RISE OF EROS

Even though Crhono showed his full power, his encounter with the beast wasn't really a fight; it was more of a game of cat and mouse. The beast's ability to hide made things difficult. The energy this beast has is unlike anything he or anyone on this continent has known for their entire existence, so it's difficult to fight the beast, as it's not possible to predict what it will do.

All warriors, experts, and even demigods in this world fight the same way. To a greater or lesser extent, they rely on their senses, but what they rely on the most is their perception. Sight, hearing, smell, and even touch are important in a battle, but as your strength grows, you begin to use your aura or divinity to sense where your enemy is.

Not only does it give you greater accuracy of your enemy's movements, but you can even predict their movements. It's like having a very keen sixth sense. Unfortunately, it is not possible to follow this method to predict or even locate the beast; that is what makes it fearsome. One must rely on one's basic and natural senses.

It is not that this is bad, but that everyone is used to their perception. Especially the ancient demigods like Crhono. They have mastered their perception to an extraordinary level, but in front of the beast, it is useless.

They must return to the archaic and inefficient use of their senses to locate it and predict its movements, which makes the battle difficult, and that is why Crhono could not locate or know what the beast was doing.

It is for this reason that the beast was able to escape so easily and without any damage even though Crhono was much more powerful than it. Crhono, being an experienced man, obviously noticed this.

However, the others did not notice this. Everyone who witnessed the battle only saw how the beast was able to slip away from Crhono's strength, and then the rumors began. Misinformation spread throughout the continent, even causing panic in some parts. Crhono's reputation as the most powerful person in the world is well known.

That's why when he found out that even he wasn't able to defeat this beast, it caused many to panic. Everyone believed that the beast was as powerful as him, and that caused fear.

Just think about it. A beast that is dedicated to destruction and has the power equivalent to the most powerful being on the continent, so, that was terrifying. Despite these rumors, not everyone believed this news.

There were many inconsistencies in the rumors. The most obvious one was that if the beast was as powerful as Crhono, why did it run away? That didn't make sense to many, so they decided to investigate the facts further.

Crhono, for his part, returned to Cannes to inform everyone of what he had discovered. Many demigods, including Kael and his group, who knew they could find him there, also headed to Cannes.

Crhono and all the other demigods who had rejuvenated themselves had used different techniques to alter their appearances. They could not allow themselves to be seen by others in their youthful appearances.

The reason was simple: they did not want others to find out that they had received benefits. They were in a united front, but not everyone received benefits, and that could create discord.

Although this was not very honest on their part, everyone understood that the benefits could not be given to everyone, especially Kael's group and the others, who only sought their own benefit.

In fact, Draneg was like them, but the difference was that he was direct. He never played the hypocrite; he always spoke demandingly and showed his nonconformity, which made Andrew think that it was worth giving him benefits.

Although he has the same goal as Kael, Asha, and the others, he is always honest, unlike them, who act like hypocrites. Just from that attitude, he was a person who was worthy of trust, at least more than the others.

The point is that by the time Crhono arrived at Cannes, many demigods had gathered there. Andrew had already turned off the divinity gathering array of his artifact because if he left it active, everyone would notice.

This was another benefit, only for some, for those who were trusted and who contributed achievements to this alliance, so Andrew couldn't let the others find out about it.

Inside Cannes Palace, all the demigods gathered to listen to Crhono. They had already heard the rumors, but they didn't believe them, so they wanted to hear what really happened from Crhono's mouth.

This wasn't just because Crhono was strong, but because if the rumors were true, they were in danger. If even Crhono was no match for this beast, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Crhono didn't mince words, nor did he embellish his words. Although he is a proud dragon thousands of years old and with strength unmatched in this world, he wasn't arrogant enough to lie to save face.

He explained the entire process of how he went to find the beast, told them about the state of the attacked cities and how he encountered the beast, and most importantly, the details of the battle.

Crhono didn't feel offended, nor humiliated when he told them how he couldn't sense the beast's energy. He said clearly that he felt it was powerful, but that it was an energy he didn't know, and it was difficult to catch.

He also warned them that to fight this beast, they should be guided by their senses like in the old days, so they shouldn't be confident or complacent if they were to encounter it.

He also stressed to them the fact that he thought it was related to the fallen god. Crhono even told them his hypothesis that this beast was born from the leaders of Purgatory who had escaped from the battle in the country of Rios.

Everyone present became serious upon hearing Crhono. Some even felt afraid of this beast, as being able to hide from the perception of such a powerful being was not something normal.

While they were meeting, there was another group that was also meeting to talk about the beast, and they were the remnants of Purgatory. After the battle in the dragon territory, this organization suffered a huge setback.

Not only did they lose many members, connections, and influence, but they also lost their leaders. Not only those who transformed into the beast, but those who had taken over as interim leaders.

The lack of leadership had hurt them. While their goal remained the same, there were no members of the upper management who knew all the ins and outs of the organization, and that weakened them.

Also, the moment they lost the battle against the dragons, they were hunted down, causing them to live the worst days of their lives. Now, they had learned of the beast and were making plans.

Although weakened, the organization still had reliable sources of information, so they did not rely on the rumors that many told. They were clear that Crhono had not really fought the beast.

They were clear that the beast was not as powerful as the rumors said, but they were attracted by the beast's ability to easily escape Crhono's perception, so they could use that ability.

They did not know that this beast was born from the fusion of their former leaders and the fragments of the fallen god, but they intended to use it to achieve their goals. The beast was attracting a lot of attention, so it was perfect to divert the eyes on them.

Furthermore, they believed that the beast could be strengthened and they could use it to turn it against their enemies, so they thought of capturing it, controlling it, and strengthening it as a weapon to deal a strong blow to their enemies.

Despite their plans, it remained to be seen if they could achieve them because they were not the only ones with these ideas. Many leaders of organizations and even countries were thinking of similar plans.

Everyone was indeed relatively united against Purgatory, but these rulers were already beginning to plan for the future. They were convinced that the threat of Purgatory would be resolved, and that would leave another enemy, the dragons.

It was not that the dragons had done anything to make them be on guard. This is the law of the world: when you are powerful, you are a threat, and there was no one more powerful than the dragons.

The rulers of the different countries of the continent believed that when Purgatory was eradicated, the dragons would be next. That is the nature of the thinking beings of this world, they must always look for an enemy.

They are ambitious and proud. Arrogant in some cases, and they always have to be in control, in power, so the existence of powerful beings is always seen as a threat. This is not a surprise to Crhono and the others.

They were well aware of these thoughts, as they had suffered something similar after the war against the fallen god a thousand years ago. This was one of the reasons why the dragons hid and isolated themselves after that war.

It is true that they had to protect the seals of the remnants of the fallen god, and hiding made their job easier. However, they also did it to avoid being attacked by others who saw them as a threat. Despite what many think, dragons are quite peaceful, but they are not herbivores either.