Chapter 10: The Foundation
“It was Lord Beirut who told us,” Dylin replied.
The War God also spoke: “We returned from the Necropolis of the Gods and came back to the Yulan Continent plane. Shortly after entering the Yulan Continent, Lord Beirut suddenly said… that Linley was in danger. He told us, Dylin and Tarossa, to hurry over as fast as possible. We might still be able to save him in time.”
Dylin and Tarossa nodded slightly.
“If you had been a step slower, Dylin, it really would have been dangerous,” Tarossa remarked with a sigh.
Dylin chuckled. “Dangerous? I suspect Lord Beirut had already arrived in the vicinity long before we did. At the most critical moment, if we hadn’t made it in time, Lord Beirut would have stepped in to save Linley himself.”
“Lord Beirut?” Tarossa frowned. “I’d say even if every human on the Yulan Continent died, Lord Beirut wouldn’t care. He would definitely save Linley? The fact that he even bothered to warn us is already rare enough.”
Tarossa had a very clear understanding of Beirut’s ruthlessness.
“That’s not necessarily true,” Dylin disagreed.
“So that’s how it was,” Linley thought to himself. No wonder when he had sent a mental message to Bebe, Bebe hadn’t told him whether Beirut was coming… It turned out that Beirut had gone to the Necropolis of the Gods and wasn’t even in the Dark Forest at all.
No one noticed.
Several miles away from Dragonblood Castle, a transparent human figure was faintly suspended in midair. Sunlight shining on him was completely absorbed. Since no light was reflected from this object, its existence was naturally invisible.
“That kid Tarossa.”
The transparent figure snorted to himself. “The things I did during the War of Destruction back then really scared him. He actually thinks I’m that ruthless.” Then the transparent figure vanished.
At the edge of the Dark Forest.
“Bebe, don’t go. Even if you go to Dragonblood Castle, it’s useless. Can you defeat a Deity?” The three Violet-Gold Rat Kings were all trying to persuade Bebe. But Bebe remained stubborn, flying south at top speed, his heart filled with urgency.
Just then—
“Bebe, I’m fine now,” Linley’s voice rang out in Bebe’s mind.
“Boss!” Bebe immediately stopped in surprise.
The three Violet-Gold Rat Kings were utterly confused. Bebe hovered in midair, communicating with Linley through their soul link. After a long while, he finished: “Boss, I’m coming to you right now.” Bebe desperately wanted to see Linley, and no one could stop him.
“Bebe…” A hoarse voice sounded.
Bebe looked up. His small, shiny black eyes immediately showed a hint of displeasure. “Grandpa Beirut, you’re only coming back now.”
“Father.” The three Violet-Gold Rat Kings all behaved respectfully.
Beirut smiled gently and reached out to hug Bebe. “Bebe, come here.” But Bebe dodged away. “Hmph, Grandpa Beirut, I already know from Boss that you knew he was in danger. Why didn’t you act yourself? If you had, that bastard named Ogwen would be dead for sure.”
Bebe was very unhappy.
Ogwen had almost killed Linley.
In Bebe’s heart, although he was proud of Beirut and loved his grandfather dearly, no one was more important than ‘Linley,’ who had grown up with him since childhood. Just as Linley cherished Bebe immensely, Bebe felt the same.
So many years had passed, all spent together by Linley and Bebe.
A human boy without parents, a magical beast without parents—they had played, adventured, and grown up side by side. This bond was unbreakable.
“Bebe, me killing that Ogwen?” Beirut said helplessly. “I can’t handle everything myself, can I? As for avenging you by killing Ogwen, that’s something Linley should do himself. Keeping him alive is enough.”
“Keeping my boss alive was done by Tarossa and Dylin,” Bebe said, turning his head away in dissatisfaction, ignoring Beirut.
Beirut looked at Bebe before him, not knowing what to say.
Among the high-ranking figures of countless planes, Beirut was well-known. His coldness and ruthlessness were infamous. Even in front of his own sons, Beirut could be harsh. But… in front of Bebe, the affection in his heart overflowed.
It was like a father being strict with his son but doting on his grandson.
Beirut was extremely strict with his descendants, but when it came to Bebe—the second Godeater Rat in countless planes and a member of the Beirut clan—he couldn’t bring himself to be harsh.
“Tarossa and Dylin?” Beirut shook his head. “Bebe, I actually arrived at Dragonblood Castle at top speed before they did. If they hadn’t made it in time, I would have acted.” Beirut coaxed Bebe like a child.
Bebe looked at Beirut with slight doubt. “Really?”
“Of course it’s true. When has Grandpa ever lied to you?” Beirut’s smile was very kind.
Only then did Bebe grin.
“Alright, Grandpa Beirut, I’m going to Dragonblood Castle first,” Bebe said immediately.
“Fine.” Beirut smiled warmly. “You should go see him. Remember, Bebe, you’re close to your final transformation into adulthood. Come back quickly after you’ve been there.” Beirut emphasized this.
“Got it, Grandpa Beirut,” Bebe replied.
“Harry, go with Bebe,” Beirut instructed, still uneasy.
“Yes, Father.” The Violet-Gold Rat King ‘Harry’ said.
“Grandpa Beirut, Harry doesn’t need to come. If a Deity-level expert wants to attack me, Harry can’t protect me anyway,” Bebe said. In his view, the Violet-Gold Rat King ‘Harry’ was just a Saint-level magical beast.
