Thwoom!!

  A sudden burst of energy heralded the arrival of a white-haired woman a flowing bck cloak. She appeared beside Kaede’s chair, her expression grave.

  “Lady Kaede, there’s an emergency,” she announced.

  Kaede nodded, unfazed. “Charlotte. You’re referring to the force currently heading toward us, aren’t you?”

  Charlotte ined her head, showing no surprise at her master’s fht. Kaede’s abilities often surpassed logid by now, Charlotte had long accepted that her master was simply that incredible.

  “Lady Pito is already keeping an eye on the Pegasus Knights as we speak,” Charlotte tinued, her six crimson eyes blinking in unison.

  “Good,” Kaede aowledged before turning to the bee envoys. “My apologies, but I must take my leave. A pressing matter has arisen.”

  The Queen Bee, uanding the gravity of the situation, respohrough telepathy. "We uand."

  With a final nod, Kaede strode out of the mansion, her gaze fixed ahead. “Judging by their trajectory, they’ll nd somewhere in the middle of the city,” she mused aloud as she walked.

  Suddenly, a series of sharp movements sighe arrival of her trusted panions. Shifu, Hachi, Crimara, and Aurina materialized at her side, each exuding an aura of readiness.

  “Mother, we came as fast as we could. Chibari is on her way,” Auried, seamlessly falling into step beside Kaede.

  Shifu remained silent, his posture disciplined, one haing on his sword, the other csped behind his back.

  Meanwhile, Crimara and Hachi radiated untained fury.

  “To arrive so unannounced. How utterly uncouth,” Hachi seethed, her emerald hair lifting slightly, charged with power.

  Crimara’s grin was almost predatory, her fiery red locks mirr the flickering embers of her growing rage. “Just say the word, Mother, and I’ll buro ders.”

  Kaede’s expression remained unreadable as she walked, her mind already calg the best course of a.

  It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Kaede was at full strength, especially with her panions by her side and her already expanding army.

  Ari, however, was absent.

  With the growing number of monsters under Kaede’s rule, Chibari had proposed strug another city within the Kyusha Mountains, modeled after the underground nation of Dwargon. The Antari had readily agreed, eager to return to an envirohat suited them better. It was an ht on Kaede’s part, moving the eari to the surface without sidering their preference for earthen tunnels.

  However, there was a plication.

  The mountains were already home to a powerful force. The elves revered them as gods. The monsters spoke of them as unofficial Demon Lords.

  Ari, oher hand, had simply called them a nuisance. And without hesitation, she had taken it upon herself to iate the expansion of Kaede’s city.

  'I really o e up with a proper name for my city. I ’t keep calling it ‘the city’ all the time,' Kaede mused.

  Of course, before Ari left, Kaede had made sure to sit her down and emphasize the importance of diplomacy. The st thing she wanted was for her forces to overpower every potential ally through sheer intimidation.

  'On sed thought, perhaps sending Ari had been a mistake.'

  Her other daughter was also not here, though for different reasons.

  Acer had undergone another evolution when Kaede received the title of [Mother of Monsters].

  She had transformed into a massive flower bud, her roots extending deep into the earth.

  Acc to Artificia, Acer was now linking the surrounding forest to herself, verting various trees into spirit-based life forms. In other words, she was creating Dryads and Treants.

  Kaede had groa the thought of gaining even more children, or were they grandchildren at this point? Still, she couldn't hide the smile on her face upon hearing the news. She was genuinely happy for her daughter's growth.

  Meanwhile, atop the city’s walls, Edward stood at the forefront of the guards, watg the approag force.

  The human had surprised Kaede with how quickly he adapted to training the city’s defense force. However, pared to the monsters' natural strength, he was still at a disadvantage.

  A quick sultation with Artificia led Kaede to a solution, though it required Edward’s sent.

  After a few days of deliberation, he finally agreed.

  Using fifteen pert of her power, Kaede created an artifact that Artificia ter he Saan X.

  Fed entirely from Magisteel, the metal exoskeleton granted speed, strength, and durability beyond anything a normal human could achieve. Thanks to Kaede’s magicules infusing the metal during the creation process, its defensive properties had skyrocketed, making Edward the third most durable person iire city.

  A fitting enha for the Roots, the he city’s defense force had chosen for themselves.

  Although, with this obvious intrusion, Kaede was going to have to work on an aerial force of her own

  ---

  Gazel watched as the city before him tio expand, its structures a clear sign of rapid growth.

  As he and his Pegasus Knights desded, he could already see a small group gathered in the middle of the city, awaiting their arrival.

  At the forefront stood a young girl a bck jacket lined with red fur. At first gnce, she appeared ordinary, until he drew closer ahe sheer presence radiating from her.

