Mushoku Tensei: Reincarnated as a Beast Race
Chapter 184 - Witnesses of the Ascension

Chapter 184 - 184 - Witnesses of the Ascension

What lay before us could only be described as an open-air battle arena.

It was a large, simple structure: an elevated stone platform contrasting sharply with the natural surroundings.

Tall trees encircled the area, the grass was vast and well-kept, and groups were scattered everywhere, training with dedication.

But everyone's focus at that moment was on the center: two enormous Ebony Wolves were locked in an intense battle.

Skoll was one of them. His fur, black as night, gleamed under the sunlight filtering through the tree canopies.

The other wolf, slightly smaller but no less fierce, I deduced was probably Geri, Rufus's wolf.

The two brothers fought with savagery and precision, exchanging blows and bites, circling, leaping, rolling.

It was a rare confrontation between rank-A monsters: both were far from ordinary and had survived countless battles.

Skoll bore the marks of past encounters—subtle but visible scars to the trained eye.

He had fought against Kings, Emperors, dragons, and hundreds of powerful foes while accompanying our group.

He even faced the Dragon God Orsted once, though he had been tossed aside as if he were nothing more than a stone in the path.

As for Geri, I learned that in recent years the wolf had faced the armies of Milis, ambushes, skirmishes, and campaigns in hostile terrain. Both had grown stronger.

Yet in this fight, Skoll seemed to have the upper hand.

It was possible to notice this by his posture, by the way his movements were fierce.

Part of it was due to the intense training he did during our stay at the Sword Sanctuary. But perhaps there was more to it than that.

Circumstances beyond what we could see with our eyes—I had some suspicions, but seeing a direct comparison made me even more certain of certain theories.

Skoll was stronger, faster, and more resilient than the average Ebony Wolf—far more than what was considered normal.

Even with his strength limited by his race's lineage barrier, Skoll could already be considered one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, of his lineage.

As I watched the fight, various ideas kept emerging in my mind. I had been pondering ways to further strengthen Skoll and Ezkalor for some time.

One of these ideas involved something I had been doing for a long time, even with myself and my group, without any specific objective: water magic.

Since I had made them drink water created by my magic, I never considered its deeper effects; to me, it was just water.

In the past year, however, I imagined the possibility of creating water infused with a high concentration of mana after observing a few things with my Demon Eye.

I hadn't tested it, as I didn't know what side effects it might have—whether it would bring benefits or harm—but it was an experiment I planned to carry out as soon as I had free time.

Another idea involved the magical cores of other monsters.

If it were possible to infuse that energy stably into Skoll and Ezkalor, perhaps their bodies could react and grow stronger. But it didn't seem simple.

Eating the cores directly was pointless and even dangerous.

I would have to find a way to convert that energy into something assimilable—perhaps through alchemy, runes, or conversion magic.

Back to the fight, we were not the only ones watching. I glanced around at the small crowd gathered around the arena and spotted two familiar faces.

A young dwarf with orange-red hair and an enthusiastic expression: Rufus. Beside him, a middle-aged man clad in heavy dark-gray armor, with a stern, attentive look: Joseph.

There were many others there, some accompanied by small beasts, trained animals, or even young apprentices who watched in silence, observing every detail of the monstrous combat before them.

It was a spectacle, but also a lesson.

At the climax of the battle, Skoll found his opening. With a fierce growl, he leaped over Geri, spun in the air, and sank his teeth into his brother's shoulder.

The bite was firm, and Skoll used his own weight to slam Geri to the ground. A muffled thud echoed through the arena as the two bodies collided with the stone platform.

Geri snarled and struggled, but soon yielded, acknowledging defeat.

The fight was over. Victorious, Skoll remained atop his brother's body for a brief moment before slowly backing away.

The surrounding crowd murmured with admiration; some applauded discreetly. Skoll caught a scent in the air and looked briefly in our direction.

I approached the group slowly, Eris by my side.

As soon as Skoll saw us, he bounded toward us excitedly, completely ignoring the wounds covering his body.

Ezkalor, the Red Dragon, on the other hand, merely opened his eyes slightly. After seeing it was us, he went back to sleep as if nothing could bother him at that moment.

That dragon was truly lazy.

When the battle's spectators noticed us, Rufus showed a surprised yet joyful expression. Meanwhile, everyone else—even Joseph—knelt on one knee at the sight of me.

I couldn't help but notice there was no clear pattern in how people treated me within the Iron Legion.

Some saw me as a military commander, others as the leader of a mercenary organization.

And then there were those, like these two, who treated me as nobility or even royalty. Well, perhaps that wouldn't be a lie for much longer.

I still had to confirm everything at the next war council, but if things went as I was planning, a new kingdom would be born after the fall of the Holy Country of Milis.

In any case, positions and titles would become clear over time.

While Eris played with Skoll, I spoke with Rufus and Joseph about various matters.

Rufus had become very strong—even at just twelve years old. His Chantless Magic was particularly impressive, and recently it seemed he had discovered a talent for forging.

That was great, since I had been thinking of starting to create some magical items when I had more time.

