Village Head's Debauchery

The fact that they hadn't done so yet made their intentions clear.

If Orion refused their request, it would appear as though he lacked confidence in his own strength, was afraid to make enemies, and was indifferent to the sacrifices they had made to defend this land.

That kind of impression would sow doubt, weaken his influence, and embolden others to stir conflict after the oath ended.

It would also discourage those who currently submitted under his overwhelming presence, as they would feel there was nothing to gain from following him.

If he agreed, he would be signing up to go against any enemy they claimed had attacked them.

Though this would earn him a reputable standing and build good relations with those present, it would also cause Paradise's advances in the Spirit Realm to be met with more resistance.

And if a battle broke out, resulting in their defeat, the Spirit Beast Coalition would no longer hesitate to launch a war against them.

Though Orion wasn't afraid of the forthcoming battle, his strength was currently restricted compared to his true capabilities. Since many far more powerful individuals were in hiding, he would rather not face them under such circumstances.

These were Spirit Beasts who had lived long, calculating lives and were far more shrewd than J'garin, Iy'yra and the others.

Some of their claims might be true, so it would be wrong to dismiss them all outright.

Agreeing to their request was preferable to refusing it. It was no wonder they made such a request.

The surroundings fell silent.

Somewhere within the gathering, Karli stood beside her parents and stared at the man in the distance.

'This is the mysterious Supreme Leader,' she thought.

Her fists tightened as she sensed the frightening aura he exuded. His presence was so powerful that it repelled the surrounding auras of the formidable Spirit Beasts gathered there.

Compared to him, her parents' auras were tamer and more concealed, only using their spiritual energy to shield her from the overwhelming pressure.

Her parents were among the many who had taken the oath during the Vylkr spawn attack. Others had joined later, so they were among the few present during the Supreme Leader's unannounced meeting.

Despite learning the meeting's contents, many were annoyed by the delay and made no effort to hide their displeasure, fully aware of the situation both within and beyond this territory.

Instead of openly expressing their displeasure, they chose to present this request. Whatever decision he made, it would be to their benefit, but it would be even more favourable if he accepted.

After receiving the information, they would be freed from their oath, and this territory would be left to deal with whatever troubles they had brought upon themselves.

It was, therefore, in his best interest to treat them with respect, regardless of their behaviour.

This plan would also surely determine her parents' opinion of this mysterious force.

They would not only be able to gauge the strength of this Supreme Leader and the force behind him, but also suppress their enemies with minimal effort.

This was a perfect plan, truly worthy of being crafted by such cunning individuals who had lived for tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years.

'We will finally see if he's a trickster or not,' Karli thought, narrowing her eyes at Orion.

She still didn't understand her parents' desire to form a relationship with him. Such a relationship came with many limitations, one of which was his inability to bear children.

She would most likely be an exotic partner that he would take a brief interest in until he got tired, just like the stories she had heard about other gods.

Though it seemed like a deal to exchange their relationship protection for safety, Karli remained unwilling. Regardless of how powerful he was, he was still a being from the Material Realm.

Zaelthar and Rhylla observed the situation with pensive expressions on their faces.

Orion finally responded, "I will lend you my strength because I am satisfied with the efforts you've made to keep your oaths."

"However, we will only attend to this matter after the meeting is over. Do you have any objections?" Orion asked.

"No," they replied, shaking their heads.

"You may return to your positions. The meeting will commence shortly," Orion said, waving his hand.

They nodded, turned around, and returned to their former positions.

Orion looked at the gathered Spirit Beasts and said, "The meeting has begun. I will now inform you all about the reason a King-ranked Spirit Beast aura appeared in this territory. It is like this…" He began explaining everything to them.

He hid nothing except for the fact that he had a relationship with Zymera. He didn't want to turn himself into a cosmic attraction and risk drawing the attention of ancient Spirit Beasts or hidden forces that might try to capture and exploit him for his reproductive capabilities.

Because the information was brief, Orion completed his explanation within a few minutes.

The Spirit Beasts' expressions shifted from amazement to disbelief and then to fear. Just as they were processing the astonishing revelation, Orion raised his hand, and instantly, a transparent grand screen stretched upward toward the sky.

"Now, I will give you a vivid explanation of what happened, both from my perspective and from the perspectives of others who witnessed the event," he said, projecting a filtered memory that focused solely on the part of Zymera's transformation and the emergence of the King-ranked Spirit Beast.

Upon seeing the scene, the gathered Spirit Beasts trembled once again as immense eyes appeared above the misty sky. They could feel the pressure of the King's aura emanating from the screen.

Sweat beaded on the heads of the weaker ones, and even the stronger Spirit Beasts who had remained in the sky swiftly descended to the ground. All of them gazed upward, stealthily afraid that the mysterious being would appear in the sky.

The fear was deeply rooted in them as lower-ranked Spirit Beasts.

Once the scenes finished replaying, Orion dispelled the projection.

Orion looked at their faces and was inwardly amused.

They had all retracted their auras, dispelling the oppressive atmosphere

that had hung over the area.

The surroundings were now peaceful and silent.

"That is the truth behind the King-ranked Spirit Beast aura that emerged in this territory. I do not know this being, nor do I have any relationship with it. If you want to know where it is, then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you; I have no idea. I also don't know the current whereabouts of the Seven-Headed Hydra. You will have to search for them yourselves," Orion addressed them.

"This meeting is concluded. You are now released from your oaths. You may leave this territory." His voice resonated across the gathering.

Zaelthar and Rhylla stared at Orion wide-eyed, their bodies trembling with fear.

It wasn't just the shocking revelation that the King-ranked aura had come from a Seven-Headed Hydra who had ascended past her age limit and gained strength far beyond that of her peers, which was a truly abnormal occurrence in the Spirit Realm.

What truly unsettled them was the fact that this mysterious Supreme Leader and his force had stared down a King-ranked Spirit Beast and lived to tell the tale.

Karli's mind had momentarily frozen. She, like many others, lingered their gaze on Orion, but her mind wasn't present. The image of those colossal eyes in the misty skies caused her mind to tremble.

It was utterly absurd.

The revelation was nothing like what they had expected.

It was far more shocking and incomprehensible.

"Where is the Seven-Headed Hydra who caused this phenomenon? If I could have an audience with her, I'd be willing to surrender half of my territory to you," said a humanoid crocodile with water-veined skin dressed in a fitted robe made of ashen dark scales.

His name was Duke Jaros. He was among the earliest to take the binding oath after Duke Zaelthar and Rylla.

At this moment, Jaros felt delighted to have taken the oath early. Because of that, he was now on friendlier terms with the mysterious Supreme Leader than most of the others present.

No one present believed Orion's claim that he had no connection to the Seven-Headed Hydra. They all understood it was a lie intended to protect her identity.

He had already thoroughly investigated the territory, hoping to uncover what made it so special that it could stir such a massive uproar.

In doing so, he had uncovered several intriguing details, including the fact that the strongest Spirit Beasts recorded in this territory were a Seven-Headed Hydra, an Aristocrat-ranked Spirit Beast, and an Ethereal winged Panther, a Baron-ranked Spirit Beast.

The former was most likely the Seven-Headed Hydra they were all discussing.

And the latter now stood behind the Supreme Leader.

This could only mean one thing: he had encountered them by chance and pulled them into his force to take advantage of the opportunity to investigate this abnormal phenomenon for themselves.