Overcoming The Beast

Leon left the area around the world tree. He had Zen carry him in ghost form and use ghost walk to travel to Flower Dance city. It took some time but he finally arrived back at flower dance city.

He sensed the chimera and Ariel far away tired and trying to recover. He told them to wait a bit. He had to complete another of his goals here in the Nature Continent. The three continental competition had been cancelled so he could no longer get the constellation beast Scorpio beast by winning it. So he might as well steal the egg.

He had Zen sense for the egg and the Monarch did leave it at the balcony on the pedestal.

He jumped of the Dragon and was brought back to the real realm. He walked up and was about to pick up the seven coloured egg. Not being able to get the Tree branch and then losing the butterfly had already disappointed Leon. He wanted to get the egg and kill Elena.

Leon grabbed for the egg but his hand went through it. The egg disappeared. Leon looked back and saw Elena holding the egg.

Leon glared and flared up. He didn't wait for to speak as he formed a lightning sword and used lighting step to appear before her and slash her in half.

However Elena laughed as the sword went through her. Leaves spilled rather then blood. "Leon Black, or should I call you Leon Flamesmith, You are rather interesting, Pandora has been keeping an eye on you and hasn't been disappointed by what it has learned." She said with a condescending smile.

"ta-ta Leon." She said as she blew a kiss at Leon and broke into pieces of leaves.

Leon had Zen materialise in its real form. It watched Leon wondering what to do.

"Elena stole the Scorpio egg. It looks like her goal was it from the start. Was the egg Pandora's real objective?" Leon thought. Elena had a higher standing then most members and was given important missions. "Was the Tree of life branch a distraction?" Leon said even more confused. "Impossible, They wouldn't make the acquiring of such an important resource a throw away mission."

"Unless the constellation beast is even more valuable." Leon didn't know much about constellation beasts. He just knew they were unique and much stronger then other beasts. They had stronger abilities and high talents. He couldn't see how such a beast could be more valuable then the branch of the Tree of life which was literally worth thousands of lives.

Leon suddenly had the slaughter qi enter his eyes as he said, "Worst of all, she escaped." The slaughter qi had leaked out from the seal he placed in his body. Leon looked at Zen.

Zen didn't sense Elena appearing. It didn't attack as it saw the Elena here was a clone made of leaves. The real body had left with the egg. However it couldn't sense Elena after she teleported. So she had either gone really far out of its senses or into another space.

Leon felt bitter. He looked at the other two eggs and left. They weren't worth contracting. He had to go to the Chimera and Ariel. They were severely injured and barely had any energy.

Zen had Leon sit on its back and used Ghost walk to appear next to the two beasts. Carrying Leon it could feel that boiling slaughter qi in him ready to explode out. It had gotten much stronger after absorbing the slaughter qi left by the black beast.

Leon jumped off and saw the two beasts resting. The angel sat on a tree and was cultivating. While the chimera was sleeping in a weak black lotus it had created using the little amount of energy it had recovered.

"You both should rest in the soul book, you'll recover faster there." Leon then unsummoned the two. He jumped on Zen again. "Let's go to the cherry blossom forest." He wanted to heal the forest. The main reason he had decided to steal the branch in the first place.

Zen brought Leon there. The forest was withered. A few trees still had pink leaves while the others were either dead or in the process of dying. The tree of life recovering didn't change the situation. The forest had probably died the moment the branch had been cut and recovered the moment it was rejoined to what it was before it had been cut.

Leon summoned the Cherry Blossom treeling. It looked at the dead forest and fell to its knees. Seeing its family slowly die was heart breaking to it. Leon walked to it and took out one of the leaves of the Tree of life and gave it to the treeling.

The treeling held the leaf and looked at Leon wondering what to do with it. It could feel the incredible amount of life energy in it but didn't know how to harness it.

Leon didn't know either, he had thought the butterfly as a beast with life energy would know what to do, but since it was gone they would have to improvise.

"I'm not sure, maybe bury it in the ground or have the dead overlord cherry blossom tree absorb it. I think you should do what feels natural to you." Leon said.

The treeling nodded, it wiped its tears and stared at the leaf in its hands. It was going to make sure it knew the proper method so it started thinking of what it could be.

Leon walked to the side and let the treeling do what it wanted to do. He summoned all the other beasts. The Chimera and Ariel were still tired. The Phoenix saw this and started asking what had happened. And soon the beasts started discussing what happened with each other.

Ariel looked around and asked Leon, "Where is the Storm Spirit Butterfly? Why didn't you summon her?"

Leon didn't know what to say. He looked at Zen if it wanted to tell Ariel. Zen shook its head saying that Leon should do it. Leon looked at Ariel and told her the truth, "The storm spirit butterfly can't be summoned anymore. It sacrificed itself to heal the tree of life."

Ariel looked at Leon wondering if he was joking. That Chimera also was surprised. It landed in front of Leon and all three heads asked in sync, "What about our leaves?"

