A few seconds later, Daneel had conjured a bit of water to sprinkle on his friend’s face so that he could wake up.

The terrifying fear that was inherent whenever one was going to be crushed by a being that was so many times larger than them had directly made Faxul faint, and in fact, this was actually supposed to be one of the additional abilities of the Godbeast that he had transformed into.

After Faxul did wake up, he hastily scrambled back before finally coming to his senses and looking at Daneel.

The first thing he said made Daneel laugh, before the King began to wonder whether he really was being a bit too harsh on his sovereigns.

"No more friendly battles!"

Raising his hands in order to make peace as Faxul really was the best target for him to test his abilities on, Daneel said, "Alright, fine, I’m sorry. From next time, I’ll be sure to give you a head’s up regarding what to expect. It wouldn’t have helped, because this beast’s abilities, themselves, center around overwhelming opponents."

It was only after a few more moments that Faxul finally became completely normal, and after that, he finally asked, "What was that beast, anyway? I’ve never heard or seen anything that large!"

Daneel answered with a proud tone.

"It is called the Demon Leviathan, and for the longest time, it was what protected our continent by preying on any threat that might wish to target us. At that time, it was, in fact the most powerful Godbeast in existence, and the only reason that it didn’t reign over Angaria was that it could only live in the sea, and it needed a large amount of water each and every day to sustain itself. The name ’demon’ comes from the fact that it indiscriminately gorges on each and every thing that it comes across, and it also takes extreme delight in destroying stuff. Unlike with the Dragon which gains power on doing so, the Demon Leviathan simply grows amused. I even read records which stated that Angaria was initially surrounded by a few smaller islands, but when this Godbeast came into being, those that belonged to its species started to spend their free time by utilizing their massive bodies and extremely powerful abilities to break apart and sink those poor, innocent landmasses. The only reason that Angaria was saved from this fate was that it was too large. It was the tyrant of the sea, and no matter what being entered its domain, it would find itself eaten whole. In all of history, it was killed only once, and that, too, was when a Hero was able to find one which was giving birth. The irony is that even though he managed to kill the mother, the child that was born ended up killing him. Well, thanks to his sacrifice, the Emperor managed to obtain a very important part of its body which he was able to convert into a unique weapon which, sadly, turned out to be defective. The problem was that unlike other parts of Godbeasts which could be studied over a long time so that formations could be made to bring out their power, this one was too complex, and no matter how much the top mages of the Empire tried, they really could not create formations that could utilize all aspects of that incredible beast. Finally, the end result was that only a blade was made which captured just two aspects: the sharpness of its serrated horns which it used to spear its opponents through so that it could drink their blood, and the aspect of weight that it was blessed in by the World which allowed it to consciously change how much it weighed according to the occasion. This was also what allowed it to grow that large without collapsing. The result was a heavy and sharp blade, which had the side effect of causing people to want to break things if they used it."

Speaking until here with fervent admiration on his face, Daneel took out the sword that he had obtained from the secret treasury of Angaria.

He had thanked his lucky stars when he found out that the only reason that the Protector, who seemed to be a very mysterious figure whose power level was something that couldn’t even be scanned by the system, had only taken out that weapon and was used to carrying it around as he liked the way it looked and felt in his arms. He had never intended to use it in battle, and hence, when Daneel asked, he was able to obtain it.

Seeing the weapon, Faxul didn’t really get the same feeling of fear that he had gotten when he heard the story behind the Godbeast.

Taking it into his hands when he was offered it by Daneel, he was quite shocked to find that it was at least 500 kg in weight.

Well, that explained the ’weight’ thing.

It was clear that the material, itself, wasn’t that dense, but for some reason, it was so damn heavy.

At this point, though, Faxul found that he was curious regarding just how this beast even looked. Before, he had only seen its underside, which had been blue with skin that looked as if it was tougher than any armor in existence.

For a moment, though, he paused and wondered whether he even wanted to ask his friend to show it, as it might become the wraith that would haunt his nightmares.

Yet, bracing himself, he said, "Can you show me the Godbeast again? I just want to see how it looks properly."

Right after saying this and seeing Daneel nod, Faxul immediately began to back away, as he knew that after the transformation, his friend would occupy the same space as a few buildings.

The King of Lanthanor smiled as he saw this, and waited for his friend to reach a distance where he would not be crushed again.

The last time, if he hadn’t stopped the transformation at the last moment, then Faxul really would have been smashed to bits.

As Daneel’s body blurred once again which was a sign that the transformation was beginning, Faxul kept his eyes trained on his friend, and after a few seconds, he was once again greeted by the extremely strange sight of something immense appearing out of thin air.

Even though it wasn’t doing any jumping, just the action of it settling onto the ground made such a large sound appear which was akin to a large building being smashed apart by a powerful Fighter.

After the transformation, Faxul could only widen his eyes and stare at this creature before understanding why it had been given the ’demon’ moniker.

