Epilogue – The Biyak Forest Incident (Part 2)

Belarus's malicious grin widened as he taunted, "So there were five of you mages, huh?... Oh, my mistake, it's just down to four now."

The remaining warriors were consumed by anger.
"Avenge her!" the flame mage bellowed furiously.

The earth mage thrust both his arms on the ground, chanting, "Earth spear!"
From the ground, a sharp triangular rock shaped like a spear surged forth, aiming straight for Belarus's chest.

However, the stone spear failed to even pierce Belarus's skin.
With a casual motion of his hand, he shattered the rock spear instantly.

Meanwhile, a fellow warrior attempted to attack from Belarus's blind side, lunging with jaguar-like paws with all his might.
Yet, the impact only resulted in his own claws breaking against Belarus's seemingly invulnerable skin.

In a swift retaliation, Belarus whirled around.
"Allow me to demonstrate how real claws function!"

As he said so, Belarus's arm transformed, scales sprouting forth, and his arm grotesquely morphed into a monstrous claw.

With this formidable claw, he punctured the jaguar mage's abdomen, then effortlessly flung the wounded warrior aside,
"That's how a real claw works!"

"Meril!" his comrades cried out, seeing their wounded comrade.

One of their warriors dashed forward to aid the wounded jaguar mage.

At this point the warrior's face was disgruntled.

The earth mage raised his arms and shouted "Earth lock."
From the ground, rock pillars erupted encasing Belarus in a pyramid-shaped prison.

Their fire mage not waiting a moment spread his arms, "Inferno Blaze!"
Powerful Flames surged around the pyramid cage, engulfing the cage and Belarus with it.

The intensity of the flames was so overwhelming that even the nearby village houses started getting ignited. The villagers fled in a frenzy trying to escape the searing heat and running into the woods.

The psychic bug mage carried the injured Jaguar warrior to safety from the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Jaguar warrior was bleeding profusely from the deep gash in his abdomen. He already lost a lot of blood and it was very difficult to save him.

The flame mage continued to channel all his mana relentlessly into his spell. Even the solid pillars of the earth began to liquefy and transform into flowing lava under the sheer heat.
The fierce flame spell lasted for a whole minute.

Exhausted, the fire mage finally ceased his spell, his breath ragged.
"Is he finally dead?" mumbled the earth mage, weariness evident in his tone.

The flame mage panted heavily, too drained to reply.

Peace seemed to have been restored and it looked like a victory for the warriors or so they thought.

To their dismay, the molten lava resonated with the echoes of laughter.
"That was a neat trick there, boy," a deep, terrifying voice reverberated.

It was different from Belarus's usual voice, possessing an eerie, resonating quality.

Emerging from the molten lava was a tall humanoid figure, its body covered in crimson scales. Long, grotesque claws extended from its hands, and its head resembled a monstrous beast, complete with jagged jaws and horned appendages.

Unbelievably, the creature was none other than Belarus himself, having assumed his transmutant form.
He stepped out of the lava with a fluid grace, as if it were a mere swimming pool. The flames had seemingly left no impact on him as if he was inherently immune to their scorching effect.

Belarus's monstrous form cast a glance toward the fire mage, his expression impassive,
"You, young one, possess quite the talent for mana. Being able to use such a spell even without contracting a divine spirit is commendable. Sadly your opponent happened to be me."

Dumbfounded, the warriors stared at Belarus's displayed invincibility.
It was clear that Belarus, being a half-fire dragon since birth, was far beyond the warrior's league.
The realization that they never stood a chance against him settled in, rendering them powerless.

Belarus suddenly materialized before the fire mage as if he had teleported, gripping the flame mage's neck in his hand.
The fire mage barely had time to react, "Lemme show you, what real flames are like," Belarus muttered, his tone ominous.

Before the flame mage could utter another word, flames surged from Belarus's body, engulfing the mage in a torrent of fire.
The intensity of the flames was blinding as if Belarus himself had transformed into an inferno flames.

The fire mage's agonized shriek echoed across the village, a momentary cry of pain before he disintegrated into ashes and vanished.

Amidst the chaos, the earth mage finally grasped that their efforts were futile against this force.
Quickly he slapped the earth and tall walls rose from the ground, encasing Belarus in a confined space.

Belarus spoke, his voice laced with irritation, "You still have more spells left? Impressive."

The earth mage didn't hesitate and started running away.
He quickly rushed toward the bug mage, "We are leaving!"

"My legs! They are not moving," said the bug mage terrified.

The earth mage hefted him onto his shoulder, "We are leaving now!"

