Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 104

At the head table of the banquet hall, a beautiful woman and a lion walking on two legs were enjoying refreshments, facing each other. The man with jade hair was nowhere to be seen, as if he had momentarily left his seat.
“It seems the ethereal has arrived. It appears to be disguised as a 3 star, hiding its aura, but it seems your subordinate, unaware, is picking a fight,” said the lion king.
“Hmph, it doesn’t matter. I’m curious to see how he will behave. Even though he’s an awakened, there are tens of thousands of monster armies gathered here. Even though my subordinate is only a Lord-class, he dares not to interfere, and it would be better for him to take the time to understand his place before meeting us.”
The Queen’s laughter was met with the lion king’s hearty laughter and agreement.
“Hehe, Your Majesty is truly mischievous. Even without sensing our energy, they would have been frightened.”
“It’s disgusting enough to join hands with an ethereal, at the very least, we should organize the hierarchy.”
“Poor guy. Despite becoming an awakened, he foolishly attempts to deal with our monsters. The spiritual essence of an awakened is a treasure far more valuable than firewood and stones to beings like us.”
“That’s right. That’s why the two of us need to join forces.”
“Hehe, have you realized it too? That old chief won’t just give up the treasure of an awakened. After defeating Eaglemaw, I, the Lion King, will expand the celestial realm immediately. The old chief won’t dare to step into my celestial domain. Meanwhile, we’ll capture and kill him, and then we can amicably divide the spiritual and magical space between us.”
“It’s a good strategy. Let’s have a drink to seal the deal.”
“Agreed. But do you have any other plans after this event?”
“Why?”
– Swoosh. –
The Lion King discreetly moved next to the Queen. The pupil of the sharp, purple beast’s eyes was stained with blatant greed.
“I happen to acquire the dark magic technique from the ancient ruins that allows for rapid accumulation of negative energy.”
“You got your hands on that?”
“Yes. However, that technique is a form of paired cultivation, where both a man and a woman must perform it together. I’ve been searching for a partner of equal caliber to practice the technique with me for a while. How about it? Would you like to create a new variation with me?”
“Hmm… I’ll consider it.”
A faint blush appeared on the Queen’s face.
– Vwoooom. –
– Hoooaah!!! –
Suddenly, an immense energy wave swept through the banquet hall. It seemed that the ethereal outside had unlocked the awakened’s magical power.
“Oh no, it seems he’s angry.”
“No!”
The Queen immediately leaped forward.
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***
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– Thud! –
– Clang. –
The fox monster, who had been babbling about the ‘Ten Rules to Follow in Front of the Queen’, collapsed in one blow, unconscious. Immediately, a powerful energy burst emanated from within the banquet hall.
‘Two Emperors?!’
I thought there was only one queen. The two distinct and enormous dark energies were quite different from the presence of Chief Timberlord. They were colder and more ferocious.
“Ugh. How dare prey like you!”
The fox monster, who had been momentarily stunned, regained consciousness. A bunch of ice spears shot out from his grasp. It was a decidedly choleric demeanor.
‘I’ll strike harder.’
I had already committed to the deed. My survival instincts demanded a radical move from my brain to my body.
“I was going to spare you.”
– Rip! –
– Thud. –
“Gah!”
The huge mouth of the voracious predator, which shattered the ice spears, bit into the fox monster’s body. Then, after swallowing the monster in one gulp, it leaped to my side to enjoy its prey.
Amidst the sound of muscles and bones being chewed, two Emperors appeared in front of me.
– Thud. –
“Queen Alopex and Lion King.”
The rulers of the Ice Castle and the Great Plains, respectively. My head cooled with a chill.
The fox monster, with bulging eyes, emitted a dark energy that could be harnessed from Queen Alopex.
“How dare you!”
“How dare I? Did you just refer to me as ‘you’?”
“The fighter you just killed was my subordinate!”
“So, you are the ‘Queen’. You must have been observing the situation outside from within. Yet you didn’t intervene. I see plenty of reasons to kill you.”
