Meeting and Negotiations

A lord's death meant that an area would temporarily be left unsupervised. Although there were surely other Pseudo-Adjuchas under the lord they had just faced, his overconfidence had ultimately led to his death at Nel and Wien's hands.

With no one in charge, the other Pseudo-Adjuchas in the territory would surely claim a share of its resources before a new lord appeared.

So, during this period of chaos, Wien could venture farther inward in search of more resources.

Elsewhere, in the Central Forest, at the very center of its core region, a gigantic spirit tree pierced the clouds. Its radius was nearly a thousand meters, and it was probably the tallest tree in the entire Forest.

Inside the tree's trunk, dozens of Pseudo-Adjuchas Menos Grande had gathered. They seemed to be holding a meeting.

A great hollow had been carved into the sprawling trunk, where nearly forty intermediate- and high-rank Pseudo-Adjuchas Menos Grande sat. On a lower level, dozens of Initial Pseudo-Adjuchas stood on a platform encircling the inside of the tree, sitting in a circle around a massive central root. At the top of the root's main stem sat a gigantic humanoid Hollow about four meters tall.

"Doruni's Spiritual Pressure has vanished," said an elderly humanoid Hollow who resembled a Tree Person, positioned to the right of the great tree's main trunk.

"So soon? How long has it even been?" On the other side of the trunk, several towering Hollows exchanged looks. Doruni was one of the thirty-six lords of this Forest of Menos, and the area where Wien was located was his territory.

Wien and Nel's arrival, along with Nel's immense Pseudo-Adjuchas-level Spiritual Pressure, had allowed the Pseudo-Adjuchas in the core region to notice her immediately.

At first, they had paid her little mind, believing that when this strange pair entered the core region one day, they would naturally come into contact with the Hollows there.

In such a vast Forest, not every Hollow wanted to enter the core region. Likewise, the Hollows gathered there did not accept every Pseudo-Adjuchas. They only accepted companions who shared their aims; after all, Pseudo-Adjuchas also needed other Pseudo-Adjuchas as a source of food.

But unexpectedly, after the two newly arrived Hollows entered the Forest, they hunted only on the outskirts and showed no intention of venturing deeper. This greatly irritated the local lord, Doruni.

The Gillian resources in his territory were being steadily devoured by this Adjuchas and Gillian. How could he not be angry?

Thus, taking advantage of this core meeting, he volunteered to test the pair of Hollows who did not know the rules. He called it a test, but in truth, Doruni was confident that his Spiritual Pressure was greater than the Pseudo-Adjuchas's, and he outright ignored the Gillian beside her. As a result, he went alone, and the moment they met, Doruni intended to kill her outright so he could have her Spiritual Power all to himself. Unfortunately, he never imagined that by going, he would end up on someone else's plate.

"What do you think?"

Only after a long silence did a question ring out. All the Hollows turned their gazes to the highest point in the tree hollow, toward the great lord who had ruled them for centuries.

"My lord, I believe these two Hollow beasts are extraordinary. If we allow them to hunt freely in the Forest, sooner or later they will affect the other lords. I believe we should exterminate them to eliminate future trouble," a lord on the left proposed to the humanoid Hollow above.

"My lord, Lord Doruni must have fought them directly, which was why they killed him. I believe we should try to negotiate with them. If we can bring them into our ranks, it may be a good opportunity to strengthen our fighting force," another Hollow offered a different opinion.

"As you know, our battle with the Northern Forest will begin in a few years. According to our intelligence, the Northern Forest won the war between north and south two years ago by a staggering margin. Right now, every Pseudo-Adjuchas Menos Grande is a precious part of our fighting force. We can afford to lose Gillians, but we cannot afford many more Pseudo-Adjuchas losses."

At this, the Hollows stirred once more. They had long grown accustomed to costly draws. No matter how many years passed, this war ritual among the three Menos Grande had never been broken. Now, however, the balance of victory had suddenly shifted. Not only had the Southern Forest suffered tremendous losses, but the Central Forest had also been given a warning.

Battles from which the Pseudo-Adjuchas of each Forest had once reaped gains without losses had become one-sided. This was not good news for them.

