Chapter 284: Strength Equalizing Card
A/N: I will change the four kings to four generals, as Ren will be the king.
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When Ren's voice echoed across the battlefield, all the magical beasts came to an abrupt halt.
'A dragon?'
Most of them trembled in fear, while a few stood frozen in disbelief.
According to rumors, no divine beasts like dragons or phoenixes were supposed to exist because they deemed the Vlizica Continent unworthy of their presence.
'Are the rumors wrong all this time?'
A question popped up in their minds.
Draven, who was unhappy with Ren's sudden appearance, gritted his teeth.
"Why did you stop us, dragon? This has nothing to do with you." Draven wasn't afraid of Ren because he was still unaware of just how big the gap in power was between them.
"That's right!" Raze added. "This is our battle. Why did you meddle in something that doesn't concern you?"
Instead of answering their question, Ren asked, "Is this land the cause of the war?"
"That's right!" Raze snapped.
"Why? Is it wrong?" Draven didn't understand the meaning behind Ren's question because it was normal to fight for a land.
"Don't you think it's foolish to sacrifice your loyal underlings for a piece of land this small?" Ren didn't go straight to the point because he wanted to persuade them slowly.
"Small land?" Raze was offended by Ren's words. "Just so you know, this land is worth fighting for. Not only does it have a beautiful view, but many magical herbs also grow here."
Consuming magical herbs was one way for magical beasts to become stronger, so these herbs were incredibly valuable to them.
"But this small land is not worth for you to sacrifice your loyal underlings. Why don't you follow me instead? I'm going to create a kingdom for magical beasts, where vast lands are filled with countless magical herbs." Ren finally revealed his real intention.
"I'm from the proud lion race! I submit to no one!" Draven refused without thinking twice.
"That's right." Raze had the same defiant pride as Draven. "You are not worthy to be my master!"
"Not worthy, huh?" their words stirred a quiet irritation in Ren's heart.
Boom!
Right after his voice faded, all magical beasts dropped to the ground, cracking the earth beneath them.
Even though Ren had restrained the amount of aura he released, more than half of them still fainted because his presence as a 5-star dragon was simply too overwhelming to endure.
While still pressing them with his aura, Ren threw another question at them. "So, do you still think I'm not worthy to be your master?"
Draven and Raze stared at him with their bloodshot eyes.
Even though they struggled to breathe, they still refused to submit to him because their pride would not let them bow, even in the face of death.
Ren stopped releasing his aura and said, "Since I respect your pride, I will give you one chance to survive."
"What is it?" Raze inquired.
"You both face me together." Ren replied. "If you can injure me in ten minutes, I will leave this place right away. But if youfail, submit to me and be my subordinates. How is it?"
Draven and Raze exchanged a glance with each other before finally nodding together.
"We agree with the condition." They had no other choice, so they agreed to play in his game.
But before they fought, Hyzi descended from the sky slowly.
"Leader, they are not worthy of fighting you. How about I play with them instead?" Hyzi was from the Winged Tiger race, so he could fly like Ren.
"That's not fair, Hyzi!" Fyre also landed from the sky. "Boss, I also want to play with them."
Halvrik and Zareth didn't say anything and only stood on Ren's right side. They were not interested in fighting weaklings, so they remained silent.
Ren could only sigh when he saw their expression.
'Well, it can't be helped.'
He had promised them a life full of exciting adventures, so he agreed to their request right away.
And even though he believed Draven and Raze would not be able to give them an exciting fight, at least, they could play a little with Draven and Raze.
"Alright." Ren agreed. "Your opponent has changed. You won't be facing me, but them."
"What about the condition?" Raze wanted to know if the condition was still the same because they would be facing different opponents.
"It's still the same." after saying that, Ren turned to his subordinates. "Alright. You can play with them now."
"Hehe." Fyre approached Draven while grinning widely. "Since we are from the same race, then I will face you."
Even though Draven was not from the winged lion subrace, they were both still lions, so they could be considered the same race.
"Your opponent is me," Hyzi said as he approached Raze. "Since we are from the same race, I will give you the advantage. Ten moves! I won't attack you until you've used them."