“You, you surely!”
– Grrr… –
The air grew chilly. Goosebumps crept up my neck, but I maintained a poker face.
“Oh no, this won’t do!”
The Queen was about to spread her wings when Chief Timberlord swooped in from afar, blocking the way in front of the Queen, who was fluttering with frost.
‘He seems to have deliberately stirred up trouble.’
The meeting between the filthy Emperor-class monsters and the ethereal was destined to cause a disturbance.
He brought those bastards here, so he should bear the responsibility. If he doesn’t…
‘Whether it’s a deal or not, I’m going to kill them.’
– Swoosh… –
At Timberlord’s gesture, a barrier of branches sprouted up, dramatically separating me and the Queen.
“Step aside!”
“He is an awakened who has agreed to cooperate with us! Calm down.”
“That bastard killed my subordinate! Back off now!”
“You are the ruler of the Ice Castle. Is the life of one of your subordinates as important as our grand cause?”
“As the ruler of the Ice Castle, I cannot simply overlook the audacity of that wretched creature!”
The conversation took a grim turn. It seemed like reasoning wouldn’t work. All that remained was coercion. With resolve, I calmly spoke up.
“Your minion provoked and attacked me. It goes against the truth of this realm, ‘Submit to the strong’.”
“Shut up! Timberlord, lower the barrier now! I’ll twist that bastard’s neck and feed it to the beasts!”
I couldn’t forgive the ethereal who had dared to kill his warrior. His life must be taken no matter what. The Queen’s intent was clear.
“Oh, dear, it seems you’ve made a mistake. Allowing your summoned creature to devour the Queen’s lovely warrior. No matter the mistake, that’s not acceptable. You must sincerely apologize to the Queen immediately. If you don’t, then I, too, cannot simply let it go.”
The Lion King, who seemed to be just watching, sided with the Queen. Finally, Timberlord, seeming to have no other choice, urged me on.
“Isaac, these two are Emperor-class rulers who control more hostile and insular races than our own. Whatever the reason, since you killed the Queen’s subordinate, you should properly apologize and compensate for it.”
They were ‘monsters’, and I was an ‘ethereal’. The ratio of 3 to 1 had already been set.
‘Anyway, these monsters.’
With that, any room for reconsideration completely vanished. There were about 20 seconds left for the Final Finish. Swiftly dispatching the awakened-class monsters who underestimated the Lord-class monsters would be close to logical, but this land was a stronghold teeming with monsters. What dialogue could there be with those who relied solely on their numbers?
‘I have no choice but to resolve this my way.’
Time was running out. If I were to intervene, it had to be now. I spoke calmly.
“Timberlord, stop the nonsense and step aside.”
“You…! Where do you think you are? These two are beings of equal status to me. There are limits to mediation…”
“I told you to step aside. And you, kneel before me and apologize immediately. The punishment for daring to mock me is heavier than your life.”
“You scoundrel! Tear him limb from limb!”
– Growl! –
A crimson aura emanated from Queen Alopex. It seemed to grow larger, and in an instant, she transformed into a huge polar bear covered in white fur.
It looked like the Queen’s true form.
– Wooooooosh! –
The creature leaped high into the sky.
Chief Timberlord looked perplexed, while the Lion King, with apparent interest, lit up the eyes of the beast.
‘Timberlord seems fine. It’s the Lion King who’s the problem.’
Even if I kill the Queen, the Lion King remains. It would have been better to confront them simultaneously.
‘If the Lion King shows any sign of hostility, I’ll strike immediately.’
I had prepared for this from the beginning. I was curious if the Final Finish would work on Eaglemaw, a Tier 2 monster, but survival was more important than satisfying curiosity.
– Swoosh. –
The Karna Blade was drawn smoothly.
“Come at me!”
No need to beckon, it will come.
There were about 10 seconds left. I leaped into the sky with a leap of determination.
– Ziiiiing. –
A white beam shot out from the growling polar bear. The mountain wind blew, and my heart pounded as if it would burst.