"Hmm..." The humanoid Hollow on the raised platform fell into thought. "Try negotiating first. Grant them Doruni's territory. In return, they must pay tribute to me every year and take part in the Holy War a few years from now. If they refuse..." As the lord Hollow spoke, he radiated terrifying killing intent.

"Waruta, since you proposed negotiating, you will handle this."

"Yes, my lord." The humanoid Hollow named Waruta bowed and accepted the order.

"Gasukādo, go with Waruta. If that Pseudo-Adjuchas refuses, you know what to do."

"Hmph, I'll make them pay when the time comes!" The one called Kasijiade was the Hollow who had just argued for fighting. Judging by his height of eight or nine meters, he was probably a Power-Type Hollow beast.

"My lord, I also request permission to accompany them." Suddenly, a humanoid Hollow beast with a dragon's head and a human body, standing less than three meters tall, stepped forward.

"Oh?" The great lord on the raised platform voiced his puzzlement. "Why?"

"I believe that since the foreign Pseudo-Adjuchas was able to kill Doruni in such a short time, she must be a Hollow beast skilled in battle. Even if she is only Low Rank, her Spiritual Pressure cannot be too low. If Waruta and Kasijiade go alone and their opponent tries to take them down with her, they will inevitably suffer losses.

"My ability, however, can completely prevent such a tragedy. It can also ensure that, should negotiations fail, we have a way out."

"Hmm..." The great lord thought for a moment, then nodded. "Very well, Yinfeng. You will go too. If negotiations break down, trap them while ensuring that our side does not suffer heavy losses, and send us a signal for help. You have two days to prepare. I will also have others standing by."

"Yes, my lord."

With that, the dragon-headed, human-bodied Hollow beast named Yinfeng stepped back into the shadows, then left the enormous tree hollow.

"Hmph, who needs a signal for help? I can kill them myself," Kasijiade muttered under his breath in dissatisfaction. Then he used Sonído and left the meeting room inside the tree.

Two days later, the three Hollows entrusted with the mission gathered and raced toward their target.

The three Hollow beasts moved extremely quickly. At this pace, they would reach their enemies' location in a few more hours.

The journey was not quite as peaceful for the three Hollow beasts as one might have imagined.

"Tell me, Waruta, do we really need to persuade arrogant, overbearing bastards like them who don't know the rules? Wouldn't it be better to just kill them?" Kasijiade said dismissively, unconvinced.

"It's not as simple as you think," Waruta said calmly from behind him. "Elder Yi's perception couldn't be wrong. That Pseudo-Adjuchas had only just advanced, yet she managed to kill Doruni in such a short time. As Yinfeng said, she's a Pseudo-Adjuchas skilled in battle.

With that, Waruta glanced back at Yinfeng, who followed behind him without saying a word.

"What puzzles me even more is that a Gillian has always been following that Pseudo-Adjuchas. Clearly, these two Hollow beasts must possess high Intelligence. Otherwise, a pairing that crosses ranks like this would be impossible. With that level of Intelligence, if we can bring them over to our side, I believe they will become a considerable fighting force in the coming Central-Northern War."

"You're talking up the enemy!" Kasijiade said unhappily. "No matter what you say, we can't let them look down on us. One way or another, I'm settling this score!" As he spoke, Kasijiade slammed his arms, which resembled the heads of meteor hammers, together in front of his chest.

"Hey, newcomer, when the fighting starts, don't let them escape."

"..." When Kasijiade turned his head to look at Yinfeng, Yinfeng paid him no attention whatsoever.

"Tch, ungrateful bastard." Having been ignored, Kasijiade could not help curling his lip.

"Forget it. That's just how he is," Waruta said, smoothing things over. "You know what he's like. Wasn't he just as indifferent on the last few missions? Anyway, when we meet them, I'll step forward and talk first. If negotiations break down, it won't be too late to fight."

"Hmph, have it your way." Though dissatisfied, Kasijiade still nodded.

"We're close." After a long while, the taciturn Yinfeng, bringing up the rear, spoke.

At his words, the two Hollows in front immediately sensed an unfamiliar Spiritual Pressure. They slowed their pace and headed toward the place where it was strongest.

Meanwhile, Wien and Nel, who had spent two days traveling deeper into the Forest, had been searching for an area suitable for them to inhabit.

