Chương 417: Ultimate Predator

Vale stepped out of the barrack and took a few slow steps before letting out a deep sigh.

"How long is he going to stay like this...?" There was some annoyance in his voice, though he couldn't blame Korin for what had happened. Still, watching his friend sit in the same spot for a whole week was starting to get to him. Before he could think about it any longer, Nym walked up behind him.

"Is he still the same?" Vale glanced at her, then nodded.

"Yeah. It looks like he can't live with what he did. I don't know how long this will last." Nym sighed.

"By the gods... so both of our strongest fighters are out." Vale gave a quiet scoff.

"Looks like it." For a moment, neither spoke. The silence wasn't awkward. There just wasn't much to say. After a while, Vale stretched his arms and winced as pain ran through his chest.

"Well, if nothing comes looking for us, we should be fine. The Tower speeds up healing, after all. I should be fully healed in less than a week." Nym gave him a faint smile.

"Yeah. I should be back to normal in two days." Vale smiled back.

"That's good." Their eyes met for a moment. Neither looked away at first, but both soon turned their heads. Vale cleared his throat.

"So... do you know where Eskar is?" Nym shrugged.

"He went to scout the area. He wanted to make sure there weren't any threats nearby. He took his new beast with him." Vale raised an eyebrow.

"The Category Six? Magma Borne, or whatever it was called?"

"That's the one."

"Huh." Vale looked toward the trees.

"Having that thing around should give us some extra safety. Still, I'd feel better if Korin and Eskar were both able to fight." Before Nym could answer, Nova walked over.

"Hey, guys." They both turned toward her. Nova stopped and hesitated.

"Can I... ask you something?" Nym raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. What's wrong?" Nova rubbed her fingers together. She looked like she wasn't sure how to say it.

"I know it's been a week, but I didn't really do anything during the fight with Korin." Her voice grew softer.

"I couldn't help at all, so... am I useless?" Vale blinked. Nova swallowed.

"I didn't do anything. If I can't even help when something like that happens, then what's the point of having me around?" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The shame in her voice was clear. Nym's face softened at once.

"Nova, you're our healer. You can't just throw yourself into a fight like that."

"I know, but—""No buts." Nym stepped forward and pulled Nova into a firm hug.

"You did fine. You hear me? You did exactly what you needed to do. So stop blaming yourself for what happened." Nova froze in her arms. Her eyes filled with tears, and she buried her face against Nym's shoulder as they slowly began to fall. Vale watched them for a moment before sighing.

"Alright. I'm going for a walk. I'll be back in about two hours." He checked both of his blades and made sure they were secure. Then he pulled out his tracking device. The screen still worked despite everything that had happened.

"Good." He put it away and gave Nym a small wave.

"See you later." Nym waved back. Vale turned and walked into the forest. For several minutes, Vale simply walked. His thoughts moved from one thing to another, but they always came back to Korin.

'So Korin is the heir of the Black Lion...' Vale narrowed his eyes. The form Korin had taken when that dark power consumed him had been clear. The claws, the mane, the fur, and even the way he moved all looked like a lion. There was only one answer. Korin has to be connected to the Black Lion. And if that was true... Vale stopped. Then we're already inside the Black Lion's domain. His eyes flickered. If they really were inside his domain, they might be able to find him. Maybe they could even free him.

They had no idea how large the domain was. It could cover hundreds of kilometers, or even thousands. But Vale had a clue. The High Priestess had once told him something strange.

'At the heart of the Dragon's Maw, the Black Lion rests...' That was the saying. The Black Lion was somewhere within a place called the Dragon's Maw. If they could find that place, they might find him too. And if they could free the Black Lion, they could finally go home. Zellion had told him that much. Or at least, Vale hoped he had. Zellion wouldn't have given him completely false information. Right? Vale sighed.

"Wouldn't be the first time he'd make things difficult." He shook his head and kept walking.

"Still... I'd be surprised if that's actually true." His steps became more aimless. He wasn't even watching where he was going anymore. His body simply carried him forward while his mind stayed elsewhere. Then the trees suddenly ended. Vale stopped. His eyes widened. A huge crater stretched out before him. The land had been torn apart, leaving a deep pit that dropped dozens of meters. At the bottom, hidden in the gloom, was what looked like a cave entrance. Vale stared at it.

"... What?" He slowly walked toward the edge.

"There probably isn't anything there." Even he didn't sound convinced. Curiosity won. Vale stepped onto the crater and began making his way down. The stone beneath his boots was smooth and oddly slippery, forcing him to move with care. The deeper he went, the quieter the forest became. Then he noticed something. Dust covered parts of the stone, and inside it was a footprint. Vale stopped and crouched down. The print was huge. Far too large to belong to a normal beast.

He pressed his fingers into the dust and studied it before bringing them closer to his nose.

"Doesn't smell strange..." Vale looked toward the cave. Something didn't add up. The crater was enormous, but the cave entrance was much smaller. It was only about five meters high and eight meters wide. Whatever made that footprint had feet at least three meters across. A creature that large shouldn't have been able to fit inside. So why was there wind coming from the cave? Vale slowly stood. A warm breeze came from the darkness. Then it stopped. A few seconds later, another gust came out. Then silence.

It happened again and again, each gust coming at the same pace. Vale took a slow step back.

"... I should leave." He turned around. Another gust hit him. This one was much stronger. Vale looked back. The cave was still dark. He couldn't see anything inside, but he could feel it. Something was watching him. Two huge eyes opened in the darkness. They were reptilian. Vale's blood ran cold. A large shape shifted inside the cave. Then a mouth slowly opened, revealing rows of yellow teeth. Each one was large enough to tear through flesh and bone. A deep hiss echoed through the crater.

Vale's hand moved to his blade.

"Alright. I guess we're already here." He forced a nervous smile.

"I think I can handle a Category Four." The creature let out a low groan. Vale's smile vanished. Something about that sound was wrong. It was too deep. Too strong. The ground began to shake. Its skull slowly emerged from the cave. Vale took another step back. His eyes widened.

"No..." The creature kept coming. Its head alone was huge. Then its neck appeared, followed by its shoulders and thick muscles. Finally, the beast stepped into the dim light. Vale's heart began to pound. He knew that species.

"Tyrannosaurus Ultima..." His grip tightened around his blade. It was the greatest predator among the Tyrannosaurus species. At least fifteen meters tall, its body was covered in dense, hard muscle built for raw power. Its jaws were strong enough to crush stone and snap through trees with ease. This wasn't a Category Four. Vale took a slow breath as the beast lowered its massive head.

"You have got to be kidding me..." The Tyrannosaurus Ultima's eyes locked onto him. Its jaws slowly opened as another deep hiss rolled across the crater. Vale raised his blade. The weak daylight fell across the beast's huge skull, showing every scar and scale as it stared down at him.