"What about Meril? We have to take him along!" asked the bug mage on his shoulder,

The bug mage finally came to his senses,

"Meril's already left this world. Instead of rescuing his remains, we must save our lives to avenge him later." replied the earth mage as he ran to the woods.
As they retreated, the earth mage's expression was a full mix of fury and pained sorrow. This was the first time they had faced such a crushing defeat.

Inside the enclosed earth walls, Belarus waited, his patience wearing thin. He was still anticipating another fierce spell but nothing happened.
He was more than ready to face the spell head-on instead of dodging.

A minute dragged by, and still, no attack came. Annoyance painted Belarus's features,
"Don't tell me~ you're attempting to flee," he roared, his rage palpable.

He arched his back, and two wings, dragon-like, sprouted from his back. With a single powerful flap, he ascended into the sky, breaking free from the earthen walls.
With now a great view of the surroundings he looked for the fleeing earth mage.

It didn't take him long, he spotted the earth mage carrying his comrade running deeper into the jungle, seeking refuge.
The sight only fueled his fury. "Instead of seeking vengeance for your fallen comrades, you flee like cowards. Pathetic!" Belarus said furiously.

Belarus extended his palm, summoning a crimson fireball that hovered before him. With his other hand, he clenched his fist as if preparing for a punch.
Then with full might, he punched that crimson fireball as he shouted, “Crimson Retribution!”

A colossal explosion erupted, giving birth to a searing beam of fire that consumed everything in front of Belarus. A bright flash of fire beam swept across the forest like a meteor destroying everything and anything in its path.
The spell was powerful and so bright that it blinded everyone present in the forest for a second.

The devastation left in its wake was beyond measure, with a trail of scorched earth, molten lava, and utter desolation.
Not a single person or vegetation survived the colossal fire beam. That spell also destroyed Kraven’s Ice Cage and traveled deeper into the forest.

The very landscape of this forest was altered, as the forest was transformed into charred remains. The spell fire beam was so immense that even a distant hill was razed to the ground leaving a big circular hole.
The once-vibrant forest now had a big deep wound-like gash that turned into a smoldering wasteland, marked by burning flames and the haunting silence of obliteration.

Meanwhile, the trio companion of Belarus rushed to the village site, only to find a scene of devastation – a village isolated and destroyed.

"That fool destroyed my perfectly crafted ice cage with his recklessness! What on earth was he thinking?" Kraven exclaimed, visibly agitated.

Silas let out a resigned sigh, his frustration was evident,
"Alquira, chain him down. Now."

The gloomy girl with dark circles nodded and gestured with her arms.
In an instant, massive chains sprouted from the ground, reaching skyward before wrapping tightly around Belarus, binding him and rendering him immobile.

"What now...?!" Belarus roared in disbelief. The chains had ensnared him before he could even react.

With swift efficiency, the chains yanked him downward, causing him to crash onto the ground with a resounding thud. Even his wings were restrained, rendering him powerless.

Belarus struggled against his restraints, attempting to break free, but his efforts were futile.
Finally, he turned his head to face the source of his predicament.

"Alquira! You dare chain me to the ground like an animal?" he thundered, his anger evident.

Alquira's expression was a mix of worry and fear.
"Silas ordered me to do it!" she replied defensively, taking cover behind Kraven.

Silas stepped forward, his expression one of controlled anger.

"You imbecile! Do you have any idea how close your fiery display came to damaging the seal?"

Belarus shrugged dismissively, "Relax, Silas. A little fire won't break that seal. You're being overly cautious."

"If you even think about using another spell, I won't hesitate to lock you up for another millennium," Silas warned, his voice laced with stern authority.
Resignedly, Belarus shifted back from his dragon form to his original human form.

"Fine, fine. Let's all just calm down," said Belarus trying to defuse the situation.

Alquira eventually released Belarus from her chains, and he rose from the ground, dusting himself off with a nonchalant attitude.

Kraven approached Belarus with an irritated expression,
"You moron! Your little show broke my meticulously crafted ice cage."

Belarus smirked, not bothered in the slightest.

"Why should I care about those flimsy ice twigs?"

Kraven's frustration grew palpable.
"These ice cages were meant to keep the villagers inside. If you want something sturdier to contain your reptilian body, I can always make you an ice casket and seal you inside."

Belarus responded with arrogance,
"Go ahead and try."

Silas intervened, his tone carrying a stern warning.

"Don't provoke another confrontation, or I might just decide to seal both of you together."

Kraven's irritation persisted.
"But what if the villagers managed to escape through an opening in the ice cage?"

Silas reassured him calmly,
"You needn't worry. Alquira has already captured all the surviving villagers attempting to flee."

