The mellow light rays of sunlight blanketed the Endless Snow Mountain as a new day dawned upon it. The illumination of these rays revealed a small cave-dwelling where two people were sitting idly.
"Is it time for us to make a move?"
"Mm, this should be the last one. Instead of attacking any one of their branches, we'll charge straight for their main dwelling."
"It's going to be dangerous."
"And? Danger is exactly what we want right now. We've done the proper research before we even started this crusade of ours. Those snow leopards are too prideful to accept patronage from a King clan, so we have no need to fear any interference."
"Still, even without a Beast King joining the fray, we will still have to face a sea of 3rd class beasts. It won't be an easy fight regardless."
"True. We still don't have the strength to decimate their ranks like we did when we were on the ground level. Instead, I think it's better to keep blitzing."
Ruyue nodded her head. This so-called blitzing strategy that they had been using since the start was incredibly effective. Without it, she doubted whether they'd have achieved such wash victories.
And without the interference of a 4th class, Damien's presence gave them the ability to attack and retreat at will, which ensured their safety.
Since they didn't have much planning left to do, Damien wordlessly grabbed Ruyue's waist and began teleporting to the location of the Turbulent Blizzard Leopards' main branch.
And it didn't take long for them to arrive. In fact, they had intentionally chosen a cave dwelling that wasn't too close or too far so they'd be able to move with convenience.
Once they arrived, they had no need to set any pretenses. Instead, they directly released their auras from outside the cave dwelling to lure out their opponents.
"Who?!"
An enraged shout resounded from within the cave dwelling. A group of 10 snow leopards soon emerged and glared at the duo.
"What do you two think you are doing?" A male voice came from the snow leopard at the front.
"What are we doing? We're naturally challenging your clan." Damien responded.
"Ha! With just the two of you? It seems you look down on the might of our clan!" The snow leopards could clearly feel that these two were roughly the same level as them since their auras were in full burst.
Were they stupid? There were a large number of individuals with similar strength within the tribe, and these two dared to charge in alone? However, Damien's next words wiped the disdainful smirks directly off their faces.
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"We have destroyed so many of your branches without you even having the ability to see our tails. Is that not enough to show our qualifications?"
"Courting death!"
The snow leopards were thoroughly enraged. Any number of provocations could have been thrown at them without them even having a change of expression, but Damien had directly gone for the throat.
The Turbulent Blizzard Leopards were extremely tight-knit. Even if they lived separated and spread out, they all cared for their tribesmen. However, the rapid deaths of almost half of those who lived outside the tribe were a travesty that affected them all.
And now that someone had come to their door claiming to have caused such a travesty, how could they remain calm?
The whites of their eyes were filled with red blood vessels as their rage made their blood boil. Without even caring to confirm the veracity of the statement, the group of 10 leopards shot towards Damien and Ruyue with ferocity.
However, before they could even reach their targets, a booming voice rang in their ears like a clap of thunder.
"Halt!"
The snow leopards froze before turning towards the cave dwelling and kneeling in reverence. From within, a snow leopard much larger than the rest walked out.
Its fur was just as pristine and white as the rest, but numerous scars could be seen on its body, signifying the tough battles it had survived throughout its life. Most notable was the deep scar that ran across its eye and all the way down its face.
This was the tribe leader of the Turbulent Blizzard Leopards.
"You two claim to be the ones who have been massacring my tribesmen?" His deep voice was infused with mana, granting a sort of natural suppression to his atmosphere.
"And if we are?"
"Do you have any proof of your claims?"
Although he understood the feelings of his tribesmen who wanted to directly attack, he couldn't be so rash. If they weren't the ones who committed the crime, they could possibly have been sent to probe their tribe by other tribes.
And if they were the ones who did it, he had to be cautious of their unknown means. No irrational person would charge into a tiger's den without a plan, especially if they had just killed the tiger's cubs.
Damien grinned at the question before flicking his gaze towards Ruyue. Rolling her eyes, she lifted her arm.
"Desolation."
