"Not exactly. Furfur’s reaction to Moku’s threat to annihilate all Mana Species was not dismissive but rather as if he already knew that was our true goal! From the start, Furfur has seen us as a threat," Ez concluded.

"Hmm? You mean that even though they suspect we aren’t Mana Species and come from this world, they can’t be certain if there’s someone stronger than Moku among us. Is that what you meant, Ez?" Nevare quickly grasped Ez’s point.

"Exactly!"

"That’s why you said our time is running out before the demons uncover our true identity!" Swa exclaimed, punching his palm as he understood Ez’s implication.

All the monsters in the room nodded, comprehending Ez’s words. None of them were unintelligent; they were the backbone of the Wilwatikta Kingdom’s survival.

"How much time do you think we have?" Boku asked, his face gloomy.

The other monsters also realized the grave danger they would face once the demons discovered their deception.

While Moku and the other asuras might escape to the Mind Realm, Nevare and the others couldn’t.

Without the women who could bear their children, the asuras’ future would be doomed.

Though various creatures inhabited the Mind Realm, they were all corrupted by its laws, becoming mere empty shells without dreams or purpose.

"I don’t know the exact time, but I estimate we have less than a year."

As Ez’s words sank in, the monsters collectively gasped.

They had thought their deception would remain hidden for a long time, considering their reclusive existence.

Even if the demons found Bitter Maja and saw the Wilwatikta Kingdom firsthand, they wouldn’t immediately suspect that the creatures they saw were evolved monsters.

The Mana aura in the evolved monsters would make it even harder to discern their true nature.

Even if a goblin walked beside a hobgoblin, an outsider wouldn’t easily recognize they were from the same species due to the stark differences between ordinary and evolved monsters.

This was why the monsters were so shocked when Ez mentioned that the demons would uncover their secret in less than a year.

Even Moku hadn’t realized this.

While he was worried about the kingdom’s secret being exposed, he wasn’t overly fearful. Moku had always assumed their true nature would be discovered far in the future, not in less than a year.

"How did you conclude this?" Moku asked, his brow furrowed.

"If you didn’t notice, Furfur said to you, ’We demons are a species beloved by Mana more than any other Mana Species in this world,’ and ’Although I cannot speak directly with Mana, I can sense what Mana feels.’ Just from those two statements, I can be certain we have less than a year!"

As soon as Ez finished speaking, Moku’s entire aura changed, becoming more oppressive. He unconsciously entered his battle mode.

The warm air in the throne room instantly froze, sending a chill through the monsters’ bodies.

Moku had never shown his killing intent around the monsters before. Usually, his presence brought a comforting warmth.

But now, not a single monster could sit calmly, even though the aura wasn’t directed at them. Once again, they were reminded why Moku was their king and why he still held the title "Ku."

"Mana," Moku whispered, his voice barely audible.

Yet the monsters, always attentive to Moku, heard the whisper. They realized why Moku had released his battle aura.

"Moku." Nezena, who was sitting on Moku’s lap, whispered softly.

Being closest to him, she felt the full impact of his uncontrolled aura.

She wasn’t worried for herself, knowing Moku would never harm her. But she was concerned for the baby she was carrying.

It was no secret that an asura’s baby was a clone of its father. Despite that, the babies would have their own consciousness and might develop traits different from their father.

For example, Nash, Moku’s first son with Nevare, was very different from Moku. While Moku was ambitious, Nash was more laid-back, liked to joke, and laze around, often exasperating his mother.

As a child, Nash had been diligent in training and aspired to be like Moku, but after evolving, he preferred working behind a desk. His personality was more like Ez and Swa before Laya’s death.

Luna had theorized that as Moku’s blood brother, there was a good chance Moku’s children might inherit Swa’s traits.

She also believed that asura babies could learn quickly from their surroundings even while in the womb. That’s why Nash had inherited Ez’s lazy traits since Ez was often near Nevare during her pregnancy.

Though Luna’s theories weren’t fully proven, Nezena didn’t want to take any risks with her baby. She feared that the child she was carrying might be influenced by Moku’s battle aura.