  The message was clear:

  You better have a good reason for being here. If not, you better be strong enough to survive.

  ---

  _A few days ago_

  Within the heart of Dwargon, Gazel sat in the pany of his cil, his expression unreadable as he held a piece of paper in his hands, carefully reading its tents.

  “My king, what does the letter say?” one of his ministers asked, evident in his expression.

  It was a justified . Just weeks ago, the Storm Dragon’s aura had vanished without a trace, a disappearahat cided with the emergence of a rapidly growing city. A city of ants, of all things.

  Gazel exhaled heavily before wordlessly lifting the paper over a nearby dle.

  The fmes ed it in moments, redug it to nothing but ashes.

  “The monsters on the eastern side of the Great Forest of Jura have all sworn allegiao the human leading the Antari,” King Gazel decred, his voice calm yet anding.

  “All of them?” one minister echoed, his evident. “With a force like that… a monster uprising.”

  “It’s worse than that,” Gazel tinued. “They're been led by a human capable of naming and evolving monsters.”

  “What did you say?” The same minister’s eyes widened in shock as a heavy siletled over the room.

  Gazel nodded gravely. “Indeed. Acc to our spy’s report, this human ands at least fifty thousand A-rank Majin. And an eveer number of lower-ranked monsters.”

  The silence deepened, suffog in its weight. Then, a third minister finally spoke. “My king… are we certain this is a human? With power like that, they could easily decre themselves a Demon Lord.”

  “Yet she hasn’t.” Gazel exhaled, closing his eyes in thought. 'The power to and Majin… to force mass evolutions… all in the hands of a single human. How troublesome. If this matter is not handled carefully, this nation may fall.'

  When he reopened his eyes, his ministers were watg him, waiting for his decision.

  “I will visit this human myself,” he stated firmly. “And if the worst proves true… I will strike her down myself."

  ---

  _Back to the present _

  Gazel watched as the city below grew rger with every passing sed, his Pegasus steadily desding toward the ground.

  Still some distance from the city's ter, a group of figures rinting through the streets. Leading them was Eryn, fnked by a massive Hobgoblin, a Haulia rabbit-man, and a brown-haired, wolf-eared girl. Running slightly behind them was Chibari, her gaze locked onto Gazel’s Pegasus with an expression of deep flict.

  "My king..." she whispered under her breath, pain flickering in her eyes as she ran.

  By the time they reached Kaede and her ente, Gazel and his Pegasus Knights had begun cirg the tral pza, preparing to nd.

  “There’s no doubt about it,” Eryn murmured, his panions listening ily. “That’s the Hero King of the dwarves… Gazel Dwargo.”

  “Well, Lady Kaede, what should we do?” Aurina asked, her gaze never leaving the Dwarven King’s imposing form.

  Kaede furrowed her brow. “He’s strong.”

  A subtle ripple passed through the gathered monsters at her words, though none of them seemed to notice their owions.

  “I’d like to avoid a fight if possible,” Kaede tinued, her tone measured. “But just in case, start evacuating the nearby civilians.”

  Her shadow flickered. In an instant, Charlotte’s subordinates melted into the darkness, swiftly moving to rey her and.

  The Pegasus finally touched down, and Gazel was the first to dismount, followed closely by his knights.

  Before Kaede could step forward, Chibari rushed past her and her panions, dropping to one knee befazel.

  “It is good to see you, Your Majesty.”

  Gazel adjusted the saddle of his Pegasus before turning his gaze to Chibari. “Have your days been well, Chibari?”

  “Yes,” she responded, remaining in her kneeling position.

  Kaede decided it was time to get some answers. Stepping forward, she approached Gazel, who turned his sharp eyes toward her the moment she moved, as if he could ever ignore her presence.

  “The human,” he noted, his tone unreadable.

  Kaede’s expression remained ral, though Gazel caught the slight twitch of her brow at his choice of words.

  “Allow me to introduce myself,” she said evenly. “My name is Kaede. And while I may be human, I would prefer if you did not address me as such.”

  Gazel raised a brow but remained silent as she tinued.

  “I am the leader of the city you’re standing in, and the future nation of... uh... Maple... Tree.”

  The air around her grew heavier, a subtle increase in pressure that only Gazel seemed to perceive.

  A pause stretched between them before he finally spoke, amusement evident in his voice.

  “…Did you just e up with that name right now?”

  Kaede stiffened. “…No?”

  Quickly ging the topic,

  Kaede asked, "So, King Gazel, what I do for you?"

  Gazel’s expression remained ral as he replied, "I'll get straight to the point. I'm here to determine your worth."

  SaberGlory