8

How should I start this? First, I should highly doubt my baseless confidence and just leave. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be easy to do and seems impossible. This is because Nick Salazar is here, my own brother. He's much stronger than me without needing to use a Beast.

The die is cast. Now I can only do everything in my power to win. Whatever it takes!

"Brother... don't you want to show off the power of your Beast that you obtained after killing our parents?" I deliberately gave a little provocation. However, I wasn't sure if my cheap provocation would be able to provoke my brother's emotions.

"Do you think your brother would easily fall for your provocation, little brother?" As I expected, my brother responded with a cold and calm tone. "How about this? I will deal with the people you want to fight, but let me bring your friend along. Luckily, I am quite interested in him, Ars."

Without thinking further, I immediately replied, "Sorry, but I won't do anything to the Nevaeh family if not for him. In short, I have no reason to confront those nobles."

"That's a shame, Ars." Nick activated his right eye, and a long golden dragon emerged from his body. It was a unique Beast. From what I know, the Dragon Beast is the strongest. "Before bidding farewell to this world, I want you to know my true power, Ars."

"Sorry, I don't know your name. But I want you to know that it's not only you who has a Beast different from others!" Naville instantly released his Thestral Beast, challenging Nick.

"I never said I needed your help, Naville," I said seriously.

Nick Salazar didn't seem surprised by the Beast that Naville possessed. It was understandable; he probably already knew about Naville's Thestral Beast.

"That scrawny creature won't be able to stop my majestic dragon!" Nick was very confident, showcasing his golden Dragon Beast, flying and preparing to attack.

Shortly after, around a hundred soldiers brought by Byron, including Byron himself, activated the power of their right eyes. Blue Tiger Beasts immediately surrounded me and Naville from all directions. However, they were not our main concern right now.

"Naville," I whispered. "Take care of them while I deal with my brother."

Honestly, even though I had the power to crush the Beasts with a single touch, I wasn't sure if that would be enough. I had to be extremely careful now; a slight mistake would ruin everything.

"Alright, I will take care of them quickly!" Naville agreed, showing no sign of resistance. That was probably because Naville only had a grudge against the Nevaeh family and had no business with my brother.

Decision made, I immediately lunged forward, attacking my brother with a powerful horizontal sword swing. However, without exerting the slightest effort, his Dragon Beast deflected my sword until it broke.

"You, who don't have a Beast like mine, can't defeat me, Ars!" Nick said, fully believing that he was unbeatable.

I didn't waver, staring into his right eye, which was blue with cloud-like patterns. Without any hesitation, I launched a swift punch with my right hand.

As I expected, he attempted to throw me off using his Beast. However, unfortunately for him, his Dragon Beast slowly faded away, blending into the air. Finally, I could see the astonished face of my older brother.

One powerful punch successfully struck his abdomen. However, he quickly counterattacked by swinging his sword vertically. Without wasting any time, I immediately jumped backward, perfectly evading it.

"I didn't expect you to have such a strange power, Ars. No wonder you're not afraid to face Beasts," Nick deactivated his right eye. He seemed to understand that my power couldn't eliminate the Beast permanently.

Before I could respond, suddenly my vision went dark, and hysterical screams from the soldiers echoed through the forest. It seemed that Naville had grown tired of playing around and started taking things seriously.

True enough, as soon as my vision returned to normal, the hundred soldiers brought by Byron were already dead, only Byron Nevaeh himself remained. I didn't know if Naville intentionally let the nobleman stay alive or how it happened.

"That Byron seems to be protected by something unknown to me," Naville whispered. "But I don't know what it is."

"It seems to be the work of my brother," I replied as I saw Byron taking shelter behind my brother.

"I must say, I'm quite impressed with your abilities, Ars," Nick said again. "Join me. Let's conquer the Kingdom of Dolores together!"

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in politics and power. Do it on your own if you can!" I knew that I might be consumed by anger and the desire for revenge right now, but I made no attempt to calm myself.

"In that case, too bad, today you will lose your life!" Once again, Nick activated the power of his right eye. As before, a golden Dragon Beast emerged from his body. "I hope you don't regret your foolish decision, little brother!"

With a single stomp of his foot, Nick shook the ground, and lightning instantly crackled, aiming directly at me. Fortunately, as quickly as possible, Naville defended against the powerful lightning attack using his Thestral Beast.

Naville and I immediately stepped back a few steps. However, the ground continued to tremble, and lightning struck relentlessly from the sky. It was frustrating; I was completely helpless now!

"Ars, hide behind me. Your brother is clearly keeping his Beast out of your reach!" Naville decided to take over the fight for now.

"No!" I refused. "He's my opponent! I will face him with my own strength! You fight Byron Nevaeh. He's your enemy, right?"

"Sorry, Ars, but for now, I can't agree with you." This time, Naville insisted on fighting my brother, taking my place. "This battle has reached a different level than what you're used to. It's a battle between users of unique Beasts!"

I knew that Naville was right. Indeed, with my current power, I could incinerate any Beast with a single touch, but I couldn't neutralize the power of unique Beasts. Should I admit that my strength isn't as great as I thought?

I fell silent for a moment, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. Just a little, but I could become calmer. "You're right, Naville. I should think about how to win, rather than selfishly trying to defeat an opponent I can't overcome."

"Are you done discussing strategies?!" Nick said, and his Dragon Beast immediately spewed flames from its mouth. "If you are, then I'll attack."

Reacting quickly, Naville and I jumped to the side.