My Beast Evolution System-Chapter 71. The Grove.

"True, but for now, we can enjoy this," Aaron added, and everyone spent the afternoon sharing stories, laughing, and simply enjoying each other’s company.

The bond between them grew stronger and the challenges they had faced made moments like these even more precious.

On the final day of the festival, Aaron stood with Aurora, Luna, and Diana on the balcony of the mansion, looking at the crowd that was still celebrating.

The elven kingdom hadn’t been reclaimed completely, but the people were really excited about what had been achieved so far and they couldn’t wait to hear when the whole kingdom would finally be theirs again.

After the three-day festivities, Aaron sat in the war room of the mansion while looking at the maps of the elven kingdom, which were spread across the table.

The reclaimed locations were marked in green while the remaining two locations were still marked red.

Currently, Diana was leaning against the wall, sharpening her blade, while Aurora stood by the window with a distant look in her eyes.

Kain entered with a grim expression on his face before bowing toward Aurora and Aaron.

"So, tell me, what were the things you noticed in the Southern heartlands?"

The Southern Heartlands was one of the two locations Kain had failed to reclaim, but Kain told Aaron that there were dangerous things his men had noticed in that place, and Aaron wanted to know what it was.

"The knights spotted unusual activities in that location. It was strange because the beasts there were moving in a coordinated pattern."

Aaron raised an eyebrow and asked. "And you believe someone might be behind this?"

"Yes, my Lord. There have been rumors in the past that the demonic beasts in the elf kingdom were summoned by a dark mage and this was what worried my men because the pattern of the beasts seemed to suggest that a larger force was controlling them."

Hearing this, Aaron studied the map and his fingers traced the southern region. "Hmm, if that’s true, then we’ll need to act fast, so where exactly is the activity concentrated?"

Kain pointed at a location on the map. "It’s concentrated at the Emerald Grove. The amount of miasma there has intensified over the past few months, but I doubt the dark mage or whoever is controlling these beasts will be there right now."

"So, where do you believe he’ll be right now?"

"I believe he’ll be at the Lightheart Citadel," Kain said, pointing to a massive fortress on the map. "It’s heavily fortified and it seems like the best place for anyone to carry out their operations."

Aaron nodded in understanding before giving his orders. "Very well, then we’ll use the next two days to gather enough supplies and train the recruits. We’ll make further preparations for our final expedition. No matter the trouble we face, this is a mission we must not fail. That will be all for now."

And with that, everyone bowed their heads before leaving to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Over the next couple of hours, Kain and Diana increased the intensity of their training while Aurora and the maids worked harder to brew all kinds of useful potions.

That evening, Aaron found Aurora sitting in the garden with a distant look on her face as she stared at the moonlit sky.

He slowly approached her before sitting beside her. "Are you thinking about the Grove or the Citadel?"

"It was that obvious, huh?" Aurora asked with a small smile but Aaron replied with a shrug.

"A little."

"I was just thinking about the Grove. I remember it being one of the last places my family visited before the demonic beasts stormed our home. If we’re able to successfully restore the Grove, it will definitely give me and my people even more hope,"

Aaron’s gaze softened as he looked at the sky as well. "Hope is a powerful thing. It’s what keeps us moving forward."

Listening to what he said, Aurora hesitated to speak but looking at him; she finally spoke her mind. "You’ve done more for me and my kingdom than I ever thought possible."

Aaron met her eyes and simply replied. "It’s nothing, we’re in this together, so it’s the least I could do."

Aurora smiled and slowly leaned her head on his shoulder before looking at the stars in the sky. "Thank you, Aaron, for everything."

The two remained that way before heading to bed.

Two days passed by in a flash and the group gathered in the courtyard as they loaded their supplies onto their mounts.

Aurora prepared her purification vials while Diana checked her swords with a faint smirk on her lips. "This won’t be like the sanctuary," Diana muttered loud enough for Aaron to hear, and he asked in return.

