The fall of the bear king was almost like flipping a switch. The shocked beasts suddenly began to release howls of rage. The beasts under the bear king's rule especially lost control, charging forward without regard for anything.
But… What shocked Leonel was the direction they charged. Instead of coming toward him like he had expected, they actually charged toward the Force geyser, leaving Leonel speechless.
He had thought that out of some sense of loyalty, these bear beasts would go all out and fight him to the death. But, it seemed that he had greatly overestimated them. Or, maybe he was just lacking in understanding.
Ultimately, these were wild beasts. They hadn't evolved to the point their thoughts were as meticulous as humans. Only the S-grade Elites among them were slightly better, but even then, that seemed to have as many downsides and upsides judging by the way the bear king died.
It was likely that even SSS-grade beasts couldn't match up to humans in intelligence. They might only be capable of doing so after entering the realms of the Fifth Dimension or higher.
Either way, this was a good thing for Leonel. The path toward the hive now suddenly had two massive holes in it, and there was even a horde of bear creatures opening the path for him.
Taking a look over his shoulder, he found that the youths had just about caught up during his battle. After a faint nod, he bolted forward, not having time to reprimand the Segmented Cube for sucking up the bear king's corpse. What the hell could he do with that poisoned meat? He didn't even feel like the Beast Crystal would be safe to use any longer. But, now wasn't the time to consider any of this.
There was suddenly a new challenge before Leonel now. Despite the fact the hive was now practically right before them, what would they do after entering it? And, what was the situation inside?
Though their large number was an asset before, if the tunnels of the hive were narrow and cramped, this advantage would quickly become a disadvantage.
Leonel felt a headache coming on, but he followed the charging bears in without hesitation. He could only ignore the roars coming from the remaining four legions of beasts.
Unlike the beasts Leonel didn't charge into the first tunnel he could. After reaching the range of the hive, he leapt up, quickly climbing the hill-like structure and dropping down a tunnel with a fairly shallow fall.
Seeing Leonel's actions, the youths followed with little hesitation. His method was indeed the best. The beasts were straight forward, so they automatically entered the easiest holes of the hive, but who said they had to do so as well?
Entering the darkness, Leonel suddenly felt a calmness still his heart. He almost felt right at home. How long had he spent in those dark Mayan tunnels, using nothing but his sharp senses to navigate his path ahead.
He had an instinct to run forward as quickly as possible, but Leonel didn't do this. Instead, he turned around and held his ground, waiting for the youths who followed in after him.
The tunnels were wide enough for about four robust males to walk shoulder to shoulder at once. Not too narrow, but also not too large.
While this was a bit of a disadvantage with their numbers being about 80, it was a disadvantage the enemy had to contend with as well. Though Leonel's approach sent them away from the majority of beasts, he would be too naive if he thought that not a single one would follow them in.
He could sense that the spider king hadn't approached the hive for whatever reason, but this was good news. He wouldn't know how to deal with that beast king's poison breath in such a small place. If it really came, he would have no choice but to run.
At that moment, the first line of youths caught up with Leonel.
"Run by me, I'll hold the line here and kill any beasts that follow us in." Leonel said quickly.
Roaring Black Lion and the other top youths of the Southern and Eastern Lookouts were the first to catch up, unsurprisingly. When they heard Leonel's words, they understood his intention and nodded.
King of Seas and Pisces hesitated for a moment, but they still followed suit. If they really stirred up problems right now, they probably wouldn't just be the enemy of the Southern Lookout youths. At that point, maybe even their own people would turn against them.
Their gazes flickered as they retreated and Leonel pretended not to notice…
**
"Bear King died?"
At that moment, a familiar youth's eyes opened wide. He stood frozen on the spot, unable to understand. Compared to his reaction when wererat 006 died, this was far more dignified. He knew exactly how powerful this creature of his was, yet it had died? Could it be that other powerful beasts had appeared? That was impossible, he had scouted the entire island and taken all the SS-grade threats under his control. Unless those beasts from the ocean really got here so quickly?
"Young Lord, is something the matter?"
At that moment, the others looked toward the youth, realizing his weird expression. They all understood that something outside of their expectations must have happened. The group that had been traveling down a particularly dark tunnel couldn't help but pause their steps.
The young man stood silent for a long while, not responding to the questions his subordinates had for him. He was trying to decide whether or not he should call in the other beast kings to deal with this potential threat, but in the end, he shook his head.
Since only Bear King died, it likely meant that other the beast kings had come together to deal with the situation. If he called them in now, it might very well be allowing that creature a chance to enter where it might not otherwise be able to.
Leonel had always assumed that the beasts were waiting outside the hive for a specific moment… Maybe the Force geyser was dangerous or maybe the mine it originated from wasn't perfectly ripe yet… Aside from this, he hadn't thought of another possibility… The possibility that the beast kings were guarding the entrance at the request of their master.
The youth looked up from his thoughts. "Let's go, we need to explore these tunnels and find the path toward the Force Crystal mine faster."
The guards around the youth looked toward his multi-lense monocle and didn't dare to disobey.