Ariel saw the camera's uncaring reaction and grew furious she pushed it to the side and flew in front of Leon, "Leon, how could you let it do such a thing?!"

"I tried to Stop it. You can ask Zen, he was with me. That butterfly was just adamant on healing the Tree." Leon said calmly.

Ariel formed a blood spear and held it to Leon's neck, "You tried? Well then you should have tried harder." Ariel looked at the phoenix and said, "You should have enough control of your Phoenix flames now to control them and only attack the soul. Use the phoenix flames to break everyone's blood oath and contracts so I can kill Leon. I think an uncaring man like him doesn't deserves such talented beasts if he is going to let them die so easily."

Leon was surprised by what Ariel had said, he looked towards the phoenix wondering if it what she said was true.

That Phoenix didn't deny or agree. It had Zen carry it and put it on Leon's head. It looked at Ariel and said, "Calm down, You aren't thinking properly, the butterfly didn't die. It still has some consciousness remaining." The Phoenix then told Leon to summon his soul book and show them.

Leon didn't respond, "Can the Phoenix actually break the blood oath? It shouldn't be able to, Ariel must have thought the outer part of the contract in the soul is what connects us. It She still must not have seen that it runs deep into her very being and and makes the heavens recognise us as one being."

The Scryer's blood oath technique was the hardest technique he had ever learned. Even the Blood God's art was easier to memorize. After learning it he had continued to study and try to change it. It was through this he was able to create another technique by adding the Nine Thrones soul technique to it. It created the one way contract that forced beasts to follow his command and were able to be killed by a thought. And obviously all his beasts were to die with him but he wouldn't die when they died.

While Leon was figuring things out the phoenix forcefully manifested the soul book. It then opened it and showed the cracked and greyed out page of the butterfly.

Ariel looked at it and then nodded, since the page existed it ment the butterfly was alive. She put her spear away and waited for Leon to tell them what they would do next.

The Chimera was still wondering, "What about my Leaves?!"

The Ifrit watched the whole thing as it sat on a dead tree branch and internally laughed. Ariel should have thought more before pointing her spear at Leon. It already didn't like her from the day she had attacked it. Now seeing her reveal that she planned on betraying Leon, it felt exhilarated.

As for the Griffin. It wasn't interested in the argument. The butterfly was a nice caring beast but it wasn't enough to cause it to betray Leon. It had contracted Leon to grow stronger when it couldn't save its sibling. The contract was it's choice and it wouldn't break it.

Ariel noticed the Ifrit and Griffin's reaction and felt disgusted. The butterfly was her best friend as well as her only friend. It's soft nature and love for beings is why Ariel herself wasn't a heartless Angel that was born to vanquish evil.

Near the cherry blossom tree the treeling held the leaf close to her face. She then held it to her mouth and curved it. She then lightly bowed into the leaf. A soft whistle spread through the forest. Th sound was like wind as it made the trees rustle. Some trees had leaves start to grow.

The treeling continued to blow and played the leaf like a flute. The simplest and most calming music was heard in the cherry blossom forest. The pink leaves and petals 're grew. The shriveled trees revived.

The pink petals broke off and started to fly around the forest as if dancing in the wind. Anywhere they passed would be flourished again. Other petals spun around the treeling. They created a scene of grace and heavenly beauty.

The cherry blossom treeling stood with her eyes closed and blowing in the leaf with all her feeling. She played the leaf with all her heartfelt feeling spilling out of it. Her body also started to grow. Between the winds of pink leaves and petals she turned back to her Dryard form as she played the leaf flute.

The other beasts listened to the music and felt the soothing sound embrace then with a mother's warmth. The Ifrit and Griffin swayed along with the music. The Chimera was impressed, it nodded towards Dryard thinking that it's beauty was almost comparable to its own.

Zen laid on the ground listened to the music. He appreciated such great artistry. He had his eyes closed and listened to the music, just by the sound he could see the scene of the forest recovering. He had fallen in love with the sound.

Leon woke up from his thoughts and heard the music. The soft sound entered his ears and heart. The soothing and cheerful sound held the sorrows of the Dryard and her love for the forest. Leon felt tears roll down his cheeks. He touched his eyes and felt the wetness.

"I'm crying?" Leon whispered. He felt the slaughter qi in him settle down and his emotions took over. He thought about how much that butterfly ment to him, even without a blood oath contract holding them, he didn't want her to die. "I actually cared for her."

Leon looked at Ariel who was captured by the Dryard's song and was crying as well. He walked to her and grabbed her hand. Ariel was surprised, she hadn't noticed Leon and entered alert mode. She started chanting a long distance teleportation spell so she could escape if Leon tried to seal her because she tried to kill him.

Leon pulled her close and hugged her, he didn't know when but he had really started looking at Ariel as if she was his sister.

Leon didn't say anything but Ariel understood everything. She also hugged Leon back and started to cry even more. The two held each other as they were immersed in the tender symphony.