Thorne paused for a moment, then hummed softly. "Okay."

He loathed The Everwake, but Genesis was his cub. As the boy’s father, Thorne felt it was right for him to know.

Afterward, Thorne began leaving early and returning late, searching for the location of the Triangle Abyss.

The Swarm dwelled within the warm Triangle Abyss. They were the Beastman race living closest to the Triangle Sea.

They were cruel and savage. Not only did they possess an astonishing reproductive rate, but their cannibalistic tendencies struck fear into the hearts of all other Beastmen. Like the Fallen Beastmen, they were beings forsaken by the Beast God and ostracized by the entire Beastman Continent.

The unique geography of the Triangle Abyss kept it hot year-round, unaffected by the rainy season or the Cold Season.

During every rainy season, The Swarm would pour out of The Hive, wreaking havoc across Norfell. They frantically plundered food and beast skins from the Beastman Tribes, making life even harder for those already struggling to survive the harsh season. Over time, The Swarm’s vile reputation became widely known.

It was worth noting, however, that the sweltering environment of The Abyss had become an ideal migratory destination for many avian species during the Cold Season.

Triangle Abyss.

Swirling clouds and mist shrouded the bottomless floor of The Abyss, but they also blocked the wind and snow of the outside world, creating a mysterious and treacherous atmosphere.

Suddenly, a golden silhouette burst through the clouds, soaring toward the heavens. It was an enormous Goldeagle.

It circled in the wind and snow, surveying its surroundings, before suddenly diving. It pierced through the thick fog and landed steadily in a cave on the cliff face. With a flash of light, it transformed into an agile young male Beastman.

He was wrapped in a beast skin made of feathers. With his hands on his hips, he said nonchalantly, "Leader, don’t worry! It’s the middle of the Cold Season out there, and the snow is coming down hard. The Triangle Sea isn’t as scary as the stories make it out to be. If you ask me, it’s not that different from Norfell!"

As Aurelius spoke, he chuckled, his gaze landing on a young man inside the cave who was taking stock of their food.

The young man was slender and refined, his expression focused and tranquil.

Julian turned to Aurelius and frowned. "Where’s my brother? Did he go hunting again?"

At the question, Aurelius’s lips twitched. He stole a glance at Julian and lowered his voice. "He..."

"The last time he hunted in The Swarm’s territory, he barely made it back! Their numbers are like a tide; even someone at the Nine-star Extreme Realm would be trapped with no hope of escape if surrounded! Why didn’t you stop him?" Julian’s voice was low, roiling with suppressed fury.

Aurelius pouted and muttered under his breath, "As if I could stop him!"

"What did you say?!" Julian’s blond hair whipped around, his gilded eyes blazing with anger.

Aurelius fell silent, saying no more.

Julian walked to the cliff’s edge. He looked down at the abyss floor, which was being devoured by the thick fog, and took a deep breath.

Of course, he knew why Drake had to go hunting. There were no Wild Beasts outside the Triangle Sea now, and prey was despairingly scarce.

The food they had brought from Norfell wasn’t enough to feed their people. His brother always felt he owed the tribe too much, so he had been hunting with reckless abandon, venturing into The Swarm’s territory time and again, risking life and limb.

’But if something happens to him, what will I do? What will become of the tribe?’

’And when we return to Norfell, how will I ever face Evangeline?’

*

Down in the Triangle Abyss, the climate was warm, and a blanket of green covered the entire landscape.

Bizarre plants displayed a garish beauty. Some were as scarlet as blood, others a poisonous indigo. A sticky, fluorescent film coated their broad leaves, which occasionally writhed in the wind, making one’s hair stand on end.

A thick, rank odor hung in the air. Poisonous insects darted through the vegetation everywhere, their carapaces shining with a metallic luster and their compound eyes glinting with a predator’s distinct ferocity.

The shimmering heat waves gave birth to a bizarre yet thriving world, but every inch of this vibrant life concealed a fatal danger.

Just then, a Wild Beast with skyward-pointing tusks ambled out of the jungle.

It had a coarse, thick hide; even the insects crawling on it were unable to pierce its skin.

This was a Bristleback Beast, a Wild Beast unique to the Triangle Abyss. It was immune to poisonous insects, and its meat was firm.

"SNORT— SNORT SNORT—"

This adult Bristleback Beast, which had a Five-star pattern on its forehead, was rooting in the soil for chunks of food crystals.

Suddenly, a swift gust of wind tore past.

"SHLICK!"

The Bristleback Beast only managed a single squeal before blood gushed from its neck. It collapsed heavily to the ground, its limbs twitching.

The great eagle folded its gold-and-red Feather Wings. Its gold-and-red-streaked Beast Eyes, full of icy resolve, scanned its prize. Its talons dug into the Bristleback Beast’s still-convulsing body as it spread its wings, ready to lift off.

Suddenly, an intense sense of danger erupted around him!

He dodged sharply to the side. At almost the exact same moment, a spray of venom splashed onto the Bristleback Beast’s corpse.

"SIZZLE—"

The grating sound of corrosion tore through the jungle’s silence. In an instant, the massive beast’s carcass dissolved into a bubbling pool of gore.

Drake’s pupils contracted sharply, a cold killing intent flaring within his gold-and-red-streaked Beast Eyes.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze like a razor’s edge as he looked toward the treetops.

A female stood there.

The female had no Star Pattern on her forehead. Her features were exquisite, her skin a healthy tan. Beneath a mane of seaweed-like golden curls, she had a generous bust, a waist slender enough to be encircled by a single pair of hands, and long, firm legs. A single piece of beast skin was all that covered her body. With her hands on her hips, her full curves were tantalizingly visible, every line of her figure exuding a wild charm.

Hecate, the Queen of the Corrosive Hive.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Drake shot into the sky. With a flap of his gold-and-red Feather Wings, flames rained down on the treetop where Hecate stood.

"BOOM—"

Charred branches splintered in the fiery blast.

However, this Queen of The Hive was clearly no delicate female.

She leaped nimbly, her toes tapping on crumbling splinters of wood to evade Drake’s attack. A high-frequency, piercing shriek then erupted from her throat. It sounded like a thousand steel knives scraping across glass—an ear-splitting sound that made one’s head spin.

"CLICK—CLACK—"

The dense clicking of countless mouthparts suddenly echoed from all sides. Streams of silk shot out like a downpour, sticking to Drake’s wings and rapidly encasing him in a cocoon.

Drake’s sharp beak opened slightly. A gout of flame swept out, and the tide of insects let out shrill, sizzling cries.

Hecate hovered in midair, six pairs of transparent insect wings vibrating. Watching the still-unflustered Drake, she sneered and shrieked again. This time, the frequency was even higher, carrying a sort of corrosive cadence.

"PSSSHHH—"

A deluge of venom sprayed from all directions; it seemed every crack and crevice hid a member of The Corrosive Swarm.

The venom acted like a living thing. As it landed on Drake’s gold-and-red Feather Wings, his feathers visibly blackened and curled, emitting a corrosive white smoke. Drake’s muscles convulsed from the searing pain.

"SCREEEEE—"

A film of mist clouded his once-sharp, gold-and-red Beast Eyes. He let out a piercing cry as the Nine-star pattern in the center of his forehead began to glow with heat. A blinding golden light erupted from his body, incinerating the broken strands of silk into airborne ash.

Enduring the agony, Drake beat his wings and fled the perilous zone.

By the time The Hive closed in again, only a few charred feathers fluttering to the ground were left as proof of his presence.