Ruru touched the barrier with her hands, and her antlers began to glow and lengthen.
An extra shield of light blue energy appeared on top of the previous one.
"This can hold out even against the leader of the pisacha for a month," she muttered, running off towards the location where they sensed Jambavan's Soulforce.
Vyaghra also moved, silently following behind.
"What could have led Jambavan to unleash his full strength? Did his territory get attacked as well? Please be safe, Jambavan," Ruru murmured, her lips trembling as she sprinted.
"Don't disrespect Jambavan! His raw strength even rivals the Queen. It's his enemy that should be worried," Vyaghra scolded, his tone harsh, as he sprinted beside her.
I was also being dragged along with them without my will. They were moving with the same insane speed that Ruru used to carry me to different zones.
From their conversation, I figured out a few things. Ruru must have returned after meeting with Jambavan. So the events I was witnessing in Vyaghra's memories were undoubtedly from the moment Ruru left Jambavan's territory.
And the Soulforce they felt should have been when Jambavan transformed, along with using Battle Cry and Berserk at the same time.
There was one more thing. When Ruru created that barrier, she mentioned the name pisacha. That must be the name of the species of those strange creatures emerging from the portals.
"His Soulforce is fading. The battle must be at its end," Vyaghra said, his golden eyes twitching with focus.
"We need to hurry," Ruru rattled, speeding up.
We were in the forest, bolting from one branch to another. I was floating in the air beside Vyaghra, like a spirit, moving on my own.
The trees were similar to what I saw in the Forest of Gumiho. It's just that their size was way smaller.
We reached the end of the forest, and as we moved past the last tree into the open ground, Ruru fell to her knees, looking ahead.
"No—no way," she gasped, tears rolling down from her eyes.
The Jambavan tribe that once echoed with people's cheerful laughter and bustled with various races, was in complete ruins.
And the place where the massive castle of Jambavan stood now lay an even more massive mountain of Pisacha corpses.
"How—how did Jambavan's tribe fight this many Pisachas alone?" Ruru muttered, wiping her tears.
"It wasn't a group fight. This is a one-sided massacre," Vyaghra spoke, gazing at the corpses.
"You are... telling me Jambavan fought all these alone?" Ruru stammered, covering her mouth with her hand.
"I thought Jambavan would've grown weaker due to retirement, but this is proof that he never stopped growing," Vyaghra replied, kicking the severed head of the Pisacha's leader.
"He must have fought them alone to let his family escape. They should be heading for the capital," Ruru said, getting up.
"Jambavan has a family?" Vyaghra asked, as they began to move again.
"He has a wife and a very adorable daughter. I was reluctant to make him fight again, but he agreed regardless, to protect his family," Ruru replied, reaching the open ground beyond the city.
As they were moving, something bizarre began to happen.
The ground started shaking, and a powerful gust of wind blew toward us.
Both of them stopped for a moment, as an ear-piercing voice howled from ahead,
"Vani... Aghhhhh... Varena..."
"This—this is Jambavan's voice," Ruru whispered, words barely leaving her lips.
Vyaghra's forehead veins bulged, and he vanished, moving like a flash, reaching the source of the scream in a split second.
Amidst the hundreds of corpses of Pisacha and the people of Jambavan's tribe, the God of Strength, the symbol of raw power and intimidation, sat on his knees howling with bloody tears in front of a severed hand.
"I will destroy everythin'..." he growled, embracing something to his chest.
"Kill... kill... destroy..." he muttered, slowly getting up.
He was about to move, but a sudden thud echoed, and he fell to the ground.
Vyaghra had hit the back of his head with the hilt of his dagger.
"Oh no! How could something happen?" Ruru sobbed, reaching the scene as well.
"They must have been attacked while running for the Capital—Tchh... These weaklings couldn't even protect themselves," Vyaghra said in a sharp voice.
He touched Jambavan's body, emitting black shadows from his hands.
The darkness slowly engulfed Jambavan and merged with Vyaghra's shadow.
Without saying a word, he began to walk away.
"Wait! Where are you taking him?" Ruru asked with narrowed eyes.
"I am taking him to the Capital. He is not in his right mind. If left alone, he would go berserk and destroy everything in his path," Vyaghra responded in a firm voice.
"We need to give him some time. He just lost his family," Ruru said, her voice low. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel•fire.net
"Who told him to settle down and start a family? And even if he did, the blame is entirely upon him for not being able to protect them. I would bring him to the presence of Her Majesty to answer the crimes of starting a family without permission and also for being unable to control his powers. And if he doesn't pull himself together, I will kill—"
A sharp slap landed on his face before he could utter another word.
"Do you have any conscience? Do you know how it feels to lose a family? No, you don't! You never had a family to begin with, so how could you know what Jambavan is going through? You are alone, and you always will be," Ruru snapped, tears falling from her starry eyes as she spoke.
"The Queen will decide what to do with him," Vyaghra said, turning toward the direction of the Capital, ignoring what Ruru had said.
After a brief pause, he looked back, gazing at Ruru with murderous intent as he spoke,
"I am letting this slide once, but if you dare to cross the line again, even your protection spells won't be able to save you."