"Why did you say that?"

"Cause the Emerald Grove will be different."

"You’ve been there before?"

"Just once. It’s a beautiful place, but it’s dangerous. It was that way even before the demonic beasts invaded our kingdom."

"Then I guess, we’ll have to tread carefully."

"Indeed."

Aaron glanced around to make sure that everyone was prepared to leave, and the moment that they were, he and his group set out on their mission.

The journey to Emerald Grove was uneventful, that is until they reached the forest. Aaron motioned for the group to proceed cautiously and Glimmer moved ahead with her fiery body illuminating the dense trees while Blizzard and Thunder flanked the group.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the miasma in the air became more pronounced and the once-vibrant trees looked as black as coal.

The knights whispered among themselves with fear in their eyes.

Even Glimmer didn’t like this place either and she expressed her feelings about it. ’This place gives me the creeps.’

’Me too, Glimmer, me too,’ Aaron replied as he continued to trail behind her.

Moments later, Aaron and his team entered a clearing where the ground trembled a lot.

At the center of the clearing, there was a large tree but there were also a lot of demonic beasts prowling around it.

They noticed the group and immediately, they charged towards them.

The group moved as one and Glimmer unleashed an inferno Strike that dispelled some of the demonic beasts. Blizzard used Frozen Domain to encase parts of the forest clearing in ice, slowing down the beast as they clumsily slid on the ground. Then Thunder used the chance to rain down lightning from the sky.

Aurora’s flame arrows, along with that of the archers hit the remaining beasts until there wasn’t a single one left.

With that out of the way, they pressed forward and a few minutes later, they approached the center of the Grove to find a massive, glowing crystal embedded in the ground.

Miasma filled the air around the crystal and it had destroyed the greenery around it as well.

This was the artifact responsible for corrupting this side of the kingdom, but there were also a lot of demonic beasts circling the crystal as well, almost as though they were trying to protect it from anyone who tried to destroy it.

Aside from the smaller demonic beasts, there was also a massive demonic beast curled up next to the crystal.

But out of all the beasts, the massive beast seemed to be the only one that would be difficult to take down.

Aaron turned around to face the girls before drawing his sword. "Alright, everyone, here is the plan."

Aaron shared the details of the plan with everyone and in a matter of minutes, they all sprung into action.

Diana, Kain, and a group of knights charged forward first to help create a path so that Aurora could purify the huge crystal.

However, the smaller demonic beasts noticed them and moved to stop them. The noise they were all making stirred the huge beast, and it stood up before taking a stance in front of the crystal.

The beast was huge, but it wasn’t as big as the basilisk Aaron had slayed a few days ago, and this reassured not only him but also his beasts and knights as well.

Glimmer charged forward and darted around the beast to release large fireballs from different angles, forcing the beast to try defending itself from multiple targets at once.

The beast roared out in a rage, and dark tendrils sprouted from its body, but Blizzard unleashed his Frozen Domain, which slowed down the beast’s tendrils and encased part of the clearing in ice.

Noticing this, Thunder charged forward with a lightning strike and its antlers crackled when it connected with the beast’s massive body.

This gave Diana and Aurora the chance to finally reach the crystal. Upon reaching it, Aurora knelt down in front of the glowing red crystal and her hands began to glow as well as she worked to purify and weaken the artifact. Meanwhile, Diana stood behind her to protect her against any demonic beasts that might try to attack her blind spot.

Meanwhile, the Archers stood at the edge of the battle with their bowstrings pulled taut. Their arrows glowed faintly thanks to the enchanted tips Aurora and the maids had prepared earlier.

The archers aimed at the huge beast’s glowing eyes, knowing that it was the best way to disrupt its attacks.

"Aim for its head!!!" Aaron shouted and the archers nodded.

They all exhaled slowly to steady their aim as their arrows whistled through the air while heading toward one of the beast’s eyes.