Chains Of Heaven

The profound beast in front of me looked like a lion, but unlike normal lions it had nine heads even if only one was really capable of thought.

I realize what this beast is quickly enough and a frown appears in my face from this.

It is actually a Nine-Headed Lion, this beast is known for being born with a Noble Bloodline at the absolute lowest and their ancestors would have Divine Bloodlines and would usually be amongst the top mounts for the Gods being used by many of them to enter combat. It was a symbol of status for the gods to have such a mount and their numbers are incredibly low.

For one such beast to be here, it means a lot of problems as it is definetly strong. From what I see it must have about 16 to 18 years, little more than a pup but still aged enough and thus is already equal to a 1st level Tyrant Realm and will only grow with time.

Thankfully I spent time working in the poison.

I look around for the direction in which the wind is blowing, it is not hard to see it so I go in that direction and spread the poison there. It is a invisible and odorless slow acting poison that spreads in the air easily enough and, with this positioning, the poison would reach the lion easily enough.

As I finish that I take out the formation flags from the formation I used a little while ago as well as some others from some of the formations I passed by and disassembled while on the way just in case.

Now, I just have to wait sometime before I can advance. Meanwhile, I will set out the formations just as a precaution.

The good thing of formation flags, the same formation flags can be used from formations of rank 1 to 3 so I will try and prepare my best killing formation during this time just in case I judge the enemy to be of any danger. A beast like that would either need to be tamed or killed and with it's clearly intense hatred to humanoids it is not safe to let it leave here alive. A shame, a Nine-Headed Lion is quite a rare beast and they have low numbers.

Well, at least I heard that a soup made with its auxiliary heads is quite a delicacy so I will get to try something nice. I guess that with my need for consuming ridiculous amounts of food for the Grandmist Spirit Bead to be of any use to help me in improving my body I developed a bit of a glutonist personality and to improve any further I would need to consume beasts with at least a Rare Bloodline so I really love to eat.

That beasts with this level of bloodline are all delicious is a good bonus I suppose.

Look at that, I didn't even start the battle and am already thinking with my belly, I really have a long way to go.

///---///

Lion's P.O.V.

Sheesh, when will this test end?

Master Sheng asked me to take control over the beasts of this mountain and it was a pain to do it, they honestly seem incapable of listening to others 99% of the time and I had a heck of a job in putting them to actually listen to me.

'Go and ensure that the participants suffer a bit, it will be a good experience for them. Just make sure the beasts in the encirclements do not kill the participants, that should be more than enough.'

That is what he said, but actually doing it was a pain and a half. Especially considering that the Emperor Realm beast actually challenged me and would not listen at all, thus sparking the d.e.s.i.r.e of rebellion on the stupider beasts.

Only beasts like me with Noble rank bloodline can really think and rationalize perfectly, in this entire mountain only me and that Emperor Realm beast qualify to this so why did that fellow refused to listen to even a little bit and just stubbornly continued challenging me?

Was it good, to make me have to work harder to ensure those weaker ones don't go f.u.c.k.i.n.g around with the plan?

Sheesh, just thinking about it makes me have a headache.

Worst is that master warned me that members of those evil clans might try and screw this tournament, it is a slim chance but I have to be careful nonetheless to communicate in case any problem arises.

We cannot risk the members of those clans to try and rise again, it would be far too dangerous if they did.

If any members of those clans show up the lives of the young generation top in our continent would be in grave danger.

I guess it is about time, I should call that flying shit for brains bird to relay the message to let the encirclements stop.

I stand up and... huh?

Why can't I move at all?

///---///

Enkidu's P.O.V.

It seems it worked. That poison is actually more of an anesthetic that would lower the enemy's body mobility. As it works slowly but is very strong it actually works best to weaken an enemy before combat.

As the enemy just noticed this I can be sure it won't be able to run. I activate the formation I set out, it was the Six Elements Chaos formation.

This is a formation of my own creation, it mixes the energy of six different types (in this case I used Wood, Earth, Metal, Poison, Water, and Wind as those are the elements of nature I understand and can use the best) to activate and by using these it draws the profound energy around and turns it completely into a chaotic mess as one element combat another in a war of dominance with the enemy in the middle of it all. It is quite strong if my theory is right but I never really had a chance to use it before. I hope this goes well.

.

..

... As I look at the lion in the center of it all being injured and suffering over and over again without the ability or time to react, I can't help but think that perhaps using an untested formation that draws in external energy in a place with a lot of said energy while the energy used to activate it is of an extremely pure type that aligns much better with nature than others might have caused the formation to work just a tad too well.

