Lightning Is the Only Way

Unsurprisingly, Yersi was the first to reach area D.

After killing enough High-Rank Demonic Beasts, she became a High-Rank Demonic Beast herself. She searched for more powerful prey but wasn't able to find any after several days of searching. She became increasingly frustrated as she realized that there were no beasts more powerful than her.

Due to that, she started reaching the edge of area A and was about to leave it.

BANG!

Yersi became incredibly shocked and afraid when a gigantic, white bird landed before her. This bird was so huge that she couldn't even see the entire thing! She had never seen anything even remotely like that.

This bird was the King who was responsible for keeping an eye on this area. Nearly no Divine Beast was fine with fighting beasts of their same level and always searched for more powerful opponents. Due to that, sooner or later, they would leave their area in search of more powerful opponents.

It was this King's job to inform the inhabitant about how to proceed.

"Eat enough beasts of your level to reach the next Realm. Then, you will meet more powerful opponents," the King transmitted to Yersi.

One had to remember that Energy Beasts had strengths equal to two levels higher than High-Rank Demonic Beasts. If Yersi entered area D without being a High-Rank Demonic Beast herself, she would most likely die.

Yersi wasn't able to fully understand what the King meant with his complicated words. She was still a Demonic Beast, and such concepts were foreign to her. Yet, she understood that she needed to eat more of the weak beasts present.

The authority of power that the King commanded compelled her to follow his orders. Due to that, she turned around and began to kill and consume one High-Rank Demonic Beast after the other. In just two weeks, she had consumed enough beasts to become an Energy Beast.

When Yersi had been a High-Rank Demonic Beast, she had been over ten meters tall, but as soon as she became an Energy Beast, her size decreased instead of increasing. This was an evolution, and her instincts guided her to keep her body as small as possible. Due to that, her size reverted to be only 1.5 meters tall.

When she became an Energy Beast, the King returned and took her away to area D. There, she would be able to find more powerful prey.

A couple of months after Yersi left area A, Cera also met the King responsible for her area. This king was a gigantic elephant. Cera also quickly managed to reach area D in two weeks after that.

When all this happened, Aris had just killed his first Mid-Rank Demonic Beast. By now, he had realized that he needed to destroy his opponent's means of retreat if he wanted to kill them. He despised that he had to do something like that, but he did it anyway.

for area D, Aris met the King responsible for his area. This one was a gigantic, emerald wolf. The wolf told Aris that he needed to consume more prey,

that someone more powerful than him told him to do

BANG!

was thrown back as the King shoved him away. Some of Aris' bones broke, but instead of becoming afraid, he only glared at the

BANG!

King struck him away. Yet, Aris continued in

King was nervous. He couldn't just kill Aris. Yet, Aris wasn't giving up! What was he supposed to do in this

D," Gravis

most likely die, right?" the

is similar to me and doesn't want to be forced to do something. He wants more powerful opponents, and sooner than later, he will fight

silent for a bit as he thought about Gravis' words. "Alright," he

Whooom!

upon Aris, healing all his injuries. The King had called for a healer. Then, the King summoned some wind

had failed an ambush, the opponent would simply run away, but that had changed. Now, the

her to fight someone even one level above her. The enemy quickly overwhelmed her,

Her first opponent chased her for hours, attacking her continually during all this. Due to that, Yersi was forced to battle the opponent openly. The direct fight took over an hour,

fight many more open battles. Her ambush still worked most of the time, but as soon as

easier but not that much. She had more direct combat experience than Yersi, but her enemies also had more combat experience than her previous ones. These fights required her to make use

fights, Cera managed to realize the hidden

hidden advantage was her flexible

learned to evade attacks without actually stepping to the side, giving her a prime opportunity to counterattack. As soon as she realized that advantage, the fights became way easier. Beasts on that

area D, he nearly died several

enough to injure him severely. Luckily, due to his direct combat style, he already

a

managed to kill their first opponents. Yersi still had a lead over Cera, but Cera was

Aris still had to dodge several sure-death strikes. In the

was true. Aris felt as alive as never before. He loved this feeling of his own life hanging by a thread, unknowing of the nervous and sweaty Gravis who kept watching Aris' brushes with death. It took everything out

fight dragged on for a long time, but in the end, the opponent decided to retreat. This was

progress and wanted to