"Hey, before you kidnapped these kids, did you confirm if their parents had a way to contact that Half-Elf?" the Beast King asked the Rhino-Kin Saint, who was assigned to guard Aina and Colette.
"We were just ordered to capture these kids," the Rhino-Kin replied. "We didn't ask our King if their parents have a way of contacting the target."
The Beast King frowned after hearing this. But, before he could say anything else, the Oracle of the Divine Army raised her hand.
"That Half-Elf will come," the Oracle of the Divine Army, Maeve, stated. "Although I can't use my Divination to find his location, I am very certain that he will come."
"And how do you know that?" the Beast King inquired.
"I have my ways," Maeve replied. "All you need to know is that he will come. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but he will definitely come before this week is over."
The Beast King crossed his arms over his chest as he gazed outside of the window.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Very sure. You can count on it."
Three days had already passed since Aina and Colette had been taken away from the Xeno Kingdom.
During this time, they weren't treated too badly, and the Beast King made sure to make their stay as comfortable as possible.
Aina, who understood that they didn't plan on harming her or Colette, didn't lower her guard, and simply assured her sister that everything was going to be fine.
She also made sure to subtly tell Colette not to answer any questions pertaining to Lux, and make it seem as if their relationship with him wasn't that deep.
Fortunately, the Beast King and the Oracle didn't seem interested in interrogating them, and simply waited for the Half-Elf's arrival.
Deep in her heart, Aina didn't want Lux to appear because he would be diving head-first into a trap.
But, she still didn't know what she could do to stop this from happening.
Even if she managed to escape with her sister, and return to the Xeno Kingdom safely, she was sure that the consequences of doing that would be dire.
'What do I do?' Aina thought. 'What can I do?'
Her expressionless face remained the same, which prevented others from knowing what she was thinking.
Even so, she couldn't stop feeling anxious inside her heart because her lover would be risking his life to save them.
Knowing that she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, Aina did the only thing that she could do.
And that was to believe in Lux.
She knew that her lover would not take their lives lightly, and would do his best to ensure that they would be rescued without fail.
Aina was certain that even at this very moment, the Half-Elf was doing his best to find a way to overcome their current dilemma.
'Lux,' Aina thought. 'Be careful.'
Another day passed, making this the fourth day since Aina and Colette had been captured.
The Beast King had already prepared a grand welcome for Hereswith's Grand Disciple.
He had even made preparations just in case the beautiful Elf came to assist him.
Their ultimate goal was to capture Lux and not kill him.
Although this was a lot harder than ending the Half-Elf's life, the Oracle and the Beast King understood that his death would be the worst outcome of this battle.
An all out war between the Allied Forces of the Elven Kingdom, the Dragon Kingdom, and the other Kingdoms supporting them, would definitely wipe the Beast Empire from the face of the world.
After a few days of careful thinking, the Beast King was even regretting the fact that he had agreed to continue this operation.
In hindsight, he had more to lose than the Divine Army by using his Empire as the stage for the battle.
'Maybe, it was the wrong decision after all,' while the Beast King was debating inside his head if he had acted recklessly by continuing to antagonize the Half-Elf, he felt a disturbance coming from the West.
The Oracle immediately appeared beside him and squinted her eyes.
"He's coming," Maeve said with certainty.
Along the horizon, a black line had appeared.
Dark clouds were gathering, and were slowly making their way towards the Beast Empire.
Those with strong senses immediately felt that something was happening, and turned to look at the western skies with grim expressions on their faces.
Time passed as the ominous feeling in their hearts increased.
The Beast King who was watching from far away wanted to get this battle over with, but for some reason, the dark clouds that were slowly heading towards his empire were moving at a very slow rate.
It was as if whoever had summoned the clouds were purposely delaying its advance, making the anxiousness of those who knew that something bad was going to happen, increase with each passing minute.
An hour passed…
Two hours passed…
Finally, after three hours, the Dark Clouds covered the entirety of the Beast Empire.
The rumbling sounds of thunder boomed in the Heavens, as lightning snaked across the sky like Dragons who were waiting for the right chance to pounce.
"Reveal yourself!" the Beast King commanded. "I know that you are here, Lux Von Kaizer!"
Aina and Colette walked towards the balcony of their room, and gazed at the dark clouds in the sky.
The Rhino-Kin, who was guarding the two Dwarves, didn't stop them and simply stood a few meters away.
Now that the person they wanted to capture had appeared, there was no longer a reason for him to detain the two girls inside the room.
However, since he made a promise that he would take them back safely, he decided to keep them safe until the battle ended.
"Come out!" the Beast King shouted. "Are you going to fight or not?"
Suddenly, the clouds blocking the sun parted a little, allowing a ray of light to descend upon the land.
The light shone down on a red-headed teenager, who was hovering in the air.
It was none other than the Half-Elf they were waiting for.
But, there was something very different about him. Instead of Draconic wings flapping behind his back, they saw two sets of angelic wings (four wings).
One was white, and the other was black. Although he looked quite different from how he appeared in the Divine Empire, it didn't change the fact that he was alone.
Aina and Colette looked at the Half-Elf in the distance, and sensed him looking back at them as well.
'Don't worry, Aina, Colette. Everything is fine now.'
These were the words that the two Dwarves heard inside their heads, which made the anxiety in their hearts vanish without a trace.
The Beast King and the Oracle extended their senses to check if the beautiful Elf was with him. However, they were unable to detect the presence of a Demigod.
This made them relax a bit. Without Hereswith, their chances of capturing Lux alive increased exponentially.
Just as the Oracle was about to say something to the hateful Heretic, the singing of an angelic voice spread throughout the entirety of the Beast Empire.
Making those who heard it feel their hearts skip a beat.
"Like an angel with cruel and merciless intent.
Go forth, young man, and become a legend."