At Silas's command, Alquira summoned the villagers, who were restrained by the changes sprouting from the ground.
They had been gathered in no time, their chains seemingly guided by Alquira's technique.

The villagers were all gathered back into the village, frightened and helpless. Having witnessed the destruction inflicted by Belarus, they were uncertain of their fate.
Silas observed them without a hint of pity. The villagers, who had suffered such losses and chaos, meant nothing more than an inconvenience to his mission.

"Hmm, so there are still quite a few of you left," Silas said after doing a head count.

The village's tribal chief stood up, a figure of authority as if speaking for the village,
"Respected sir, who are you? And why have you attacked us?"

Silas and his group remained silent, their gaze fixed on the villagers.

Stepping ahead, Silas finally spoke,
"You Antlerian vermin have committed a grave sin of creating a village on this forbidden land. Your little mistake could have plunged the world into chaos and destruction. To fix your mistakes and duly hand your punishment we had to come forth before world peace shatters.”

The villagers were taken aback by this revelation,

“Forbidden land?”

“But we have been living here for generations.”

“So just us living here is a threat to the world?”

“They are talking nonsense!”

Seeking clarity, the tribal chief asked,
"Honored sir, we Antlerian people lived here in peace for generations. We know of no sin we have committed and lived in the embrace of this forest peacefully. Could you at least explain why this is a forbidden land and why our brethren were killed needlessly?"

Silas fixed a piercing gaze on the chief, "You still have the gall to make demands, very well.”

He continued,
“Here me well. You vermins settled atop evil Sealed Gates that, if opened, could bring calamity and devastation to the world. Even the mana beasts steer clear of this place knowing the danger. Yet you people are utterly unaware of this fact and endangered the peace of this world."

The villagers exchanged baffled whispers.

"I've never seen any gates."

"Devastation? The only devastation was our home by you folks."

"They are simply making random reasons to kill us!"

The villagers were not buying for this reason. They started uprising despite being chained to the ground.

"Silence, you fools!" the tribe chief commanded out loud.

The chief turned to Silas, bowing respectfully,
"Sir, we are unaware of any sealed gates you mention in this village. Please disregard my people's ramblings as they have been through a lot.”

The chief then got on his knees and bowed deeper,
“We were ignorant of this place being off-limits. Having been living here for generations, we had no idea it was off-limits, and I apologize for our ancestors' mistake. May I request permission to relocate my people elsewhere in the forest where we can settle down?"

The villagers were surprised that their chief was begging on their knees. Though reluctant, the villagers didn't dare voice their dissent.

Silas nodded with a hint of approval,
"That's a sensible suggestion."

The chief smiled gratefully,
"Then we humbly request to be allowed—"

Silas's tone shifted, cutting him off,
"But now that you're aware of the sealed gates' location, it's too dangerous for you folks to be released freely."

The village chief's expression shifted from hope to despair.

A sudden hush fell over the group as the tribal chief's forehead started glistening with sweat.
He implored, "Sir, we promise not to breathe a word of what we've seen. Just let us go, and we'll forget everything that's happened today."

Silas, a sly grin on his face, replied, “I can't allow that either. Spending so long near those sealed gates has tainted all your villager's souls. It won't be long before you turn into demons yourselves. It's best to lay you to rest now, to prevent any future trouble.”

Desperation drove the tribal chief to his knees. "Please, sir! Spare us.”

The Antlerian people, a mix of anger and fear, chimed in. "You're the real monsters," one shouted. "Put an end to this!" another pleaded. "Heartless bastards!" someone else accused me. "At least spare our children," they implored.

Silas remained solemn with a loud voice,
"As one of the Heavenly Guardians of this realm, it's my solemn duty to uphold peace. The Antlerian people residing over the evil-sealed gates have been exposed to the evil miasma for too long. It won't be long before you people will lose your mind and start attacking the residents of this realm like vicious demons. Before this could happen, I declare the Antlerian people as a threat to the realm."

The villagers were just shocked at this announcement. They couldn't even digest all the accusations they were being pressed on, all they could do was stay quiet with wide open mouth.

Silas continued,
"There, I, Silas Tranquillow, the Heavenly Virtue of Patience, under the watchful eyes of the heaven declare the death penalty for your aggressions."

Chaos erupted out among the tribal people,
"This madness must cease!" one of them shouted.
"To the hell with your judgment!" yelled another.
"You don't scare us! You're the true monsters here!"

The tribal chief's eyes widened in disbelief,
"You are one of the Heavenly Virtues, protectors appointed by the heavens! Then why? Why are you subjecting us to this treatment?"

Silas didn't offer an explanation and stood silent.
Instead, he commanded, "Alquira, they are all yours now."

Alquira's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Ah, the thrilling part!"