After taking the corpse, Louskas vanished into the thick purple mist, leaving behind faint traces of his spiritual energy.
He reappeared a short distance away from the green-skinned beasts, near the twisted roots of an ancient tree covered in glowing violet fungi. The beasts stood frozen around their fallen kin, their fangs gleaming, and their six eyes trembling with fury. As soon as they spotted Louskas, a monstrous roar echoed through the forest. They charged toward him like an unstoppable wave—but he vanished again, leaving behind the black bird's corpse as bait.
Suddenly, Louskas appeared atop a massive tree branch above them, his figure half-hidden by the mist and the crimson glow of the sky. He gazed down without a hint of emotion, his face unreadable.
And then came chaos.
The moment the birds saw one of their own lying among the beasts, they screeched in rage and dove from the skies like a black storm. A brutal clash exploded between the two tribes. It was violent, bloody, and so loud that the ground beneath them trembled.
Fragments of light—spiritual shards—burst across the battlefield, marking the appearance of the powerful.
In this strange world, beasts born with a shard were considered the leaders of their kind, even if they were small in size. These shards granted them terrifying abilities and intelligence far greater than their siblings. But they were more than power—they were sacred. The beasts revered the shards as divine.
There was a rule among them: if one defeated a beast with a shard, the victor would take it—and the defeated would die. That was the cost.
Louskas hadn't known any of this at first. But after weeks of quiet observation, hiding in trees, and watching from the shadows, he learned. He understood. And now… he had a plan.
His eyes were locked on one target: the chieftain of the green-skinned beasts—a tall, slender creature whose very presence twisted the air around him.
Facing him was his rival: the leader of the black birds. A massive avian with iron-like wings and a long, ivory horn that pierced the sky. Both were at the third level. Louskas had no chance of facing either of them in a direct fight.
That's why he forced them into one.
The green beast unleashed his shard first. Crimson fire erupted from his long, narrow hands, circling the bird like a cage. In response, the bird's wings transformed into solid metal, sharp as blades, and he countered the fire with a screech that shattered the trees nearby.
They collided in a whirlwind of fury, slashing and striking. Blood painted the forest floor. The creatures around them were slaughtered just for being too close. And although the bird could no longer fly, his legs were swift like lightning, as if his wings added no weight at all.
Louskas watched from above, calm and composed, as if this chaos had nothing to do with him. The branch beneath him was soaked in blood, yet he remained relaxed.
He whispered with a faint smirk,
"At least I'll get to eat some roasted meat tonight."
He hadn't orchestrated this battle for power… but for food.
He wanted the green chieftain's ability for one reason only—to eat better.
But something felt… off.
Louskas raised his gaze slowly toward the tree in front of him.
His pupils narrowed.
He wasn't alone.
Above him, nestled among the thick branches, were hundreds of giant brown monkeys. Their wide, intelligent eyes stared at him in silence. Some hung from the branches, others gripped stones in their hands, while a few calmly munched on red fruit.
And beside him… sat a massive one.
A huge monkey, nearly the size of a bear, sat only inches away, looking at Louskas with a curious, almost human expression.
Louskas turned his head slightly, locking eyes with the creature.
"Ah… shit."