Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Relocation
The sirens began to retreat, moving like shadows in the water. But suddenly, the Empress Poseidon stopped. She turned her head toward Jax and stared at him.
"You remind me of a human I met a long time ago," she said in a strange, almost melancholic tone. "It’s been centuries since a human reached a power like yours. But that one... he was special."
Jax felt something ignite inside him. He thought of the mysterious inheritance he had received. He hesitated for a moment but couldn’t hold back.
"Did you meet the ancient emperors?" he asked. "The White-Tailed Deer Emperor... and the Demon Emperor, Al’Khash."
The siren fell silent. Her eyes locked on him, as if she were measuring him from the inside. Seconds stretched like an eternity before she finally answered.
"They disappeared many years ago. I thought I’d never hear their names again." A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Who would have thought..."
Jax clenched his fists and stepped forward.
"Then tell me... what do you know about them?"
The Empress looked at him seriously, her eyes shining like the depths of the ocean.
"The question isn’t what I know," she said quietly. "It’s whether you’re ready to hear the truth."
Poseidon held his gaze for a few more seconds before speaking again.
"If they’re still alive, they must be hiding somewhere. The emperors can’t live peacefully in this world... the gods hunt them without rest. But of course... you already know that, don’t you?" Her eyes glowed intensely. "You carry the aura of those monsters on you."
Jax frowned.
"Aura? What the hell are you talking about? What’s happening to me?"
She let out a soft laugh, clearly amused by his confusion.
"That’s not something I can explain to you right now." She waved her hand, brushing the topic away. "I can’t be outside my palace too long... not while they’re watching me."
The Empress turned her back and began to leave, followed by the other sirens. Before vanishing into the distance, she glanced back and tossed a final phrase at him.
"Good luck, boy."
And then they were gone.
Jax stood still, with a thousand questions burning in his mind. He looked down at his hands, as if he could see that supposed "aura" she spoke of, but nothing was there.
"What the hell does all this mean...?" he muttered under his breath.
The girls started crawling out from the rubble, wounded, covered in dust and dried blood. Around them, only a few thousand survivors from the vassal races remained, silent, staring at the ruins of what had once been their home.
Jax clenched his fists and spoke in a low voice.
"I’m sorry..."
No one answered. There were no curses, no forgiveness. Just silence, heavier than any word. No one knew what to do in this state of chaos and despair.
Manaia stumbled toward him, her arm still bleeding.
"Jax... all the supplies were burned. There’s nothing left... no food, no stones, no wood, no metals. We have nothing to rebuild with."
Jax lifted his eyes and saw, far away, the black tower still standing, untouched among the destruction. At that moment, he remembered: the forest.
"We can get money in there... by hunting," he said, pointing at the portal that led to the forest.
The girls looked at him with doubt. One of them spoke weakly.
"We have to be careful... there are dangerous things inside."
Jax shook his head firmly.
"There’s no safer place. Didn’t you see? During the triton’s attack, not even his strongest strike made the forest portal tremble." His eyes shone with determination. "If we conquer that place, we can build a fortress inside."
The group stepped through the portal, and instantly, the world changed. A colossal forest stretched before them, trees reaching the sky, the air so thick with mana that their skin tingled just from breathing.
Manaia looked around, torn between nostalgia and fear.
"We came here once before... but we got scared. We left without exploring much."
Jax nodded but didn’t slow down.
"Don’t split up. Stay close to me."
He rose into the air, scanning from above in search of a good spot to settle. He flew for a while until he found a massive waterfall, the roar of the water crashing down like constant thunder.
At the base, a colossal crocodile was locked in battle with an equally massive snake, their bodies smashing together and stirring waves through the river. Jax watched calmly; he couldn’t use lunar senses anymore, so he couldn’t gauge their levels, but his instinct told him there was no real danger.