With the death of this Forest's lord, all the Hollow beasts under his rule were free of the suppression of his Spiritual Pressure and began to stir restlessly. Those with Intelligence quietly entered new environments in search of more resources, while those without Intelligence gradually found themselves unable to restrain their hearts, filled with the desire to devour—even though they had no hearts.

"Lord Wien, this area looks promising." After traveling deep into the Forest for a long time, Nel surveyed their surroundings. "There's a fairly tall hill to the west, surrounded by Forest. If we carve a cave into the hill and clear away the trees around it, we should be able to establish a good place to live."

"Hmm?" Wien looked at Nel with interest. "It seems that after becoming a Pseudo-Adjuchas, not only has your Intelligence increased, Nel, but your skills at establishing a base have improved too?"

"Isn't that because you were always saying things I couldn't understand, Lord Wien? After advancing to Pseudo-Adjuchas, I found myself beginning to understand those words without even realizing it," Nel said softly, swishing her tail.

"Heh... Advancing really is remarkable." Wien smiled helplessly. "All right, let's establish a base here for now. It's a place suited for both offense and defense." With that, Wien began telling Nel how to proceed, and she quickly set to work building their first shelter in the Forest of Menos.

"By the way, my lord, shouldn't your Spiritual Pressure have met the requirements for advancement long ago? Why have you still been unwilling to advance?"

"That..." Wien was taken aback by the question. It was true that he had long been ready to advance to Pseudo-Adjuchas, but he did not want to consider advancing until his compressed power was filled to the brim.

The most difficult period of his time as a Gillian was already behind him. All that remained was to hunt in peace with Nel's help, accumulating and compressing it little by little, repeating the cycle until the day advancement came naturally. And Wien knew that day was not far away.

"Soon, I think," Wien said leisurely. "I feel like if I eat one more Mid Rank or higher Adjuchas, I should be able to advance."

"Hee-hee~" Wien's words drew a giggle from Nel. "Other Gillians prey on their own kind or lower-level Hollow beasts, but you talk about preying on Pseudo-Adjuchas, Lord Wien. If other Pseudo-Adjuchas heard that, I wonder whether they'd flee for their lives or charge in to settle things with you?"

"Ha, that's because I have you here. With you around, I'm not afraid of facing Pseudo-Adjuchas at all," Wien said with a hearty laugh.

"Then... Lord Wien, there's a Pseudo-Adjuchas right in front of you now. Would you... like to eat her?" With that, Nel lifted her head with a smile, a hint of mischief flickering in the amber eyes beneath her mask.

"...You little brat." Wien understood the teasing in Nel's eyes and reached out to tap her lightly on the head. It seemed that with her advancement, she had gradually come to understand the different meanings of eating and "eating." "Hurry up and chop the trees we'll need today..." Before he finished speaking, Wien's body jolted slightly, and the scarlet eyes beneath his mask narrowed.

"Lord Wien." Nel sensed the slight disturbance as well. She quickly assumed a battle-ready stance and moved in front of Wien to protect him.

Soon, three sounds of rushing wind rang out, and three distinct Spiritual Pressures descended on Wien at tremendous speed. The next second, three hostile Hollow figures entered his sight.

"Three of them?" The red light in Wien's eyes flickered slightly. "Nel, run if you can't beat them."

"What about you, Lord Wien?" Nel had no intention of retreating. She knew she could certainly escape, but it would be impossible for Wien, who was still at Gillian Level, to get away from three Pseudo-Adjuchas Menos Grande. "I'll use Negación on you. Leave the rest to me."

"Don't push yourself," Wien said gravely. "If there were two, we might stand a chance, but against three at once, our hopes of winning are slim. There's a limit to how much Spiritual Power your Cero Doble can absorb. Once it goes beyond that limit, the Cero's violent Spiritual Pressure will make you explode."

"My lord..." Nel's voice grew a little weaker, but the amber eyes beneath her mask remained stubborn.

"As soon as there's an opening, I'll charge in, and you use Negación on me. Let me take the attacks. Use the time that buys us to find a way to open a Garganta. We'll escape first and worry about the rest later."

"Mm." Nel did not object to Wien's order. She merely retreated a little, ready to release Negación at any moment under the cover of his enormous body.