Chapter 256: Questioning the Revival of the Crimson King

The tiger beastman tumbled through the valley like a shattered meteor, crashing against the rocky cliffs as he plummeted downward. The impact sent shards of stone and clouds of dust scattering like a meteor shower. Yet, his eyes burned with rage and unwillingness, his massive fangs grinding against each other as his muscles swelled, seemingly on the verge of bursting.

"The beast race is invincible—!!!"

He roared, spreading his arms wide and sinking his claws deep into the mountainside. The terrifying momentum of his fall was forcibly arrested, the rock face torn apart in jagged, claw-carved trenches. Then, with a furious burst of strength, he leapt like a rampaging bull, shattering the earth with the force of his landing, rising back onto solid ground amidst the swirling dust.

Standing at the edge of the gorge, Alan smirked lazily, his expression laced with both indifference and contempt. Tilting his head slightly, a faint crack sounded from his neck as a wicked grin curled at his lips.

"Oh? Still think you're invincible?"

Before his words had fully faded, Alan twisted his body into a powerful spin. His leg lashed out like a hurricane, the whistling air splitting as his kick struck the tiger beastman's neck the very instant he landed.

Crack—!!!

The sheer force of the strike was monstrous! The tiger beastman's neck twisted violently, his massive body flung away like a broken marionette. He slammed against the left cliffside with a thunderous crash, then bounced across the ground like a stone skipping over water, each impact leaving deep craters in the earth.

Alan did not stop. In a flash, he pursued, his form a blur of speed. But this was exactly what the tiger beastman had been waiting for!

His crimson eyes widened in determination, enduring the searing pain as Alan closed in. With a sudden, vicious swing of his clawed, armor-plated hand, he lashed out with a gust of violent wind pressure, aiming to tear Alan apart!

"Hahaha—!!!"

Alan let out a light chuckle, amusement flickering in his gaze. He didn't even attempt to dodge. Instead, his hands shot forward like bolts of lightning, meeting the beastman's claws head-on—

Schlkk—!

The sound of flesh tearing filled the air, but not from Alan.

The tiger beastman's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched Alan's bare hands rip his own apart! His once-indomitable beastly claws shredded like tattered fabric, blood spraying through the air in a crimson arc.

A soul-shaking howl of agony erupted from the tiger beastman, but before he could react, Alan had already delivered another strike!

Crack—!

A single, brutal kick to the right knee. The sickening sound of bone shattering rang through the valley like an explosion—

BOOM!!!

The beastman's right leg was completely severed from his body! The detached limb, like a giant, bloodied spear, hurtled through the air before slamming into a distant rock wall, detonating a massive crater upon impact.

Overwhelmed by unbearable pain, the beastman threw his head back and howled in agony, his voice hoarse and broken. But before his cry had even finished, Alan was already airborne, his foot descending with merciless precision.

BANG!!!

The beastman's chest caved in upon impact, ribs shattering like dry twigs. His mouth gaped open, vomiting a fountain of blood as his scream became an eerie, guttural gurgle. The entire valley trembled as if it were collapsing under the weight of his suffering.

But Alan did not stop. His eyes gleamed with madness, his smile stretching wider in exhilarating delight.

Like a child gleefully stomping on a broken toy, he leaped onto the beastman's body and bellowed, "Come on! Get up! Weren't you supposed to be invincible?!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each stomp crushed bones, shattered organs, and ruptured flesh. The once-mighty tiger beastman was reduced to a mangled, bloodied heap beneath Alan's relentless trampling. The very ground beneath them trembled as if in fear of his power.

The entire Gabrielle Valley felt on the verge of collapse.

The thick scent of blood mixed with dust and the crumbling remnants of shattered rock filled the air. Severed limbs and tattered remains littered the battlefield. The tiger beastman—who once stood tall and proud—was nothing more than a broken, unrecognizable mess, trampled into a grotesque ruin.

Alan crouched nearby, his elbow resting lazily on his knee, his chin propped against his hand. He watched the scene with an expression of absolute nonchalance, his smirk betraying no hint of tension, as if the slaughter he had just committed was nothing more than a dull spectacle.

Then, the sharp whistle of wind tore through the valley.

A black shadow descended at incredible speed, landing with enough force to send a shockwave rippling through the earth, displacing the dust and debris around it.

—Watcher 06 had arrived.

He strode through the ruins, his cold gaze sweeping across the battlefield with the sharpness of a blade. His eyes analyzed every trace of destruction, his mind reconstructing the sequence of the battle in rapid succession.

—A one-sided massacre.

His frown deepened.

He knew the tiger beastman's strength. Within the CHEAT classification, it was an apex-level combatant. Even among the Watchers, few could face it head-on. Yet now, its corpse lay mangled beyond recognition, limbs twisted, spine snapped, its once-proud head collapsed inward. There had been no resistance.

This was not a fight. This was carnage.

A sense of unease crept into Watcher 06's heart.

If the tiger beastman was at CHEAT level… then the one who killed him had surpassed that boundary.

He lifted his gaze, locking onto the only remaining figure in the scene—Alan, also known as Watcher 11.

"Damn, 06, you're slow! Gahaha!"

Alan greeted him with a carefree wave, his arrogant smirk brimming with mischief, like a child who had just pulled off a prank.

Watcher 06's expression remained unreadable. His brows knit together ever so slightly, his voice carrying an undeniable authority: "Stand up when you speak."

Alan rolled his eyes, lazily digging at his ear with his pinky before reluctantly standing up, stretching with exaggerated boredom.

There was no time for nonsense. Watcher 06's voice was sharp as a dagger. "Report what you saw."

Alan snapped into an exaggerated salute, his grin widening mockingly.

"Sir, yes, sir! That dumb tiger went berserk, wrecked Sonia and several cities like a lunatic, seemed to be searching for something, then—bam!—a red-haired guy took him out in one or two moves!"

"A red-haired man?"

Watcher 06's expression changed instantly, his pupils contracting as a wave of emotions crashed through him.

He stepped forward, his voice now laced with urgency. "Did you see his face?!"

Alan shrugged nonchalantly. "Fast—so fast, I only caught a red blur. Scary, huh? Gahaha!"

Watcher 06's head lowered in contemplation.

Red hair…

He refused to believe Alan could have taken down the tiger beastman alone. But he also refused to believe… that he had returned.

"The Crimson King… has come back?!"

The thought stabbed into his mind like a blade, sending a chill through his core.

Impossible… Impossible…

Red had vanished for so long, his power nothing more than legend. How could he suddenly reappear? If it were true… then the world was about to be engulfed in a storm of chaos!