Hearing this, Harry exchanged glances with his brothers, the other two Violet-Gold Rat Kings ‘Hart’ and ‘Harvey.’
“Harry, go with him,” Beirut said, not wanting to argue further.
Afterward, Bebe and Harry set off for Dragonblood Castle.
To the War God, the High Priest, and the others, the sudden arrival of a large group of Deities on the Yulan Continent plane was indeed terrible news. But they had no choice but to accept it. Linley, Olivier, Dylin, Tarossa, Cesar, the War God, the High Priest… all of them gathered in the main hall of Dragonblood Castle.
As they were talking among themselves—
“Whoosh!” A figure flew in from afar at top speed. It was Fain.
Earlier, when Ogwen arrived, Linley had told his family and friends to flee in all directions. Now they were all returning one by one. Fain was the first to arrive. As soon as he landed at the hall’s entrance and saw the War God ‘O’Brien’ inside, he froze.
“Thump!” Fain dropped to his knees.
“Teacher!” Tears welled up in Fain’s eyes. “All my junior brothers are dead. The nominal disciples are all dead too. The entire War God Mountain has been completely destroyed! I have failed your trust!” Fain wept bitterly, the pain in his heart bursting forth at the sight of his teacher.
The War God hurried over and personally helped his eldest disciple up.
“Fain, this has nothing to do with you. Nothing,” the War God sighed.
War God Mountain had been his life’s work, but knowing that a large number of Deities had descended, he also understood that his disciple Fain, who was only at the Saint-level limit, couldn’t possibly resist.
“Teacher!!!” Several figures flew down from the sky at top speed. It was Dixie and the others.
Dixie and his companions all knelt directly before the High Priest.
“Rise,” the High Priest said with a sigh. Her situation was better than the War God’s. The attackers who had taken over the Yulan Empire had targeted the imperial palace, and her disciples weren’t all gathered in one place. Only two of those in the palace had died.
Most of the High Priest’s disciples had survived.
But the Yulan Empire, which she had guarded for over ten thousand years, had been occupied.
One by one, many people returned, including Linley’s main body. His main body fused directly with his divine clone.
“Linley.” Delia embraced Linley as soon as she returned, worried for him. “You’re safe. That’s really wonderful.” Tears of joy glistened in Delia’s eyes. When Ogwen arrived, their group had been forced to hide in the micro-plane secret chamber.
Later, they had scattered and fled in all directions.
Linley’s main body, fearing the enemy might specifically track his aura, had refused to let anyone flee in the same direction as him.
In that situation, everyone was terrified. Now, they could finally relax.
“Everything is fine now,” Linley said, feeling somewhat relieved.
Before, all the pressure had been on Linley’s shoulders. But now that Dylin and Tarossa had arrived, with the two of them here… unless that Lord Adkins acted personally, Linley’s side at least had no problem defending themselves.
“Linley, do you know who destroyed our War God Mountain?” the War God asked, looking at Linley.
There was a hint of unwillingness in the War God’s gaze.
Linley sighed. “War God, give up. The one who destroyed your War God Mountain and now occupies the O’Brien Empire is part of a very powerful force. Their leader is a Highgod named ‘Adkins.’” Knowing it was a Highgod, Linley had never expected the War God to reclaim the O’Brien Empire.
“Adkins!!!” Dylin exclaimed in shock.
Having been imprisoned in the Gebados Plane Prison, Dylin knew how terrifying Adkins was.
“A Highgod?” Tarossa, Cesar, the War God, the High Priest, and the others all changed expression. Advancing from a Demigod to a God was already difficult, but from a God to a Highgod was even more extreme. To them, a Highgod was invincible.
After all…
Overgods wouldn’t bother with ordinary Deities. Since Overgods rarely acted, Highgods were the pinnacle.
“Adkins escaped too. That makes sense—he was from the Azure Fire City,” Dylin remarked with a sigh. “I wonder if Lord Azure Fire managed to escape as well.” Dylin knew the terrifying strength of one of the Five Kings, ‘Azure Fire.’
The pinnacle among Highgods!
Though Adkins was powerful, before Azure Fire, he had to bow his head and submit.
“Haha…” The War God laughed bitterly. “My O’Brien Empire actually caught the interest of a Highgod.” His laughter was filled with helplessness. Although he had improved in the Necropolis of the Gods, he was still just a Demigod.
“Linley, do you know who occupied my Yulan Empire?” the High Priest’s gentle voice sounded.
Linley remembered what Muba had told him and replied, “High Priest, the one who destroyed the Yulan Empire’s imperial palace and now occupies it is a God named ‘Orloff.’”
“A God?” The High Priest frowned.
This trip to the Necropolis of the Gods had brought everyone some progress. Dylin had broken through from the peak of Demigod to God, while the High Priest had been fortunate enough to obtain a ‘God-level divine spark.’ As for Cesar and the War God, though they hadn’t gotten divine sparks, they had acquired artifacts.
“A God who survived in the Gebados Plane Prison isn’t an ordinary God,” Dylin said, frowning. “I think we’d better not make too many enemies for now. Let’s use the Baruch Empire as our foundation for the time being. Together, we can at least protect this base.”
The War God and the High Priest hesitated for a moment, then nodded.