The Herb King

"Useless fool! Step aside!" Gargan bellowed as he transformed into his original form, a gargantuan savage beast with elephant-like features. The moment he revealed his true form, the human army was terrified.

If it weren't for the presence of Kenneth and the other Nascent Soul esper, they would have already fled in all directions.

At this moment, Gargan stomped his mountain-sized foot, causing a violent earthquake that brought destruction to the surrounding land.

Kenneth and the other espers used all their might to prevent the huge creature from destroying the army.

"Dammit! Why is a strong creature like this attacking the city?!"

***

Several hours later…

Aethelwolf was leading two hundred thousand soldiers towards Warmridge. Including him, there were only three Nascent Soul espers in this army. They tried to ask for help from the hermit experts and hidden powerhouses, but they all refused.

Recently, he received a report from William that half of their army was decimated by the beast army. Among the five Nascent Soul experts sent to support Warmridge, only two survived. Three of them perished and the remaining two were grievously wounded. Even Kenneth, the grand commander of the army almost died in battle. If it weren't for Charles Featherkind's timely arrival, he would have perished.

This news made Aethelwolf worried for the safety of William and the others. He didn't expect that the beast army would actually have so many powerful figures. According to William's report, they discovered four Nascent Soul beasts who were as strong as the patriarchs.

"Sir Aethelwolf, we're almost there!" Shouted a scout.

Aethelwolf nodded with a stern look. According to his estimate, they will arrive in about an hour. However, this was enough time for the beast army to eliminate the remaining experts of the human army.

"You guys march forward! I'll head to the battlefield first!" Aethelwolf summoned a pair of wings and disappeared into the horizon.

He used his movement techniques to increase his flight speed and in just over ten minutes, he finally found the location of the battlefield. He scanned the area using a perception skill and he realized that all four Nascent Soul beasts were still alive.

He grabbed a sword and a shield as descended from the sky. His arrival stunned the two opposing sides.

"Sir Aethelwolf, you are finally here!" William was happy to see his lord. He immediately rushed to him and saluted.

Charles was also alerted by his arrival. When he heard that it was an ally, he heaved a sigh of relief. "Hello, Sir Aethelwolf! I'm Charles Featherkind. It's a pleasure to see you."

"Likewise." Aethelwolf nodded with a stern gaze.

"What's the situation?" He asked after shaking hands with Charles.

"It's not looking good for us. We lost more than half of our soldiers and three of our Nascent Soul espers died in battle. If nothing is done, everyone here will be killed." Charles sighed with a heavy look. The deaths of their experts made him feel distraught.

"Can the soldiers still hold back the beast army?"

"They can, but not for long. They have been fighting for a long time now without rest so their energies are almost depleted."

"Alright. I'll deal with the four Nascent Soul beasts. You guys deal with the beast army." Aethelwolf muttered in a calm voice, but his words made everyone shocked.

"Huh? You plan to fight all of them by yourself?" Charles couldn't believe his ears. According to Kenneth, Aethelwolf was only a newly promoted Nascent Soul esper. How could he fight four powerful beasts by himself?

"Sir Aethelwolf, we can't let you do something so dangerous!" William also didn't expect him to say such things.

"I am not joking." Aethelwolf remained indifferent. Although he had only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul realm, he was confident that he could fight those at the peak if he used all his power. This would expose his strength, but there was nothing he could do. The result of this battle will determine the future of Warmridge and the surrounding cities.

If nothing was done, there could be chaos in the entire region.

Charles furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't know where Aethelwolf's confidence came from.

"Trust me," Aethelwolf said before he flew into the sky.

While looking at his disappearing figure, Charles asked. "William, is Sir Aethelwolf really a newly promoted Nascent Soul Esper?"

William was stunned by the question, but he still nodded. "Yes. I was with Sir Aethelwolf since he was still a Core Formation esper."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

Charles' frown deepened. He failed to sense Aethelwolf's cultivation when he tried to perceive his power. This could mean that he possessed an item that could conceal his power or… he was stronger than him by many stages. Whatever it was, he will find out soon.

Meanwhile, Aethelwolf activated a unique skill that increased the pressure of his aura.

When this terrifying aura descended, the beast army was terrified.

"A powerful human expert!" Kazak narrowed his eyes as he stared at Aethelwolf's figure. He couldn't see through the human expert's cultivation at all and this made him baffled and uncomfortable. 'There is actually a human who could hide his cultivation from me…'

Serena, Argent, and Gargan were similarly stunned. They also failed to sense Aethelwolf's aura.

"That human… Who is he?" Argent muttered in disbelief.

After releasing his overwhelming aura, Aethelwolf turned his gaze in a certain direction. He finally discovered where the four Nascent Soul beasts were located. He flapped his wings and flew straight to their location.

"Oh? There is actually a dragon descendant here. No wonder you managed to destroy half of the human army. Unfortunately, your dragon bloodline isn't that strong so I don't think you can become a true dragon." Aethelwolf muttered as he descended in front of Kazak.

The distance between them was only ten meters, but this distance was nothing to experts at their level.

Kazak's face twitched at his words. This was his sore spot and it made him furious.

He stared at Aethelwolf with a cold gaze and said. "Did you come here to mock me, human?"