Fyre, who overheard Hyzi's words, turned to him.
"You are giving him an advantage, Hyzi? That sounds exciting!" Fyre decided to do the same because it would increase the fun. "Hey, you get ten moves. I will only dodge and block until you've used them up."
Both Draven and Raze clenched their fists as they stared at them because, from their behavior, it was crystal clear that they didn't put them in their eyes.
'Damn it! They are underestimating us!'
It was the first time someone had looked down on them, so it hurt their pride deeply.
"Die!"
"I will kill you!"
Draven rushed toward Fyre while Raze dashed toward Hyzi.
The duo unleashed their skills relentlessly and tried their best to kill their opponents as quickly as possible.
However, both Fyre and Hyzi evaded or deflected their attacks with ease.
Fyre even laughed without moving an inch, as if he was playing with a kid.
"Haha!" Fyre burst into waves of laughter. "Your relentless attacks aren't bad, but it's still not good enough. Trust your instincts more and use the battlefield to your advantage. Don't fight like a dumb lion."
Even though Fyre laughed at him, he still gave Raze a valuable lesson because he saw potential in him.
"Alright. You've used your ten moves. Now watch closely! This is how a tiger delivers a blow." Hyzi began to counterattack.
Boom!
The sound of Raze's body crashing against a small hill reverberated in the entire area.
Even though Hyzi only used an ordinary attack, he still injured Raze.
Of course, Raze could stand up because Hyzi didn't use his full power.
"You have lost." Hyzi stated.
"I haven't lost yet!" Raze refused to admit defeat, so he attacked Hyzi again.
However, no matter how many times he attacked Hyzi, he was always the one who ended up getting hit.
It was as if his attacks were too slow or Hyzi could see the future.
Bang!
Both Draven and Raze were hurled to the ground, landing side by side.
This time, they didn't launch an attack again.
Instead, they stared at Fyre and Hyzi because they were thinking of a way to defeat them.
'What should we do now?'
They were previously enemies, but the situation turned them into allies.
"You have lost the bet." Ren stated. "Now, Kneel and acknowledge me as your master."
Draven and Raze gritted their teeth as they shifted their gaze to Ren.
'I don't want to acknowledge him as my master.'
Draven still refused to be his follower.
'Me too.'
Raze understood what Draven had in mind.
'Then, let's run away!'
They nodded their heads as they made up their minds to escape from him.
"So, you are breaking your word, huh?" Fyre and Hyzi's expressions darkened with disappointment when they saw them running away because they ignored their promise to Ren.
"Sigh!" "Ren let out a sigh of disappointment. "Zareth, bring them to me."
"Understood." Zareth suddenly disappeared from his spot.
No!
He didn't use any magic or skill.
He was just too fast to the point that it looked like he used blink magic.
Bang!
In less than three seconds, Zareth returned with Draven and Raze.
Even though he smoldered with resentment, he only captured them and put them before Ren because Ren would be the one deciding their fate.
"You have disappointed me." Ren previously wanted to give them health potions, but he changed his mind.
"I bow to no one!"
"Die!"
Draven and Raze chose to attack him.
But before they could injure him, Zareth pierced their bodies, destroying their hearts and ending their lives.
Bang!
Their lifeless bodies dropped to the ground.
"My bad, Fyre and Hyzi." Zareth offered a light apology because they were a tiger and a lion.
"You don't need to say that." Fyre didn't care about it because they deserved to die.
"What a stupid tiger!" Hyzi stated.
Ren turned to their subordinates and asked, "So, do you agree to become my followers?"
They immediately bowed their heads because they thought he would kill them if he dared to refuse.
[Ding! The quest has been completed.]
[Ding! Host has received 10,00 points, 10,000 system EXP, and Strength Equalizing Card (x1). The card has been added to your inventory.]
'Strength Equalizing Card?'
Happiness swelled within him as he read the description.
The Strength Equalizing Card was extremely useful when facing someone of a higher rank because it allowed him to lower their rank to match his own.
'This will be useful in the upcoming war.'
He became even more confident in facing Misty Palace after receiving a powerful card.
"Alright. Let's continue our journey to Misty Palace." Ren commanded.