Chapter 91 - The One Who Hides Behind The Curtains (2/2)

”Nooo! Grandpa!”

Various screams sprang from those poor martial artists of the younger generation who had found themselves in that gruesome spectacle. They couldn't conceive how so many spirit soldiers, the peak of strength on Rainbow Island, could have died that way.

But unfortunately, they didn't have the luxury of being able to mourn their lost loved ones or think coolly about the situation. The man standing in mid-air was going down, and his aura moved to the point where the younger generation of the participant sects was. No, to be precise, he was focusing on one point: where the Heart of the World Tree was, meaning near Hei.

Boom! Screech!

Another great aura appeared from the sphere while the beautiful woman seen before appeared again. Her spirit power, therefore, enveloped all the martial artists of the younger generation, materializing a transparent pinkish petal that blocked the pressure coming from the man in mid-air.

”I figured he hadn't left it without a guardian. But do you believe that a soul on borrowed time can resist me?” The unknown man expressed himself in a laugh of scorn and disgust at the sight of Gaiya, immediately recognizing the state in which the divine beast was.

”In that case, why don't you deal with me? Or are you afraid of losing again? You, The One Who Hides Behind The Curtains.”

At that moment, another voice sounded throughout the lake. On hearing that voice, Hei felt a sense of familiarity and strangeness. He was used to hearing that voice inside his head, while now it was audible to anyone.

When the words of the mysterious voice died down, the unknown man assumed an incredulous expression as he opened his eyes wide as if he couldn't believe what his ears had heard. Then his brow furrowed up to deform his whole face in anger, and he clenched his fists with all the strength he had.

”Who!? Who did it!? How do you know that expression of words? Who taught you that?!”

The unknown man had lost all his calm and confidence just now. Inside him, there was only a blinding rage that was clouding his judgment and his heart.

”Even though it's been a hundred thousand years, as I imagined, you haven't forgotten how he called you. And as usual, you haven't lost the habit of taking possession of bodies that aren't yours. Or are you terrified to come here yourself?”

While the eyes of the unknown man flew across the surface of the lake at high speeds, they finally managed to find the origin of the voice that was communicating with him.

It was where the sect leaders and the surviving elders were located a short time ago, before stepping back for fear. A small spider, a few millimeters in length, stood there. And yet, despite the tiny dimension of that being that seemed to be easy to crush, he could feel immense pressure coming from the spider — a force not at all inferior to his.

And under the astonished eyes of all those present, the tiny spider began to get bigger and bigger.

10 centimeters, 1 meter, 10 meters, 100 meters.

Tremble!

When the spider reached 100 meters in length, it was the moment in which its transformation also ended. Its sturdy eight legs came to rest on the ground generating a slight earthquake in the land. But this earthquake wasn't due to its body's weight but to the very pressure of its spirit power. Even if it was difficult to believe that, given its size, the actual weight of the spider was significantly lower than what a spirit beast of its size should have had.

”Bao Bei,” Gaiya muttered in a tender voice as large pearl-like tears rolled down her cheeks again and bathed her face. Even after one hundred thousand years, she could recognize the being she had loved the most in her life. And the mere fact of being able to see her again was more precious than all the treasures she had ever earned in her life.

”Bao Bei?” The mysterious man was able to hear the slight murmur of Gaiya, and immediately, his mind began to flow through his thoughts until he found the origin of the name he had caught up.

”You! Now I remember, you're the spider bitch who was always with him. How can you still be alive?! No, it doesn't matter. It is good that you are alive. The punishment for destroying my plans at that time. I couldn't inflict it to him as he had died, but it will be a pleasure to make you pay for it instead.” The mysterious man spoke in a speech full of hatred and resentment as the contours of his eyes became distorted by the madness of anger.

”The One Who Hides Behind The Curtains. What you just said, I should be the one saying it. For many years I thought I couldn't take revenge. Yet now, ironically, I got my long-awaited chance for revenge. As the Companion of the Beast Emperor, Hei An, I will now pronounce the sentence for the sins committed by you against our race. The sentence is DEATH!”

The calm and gentle tone of Bao Bei had been replaced by such authority and strength. It was hard to imagine that that voice belonged to their mother. Yet they had seen with their own eyes the transformation of Bao Bei. And although it had increased considerably in size, in the end, she kept her features.

The giant spider of 100 meters was undoubtedly their beloved mother. There was no way they could be wrong.

”Gaiya, it's a huge relief to see you again. But I have to ask you to protect them while I fix this.”

”Yes, Your Highness,” Gaiya replied reverently.

As the companion of the Beast Emperor, Bao Bei had automatically assumed the title of Empress of the Divine Beasts. But rather than using her title of Empress, she preferred to be called by the title of Companion of the Beast Emperor. The only one who called her by the name of her highness had always been Gaiya, the Queen of plant and flower type Divine Beasts.

The large body of Bao Bei at that point slowly began to rise in the air until it stopped at the same height as the unknown man. No, now he was no longer anonymous. Although his real name hadn't been revealed, Bao Bei had called him 'The One Who Hides Behind The Curtains.'

Looking from the shore of the lake, under the protection of the spirit power of the divine beast Lotus of Love, Gaiya, Hei, Ye, Xing, and Lian were watching with deep concern in the direction of Bao Bei. In particular, of all of them, Hei was the one with a heart full of anxiety and fear. He knew his mother's condition well and what it would happen now and its consequences.

Immediately, tears of sadness began to fall down his eyes as he again cursed his impotence.

As it was typical of his mother, Bao Bei noticed the look of her cubs and Hei's tears. So she turned to them momentarily as she sent a spirit message straight into their minds, audible only to them and Lian.

'Don't cry, my little ones. Rather than being sad for mom, why don't you root for me? I need all your support, my loved ones. And as my children, yes you too, Lian. As my children, you must engrave this battle in your minds and hearts because this is the fight that you will carry out in the future. The battle against the real enemy hidden behind the curtains. The reason from which all this despair and 'destruction' originated.'

The words of Bao Bei to her loved ones were dark and enigmatic. Hei, his little sisters, and Lian couldn't understand at all what she meant precisely. After all, they were still completely shocked by all that had happened so far. Yet, one thing was sure.

Yes, they were sure that Bao Bei was going to show them her real strength. The real power of a sixth-level divine beast. The power of a being at the height of the force obtainable on this planet, excluding the divine rank.

Bao Bei then moved her eight eyes back to The One Who Hides Behind The Curtains and prepared for the fight. Meanwhile, The One Who Hides Behind The Curtains had managed to regain his composure, placing himself in a position to attack.

The fight that would forever leave a scar in Hei, Ye, Xing, and Lian was about to begin.