Revenge: A Path of Destruction
Chapter 152: Beast Ranks

Chapter 152: Beast Ranks

Just as humans had their ranking system that governed strength, potential, and political weight, magical beasts followed a structure equally formidable.

In contrast to humans, who constructed sprawling nations and forged their legacies through intricate bloodlines and layers of bureaucracy, the beasts existed in harmony with the world around them.

They danced to the rhythmic cadence of nature, attuned to the vibrant pulse of mana coursing through the land, guided solely by their instincts, unbound by the complexities of civilization.

Their strength was not only earned through battle but carved through sheer will, evolution, and in many cases, survival in the most brutal terrains of the world.

The ranking system of magical beasts began at the Basic Rank.

These creatures were not yet truly magical in any meaningful sense. They were animals whose bodies had just begun to absorb mana from the world around them, giving them slight boosts in vitality, speed, and strength.

They could still be mistaken for ordinary beasts by untrained eyes, but their gaze held the first sparks of something deeper.

Next came the Intermediate Rank, a more tangible step forward.

Beasts at this stage experienced their first major transformation: the awakening of their elemental affinity. Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, shadow, light—the elemental wheel turned, and nature chose its alignment for each creature.

While they lacked finesse, they could produce bursts of raw elemental force when threatened or enraged. A fire fox might exhale a puff of smoke and sparks; an earth turtle might briefly harden its shell like iron.

The Advanced Rank marked the true threshold of power.

Here, mana manipulation became conscious. Beasts could now coat their bodies in mana, enhancing their physical properties deliberately.

Their attacks became precise rather than wild, and their senses sharpened. Hunters who underestimated an Advanced beast often found themselves prey instead.

Then came the Knight Rank. This was the most mysterious transformation.

A beast at this level didn’t just gain more power—it began to feel. Intelligence bloomed like a reluctant flower. Emotions became clearer. Memories stuck. The Knight Rank was often compared to the infancy of sentience.

Beasts began to understand basic cause and effect, strategic retreat, and even simple empathy.

More importantly, they could now manifest their elemental affinity outside their bodies—a wolf might howl and call down lightning, or a serpent’s breath might turn the air toxic. It was inefficient and mana-costly, but real.

The King or Queen Rank was where the line between beast and being blurred. At this point, a beast had the intelligence and awareness comparable to a human adolescent.

Their elemental control matured, capable of being wielded with intention and grace. No longer wild, they were regal in their bearing, often establishing territories with strict laws enforced through strength.

They could communicate with others, and in some rare cases, even form pacts with other species. Their pride grew, and so did their understanding of their role in the natural order.

And then came the Emperor or Empress Rank. The word itself carried weight. A beast at this level awakened its Zone—a domain that extended from their very presence, a manifestation of their elemental authority.

Within their Zone, fire would burn brighter, earth would bend willingly, water would harden into blades, or air would become a crushing force. These creatures spoke fluently, plotted, and commanded others.

They had not just intelligence, but vision. They began to form courts, surround themselves with lesser beasts, and rule with absolute power. Many cities built near such beings totally destroyed during the apocalypse

But above them stood the Legend Rank. Beasts of myth, rarely seen, often whispered about in awe or terror. At this level, a beast did not just manipulate elements—they walked the edge of law itself.

Their elemental command touched upon the raw rules of reality. A phoenix of this caliber could cause wildfires that refused to be extinguished by any normal means. A Leviathan could turn rain into acidic poison. More astonishingly, they gained the ability to transform into humanoid forms.

Which led to the final stages of magical beast evolution: the Mystic Rank and the Demi-god Rank.

Mystic Rank beasts were enigmatic entities, said to have shattered the elemental chains that bound the fabric of our world. These extraordinary creatures possessed the power to rewrite reality itself, bending the very laws of nature to their will and manifesting effects that perplexed the mind.

They became the embodiment of law itself. A Mystic lightning beast, for instance, could transform into pure thunder, rendering their strikes invisible and soundless, striking from the shadows with an unpredictable ferocity.

Meanwhile, a Mystic fire creature could unleash flames that burned without warmth, instilling a profound terror in anyone who merely met its gaze. In their presence, the boundaries of possibility expanded infinitely, governed only by the strength of the concepts that defined their powers.

Then arrived the Demi-gods—fascinating beings that hovered just one step below the pantheon of true gods revered across the continents.

Their existence was shrouded in mystery, for, at the time, no Mystic Rank beasts roamed the land, and thus, little was known about these semi-divine figures.

Yet, herein lay an unsettling curiosity: while beasts of Legend Rank and above were known to take on humanoid forms, they never did.

As most don’t even know about this, except for the higher clans, and a few others.

During one of their long conversations in the hidden underground sanctuary, he’d asked her why it seemed like they hated taking a human form. Her response had been simple, but laden with instinctual resistance.

"My body can," she’d said, lying on her side with a flick of her tail. "But something in me... rebels. It feels wrong. Like trying to wear a skin that doesn’t belong. I can’t explain it better than that."

At first, Alex thought it was just pride.

So when Alex arrived at the peak of Mount Blanc and saw the Phoenix—in a human form, no less—he was frozen not out of fear, but shock.

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