The word seemed to carry an ancient ripple that spread through the surroundings. The snow below Ruyue's feet showed signs of melting and the shrubbery and trees around them began to wilt.
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The spread of desolation continued for only a second before Ruyue stopped, but it was enough. The tribe leader's eyes sharpened and his gaze become dark.
He had heard the reports from his tribesmen, and he had even gone to the site of one of the attacks before. He was well aware of the desolation that was left in their wake.
And seeing it be performed in front of him, he wasn't stupid enough to not know what it meant.
"So it was truly you."
Damien didn't say a word, watching the tribe leader silently. An awkward stillness enveloped the area.
However, the next event was unexpected by even the snow leopards in the surroundings.
"Why?"
A hoarse voice exited the tribe leader's throat as he glared at the duo hatefully.
"Why did you do this? Why has such misfortune fallen upon my clan? At least grant me this one answer before everything devolves into chaos." His eyes were already red from grief as he choked out his words.
The surrounding snow leopards also had mournful expressions on their faces as they heard the crazed manner in which their tribe leader spoke.
Damien and Ruyue watched this scene expressionlessly.
"Because you are weak."
"Because you are weak you were preyed upon. Because you are weak, you were unable to retaliate. Because you are weak, we stand before you today without fear. Such is the price of being weak in this world."
The tribe leader silently listened to Damien speak, his eyes becoming even redder. The sound of his teeth gritting together was almost audible.
"Isn't this the way the world has always worked? The weak are devoured while the strong become stronger. Even for those innocent souls who wish to see none of it, it is necessary to survive. Even if we don't wish to see that innocence tainted, it's the only way for them to stay alive. This is the lifelong battle all life forms face if they desire power."
Ruyue watched him intently as he spoke. Even if he didn't show any indication, she was well aware she was part of the innocent souls he had been speaking about.
On that night in the forest, she had unintentionally poured her heart out to him. He had seen the struggles in her heart.
Ruyue never wanted to become strong. She used to be content as long as she could live happily within her clan. But the situation forced her to gain strength. It forced her to become a different person.
Damien's words might have been cruel, and their actions towards the Turbulent Blizzard Leopards even crueler, but she had witnessed reality. His words resonated in her heart.
And hearing how deeply he was seemingly moved by his own words, she couldn't imagine what he had been through. He was even younger than her by a year, but his grit and tenacity outstripped her by miles.
Unknowing of Ruyue's thoughts, Damien continued his speech.
"The ruthlessness and decisiveness that one needs to have can only be birthed through various life or death experiences. And if one doesn't have it, they will die. In this regard, I must thank you. Because I had almost lost that ruthlessness that allowed me to survive and stand here today."
Damien spoke from his heart. He wasn't even answering the tribe leader's question anymore, he was simply venting his grievances. Perhaps, the tribe leader's question had sparked something within him.
He was becoming weak to the temptations of the outside world. To love, to happiness, to relaxation, to adventure.
Of course, he had no intention to stop. He loved Rose even more now that they had been separated for so long, he loved his mother who he had done so much to save, and he loved…
Well, the rest wasn't necessary to state.
Adventure was also something deep within his core. He thirsted to explore the myriad worlds within the universe and experience them like he was doing now. There was no way he'd give that up.
But he needed to maintain a healthy balance. He couldn't forget the qualities that brought him to where he was today. He couldn't forget the person that had been forged in the world of blood that was the dungeon.
These emotions flooded out of him as he spoke to no one in particular, but all those in the vicinity could feel them.
Even those snow leopards. No matter how much they resented Damien and Ruyue, they couldn't find it in them to retort his words. Because his words were the most primal truth that everyone knew, even if they refused to admit it.
Staring at the youth in front of him intently, the tribe leader sighed.
"I see."
His anger had subsided a bit due to the youth's emotions. Even he resonated with those emotions. But even if his anger had subsided, the blood debt incurred between Damien and his tribe wasn't something that could be solved with just a few words.
Two men, one human and one beast, gazed at each other in mutual understanding and respect.
And then, dense killing intent flowed into the atmosphere and soared through the heavens.