On his journey, he encountered various creatures—primarily bloodwood wolves, lantern foxes, and spiky-tailed rabbits of ranks 1, 2, and even a few of rank 3.
Although, he refrained from initiated some battle with some of them, But the aura emanating from his snake armor sent them scurrying away. Despite this, he pursued and dispatched numerous beasts, over twenty in just the past two hours of wandering.
Harnessing the power granted by his Bone God ability, he fashioned numerous armaments: swords, spears, knives, bows, arrows, and even gauntlets, though they lacked the flexibility that his own black scales possessed, a mystery he could not unravel.
"I have been walking for hours—when will I reach a settlement? Why did that portal lead me to this...?"
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
Before he could complete his thought, the resounding toll of a mighty bell sliced through the air, ringing three ominous times.
Without a moment's hesitation, he dashed towards the sound, his heart racing not from thrill but from an all-consuming fear, for he knew well the meaning behind the bell's three tolls.
"BEAST TIDES!"
In the central continent, home to human dwellings, it is deemed a grave offense to toll a bell thrice, as it heralds the approach of formidable beast tides; to humans, it signifies the onset of war.
Beast tides arise when the population of creatures in a particular region swells beyond control, driving them into a frenzy as they invade human territories or those of other beings therein.
These beasts were once mere animals, living on earth before the great pillars manifested. With their rise, spiritual energy surged through the world, metamorphosing local wildlife into what would later be called fiendish beasts or wild beasts.
They are a key factor in humanity's near extinction, multiplying at an alarming rate and turning on one another, preying upon the weaker members of their kind, devouring their flesh and their Beast Cores.
A Beast Core is essential to every beast; it stores their spiritual qi and enables them to cultivate by absorbing the moonlight and sunlight qi from heaven and earth, favoring the former for their growth.
Their power classification ranges from rank 0 to 9, with divine or immortal beasts exceeding rank 9, while anything beneath rank 1 is relegated to ordinary wild animals.
Among them exist demonic beasts, creatures with bloodlines tied to dark powers, brimming with heightened spirituality and combat prowess, driven by a thirst for blood even greater than that of the fierce beasts.
There are also spirit beasts, blessed with divine bloodlines, boasting extraordinary spirituality and intelligence that rival even humanity, gentle yet immensely powerful.
Such knowledge is common, even to a child, which is why he sprinted towards the ring of the bell; it signified a beast tide surging from behind.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
"I must run faster, or I'll meet my end. Faster! Faster! Why must trouble always find me? All I desire is a moment's peace!"
Thinking with his speed he might no make it to the city in time, and Fearing for his life, he swiftly activated his demonic form.
*DING*
*DEMONIC FORM ACTIVATED*______
Immediately, a potent primordial demonic aura surged from him, transforming his body into a towering ten meters tall figure.
Twelve black horns sprouted from his head, resting on the dominating horn that grew from the back of his head, passing through the top of his ear to the front, all reaching skyward and adorned with golden and red runes.
His platinum hair shone with a primordial demonic radiance and cascaded over his shoulders, the ends turning purple instead of the usual red.
His body was enveloped in dark green scales resembling snake armor. A pair of dark purple wings burst from his back, exuding an aura everywhere; it was as if his armor had merged with his demonic form, and his strength soared to "rank 2 Peak."
"boom" "boom" "boom"
Each step he took echoed like thunder, shaking the ground beneath him, and his movements were incredibly swift, leaving behind blurs and shadows. He navigated through the forest like a monkey who had lived as a horse in a past life.
"Vroom" "Vroom" "Vroom".
His power and defense magnified exponentially, enhancing his physique and propelling him faster than a Ferrari at its peak speed.
After a substantial sprint, he arrived at a clearing that spanned the size of 500 football fields. Prompting him that his destination is not far away, because the embodiment of style of clearing always surround a city.
The ground was drenched in blood, littered with bones, tattered armor, and remnants of clothing. Broken swords and skeleton remains were scattered throughout, resembling a battlefield.
Upon entering the clearing, he felt a chilling presence, as if something or someone dangerous was observing him.
Quickly, he deactivated his demonic form and rushed towards what lay at the far end of the clearing which he could only catch a glimpse of.
At the end, a magnificent city stood fortified, with the continuous sound of horns and drums echoing, tremors resonating from the ground as a mighty earth dragon stirred from its slumber.
The city radiated a mix of medieval and technological energy, with people hurriedly passing through the gates.
The metallic walls encircling the city towered over five hundred meters high. Up close, it was evident that the wall was approximately a hundred meters thick, with soldiers armed with bows and arrows stationed atop.
The soldiers reading for battle were adorned with different armor, identifying there coalition.
The most outstanding ones wore black armor complemented with golden coats, symbolizing the federation army's uniform.
The navy donned black armor and blue coats, while the air force wore black armor with green coats. Police officers were dressed in black armor and white coats. They all gathered, giving commands and preparing for battle steadily.
The golden sun above illuminated the weapons on the city's walls, casting its bloody and golden light everywhere, causing flashes to zapp through one's eyes.
Soldiers readied their ballistae, crossbows, bows, spears, and ballistic spears, numbering in the thousands, all glowing with runes that signified their lethal intent.
A massive set of gates stood at the city's entrance, wide open.
As he approached the thick hundred-meter wall, he passed through a designated area that featured a high-rank formation rune.
In the middle of the passage, where the formation was inscribed, were two giant pillars adorned with high-rank runic scripts radiating the power of a high-rank detection formation, which would scare off anyone who was an intruder that approached.
Behind them stood a large two-meter square jade, functioning as a database that contained information about its citizens, used to identify and detect intruders or devilborns, also known as the fallen.
The devilborns are people who betrayed humanity and forsaken their ancestry teachings.
there will is for humans to submit to the devil race as food and slaves.
There form have been devilrized, with devil horns, wings, and other profanities.outcasting them as helf devil half human, giving them the title of Ultimately Calling themselves Devilborns.
They have been sabotaging humans in all battlefronts since the invasion resulting in the untimely Death of many warriors. making them the most hated organization in the Federation, Even other races were also facing this circumstance.
Such individuals would either be apprehended or killed on the spot for there treachery.