– Swoosh. –
Finally, I swung the Karna Blade diagonally.
───────!
The cloudy sky split in two.
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Beneath the sky of the microcosm, the Lion King, who rules over the vast plains of the Bounty Savanna, watched with his arms crossed as the Queen and the awakened clashed.
The mane of the beast fluttered in the wind, and a faint curiosity arose in the quiet eyes.
“Timberlord, what do you see?”
“…It will end in a blink of an eye.”
“Pardon? What do you mean? The awakened doesn’t seem so feeble.”
“I’ve made a mistake. Even with three Emperors, I didn’t expect such reckless behavior!”
Did this old man skip breakfast? Why is he trembling like this?
The Lion King inwardly clicked his tongue at Timberlord’s hesitation. Where did that fierce and vigorous Emperor’s momentum go?
“That’s why you brought that guy here. Perhaps Queen Alopex was wise after all. She might use this confrontation as an excuse to kill him and claim a portion of the Elixir.”
“Oh, he’s drawn his sword. I, Timberlord, have finally seen the ultimate swordsman that I’ve never faced before! Lion King, I’ve restrained the Queen. I’ve held her back until the end!”
“What are you talking about?”
───────
Suddenly, a long line was drawn in the sky. It was a phenomenon never seen in hundreds of years.
“They’re being pushed back?!”
The bunched-up clouds dispersed and disappeared to the other side of the sky in a moment when the Lion King instinctively drew in the dark energy.
– Wooooooong! –
“Kkuhk!”
“This is…!”
A circular shockwave struck the ground across the entire plain.
“Kkuhk!”
His skin was cut by the endless blade-like magical shockwaves. Chief Timberlord hurriedly summoned bark to wrap around his body, while the Lion King transformed into his true form, using his thick fur and claws to counter the shockwave.
– Huuuuaaaaang! –
The offerings in the banquet hall and the facilities adorned the savannah crumbled and fell into the air. Thousands of monsters were swept away by the shockwave like fallen leaves, and the frightened Ligno Giants, sensing death, dug into the ground for their lives.
– Goooooo… –
The raging magical storm finally subsided after causing immense damage nearby.

Numerous monsters lay fallen, unable to move, while those relatively far from the banquet hall began to tremble and shiver, trying to recover.
After the unprecedented catastrophe, the Lion King, who had been absent-minded, descended from the sky and spotted the ethereal.
Unbelievably, the surreal phenomenon just now was caused by that ethereal.
Only ten minutes ago, the form of Queen Alopex, who was chatting, was nowhere to be seen.
The absolute ruler who caused the disaster declared.
“Timberlord, I only agreed to assist in dealing with the Eaglemaw. Everything else will be done as I see fit. Do not defy my will again. Do you understand?”
“Yes…! Yes! I have been foolish. Please, withhold your anger and grant us one more chance!”
“Your attitude is appropriate. There, foolish lion. By tonight, bring me the bodies of the monsters and the byproducts. Memorize the ranks and numbers of the dead monsters, as accurate counting is necessary.”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”
The Lion King bowed hurriedly. It was the natural order for the strong to take from the weak. The remains of the already dead monsters were nothing significant, they were hardly worth mentioning.
If the ethereal’s temperament had been foul, he would have been stripped of all his assets and left with nothing.
‘He seemed to surpass the peak of an awakened just now, but now I sense no spiritual presence at all. That means…!’
The Lion King belatedly attempted to gauge the true state of the ethereal.
Outside the curtain, in the vast world of Terralia, he might not have known that the ethereal was a legendary being of the sixth tier. This was the absolute level that could confront tens of thousands of monster armies, ranging from second-tier common species to high-ranking rare variants, just like the Eaglemaw they were about to face. The ethereal before them was as formidable as the Eaglemaw, who had gathered tens of thousands of monster armies.
“Hurry and prepare the ritual. I will return tonight.”
With those words, the ethereal disappeared into the sky beyond. Timberlord and the Lion King could only look on with dismay at the vanished trace of Isaac.