Hero of Darkness

The following day, Atreus formally met the Tribe Elders of the Fenrirborne Tribe. And as expected, all of them contained traces of the bloodline from Goodbeast Fenrir albeit in very small amounts up to 15%.

Atreus on the other end already had 70% of this bloodline which also made him look more imposing and somewhat superior as per their basic instinct. Many of these Tribe Elders praised Romulus for finding such a gem and secretly training him for all these years without anyone noticing. 

Apart from Atreus, only Romulus Lykaios, his new master, had 35% of Fenrir's bloodline. But unlike the people present here, he wasn't actually from the Nadur Empire but was born in the Abyss Empire. 

Kahn had no idea about the history of the empire that once served the God of Darkness. But he found it unnecessary to inquire especially from Romulus since this was a sore spot for him due to the events of 300 years ago. 

He was more of a paying guest at the moment. So there was no need to dive deep into the Landlord's personal life affairs. Besides, the supposed 'well-wisher' of his was to answer all his questions once he came to meet Kahn himself. 

So for now, prioritizing his advancements as per their previous arrangement was of the utmost importance than gathering information. 

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In the afternoon, a warship arrived in the gladiator arena-like open grounds at the center of the fortress. And soon, 4 entities escorted by dozen of armored guards came out. 

However, the expressions of all these new arrivals were filled with discomfort, anger and contempt. Everyone looked like they were thoroughly infuriated about something. 

After the meeting with tribe elders ended, these four figures entered the council hall and prostrated themselves in front of Romulus who was sitting on his 2 meter tall throne. 

"Is the mission I gave you all completed?" asked the fiery red wolfkin who was seated like a tyrant. 

In response, all the newly arrived wolfkins nodded without speaking another word. 

Atreus was also present in the room and sat on one of the chairs. 

Today was supposed to be the first day of his training but they were preoccupied with the tribe meeting and his introduction to all the elders and clan leaders under the Fenrirborne Tribe. 

And now… He was just waiting for his new mentor's instructions. 

"Atreus… These are my disciples I told you about." spoke the peak 7th stage saint as he introduced these people. 

[Boy… The strongest ones among them are 4th stage saints just like you, including that female wolfkin. The other two are 2nd and 3rd stage saints respectively.] informed Rathnaar. 

The blue wolfkin with glowing blue eyes and archaic runes ran through his chest and the rest of the torso was astonished. Because all of these people… were Saints. 

[To have 4 legitimate saints as his disciples. Looks like I undermined Romulus.] thought Kahn to himself.

A saint was a backbone and a powerhouse for powerful clans with millions of people. Yet instead of living like top echelons… These saints were still downplaying themselves and kneeling in front of Romulus like obedient children. 

At this moment, Kahn telepathically contacted the wolfkin. 

[What's the difference between them and your official disciple?] 

To his query, the wolfkin replied… 

[They're someone I was obligated to take in as the tribe leader after they met certain criteria and showed immense future prospects as per the tribe rules. 

Although none of them are Brawler class, I was training them in perfecting their ways of war and honing their battle skills wholeheartedly. 

Trust me… They're all really good.] he replied secretly while maintaining a stern expression in front of his disciples. 

Just then, one of the 4th stage saints stood and spoke in a solemn tone. 

"Master… Is he the Shadow Disciple I heard about on our way here?" asked a white wolfkin with a tall and mesomorphic build. 

Both his and Atreus' eyes locked in together as the latter sensed hostility. 

"If you allow us… Let me test him." said the ripped-bodied wolfkin. 

"He he he! Just as I expected." 

Suddenly, one of the other disciple wolfkins with an ectomorphic build chuckled with a psychotic expression. 

"I'm of the same opinion, master." spoke the female warrior-like female wolfkin. 

Based on her appearance and demeanor… She was the prime example of Muscle-Mommy. 

By the wolfkin standards, she was both beautiful and fierce like a domineering queen. 

Within the depth of her eyes, Atreus could feel that she looked at his entire existence as if she was looking at an insect from above.

The other two who were weaker shared the same intent.

[Well, that's to be expected. People here will respect you only if you're stronger than them. Your heritage and family background have no value in the Beast Empire after all.] thought Kahn in his mind. 

"Ha ha ha! Well, I saw this coming already." said the wolfkin as he laughed loudly. 

"I'll let you all spar and see if my choice was good or not." he declared. 

"And Atreus… You can go all out.

Don't think of them as my disciples or your comrades. 

Think of them as your " he spoke, hinting something with his gaze. 

"I'll arrange the arena." he spoke and his figure flickered. 

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10 Minutes Later. 

All of them stood in the open grounds of an underground training facility. However, there were no other people and the platform Atreus and others stood on was glowing with multicolored archaic runes. 

Whoosh! 

In the next moment, another figure appeared in the facility and stood behind Romulus. 

"Is it okay to let them fight?

Aren't they all your disciples? 

Besides… When and Where did you find him?" asked a pristine white female wolfkin who looked no different than an angelic existence. Yet her strength was of a peak 5th-stage saintess. 

"Priscilla, my dear wife… You know I can't tell you that. 

Just think of it the same as your father finding me and making me his shadow disciple 80 years ago." he spoke while others were waiting but couldn't hear their words. 

"Well, you ended up winning the Tribal Tourney, then became the official disciple and now, you're the tribe leader after he passed away. 

But still… I need to know if this Atreus can be trusted." she spoke with a skeptical tone. 

"Well, only time will tell. I haven't offered him any reason to be loyal to us. 

Besides… there was a reason why I chose him." iterated the 7th stage saint.

"What would that be?" asked Priscilla Lykaios, the lady of the Fenrirborne Tribe. 

"He is needed to show them their shortcomings." replied the red wolfkin with a somber expression. 

Romulus looked at his 4 disciples with an incredulous expression. 

By no means they were like ignorant morons or some young master of clans who thought the world owed them something. 

But recently… They were so focused on becoming his Official Disciple due to the pressure from their respective clans and families. 

And in a way… they were striving away from the path he needed them to walk to succeed him and benefit the tribe in the future. 

Finally, a blue barrier encapsulated their platform and red pentagram-shaped runes on the floor glowed brightly. 

"Aren't you coming?" asked Atreus as his gaze swept through all of them. 

"Which one of us do you want to fight?" asked the female wolfkin disciple. 

"Isn't that obvious?" asked Atreus with a confident and ominous grin. 

"All of you at once."

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[[Author : Sorry for the recent gap in chapter releases. I have been sick in one way or another from the past 3 days. Winter season is extremely adverse for my health and thus I wasn't in a position to focus or write a single chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience and inconsistency.]]