Otherwise, why would this beast with Noble bloodline would look closer to dying than living so quickly?

Wait, I remember reading something like that before. There are beasts who pretend weakness just to make you lower your guard enough for it to counter you.

How devious, how truly devious.

Let's raise the power then. I can see some small places I set up that would allow me to use them, so let's use them.

Without any hesitation, I called out.

"Enkidu!" As I did so I created about thirty or so points from which my chains sprouted from. Honestly, they remind me a lot of the chakra chains that Kushina used in Naruto, what with them being made with energy and able to seal away profound energy. I launch all those chains and they latch onto the lion who was trying to use his profound energy to protect himself from the 6 elements in the formation.

Now that it's profound energy is sealed it is howling even more desperately. See? I knew it was just pretending weakness.

Let's continue this way until I am sure it is enough.

Probably one or two hours of this should do to weaken it enough I suppose. Meanwhile I just sit on the ground, take out a pan, and begin cooking some of the meat from the profound beasts I killed just now. There were some that had a Rare bloodline so I put some of their meat inside my spirit ring, I cannot waste resources after all.

I then put those meats and some herbs that I collected a little while ago as well as some water and begin making a soup.

It is delicious.

After the time was up and the formation lost most of its power I could finally see the lion in question.

It had wounds all over and it looks quite wounded, but there is still some vigor and resentment in its dark and evil eyes. I know that even with the chains it should not be impossible for it to move and attack me.

Well, I won't risk it.

I activate the formation all over again with a different configuration. Using a fire and water elemental herbs as base I create a field of ice and cold that should weaken it even more. Not being satisfied with that I use my chains to cut out one of the Lion's heads. It howled in pain as I did so and it seems weak, but it might still be dangerous so I won't risk stopping now. I increase the heat around it's nose to make it unnable to breathe properly as well as make it's eyes hurt at the same time.

I then use the chains to throw the decapitated head in my direction and I throw it into the stew I made before. I use even more herbs and the end result even shines with golden energy.

I take a small sip of it and... I have heaven in my mouth.

Seriously, this is delicious.

Before I knew it I had finished the entire thing.

.

..

... There are 7 more right there, right?

My eyes almost shine as I look at the lion who seems to be crying.

Ha! I will not fall for such acting! This is an evil and blackhearted beast that doesn't have any mercy in its heart who must be taken to the elders outside to properly punish it. It deserves even more pain as, if not for me, perhaps most of this generation's young talents in the continent would have perished.

I cannot and will not allow that.

Such a twisted beast deserves this and more!

Also, it tastes really, really good.

///---///

Nine-Headed (more like 8 headed now really) Lion's P.O.V.

Master! Why did you not come yet?! I have been sending the S.O.S. signal for a long time now!

Please come, I don't want to be a stew *SNIFF* SNIFF*

This kid is the devil, he must be the offspring of those evil clans who came here just to torment me and kill everyone.

Please master, come save me!

Enkidu's P.O.V.

Oh, another one.

This beast just don't understand, the formation I did intersect and negates any communication with the outside world, how could it possibly contact someone else?

But, now that I think about it, who would it be trying to contact?

Only a strong person or organization could hope to obtain such a creature, and to raise it to be this terrible...

Is it possible?

No, it shouldn't be, but it would explain why it d.e.s.i.r.es to kill all the young tallents of the continent.

Back then, in the Heaven Smithing clan which is known as one of the Three Great Evil Clans, they liked to talk how the newest generation had the most potential in the last thousand years (especially the Heaven Smithing Young Master of the Clan and the two heiresses of the other two clans) and that this generation young ones of the continent were in a decline when it comes to potential. I would not put it beyond them to try and kill the few that could be considered most talented just to try and weaken the enemies in the future.

Those filthy and heartless demons would definetly be willing to do just that.

There is a big chance that this is a beast connected to my former clan.

... Let's increase the power of the formations further. If it really is related to the clan then it would not be cowed into revealing it's master's name and would try and lie their way out. It must be a cheating, terrible, demoniac, man-eating evil creature that cannot be trusted or forgiven in the slightest.

Yeah, let's keep on this way to extract as much information from it, I guess that when it suffers enough it would be willing to speak honestly if only to end it's suffering. Well, I will also be cooking it as well just to make my body a bit stronger, it is an evil despicable being so I do not feel any shame about it.

Besides, it really is nutritional. And yummy, don't forget yummy.