It was a one-eyed golden lion beastkin, whose appearance bore a striking resemblance to Leonagnus.

  "What... Could this person be......"

  Bars stared at the figure in shock,

  memories of an incident that had occurred in the Golden Lion Royal Clan over twenty years ago flooding his mind.

  At that time, the Golden Lion Clan had two highly talented princes—both with the potential to inherit the tribe’s throne.

  To choose the more suitable heir between them, the previous Lion King had subjected the two to a series of trials.

  During the trials, both princes successfully completed their objectives, but their methods couldn’t have been more different.

  The eldest prince united others, completing the trials with the help of the tribe.

  The second prince, however, resorted to unscrupulous tactics—even extreme measures—along the way.

  Though both succeeded, the outcome was inevitable. The previous Lion King didn’t hesitate for a moment, choosing the eldest prince outright and severely punishing the second prince for his actions.

  Unable to accept this result, the second prince harbored a deep grudge.

  Eventually, on a fateful night, he committed treasonous atrocities: he personally killed the previous Lion King and forcibly declared himself the new ruler.

  Such an act was an unforgivable provocation to the entire tribe.

  The eldest prince led his army to storm the royal city, defeating the second prince in a one-on-one duel in front of everyone—and slashing out one of his eyes.

  After that, the eldest prince ascended the throne as the new Lion King. Instead of executing his brother, he stripped him of his title and exiled him permanently from the Indam Federation.

  Over twenty years had passed. The former eldest prince—now the current Lion King—had grown into a top-tier Rank A powerhouse in the Federation. And the exiled second prince had returned, his strength also reaching Rank A.

  ......

  "Leonagnus! For over twenty years—day and night, night and day—every single moment, I’ve thought of nothing but avenging myself against you!"

  "Today, I finally get to fulfill this wish! All the humiliation I’ve endured for these twenty years—I’m going to make you pay for every bit of it——!!!"

  Sargas’s roar swept over the crowd like a hurricane.

  For a moment, the entire scene fell deathly silent.

  "Sargas......"

  Looking at Sargas—who hadn’t changed at all over the decades, but had only become even more extreme—Leonagnus wore a grief-stricken expression.

  "Why? Why did you choose to do this again......"

  "Sargas Redman——!"

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Someone familiar with the old incident shouted angrily, refuting him:

  "You madman! Back then, Lord Leonagnus cherished the bond of brotherhood with you! Even after you committed the heinous crimes of treason and patricide, he overrode all objections and spared your life—hoping you would repent and turn over a new leaf! But what about you——!"

  "What are you doing now?! You ungrateful wretch! Colluding with Gulos! Trying to overthrow the Federation that gave you birth and raised you!!!"

  "That’s enough......"

  Leonagnus spoke up to stop him.

  "Lord Leonagnus!"

  "That’s enough. There’s no need to say more......"

  Leonagnus shook his head gently.

  "He won’t listen to reason anymore."

  "......I, sigh......"

  Letting out a helpless sigh, the man fell silent.

  "Hmph~! Why stop him?"

  Sargas sneered.

  "Go on—keep talking!"

  "Do you really think these foolish, ridiculous words will affect me?!"

  "What did I do wrong——!?"

  "I only took the necessary means to get what I wanted! Isn’t there anyone in this world who hasn’t resorted to all kinds of methods to achieve their goals?!"

  "You... You’re nothing but a shameless scoundrel!"

  Many tribal kings were furious at Sargas’s audacity.

  "There are countless ways to achieve one’s goals in this world! But never—never—like this!"

  "You selfish, petty-minded bastard!"

  "Hmph——!"

  Sargas let out a cold snort, his eyes glowing with bloodthirsty red light.

  "Bastard? Scoundrel?"

  "So what? Who can stop me! Today, I’m going to kill him here and take back my throne! Who dares to stand in my way——!?"

  "Do you... want the throne that badly?"

  Leonagnus stared at Sargas, his gaze growing cold and indifferent.

  "Of course! I’m the one who should stand at the top of the Federation as king! Only I can lead the tribe toward a stronger future! Cowards like you deserve to die here!"

  "Is that so......"

  Crack! Crack! Crack......

  Leonagnus’s muscles bulged, his clothes tearing at the seams as a powerful magical aura—so intense it seemed to distort the very air—erupted from his body.

  "If you want the throne that badly, then prove it with your current strength. This time......"

  "I won’t show any mercy."

  "Hahahaha!" Sargas laughed maniacally, then glared grimly at Leonagnus. "Exactly what I wanted! Only by cutting off your head with my own hands can I ease the hatred in my heart! Leonagnus——!!!"

  Boom!

  A powerful magical aura that rivaled Leonagnus’s erupted from Sargas’s body as well.

  "Leonagnus, we’ll fight alongside you!"

  King Sandor, the Bear King, unleashed his own powerful magical aura.

  Queen Sylvia followed suit, releasing her aura moments later.

  "Hehe~, it seems you still haven’t realized the reality! Very well—you three are all going to die today anyway."

  In an instant, Tanoklian Sion (Deputy Commander of the Great Demon Mercenary Corps), Dark General Bodis, and Earth General Morby all unleashed their formidable magical auras.

  In this small stretch of Federal Avenue, seven terrifying auras converged, turning the area into a chaotic realm.

  Bang!

  An iceberg rose abruptly nearby.

  A white figure landed beside Tanoklian and the others moments later.

  Boom——!

  Less than two seconds after that, a shooting star crashed onto Federal Avenue as well—though this time, it landed on the Federation army’s side.

  "What an exaggerated scene......"

  Snoke climbed out of the crater-like hole, his expression grave.

  "Lord Starmaker, thank you for your help just now!"

  Sylvia expressed her gratitude to Snoke.

  "It’s nothing—a trivial matter."

  "We appreciate your generosity, Lord Starmaker. However... I hate to trouble you, but would you be willing to join forces with us?"

  "No need to say more, Queen Sylvia. When faced with something like this, I, Snoke the Starmaker, would never flee!"

  "Then we thank you for your assistance! The Federation will reward you generously after this is over!"

  "Hehe!" Tanoklian sneered. "How leisurely you are. Do you really think adding one more person will make a difference? But have you forgotten—we have five Rank A powerhouses on our side! Though......"

  His tone suddenly shifted, and Tanoklian looked at the Federation’s kings with a playful glint in his eyes.

  "We only need to kill the three of them. As for the rest of you—if you’re willing to cooperate, we can let you live~."

  "Bastards!""Pah!""Who would collude with enemies of the world like you!""Dream on!""......"

  The Federation’s kings erupted in anger, raising their weapons one after another.

  Only Abak Lali, the King of the Black Wolf Tribe, stood at the back of the crowd, his eyes filled with complex emotions, saying nothing.

  In a scene like this, he was nothing but an insignificant peripheral figure. The other kings wouldn’t notice his unusual silence—and even the people he’d colluded with had never truly regarded him as a threat......