"Eva..." Loras watched Evangeline worriedly. ’He knew having Leo Thorne here wasn’t a smart choice.’

’He’s a natural troublemaker. How long has it been, and he’s already dragged Julian into The Hive? Even a master at the Nine-star Extreme Realm like Drake was no match for The Swarm. If it’s just the two of them, they’ll be trapped and won’t make it out if they get surrounded.’

Seeing the look on Loras’s face, Genesis’s own little face clouded with worry. He whispered, "Is Father Thorne okay?"

Evangeline handed Genesis to Loras and said calmly, "Let’s go."

Loras hugged Genesis tightly, nodded, and followed behind Evangeline. When he reached the cliff’s edge, he was about to jump down.

Evangeline grabbed his arm. She tilted her head and said, "We’re going to a Contract ceremony. We can’t make a poor showing, can we?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Hearing the dangerous undertone in Evangeline’s voice, Loras pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Genesis hugged Loras’s neck and looked at his mother curiously. Blinking his seven-colored eyes, he asked, "Mom, what’s ’a poor showing’? Whose Contract are we going to? Aren’t we going to find... find Father?"

The little guy scratched his black hair, a bit confused.

Though he didn’t want to live with his father, he still wanted to meet him. He wanted to know if they looked alike.

"Of course." Evangeline nodded slightly and ruffled Genesis’s head. "Mom will let your father see that our Genesis is the most beautiful cub on the Beastman Continent. We’ll make him understand that missing out on watching you grow up will be his life’s greatest regret."

Before Genesis could understand what she meant, Evangeline flicked her wrist, and an airship suddenly materialized before the cliff face.

It expanded rapidly in the wind, transforming in an instant into a magnificent, colossal vessel that hovered silently in mid-air.

’I’m not the type to show off, and I rarely use Magic Artifacts that burn through Spirit Stones. But... I’m taking my son to his father’s second wedding. No matter how you look at it, as the "original wife," I have to save some face.’

Evangeline took the still-dazed Loras by the hand and stepped slowly onto the airship.

"Whoa—Mom! You’re so amazing!" Genesis’s rainbow-hued, crystal-like eyes went wide as he looked around excitedly. He had never seen anything so beautiful, and it could fly! Just like him!

With that thought, Genesis eagerly wriggled out of Loras’s arms. With a soft flutter of the twelve butterfly wings on his back, he began to weave unsteadily around the ship. His flying wasn’t perfect, but he was getting the hang of it, looking just like a little bumblebee.

The ship slowly descended into the Triangle Abyss. Loras stood at the prow, reaching out to touch the railing. His expression was a mixture of reverence and worry.

’His female... she wasn’t The Beast God, but she seemed even more mysterious.’

’He was terrified that one day she would decide to leave, and they would be completely powerless to stop her. After all, she had appeared so silently. She would probably leave the same way. If that day ever truly came, he was afraid he would lose his mind.’

Evangeline then took the time to dress herself, Loras, and Genesis in finer attire. The saying "clothes make the man" was certainly true.

Her goal today was to give The Swarm in the Triangle Abyss a little shock.

’Crash the wedding? Heh. That really wasn’t my intention.’

The airship descended slowly, its massive hull cutting smoothly through the abyssal currents, drawing sideways glances from The Swarm along the way.

Swarm sentry posts were scattered throughout the Triangle Abyss, so a behemoth like this could hardly escape their notice.

The sentries stared warily at the giant flying object. It wasn’t a bird, nor did it resemble one of the Blade-Wing Insectoids, yet it could fly. After a brief commotion, the Swarm warriors quickly reached a consensus: it must be some kind of unknown Ferocious Beast!

And right now, this Ferocious Beast was launching an attack in the direction of The Hive!

*

Today, the King of the Blade-Wing Insectoids and the Queen of the Corrosive Swarm were to be joined as partners. It was a momentous day for The Swarm, and a festive atmosphere filled the entire valley. After all, The Swarm was an absolute monarchy, not a collection of tribes.

A large, black snake was coiled on a massive tree. Beside it perched a great bird shimmering with brilliant golden light. The two coexisted peacefully, looking down at the Swarm Beastmen passing below. The beastmen were carrying fruits and hunted prey, creating a lively scene.

"Hah. The King of the Blade-Wing Insectoids. Sounds so majestic. Who would have thought he was once just a Beastman from the Oasis Tribe, scorned and bullied by everyone?" Thorne flicked his forked tongue, a faint mockery glittering in his dark green, slitted pupils.

Julian stood on a branch, turning a deaf ear to Thorne’s words. His gaze was fixed on the Blade-Wing Insectoids’ Hive in the distance.

The Swarm Hives were all underground. No one had ever been inside one. They could only observe from the perimeter, not rush in recklessly.

The Avian Clan preyed on The Swarm, but if The Swarm’s numbers were too great, the roles of hunter and hunted would be reversed.

"What exactly are you planning to do?" Julian pulled his gaze away from the bustling Hive and looked at Thorne.

His molten-gold eyes were filled with gravity. If Thorne really stirred up trouble, Julian wasn’t sure he could get them both out alive. After all, even Drake hadn’t escaped unscathed. Many of the Blade-Wing Insectoids could fly, making them potentially even more difficult to handle than The Corrosive Swarm.

"What am I planning?" Thorne let out a cold laugh, his forked tongue flicking. His powerful, sinewy body, wrapped in jet-black scales, writhed slowly. "The Everwake betrayed his female. As one of Eva’s Beast Husbands, it’s only natural that I eliminate that good-for-nothing for her, isn’t it?"

As he spoke, his slitted pupils turned grim and ruthless, his killing intent laid bare.

Julian paused, looking down at Thorne. "If you kill their king inside The Hive," he said in a low voice, "you will die."

Thorne snorted. "Die? If I get rid of The Everwake, Eva won’t have to come to the Triangle Abyss anymore. What does death matter?"

He wasn’t afraid of death at all. He was only afraid of something happening to Eva.

Julian fell silent. ’He couldn’t understand Thorne’s radical mindset. But if he were in Thorne’s position... would he make the same choice? The terrifying part was, the answer was yes.’

"But The Hive is heavily guarded. We can’t just get in easily," Julian said, his voice heavy.

Swarm sentries were posted in nearly every corner. There could be Swarm watching from places they couldn’t even perceive.

The moment they were discovered breaking into The Hive, forget about killing The Everwake. They’d die in there themselves.

Just then, the sound of clanking and jingling bells drifted from the distance.

A flicker of amusement flashed in Thorne’s dark green, slitted pupils. "Look," he said pointedly, "our chance has arrived."

Julian’s gaze sharpened. Through the gaps between the branches and leaves, he saw a dense, dark crowd of Swarm Beastmen in the distance.

They were carrying a crude wooden sedan chair, and each Beastman held beautiful fresh flowers.

A beautiful, bewitching female sat on the chair. She reclined languidly, her golden hair cascading like a waterfall over her voluptuous figure. Her long legs were crossed, occasionally revealing a flash of skin from beneath her Beast Skin Skirt, yet not a single male around her dared to risk a second look.

Julian said in a low voice, "That’s the Queen of the Corrosive Swarm, Hecate!"

His voice was laced with bone-deep hatred, and fury churned in his molten-gold eyes.

If it weren’t for The Corrosive Swarm, his kinsmen wouldn’t have been grievously injured, let alone died. And Drake...