She didn’t want her child to be like Kre, Nerphyl’s second son, who always charged to the front lines in battles.

No mother, not even Nezena, the Holy Queen, could bear to see her child killed in combat.

Moku snapped out of it at Nezena’s gentle whisper and immediately reined in his aura.

"Ah, I apologize to everyone," Moku said, feeling embarrassed.

"You don’t need to apologize, Moku. If I had your strength, I wouldn’t be able to control my aura after hearing what Ez said," Boku reassured him, shaking his head.

"That’s right. I never imagined there could be a greater danger than the Mana Species!" Goku nodded, understanding Ez’s explanation.

"We have forgotten who our greatest enemy in this world truly is!" Mige said, feeling doubtful about his own intelligence.

"Mana Species are called Mana Species not because they have Mana Flow in their bodies but because they are the creatures most loved by Mana.

"Monsters are the most hated and cursed by Mana. This isn’t a secret; almost everyone in the world knows it. Despite this, Mana has never tried to eradicate monsters, only forgotten us.

"Mana used to be just a system without consciousness, maintaining the world’s balance and keeping it under the control of Mana Species.

"But for the first time, Mana showed great hostility and tried to annihilate something—when an orc evolved into an asura, or when the asura opened the next evolution gate.

"Although I don’t have an inner eye, I’ve read all the detailed reports from the evolved asura collected by R-18.

"Especially when Mana controlled the Treant during Moku’s fight against Deak.

"At that moment, Mana truly tried to kill Moku directly!

"I don’t know the connection between Mana and dragon prana, but I’m certain they are not friends.

"There’s a high chance that the demons, being the most beloved by Mana among all Mana Species, came to this continent because of Mana’s call. But for now, the demon leaders can only sense what Mana feels, not speak directly with it.

"As the number of evolved asura increases, Mana’s anger will also rise. Along with this, Mana, which was previously like a system without consciousness, will start to awaken.

"That’s when Mana will clearly command the entire world to eradicate us, especially the asura. And as loyal servants, the Mana Species will forget their rivalries and unite to wipe us out completely!"

The throne room fell silent.

Though the monsters were aware of the dangers posed by Mana, Ez’s words made them shiver.

Moku recalled his past declaration to fight the world for the sake of monster species’ glory. It seemed his words were becoming reality.

"What do you think we should do?" Nerphyl asked Ez.

"There are only two ways, both highly risky with a significant chance of failure.

"First, all asura stop evolving, and all monsters hide underground.

"But this can only be a temporary solution before we start devouring each other like in the old days, or Mana awakens by itself without being triggered by evolving asura.

"Second, we continue what we’ve been doing, but with much greater intensity.

"This approach aims to make Moku or other asura as strong as Level 9 Constellation Mages. This way, even if the whole world attacks us, Moku and the asura can protect us with their strength.

"However, the second method will cost many lives because we must conduct massive raids to gather Mana Flesh.

"Moreover, Moku, Goku, Boku, Mige, Swa, and a few other strong asura must not participate in the battles as they need to focus on climbing the evolution ladder to open the next evolution gate."

"I agree with Ez. As an asura, I refuse to go back to hiding underground like rats!" Goku slammed his thigh in agreement.

Swa, Nedira, and Nerphyl nodded in agreement.

But Mige had a different idea. "Climbing the evolution ladder isn’t that simple.

"According to our calculations, it would take more than a thousand times the flesh we currently have for Moku to open the next evolution gate.

"And if you say that not only Moku but others must reach Level 9 Constellation Mage equivalence, we would need millions of times our current supply. Even if we killed all humans, it wouldn’t be enough.

"I think it’s better to lay low for a while until Mana’s anger subsides.

"If Mana had no consciousness and only woke up after being triggered by dragon prana, then perhaps if no asura evolves for some time, Mana will revert to its previous state."

Widya nodded in agreement, but the other monsters remained silent.

All eyes turned to Moku, waiting for their king’s final decision.