Evangeline raised a delicate eyebrow. Before she could refuse, Drake had already wrapped an arm around her waist and leapt from the mouth of the cave.

Loras was a step too slow. His expression changed as he watched Drake plunge off the cliff with Evangeline. ’He knew it. A Drake with his memories restored would never let go of his hatred so easily. He’s been pretending all along!’

Loras, overcome with anxiety, was about to follow them down without a second thought.

The next moment, a piercing cry tore through the heavens, scattering the surrounding clouds and mist.

Immediately after, a massive, gold-and-red Goldeagle with a wingspan of several dozen meters swept past Loras, kicking up a fierce gale.

He vaguely made out a slender figure on the Goldeagle’s back, almost completely concealed by its gold-and-red feathers. He froze for a second.

Drake shot toward the Vulture Clan’s territory like a gale-force wind.

Lying on his back, Evangeline felt the warmth from his body dry her soaking clothes. The Snow Ferret had already crawled back into the pouch at her waist.

She yawned, placed a Protective Body Restriction on herself, and promptly fell into a sound sleep.

’Setting up that grand formation in The Venom Pit had already drained all my Spiritual Energy. I hadn’t even fully recovered before I had to pour what was left into Drake. Not even a rented mule gets worked this hard. If I don’t get some rest now, I’ll probably drop dead from Spiritual Energy exhaustion before I can even begin my laid-back retirement.’

’As for these Beast Husbands... I’ve pretty much won over all the ones I need to, right?’

’Besides The Everwake, the only one left is Nix, and he’s not even on my official list.’

Evangeline’s eyelashes fluttered. That laid-back, retired life was already beckoning to her.

As her warm breath washed over his back, the tension in Drake’s spine eased slightly. The warmth seeped through his Feather Wings and permeated every inch of his being. It was an unfamiliar sensation, yet it held an indescribable allure that made his entire body burn.

Only after Evangeline’s breathing evened out did the scorching heat of Drake’s body begin to subside. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A complex emotion flickered in his gold-and-red eyes. ’Does she really trust me this much?’

A moment later, Drake’s gaze sharpened. From his high vantage point, the mountains, rivers, and forests stretched out below. The Vulture Clan’s territory was now close at hand. Faintly, he could hear the piercing, mournful cries of his clansmen.

「The Vulture Territory.」

Hideous Vultures flapped their wings, tearing at the great golden birds as colorful sparks exploded in the air. The sight might have been spectacular, but with the ground below stained red by falling blood, no one was in the mood to appreciate the view.

A magnificent great bird, covered in golden feathers, circled in mid-air. It shot out sharp bolts of golden light that seemed to slice through the very air. It was clearly a master hunter; each flash of gold sent a Vulture plummeting from the sky.

Surrounded by the cries of Goldeagles, Julian fixed his gilded eyes on the leader of the Vulture Clan.

The two clans had been locked in battle for two full days, and both sides had suffered casualties.

"Julian! Without those two Nine-star Extreme Realm Beastmen, do you really think you can annihilate my Vulture Clan? I’m telling you, dream on! Even if it means the death of every last one of us, the Vulture Clan will tear a pound of flesh from you Goldeagles!"

The Vulture Chief hovered high in the sky, his drab, gray Feather Wings beating slowly. His eyes, filled with a sinister chill, were locked on Julian.

’It’s not that I didn’t expect Julian to counterattack upon his return. But I never imagined the Goldeagle Clan would be so fearless. Julian is leading every warrior they have, fighting to the last drop of blood. From the looks of it, he’s hell-bent on wiping out my entire Vulture Clan!’

’Heh. I really underestimated this young leader. To think he had this much nerve.’

As he spoke, the Vulture Chief opened his beak and spat an Earth Arrow at a Goldeagle Beastman. The arrow whistled through the air. Julian shot forward, simultaneously casting a golden light in an attempt to form a protective barrier over his clansman.

The Vulture Chief watched Julian rush over and sneered. ’Still so young and impulsive.’

He let out a sharp "CAW!" and in the next instant, countless vines erupted from the Vulture territory, binding the Goldeagle Beastmen circling in the sky. As their shrill cries of pain rang out, massive earthen walls shot up from the ground!

The Goldeagle Beastmen were completely trapped. Julian’s pupils contracted, but just as he turned to go to their aid, the Vulture Chief moved to block his path.

"Hahaha! I told you! If you want to annihilate the Vulture Clan, we’ll take a bite out of you! If we were fighting on Goldeagle territory, I couldn’t have pulled off a scheme this grand. Julian, your recklessness may have just cost you the entire Goldeagle Clan! Soon, the glorious name of the Vulture Clan will echo throughout all of Norfell—"

The Vulture Chief roared with laughter, his eyes filled with smug triumph and excitement as he gazed at the impenetrable earthen prison.

His clan was composed mainly of Wood and Earth Attribute users. They weren’t skilled in offense, but they excelled at defense.

’Since I knew Julian would lead his warriors in a counterattack, how could I possibly have done nothing to prepare?’

Julian stared at the Vulture Chief, let out a heavenward cry, and then shot toward him like a golden sword. This suicidal charge made the Vulture Chief’s brow furrow. Cursing under his breath, he quickly dodged.

’We’re both avian Beastmen. If we collide and lose our ability to fly, a fall from this height would be fatal.’

’That Julian is a real fool. Does he actually think I’d risk my life in a head-on clash with him?’

’The Vulture Clan’s victory is at hand! Soon, we’ll crush the Goldeagle Clan underfoot and become one of the most renowned tribes in Norfell. And when that happens... aiming to be the number one tribe in Norfell won’t be just a dream!’

Julian watched the Vulture Chief dodge, but instead of slowing, he accelerated. He was heading straight for the trapping formation of earthen walls.

The Vulture Chief’s expression changed for a moment, but then he sneered as he watched Julian charge in alone. ’Fool. Does he really think the earthen walls—a prison I poured my entire clan’s power into creating to trap the Goldeagle Beastmen—can be broken so easily?’

’Julian becoming an Eight-Marked Beastman has certainly been a nuisance, but I’m not afraid of him!’

’As long as those two Nine-star Beastmen from the Goldeagle Tribe stay out of it, the Vulture Clan’s victory is assured!’

At this thought, a look of frustration and gloom crossed the Vulture Chief’s face.

’After Drake left the tribe to form a Contract with that female, the Goldeagle Clan stopped being a threat. But then, out of nowhere, this young Beastman Julian appeared. Not only did he show incredible talent, he also became the Goldeagle leader at a young age.’

’Julian wasn’t one for fanfare. He led the Goldeagle Tribe in seclusion, hidden away in their cliffs year-round, never even participating in trade with other tribes.’

’The moment he was gone, the Goldeagle Tribe was practically defenseless.’

’Just when I thought my plan was foolproof, Drake actually returned!’

’A cripple with a shattered Star Pattern, still thinking he could live and die with his tribe at a time like this. It was laughable.’

’But I never expected he would bring back two helpers from the Nine-star Extreme Realm. Nine-Marked Beastmen... they’d vanished from Norfell so long ago, I thought they were extinct. And then, two of them show up at once!’

’Two of them would have been bad enough, but they were both so young!’

’And one of them...’

The Vulture Chief’s eyes glinted. He thought of the message he had sent out and broke into a wide grin.

’Since we have a common enemy, we should naturally face them together. What’s the sense in letting the Vulture Clan take all the heat?’