Chapter 160: New Allies
Three days after that incident, the real Beast King and his daughter entered the same guest hall where the imposters had been. As he had the previous time, Adonis received them calmly.
"I imagine your journey was a little hectic, Beast King?"
The Beast King nodded. "You could say that. On my way here, I heard how those undead tried to impersonate me and my daughter. Those nasty skeletons were incredibly sneaky."
"How did you get caught in their trap?" Adonis asked.
"It is a long story. Their master personally came to handle me, since his underlings could do nothing but blow my hair," Leonidas replied.
"What is he like? Is the Undead Master truly that strong?" Adonis asked, intrigued.
The Beast King looked terrified for a second, and even his daughter, Leona, flinched as she recalled the horrific encounter.
"All I can say is that no one can match his illusions. You should be careful."
Adonis’s fist clenched.
"I understand. Now, let us talk about you, Leonidas. You want an alliance with the Dragon Kingdom in exchange for a marital relationship with your daughter, isn’t that right?"
The lion-man, the Beast King, nodded.
"Yes. My daughter, Leona, has never been touched by a man before. She only wishes for a strong partner who can accompany her to greater strength. In exchange she will give her loyalty and devotion."
Leona’s face flushed, and her golden eyelashes fluttered as she looked at Adonis, completely entranced.
"King Adonis, I do not wish to be accepted right away. I only want a chance to prove that I am worthy of becoming your life partner along with your other wives. Please, you must accept me."
Adonis looked at the old butler, Orvyn. "What do you say, Orvyn?"
Orvyn looked at him, then at the busty lion-girl, Leona.
"I would say this alliance is important for us, Your Majesty. If the human kingdoms unify under one banner, we could be in trouble. This alliance would give us the extra deterrence we need to safeguard both kingdoms. And since all the beasts on this continent originated from dragons, they are our own kin."
"I see the ’Old Black Sun’ is as intelligent as ever," Leonidas said, smiling. "I still remember when my father used to praise your fierce battle at the Black Sea, fighting thousands of demonic whales alone, day after day."
Orvyn chuckled. "Haha, those were truly the good old days. But alas, I am not as strong as I once was. My old bones have grown rusty."
Adonis became interested in the story. "What is this Black Sea? I have been hearing about demons for quite a while now."
Orvyn straightened his back, his eyes misting over with a rare reminiscence. "It lies to the far west of our continent, Your Majesty. Beyond the human borders of Carthas. It is a place where the water is as thick as ink and twice as cold. It is not inhabited by normal aquatic life, but by abyssal horrors and demonic entities that drifted through the cracks in the world after the Great War."
"The Demonic Whales were the worst of them," Leonidas added seriously. "Each one of them are in size of a floating fortress, with hides that can deflect lightning bolts. My father told me Orvyn turned the entire coast red with their blood. He fought until the sea itself was choked with their carcasses."
Orvyn waved a hand dismissively, though a small, proud smile tugged at his lips. "It was a necessity of the time, King Leonidas. But the point stands, Your Majesty. The world is full of these pockets of ancient, unresolved conflicts. The Necro-Lands are making moves, the Black Sea remains a void, and the human kingdoms are fueled by a righteous fear that often turns into a crusade. We cannot fight on every front alone."
Adonis looked from his butler back to the Beast King, then finally settled his gaze on Leona. She was standing perfectly still, eyes expectant as she waited for his judgment.
Adonis finally said,
"If Orvyn sees the value in this, then I will not let it pass. Leonidas, I accept the alliance. The Dragon Kingdom and the Iron-Claw Citadel are now bound by blood and claws."
Leonidas exhaled a breath of relief.
"You won’t regret this, Dragon King. My warriors are yours."
Adonis then turned his full attention to Leona. "As for you, Leona. You asked for a chance to prove yourself. I will give you more than that. You will not be a prisoner of this palace. You will lead the Beast Vanguard within the Chaos Order. But know this: I am a man of many responsibilities and many wives. If you wish to stand by my side, you must be able to hold your own when the shadows of the Necro-Lands or greedy arms of humans come knocking at your door."
Leona’s face lit up with a radiance that rivaled the morning sun.
Thud!
She dropped to one knee, her heavy axe thumping against the floor in a sign of absolute fealty.
"I ask for nothing more than the opportunity to bleed for you, my King," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I will be your shield, your general, and whatever else you require of me. My loyalty is yours until my heart stops beating."
"Good," Adonis said, standing up. "Orvyn, prepare the guest quarters in the Sky Palace for our new allies. And send word to Sapphira and Mariana. It seems the family is growing again."
As Leonidas and Orvyn began to discuss the finer details of the military integration, Leona remained on her knee, looking up at Adonis with a gaze that was no longer just entranced, but devoted.
Adonis felt the pressure of his growing empire, but with every new ally and every new heart won, that weight felt less like a burden and more like a foundation.
The humans were plotting, the dead were rising, and the demons were waiting in the depths. But as Adonis looked at the lioness at his feet, he knew he was no longer just a character in a story. He was the one writing the future, and he was writing it in the blood of his enemies.
Now, it was time to meet the dead.
The chaos is just the beginning.
[ Vol 4 - The End ]