaceful slumber?'
The monster lord blinked, and his long tail perked up with interest. But then, his eyes turned arrogant, shining with a sense of superiority.
'Majestic you say? I'm getting a weird feeling from you... but how come I have never seen you before? Nevertheless, you need to bow down in front of me like everyone else. After all...'
In a flash, he leaped into the air, and the surrounding monsters backed off slightly to make enough space.
'I am stronger and more powerful.'
Bia's eyes dilated as a huge figure overshadowed her body. She immediately flew back to maintain a proper distance.
-'Oh? I believe we should have a one vs. one to decide who should sit on the throne.'
The monster lord let out a hearty laugh and fixed a piercing gaze on her, raising an eyebrow.
'Why should I? I'm already the supreme ruler. I don't need to prove my strength, but I have a feeling you'll soon submit to me.'
The air trembled and all the flying monsters around them zoomed in toward Bia with lightning-fast speed.
The phoenix let out a startled shriek and immediately flapped her wings, sending a sea of fire in all directions before retreating in a different direction.
-'Kyle! It didn't work, the monster lord's too intelligent!'
Kyle, who had been watching them from behind a tree branch, let out a groan.
He rubbed his temples and watched the monster lord, who didn't even flinch from his spot. What infuriated Kyle even more was that the monster lord seemed to be relishing the moment as he glanced at the phoenix.
'Not only is he intelligent, but he's also arrogant. Just leave and take the flying monsters with you. No need to come back.'
The phoenix's eyes widened.
-'You promised to take care of those who followed me! How can you break your word?'
Kyle clicked his tongue and vanished, only to reappear behind Bia. His eyes glimmered with a faint glow, and in a flash, the air crackled with sparks. Countless bolts of lightning descended from the clear sky.
The monsters chasing Bia cried out, but the bolts were too swift for them to dodge. They struck them with lightning-fast speed.
Instantly, numerous bodies dropped to the ground, and Kyle raised his hand, engulfing the area around him with blue flames. The flames dispersed in all directions, and a chilling aura spread out. However, when they dissipated, both the phoenix and the human were nowhere to be found.
In the distance, the monster lord lifted its head, bewildered.
'What the hell just happened??'
An arrogant scoff echoed in his ears, and he snapped his head up. Bia peered down at his body with a glint in her eyes, her booming voice echoing in all directions.
-"Submit? Who do you think you are? If you've got the guts, come and try to catch me first."
A vein bulged on the monster lord's head as he let out an enraged cry.
"How dare you! As a powerful being, you're siding with a human?"
Kyle blinked and glanced at Bia, who was floating mid-air beside him. The corners of his eyes trickled upward with mirth, and an even louder voice echoed in the air.
"So what? Do you have a problem with that? Or are you jealous?"
The monster lord laughed, and a tremor shook the entire area around him.
"Very well! Everyone, hear my command! Go and tear that human and phoenix into hundreds of pieces for me!"
Kyle raised his brow with suspicious eyes. It was odd. After he and Bia had angered him, the monster lord should have pursued them relentlessly. Yet for some reason, he didn't dare to leave the space above his throne. Kyle let out an evil smirk.
'There's something under his throne.'
Instantly, the air around him trembled. Countless monsters under the monster lord's command leaped into the air, while those unable to fly roared and jumped into the trees, aiming to capture the phoenix and the human. Kyle cursed as he saw a barrage of skills being thrown at him. He glanced at Bia, and the duo immediately sped up in the opposite direction.
Fighting against so many opponents was out of the picture. Kyle knew that even if he managed to kill a lot of them, he would probably exhaust his mana before it was over.
He wanted to use instant teleportation, but, well, he was a bait for now, and Bia would curse him a lot, so he didn't dare to use it.
