After Kardashian joined the battle, the scales began tipping toward the Demi-Humans again. With the two Demi-Human elders also intervening from time to time, the Half-Beasts' fate seemed foreseeable.
Meanwhile, at the summit of Gale Cliffs, on the side near the precipice stood a crude stone temple. At this moment, a dense stench of blood filled its interior.
A Half-Beast with a resolute gaze walked up to the altar. Half-Beast heads, organs, and limbs had been placed upon it, while blood covered every inch of its surface without leaving a single corner untouched.
The Half-Beast drew a knife from his waist, reversed its blade toward his chest, let out a roar, and drove it forcefully into his body.
A moment later, with astonishing ferocity, he pressed his own heart onto the altar and fell completely silent.
At that moment, the candles on the altar suddenly burned in various colors. The heads, organs, limbs, and blood began wriggling on their own, as if they possessed wills of their own. They moved toward the heart the Half-Beast had torn out, piling atop one another before melting like candles.
The flesh and blood melted and fused together. Moments later, they formed a short tree of flesh. The surface of this "tree" was uneven, resembling a walnut shell.
A thumping sound came from within its trunk, as though that heart were still beating on its own.
Moreover, the sound grew stronger and more forceful, forming a bizarre noise that made the two Half-Beasts in the temple frown.
Of the two Half-Beasts, one was as aged as an old ape. The other was sturdy, yet seemed devoid of moisture; his skin was dry and shriveled, and his fur lacked the glossy sheen of other Half-Beasts.
This Half-Beast resembled a withered old tree, with not a