Chapter 184: Lion’s Gate [ Bonus Chapter ]

The Evergreen Mountain Range unfolded beneath them like a massive scar etched into the earth.

From above, its vastness was overwhelming. Endless ridges folded into one another, resembling the scales of a slumbering dragon, their jagged spines slicing through the landscape with brutal indifference.

Forests stretched for hundreds of kilometers, interrupted only by cliffs, ravines, and barren plateaus where vegetation had long since succumbed to raw mana saturation.

Mist clung to the valleys like decaying breath, while distant peaks faded into layers of cloud, their true heights obscured even from the heavens.

From this aerial perspective, the mountain range felt more than just terrain; it pulsed with life. Mana currents surged through it in slow yet violent tides, unseen but unmistakable, warping the air in subtle distortions that bent light and blurred distances.

In some areas, the forest canopy shimmered unnaturally, as if heat radiated from beneath the soil itself. In others, shadows pooled too deeply, swallowing sunlight in patches where darkness should not exist.

As they approached the eastern side of the range, however, everything changed. The greenery thinned out. Trees twisted and stunted grew with bark blackened as if scorched by invisible flames. The air shimmered incessantly there; heat distortion rippled across the landscape in waves that never seemed to fade.

Entire stretches of forest lay reduced to skeletal remains, charred trunks stood like gravestones beneath an ash-stained sky. This was the core area.

And within it resided the domain of the Crimson Abyssal Lion.

Its presence announced itself long before it could be seen. Crossing into its outer perimeter altered everything, the mana pressure shifted dramatically.

No longer flowing freely like wind or water, instead, it pressed down heavily and oppressively against them, settling onto their bodies like molten iron poured over their souls.

Breathing became deliberate; circulating mana required intense focus. Even the ground radiated faint warmth as if it had absorbed too much heat to cool again.

Bones scattered across the terrain, remnants of a past long forgotten. Some were colossal, shattered rib cages and skulls belonging to beasts that once ruled their own territories before straying too close to the Lion’s domain.

Others were unmistakably human, fragments of armor fused into bone by intense heat, weapons half-melted into the soil, names and histories erased in silence. Nothing decomposed naturally here.

The abyssal mana preserved ruin. It was at the very edge of this territory that eleven figures emerged from the forest canopy, their presence controlled and movements precise, a lethal formation honed through weeks of preparation.

Valeria led them. They had reached this point after more than five hours of relentless advance, pushing their strength and speed beyond what ordinary warriors could endure.

From the outer regions to the inner boundaries and finally into the core approach routes, they moved with brutal efficiency, never lingering, never resting longer than necessary.

Their concealment techniques were flawless: mana signatures suppressed, heat output regulated, killing intent sealed tight within disciplined control.

Whenever lesser beasts crossed their path, encounters ended in seconds, silent and decisive. Bodies were dragged aside or erased entirely before blood could stain the ground long enough to attract attention.

They hadn’t come here to fight everything; they had come for one king. Now, standing at the threshold of the Crimson Abyssal Lion’s territory, even the environment seemed to acknowledge them.

The heat intensified with every step forward. Abyssal energy thickened the air, clinging to skin and armor alike while seeping into mana channels with a corrosive persistence that tested even seasoned Master Knights. For weaker warriors, this place would have been suffocating, a slow execution by pressure alone.

For them, it was tolerable. Barely.

Gregor rolled his shoulders once, feeling warmth radiate through his silver armor. “So this is it,” he muttered as his eyes scanned the terrain ahead. “Feels like walking into a furnace that hates you personally.”

Vanthrice didn’t respond immediately; her gaze was fixed on the land itself, the way the ground sloped subtly downward into a wide basin surrounded by blackened cliffs.

“This place is wrong,” she said quietly. “The mana isn’t just dense; it’s obedient.”

Before Gregor could ask what she meant, a sound rolled across the territory.

ROARRRR!

Deep and resonant, layered with an abyssal undertone that vibrated through bone and marrow alike, it wasn’t a roar of rage or surprise but rather a declaration.

Before any of them could react, movement erupted from every direction as massive shapes emerged from behind burned trunks and fractured stone. Giant lions stepped into view one after another, radiating oppressive power. Some were wreathed in flickering crimson flames with manes burning like living fire; others cloaked in shadow with eyes glowing coldly with predatory intelligence surrounded them in practiced precision.