Suddenly, both the crocodile and the snake stopped fighting and turned their eyes toward him. From above, a massive monkey leapt down from a cliff, landing with a crash on a rock. The three beasts, who moments before seemed like mortal enemies, froze. All of them now stared at the human who dared step into their territory.
Jax smirked, crossing his arms.
"So you get it... the importance of a united front against an outside threat."
The three monsters didn’t hesitate. The crocodile swung its tail, blasting a jet of water like a spear. The snake opened its jaws and spewed venom that sizzled in the air, while the monkey leapt from the rock, its fist striking down with a shockwave.
Jax raised his hand, smiling calmly.
"Kill them. The stronger they are, the better."
Zela was the first to charge, sword raised high, slicing through the water jet like tearing cloth. Zyra and Vira rushed in right after, one with a shield and the other with a spear, clashing against the serpent’s fangs and forcing it back.
"Cover the flanks!" shouted Riven, driving her blade deep into the crocodile’s hide, drawing out a roar.
From behind, Lira and Elnara fired arrows infused with energy, raining down on the monkey and forcing it to shield its face. Jayde appeared like a shadow, climbing its back and plunging her daggers into its eyes, making the beast howl and thrash wildly.
"Anya, Karely!" ordered Jax.
The mages raised their hands at the same time, one unleashing flames that engulfed the crocodile’s scales, the other blasting a lightning bolt that lit up the clearing. The water boiled, and the serpent’s venom evaporated into smoke.
The healers didn’t stay idle. Manaia and Lyra darted between the chaos, patching up wounds that tore open again in seconds. Leila held her focus, purging the venom that had seeped into Zyra’s veins.
The whole forest shook with each impact.
Jax stood back, arms crossed, watching the carnage.
"That’s it... I want to see you pushed to the edge. I want to see what you’re capable of when it’s life or death."
The crocodile roared and surged upward, the serpent coiled around Zyra trying to crush her, and the blinded monkey ripped out a tree and hurled it like a spear toward the group.
The battlefield became pure chaos—his warriors clashing against three colossal beasts, every strike rattling the ground beneath them.
The fight grew bloodier. The crocodile charged like a living fortress, the snake spewed venom relentlessly, and the monkey, still blinded, hammered blows that shook the entire forest.
Zela was whipped against a tree, ribs cracking audibly. Vira got caught in the serpent’s jaws, barely managing to stab her spear into its throat to free herself.
"Stay on your feet, damn it!" Riven screamed, leaping onto the crocodile’s tail. Every bone in her arm shattered as she blocked a strike, but she didn’t stop. With a furious roar, she snapped it back into place against the rock and kept fighting. Her bones dislocated, broke, and she forced them back herself, ignoring the pain.
"I won’t be useless again!" she roared, drenched in blood, her eyes filled with rage and tears.
Manaia rushed between them, healing open gashes that reopened seconds later. Lyra and Leila did what they could, pale from exhaustion. Every time Riven rose with another broken bone, a flash of light kept her standing.
Jayde, covered in blood, climbed the serpent, stabbing again and again. Elnara and Lira shot arrows endlessly, their fingers bleeding from the strain. Anya and Karely poured out the last of their mana, burning and blasting until they could barely breathe.
The clash dragged on for endless minutes. Finally, a strangled roar marked the end: the crocodile fell first, Zyra’s spear piercing through its eye. Then the serpent collapsed, its venom leaking across the ground in dark streams. The monkey, bloodied and still blind, tried one last desperate strike—but Riven stopped it, driving her sword into its chest, snapping her collarbone in the process.
The beast dropped to its knees... and with a crash, it was dead.
Only the ragged breathing of the warriors broke the silence, their bodies covered in wounds, blood, and sweat. Several collapsed to the ground, and Manaia rushed frantically, healing the worst of the injuries while shouting their names.
Riven fell onto her back, laughing weakly as blood spilled from her mouth.
"This time... we weren’t useless."
From above, Jax watched with his arms crossed. His eyes gleamed with a mix of pride and coldness. He hadn’t lifted a single finger during the fight.