Divine Beast Ascension

Chapter 340: Ania’s Lost Temper

Before Puula could reach Vloz, the leopard retreated into the silenced dome. She sped up and did the same in hopes that everything was alright. But she was confused by what she found inside.

“Ania, that’s enough,” Vloz mentioned, stepping between Ania’s war hammer and Rathe’s slumbering body. “Can’t you see that he’s still injured?”

“Yet he’s sleeping like a baby? If he can sleep so easily, then he can take some time to explain how stupid he is!” shouted Ania, gripping the hammer tighter while backing off slightly.

Slowing her initial thoughts, Puula coughed lightly to get their attention. “Excuse me, but what happened here?”

“Nothing, apparently. I was worried my idiot brother was going to kill himself for honor’s sake, but he’s too busy taking a nap!” Ania’s shouts got louder still. She tried her best to awaken the slumbering gorilla but to no avail.

Sighing, Vloz spoke up again, “I’m not sure why, but–”

“He was going to kill himself, right? Right?”

.....

“...”

“Just say it, Vloz. Or are you really a scaredy-cat?”

“Yes, that’s what he was planning,” Vloz immediately answered, accepting the unusually harsh tone given the circumstances.

“Then why not tell me? Don’t tell me he worried about his little sister, that battle-crazed fool?”

“Ania, calm down.”

“Why? Because Rathe is so calm? He’s always calm! How come I’m not allowed to be worried for once?!”

“Ania,” Puula stepped closer to the mother gorilla, “please, I think it would be good to speak calmly.”

“Sure, but speaking calmly doesn’t mean I’ll forgive him!” Pounding hammer into the ground, Ania scoffed, “He’s the last person I have, so he’s not allowed to kill himself! If he would just wake up, I would make sure he learns that lesson and never forgets it!”

“Correct, Rathe isn’t allowed to die.”

Suddenly, all three of them turned back toward Rathe but looked higher up. They spotted a familiar silhouette appearing over the gorilla. But even that wasn’t enough to fully calm down Ania’s protective instincts and her longing to keep her family.

“GOOD! But why now? If you were here, then why did you let Rathe go through with such a reckless, idiotic plan–”

“I didn’t.” Shaking his head, the man answered, “I stopped Rathe before he could fully ignite his soul.”

“Ignite his soul?” Puula was wide-eyed and baffled by such a statement.

“Now, Rathe will recover given time to recuperate his expended energy. Though that will take longer than you’d like to accept...” added the man. He smiled softly and waited for Ania’s reply.

Following along with the pace of the conversation, Ania lowered her voice and asked, “But why let them fight at all? If you were going to intervene, then–”

“How would that look to the outside world?” the man responded with a question, giving the others a second to ponder. “Had a king cultivator arrived at the border of an unknown territory, would anyone expect a mid-perennial to repel the king and survive unscathed?”

“No...” Vloz was the first to speak up.

The man nodded to the leopard. “Correct. Then, there needed to be some signs of great struggle, proof that the battle was hard-fought and barely won. Without that, I wouldn’t be able to justify my interference.”

“But–”

“Remember, I’m not allowed to be discovered or mentioned to anyone. The moment I’m found out, all bets are off the table. I’ll be forced to take drastic measures and I’m not yet prepared for such moves. But I would make it happen if I was forced to. And that wouldn’t be the best thing for Iron Territory, to be sure,” explained the man, leaving them all speechless.

“You three already have guesses as to who may be causing all of this, and you’re not entirely wrong. But this runs deeper than you know and I don’t have the time nor the need to explain everything. The less you know, the better. And you should be grateful I acted when I did, Ania. And you should also be grateful to your son.”

“... I am grateful to Oli...” shaken, Ania mustered up a few words.

“True. But not for the right reasons, at least not this time,” the man stated in a tender yet firm tone. “He’s the reason Rathe is alive and will fully recover given enough time.”

“Wh-why Oli?”

“Either way, now is the time that you’ll need to step up for your clan.” Continuing, the man ignored Ania’s question, “With Rathe out of commission until he’s recovered spiritually, someone will need to take up the mantle as gorilla chief and territory leader.”

“Can’t Vloz–”

“Not as gorilla chief,” interjected the leopard, “and I wouldn’t make the best territory leader either. It wouldn’t be seen as the gorilla clan being in charge, but as an ally of the gorilla clan.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Ania asked in desperation, already dejected by the explanation that was to come.

Sighing, Vloz answered, “Because it would seem like a transfer of power. It wouldn’t be the worst solution, but it wouldn’t be the best either. And should a transfer of power be announced, some surrounding territories might see it as the gorilla clan being too weak to rule on their own.”

“That’s correct. And the best solution is for the gorilla clan to remain in power,” the man mentioned. “So, will you take up that mantle?”

“I.. I’m not the leading type. I wouldn’t be the best fit. Maybe Fontu–”

“With Fontu still adjusting to missing an arm, he’s still unsuitable,” Vloz retorted.

Annoyed, Ania glared back at the leopard’s emotionless thinking face. “Then Hurdo–”

“I don’t think he would accept...” Puula gingerly chimed in, trying to lessen the blow to Ania. “At least, I don’t think he would accept it while he knows there’s a better candidate available.”

“But who– I’m not a better candidate!” Ania corrected herself instantly, regretting that she answered in impulse.

“Ania, you’re the best candidate in the entire territory. That’s a fact,” stated the man, not backing down while still maintaining his cordial tone.