Kael had memorized the path leading towards the other Alpha, but he didn't take it. Instead, he went around the area, keeping himself hidden from the other beasts.
[Master, if I may ask, what are you doing?]
'I just thought of another possibility,' Kael replied as he hid behind a fallen tree and waited for a bear-type beast to pass.
'What if this was all a trap? What if the lions never left, and the reason he was eating other lions wasn't just for healing, but also to bait Kiona to come out?'
One thing he clearly knew was that Kiona was extremely talented with Epic-Stage Fire Affinity. The Diremane Pride must have had some clue about her talent, which was why they sent so much manpower to eliminate her.
How could they just leave without killing her?
After all, if she survived by accident, then she would definitely seek revenge and leaving an enemy like her alive would be far too stupid.
He had only left out this possibility before because male lions liked hunting alone, so it was quite possible only one had stayed behind to hunt Kiona.
But a human was involved in this matter, which changed everything. As a former human, Kael expected even the lowest of low from humanity, let alone baiting someone like this.
Once the bear was gone, he leapt out of his hiding spot and continued his silent journey. Since he didn't encounter anyone when he had taken the straight path earlier, he now decided to go around the hill where the lion was residing.
When he was halfway through, he stopped and closed his eyes. He had kept his [Beast Sense] active the whole time, and it had just detected some movement from a large beast at the edge of its range.
He quickly moved to check on the beast while withdrawing his Beast Sense. The chances of it sensing his skill were low, but he didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.
Soon, he was behind the thick trunk of an evergreen tree, looking at a Fanged Lion sleeping in the distance. The lion was nestled comfortably between a fallen tree and a rock.
[Second Evolution. Fanged Lion. E-Rank!]
'I knew it!' Kael exclaimed. 'These bastards are just waiting for her to fall into their trap since they can't find any traces of her.'
He wanted to kill the Fanged Lion in its sleep, but he had a feeling they knew a way to alert each other, and he wasn't confident he could finish him off fast enough.
So, he abandoned the plan and quietly left the area. He had only come to gather intel, not fight, so it would be stupid to reveal his location now.
Just like that, he continued moving from one position to another, being extra careful to not let anyone sense his presence. It was a bit overkill, but Kael didn't want to take any chances.
After almost two hours, he finally stopped near a tall tree and hid in the nest of a large bird. It was big and carved into the trunk, making it the perfect place to take a short break.
"A total of 20 Fanged Lions around the hill, watching over the valley where that Flameclaw Lion is sleeping," he muttered. "This is gonna be hard as fuck."
He was confident in dealing with one or two E-Rank monsters, but 20 would overwhelm even him. And that wasn't even counting the Flameclaw Lion, who was at D-Rank, making him a seriously dangerous opponent.
A direct confrontation was out of the question.
"Something's still amiss," Kael muttered, closing his eyes as he tried to remember if he had missed anything but there was nothing obviously out of place.
"Did you make the map?" he asked.
[Certainly! I have also marked all the locations of the Fanged Lions and the paths they might use to intercept any enemy within the valley.]
"Good job!" Kael said, stepping out of the hollow trunk. "Time to prepare a counterattack then."
He took a different route to reach his destination but stopped again after about fifteen minutes of running. He still felt that something was off.
Standing amidst dense vegetation filled with vines and tall evergreen trees, Kael looked around. Everything seemed normal but his gut said otherwise. So, he began scanning the area once again.
"Everything is normal... then something is wrong with the normal," he muttered.
The trees were too many, but there was nothing strange about them. He even looked at the sky and tried sniffing the air in case there was poisonous gas.
After all, he was mostly immune now so it was possible he might have overlooked it. But no, the air was perfectly clear and cold, just like always, aside from the usual smell of blood and rotting flesh.
"Death is very normal here, so the smell is always there… but that could also be the problem," Kael reasoned, and began investigating more thoroughly.
He found a few beasts, insects, bugs, and even some dead bodies. All of it looked normal… until his eyes locked onto a small white rabbit sitting next to the corpse of a bear.
Kael didn't hesitate.
He activated [Lightning Mantle], and his body surged forward like a streak of silver lightning. In the blink of an eye, he appeared next to the rabbit and brought his claws down.
The white rabbit didn't even flinch before it was shredded into pieces. Its body torn apart in an instant.
Kael didn't stop there. He slashed at the nearby trees with his claws and then vanished, slipping away from the area like he had never been there at all.
Silence fell.
Moments later, a hooded figure arrived, stepping into the clearing. The figure was fully draped in black robes, from head to toe, making it impossible to discern their gender or even race.
Only one thing was clear. They were humanoid.
The figure stopped near the rabbit's mutilated body and looked over the claw marks. Then, in a calm, masculine voice, he muttered.
"A wolf? Hmm… I did see a few Duskwither Wolves nearby, so that's not surprising. Guess I got worried for nothing."