The Seven Magic Towers of Milis, the Armored Dragon King's Flying Fortress, Perugius, even the gravity sword, King Dragon Sword Kajakut.

All of these were proof of what could be achieved with magic given enough time and dedication. I, too, had some ideas upon hearing of these things, but would need time to bring them to fruition.

Rufus not only knew about forging, he was also an excellent mage; if he developed that talent further, he would be essential to my future plans.

Joseph was the first leader to emerge among the freed slaves at the beginning of the Iron Legion.

He was already an advanced swordsman in the North God Style and the Sword God Style back then, besides being intermediate in the Water God Style.

But in recent years, under Weys's guidance, he had become a true Sword Saint.

Although it didn't seem he could go much beyond that, reaching that level was likely the result of years of technical dedication at its limit.

But it was already enough to make him a formidable force in war. Moreover, he was an excellent commander.

Both had evolved greatly in my absence. Rufus, in particular, seemed somewhat resentful that I had left him behind and embarked on a long journey.

As we talked, I learned about Yan—the former slaver whom I had ripped an arm from back then.

Apparently, he had become the official instructor for the children joining the Iron Legion.

Even without one arm, he learned the basics of each of the three swordsmanship styles, as well as mastering four elemental spells from each of the attack schools.

Thus, he had become responsible for teaching only the basics. But even missing an arm, he could fulfill that role with ease.

Rufus then asked me if he could heal his arm, and I agreed.

Upon hearing that, I fell into thought. If I had killed Yan back then, none of what he accomplished after that day would exist.

Certainly, people can change... at that time, I let Yan live as a kind of social experiment.

I wanted to see if the people of this world were capable of living, learning from their mistakes, and even changing their way of thinking.

Seen from that point of view, the experiment had succeeded.

Of course, I wouldn't always have the choice—or even the desire—to give my enemies a second chance. Most of the time, that was just foolishness.

But knowing it was possible would certainly make me think twice about who deserved to die... or not.

In the end, everything would be left to chance.

Not long after the conversation began, Eris challenged Joseph to a duel and defeated him with a single blow.

Obviously without killing him, as she had done with her last challenger.

This was starting to become repetitive...

In truth, I just wanted to see someone who could withstand a blow from Eris at this point. She was steamrolling every opponent with ease.

Perhaps I would have to wait for Taes or Kilian to be challenged to see some action... or even Ornthorn.

Although seeing how strong she had become certainly made me feel proud, after all, she was my woman.

---

Days passed. I visited nearly every major location in the Stone Fortress.

One of the first was the dwarf Brightstone, who was responsible for imbuing Tsukikage with the magic stone of a Blue Dragon.

He continued his weapon-enchantment research and had made significant progress.

Thanks to him, many of our magic swordsmen elevated their strength to a new level, using blades imbued with high-rank magic stones.

With each strike, the power of the magic grew progressively. Although he was teaching other dwarves and blacksmiths, none could replicate his method with high-level stones.

Still, it was clear he was in full swing, and from what I could tell, he felt no regret for joining the Iron Legion, as he had plenty of "research material."

That was good; the hunting party at that time had managed to supply that old man's greed. Thanks to that, those swords were exclusive to the Iron Legion.

Another I visited was Peikak. Fifty-six years old now, but still brimming with energy.

Nominally, he was the commander of the third division, the Logistics Division, but in practice his influence extended to practically all of the Iron Legion's transactions, contracts, and alliances.

He was even teaching everything to his son so he could replace him without complications when he died.

It was evident the satisfaction he felt in all he had accomplished. Few men his age displayed such determination and vitality.

Meanwhile, Milis organized a large-scale retreat after the massacre I had caused.

Several of the Iron Legion's generals and leaders arrived in Tinaver during this period, while others were sent to replace them on the fronts.

Although many commanders gathered in Tinaver, several still remained on the front lines. It was essential to keep the battlefield garrisoned, with or without a council.

My father, Hontar, was one of those who would return to the field. I spoke with him a few more times before his departure.

Weys, on the other hand, would not return to Tinaver at all, remaining on his own front. However, most of the main leaders would be present at the war council.

During those weeks, I visited all my former allies, met new commanders, and, with the help of my master Verdia Solarion, studied all the battlefields and the forces on both sides.

I prepared myself as much as possible for that Council, for it would be the only one of such scale ever held.

Because of this, Verdia was almost always at my house with Ghislaine, Eris, and Aisha.

Eris, as always, continued challenging anyone she considered a worthy opponent.

Her fame spread quickly through the Stone Fortress. The name "Red Lioness" circulated within days. Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to fight Kilian and Taes, who were occupied.

No other warrior managed to defeat her. A few could withstand her for a while, but none came close to touching her.

Ghislaine, for her part, adopted a new monster—a baby Obsidian-Scaled Panther. Potentially, it would be a rank-A monster.

She, too, continued training hard with me and Eris.

Aisha was dedicating herself wholeheartedly to Verdia's teachings. The two got along very well.

Time passed. Demon King Gretta arrived in Tinaver. Shortly after, the dragon hunter Ornthorn followed.

Powerful figures gathered. And then, finally, the day of the War Council arrived.

-----

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