It’s large eyes, which could probably fit at least two or three people inside it, were completely pitch black, and they even seemed to glow with an evilness that was the sort which would make one wish that they were anywhere else but where those eyes were looking.

It had a wide mouth which gave Faxul the impression that if it wished, it could swallow things much larger than even itself, and as it slightly opened, he saw that there were rows of pointed teeth.

The eyes were, of course, to the sides, and right beside each one, in the front of the middle of its head rose two tasks which were equidistant from each other. They were serrated on the inside, almost as if they were meant to tear apart the internal organs of any prey that this being made its target. The tips seem to shine in the light that was present in this underground arena, and Faxul could actually see from which part that sword must have been made.

Each tusk was at least 10 meters(33 feet) long, and near the top, they straightened out. That top was definitely cut off in order to make the blade of the weapon that had been forged by the Emperor.

The Godbeast also had flippers which were covered with the same type of skin he had seen before- it was of an overall blue hue, along with a scraggly surface that almost looked like rock. The flippers had sharp edges, too, as if they were supplementary weapons that could be used when necessary.

Finally, the tail was in a V-shape, and it looked so powerful that a single slap might be enough to level even the Palace of Lanthanor.

The next moment, Daneel transformed back, and Faxul saw that his friend was actually out of breath.

He took in a few deep breaths, and his face looked a bit flushed.

After taking a few moments, he finally said, "This thing requires so, so much energy to transform into. Even when I’m in its form, I feel all of my energy reserves being sapped just to maintain its body. Explains why it was known to keep eating for 20 hours in a day."

Faxul nodded in response, and after that, the King gestured his friend over before conjuring two chairs and a table.

A bottle of wine appeared on the table, and by the time Faxul reached, his glass had been filled.

Gulping it down and smacking his lips, he waited for his glass to be refilled, while Daneel began speaking again.

"This is part of the spoils that I obtained from the expedition to the Big Four. You are on the right track, Faxul. If you keep training in that technique and unlocking all of the insights of the Devouring Monarch, I think that you might just become someone who could stand almost undefeated on this continent. I had a plan regarding what consciousnesses I wanted to get when going into that entire thing, and this one was on top of my list. This was the rarest, as like I said, there was only one such weapon in existence, and it was known to have been lost during the final battle. I was really hoping that I would find it, because if I did, I was sure that after I also managed to obtain the rest on that list, I would definitely stand as the strongest Fighter in the continent in my level, even if one counted all the hidden seeds who are being nurtured by the Big Four. Tell me, Faxul. What are the major aspects that one needs to cover if they want to become powerful?"

Hearing the abrupt question while nursing the empty glass in his hands as he had just gulped down his fifth refill, Faxul took a moment to answer.

With each gulp, he had been reaffirming his decision to keep working hard, because there was no other way in which he could keep up with his friend.

Finally, after taking one more gulp as Daneel was automatically refilling the glasses using magic, he answered.

"Strength, speed and adaptability."

Faxul had actually cheated on this answer, and Daneel found out instantly.

With a chuckle, he said, "I see you’ve read the famous work which is present in all the libraries all over the Central Continent, too. But do you know that this phrase was actually coined by a follower of the Emperor, who was actually his mentor for a time?"

Faxul raised his eyebrows and shook his head, following which Daneel said, "Some things are passed down and never forgotten, no matter how much time passes. His answer to his disciple, the Emperor, when he asked the same question, was later made by the Emperor into a book which was mandatory reading for all those who joined under him. Of course, if you knew that part, then you must already know the long form of the answer. ’Strength to overpower. Speed to blind. And adaptability to overcome any and all things that might be thrown at one on the path to glory. Master all of these and the wisdom to know when to use which, and no one will ever be able to defeat you.’ My list was based on this, too, and the reason behind me going after this Gotbeast is to fulfil that first aspect. There is no beast which can output more strength than a Demon Leviathan, which can bring forth even a multiple of its weight to smash anything into smithereens. If I can master the way to use it, I will have fully satisfied the first aspect. As for the rest... Let’s handle them all in time. Anyway, get back to your training. I will be calling for a meeting of the sovereigns, tomorrow to show off the second consciousness that I obtained, and we can talk again then. We will also be going over our next steps."

historical

With a nod, Faxul teleported away, but Daneel actually stayed in that place and continue to drink all alone, absorbed in his thoughts.

He had finally found a breather, and it actually felt good to just sit without having any pressing matters on his plate.

True, there were still a lot of things, but they could wait till tomorrow.

Hence, for the first time in a long time, the King of Lanthanor continue to drink and drink, and when he finally began to feel tipsy, he teleported to his bed which looked like it hadn’t been slept in in a very long time.

He crashed into it, and with the sound of Drakos’s heart beating in the background acting like a lullaby, he drifted into a dreamless sleep.