Twenty… no…closer to thirty Fourth Order Lion-type magical beasts formed a wide circle around them while their low growls harmonized ominously. Two Fifth Order lions stood behind them like sentinels; their mere presence distorted the air around their massive frames.

The eleven Adventurers came to an abrupt halt, realizing there was no point in hiding any longer.

Valeria narrowed her eyes as she assessed the situation. “It noticed us,” she said calmly. “And it’s testing us.”

Gregor clenched his jaw, scanning their adversaries. “Fourth Order beasts,” he muttered, taking note of their numbers. “And two Fifth Order.”

He frowned and stepped closer to Vanthrice. “What are they doing here? Fourth Orders don’t usually roam the core; they stick to the inner regions.”

Vanthrice exhaled slowly, tightening her grip on her halberd. “Normally, that’s true. But Crimson Abyssal Lions don’t rule like other Lord Beasts.”

She lifted her gaze toward the deeper territory beyond the ring of beasts, where heat distortion shimmered ominously. “They don’t just claim territory; they dominate it.”

Her voice remained steady as the lions prowled closer. “Crimson Abyssal Lions are sadistic monarchs. They don’t tolerate rivals but also avoid wasting resources. Instead of slaughtering weaker beasts outright, they break them down and force them into submission. Those that survive become part of its pride.”

Gregor’s eyes widened slightly at her words. “You’re saying those beasts…”

“Are under its control,” Vanthrice finished for him. “Not mindless thralls, subjugated predators bound by fear, dominance, and reward. The Lion allows them to feed and grow as long as they serve.”

She paused, her expression hardening. “A pride like this doesn’t exist for defense; it exists to exhaust intruders.”

Understanding dawned among the group, this wasn’t an ambush meant to kill them, it was a filter. The Crimson Abyssal Lion was watching.

As several Adventurers reached for their weapons and mana began to stir in the air, Valeria raised a hand.

“Stop.”

Her voice sliced through the tension with chilling authority.

All movement ceased immediately.

“This is exactly what it wants,” Valeria stated, her gaze fixed on the circling beasts. “A drawn-out engagement leads to attrition, blood loss and mana drain.”

She took a deliberate step forward. “If we fight them together, the Lion will bleed us before it ever shows itself.”

She turned her head slightly toward Gregor and added firmly, “I’ll handle this.”

Gregor stared at her in disbelief. “Valeria…”

“Two minutes,” she replied flatly. “That’s all it will take.”

With determination, she drove her broadsword into the ground.

The blade sank deep into the scorched earth with a resonant hum as crimson runes flared briefly along its surface. Valeria stepped forward alone, moving unhurriedly yet purposefully.

Behind her, Gregor and the others exchanged stunned glances while only Vanthrice smiled knowingly.

The lions immediately shifted their attention. As soon as Valeria crossed an unseen boundary, the massive beasts abandoned their previous targets, instincts screaming danger as they turned to face her in unison. With a predatory grace, they spread out, encircling her, muscles coiling and claws digging into the warm earth.

Valeria’s expression remained flat and unfazed. She flexed her fingers, rolled her shoulders, and lightly tapped her foot against the ground.

Then, in an instant, she disappeared.

BOOOOM!

A thunderous explosion rocked the air as the ground where she had just stood erupted inward, forming a massive crater, its size rivaling half a basketball court. Shockwaves emanated outward, flattening nearby brush and sending ash and debris spiraling into the sky.

Before the sound could catch up to the chaos, one Fourth Order lion simply vanished.

Its body exploded into a mist of blood and vapor, so completely erased that only its severed head remained, tumbling end over end before crashing into the dirt several meters away.

A profound silence followed. A deep, all-consuming silence. The surrounding lions froze mid-motion, their instincts momentarily paralyzed by the sheer brutality of what they had just witnessed.

Even the Fifth Order beasts hesitated; their low growls faltered.

Gregor and his companions stood frozen, eyes wide, breaths caught in their throats.

For a heartbeat, it felt surreal, as if reality itself had stuttered. Valeria reappeared in the center of the ring, her stance unchanged, crimson armor unscathed, surrounded by a distorted halo of intense heat.

She surveyed the remaining beasts. And with that, the hunt truly began.

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