A few days had passed since the birth of Perseus and Diana, the first two heirs of the Beast God with his first wife, Ghislaine Adoldia.
Both were born strong and healthy, radiating vitality from the moment they entered the world.
Diana came first, three minutes before her brother, which officially made her the firstborn.
The birth of the children was not only a cause for celebration within the Adoldia Tribe, but throughout the Kingdom of Gaia.
It was as if the entire continent had entered a state of festivity.
The birth of the descendants of the realm's pillar was interpreted as a sign of blessing and prosperity.
Thanks to the Magic Letter device, the news spread within hours to every corner of the territory.
It did not take long for the news to reach the Kingdom of the Dragon King, where King Leonard Kingdragon himself, who was nearing the end of his reign, made a point of sending lavish gifts to congratulate the birth.
Of course, the inevitable repercussion of an event of this magnitude was that the news also reached ears Rygar would have preferred remained unaware.
Hidden currents stirred at various points of the world, each interpreting the birth differently — some as hope, others as a threat.
And while the world stirred, inside the Great Forest, outside the Beast God's residence, a beast-woman moved with intensity.
It was Ghislaine, practicing her swordsmanship.
Hiramune's red blade sliced the air in blows so fast they resembled crimson lightning.
Her Magic Power Eye glowed green, and her other eye, a light red typical of the beast race, looked focused.
Her body, though it had lost some muscle due to the recent pregnancy, remained defined, lithe and powerful.
Sweat ran down her skin, and her measured breathing showed the satisfaction she felt at finally being able to train again.
On a nearby bench, watching, were Rygar and Eris.
Between them lay the two small babies, very similar with silver hair and bestial ears. Both of their eyes were also red, but the similarities stopped at their appearance.
The one closest to Rygar was Diana. She was calm, apathetic, her fixed gaze on the ball of fire that floated above her father's hand.
Rygar made the flame dance, taking shapes of animals, symbols and small visual tricks to capture his daughter's attention.
But the little girl was unimpressed. Her serious face remained unshaken, as if that fire were nothing worth noting.
Rygar sighed deeply, murmuring in frustration:
"Diana isn't impressed by anything… Do I need to make a Hurricane here to get any reaction from her?"
It was at that moment that an almost imperceptible smile appeared on the little one's lips.
A mocking smile, as if she understood her father's desperation to extract any response from her.
If not for his keen Sixth Sense, Rygar might even have considered that the girl was reincarnated.
But, after countless tests made with both children, he had come to the conclusion that no, they were not reincarnated.
They were just two ordinary babies... or at least, as ordinary as his children could be.
If Diana was like a calm lake, Perseus was like a stormy sea.
From the first day, he seemed to have made it his life's mission to bring chaos to the world with his inexhaustible energy.
Gustav, Ghislaine's father, upon meeting the grandchildren, commented that Perseus reminded him a lot of his daughter in her youth: a whirlwind of explosive vitality.
Although he still could not crawl, he made a point of struggling, crying, laughing and moving nonstop, as if every tiny muscle in his body demanded action and motion.
"Bwaaaaaa! Aaaajaa! Eh? Haaaaakaaa!" Perseus thrummed, laughing with joy as he was lifted into the air by Eris.
The woman held the baby upside down by his chubby leg, swinging him like a sack of rice.
The little one, far from being bothered, seemed to adore the sensation.
"You'd better be quiet like Diana than be like that brat! He practically never stops crying!" grumbled Eris, lifting him even higher.
Rygar laughed, shaking his head: "Don't hang him upside down, Eris."
Even if the little one liked it, it wasn't exactly healthy for a child his age.
Reluctantly, Eris brought him back to her lap, but Perseus wouldn't stop.
His arms flailed frantically, trying to reach anything that might serve as stimulus.
It was then that his red eyes fixed on the figure of his mother, Ghislaine.
The way she brandished her sword, the fluid, cutting movements, seemed to completely captivate his attention.
The baby was hypnotized, following every thrust, cut, every spin, every step of his mother.
Eris noticed the reaction and arched an eyebrow, propping her chin on her hand.
"Hoh... so you liked swordsmanship?" she commented, observing the little one with interest.
Obviously, Perseus didn't answer. But his gaze did not waver for a single moment from the shining red blade.
Seeing his son's fixed stare, Ghislaine finally stopped training. Sweat streamed down her body.
She looked at Perseus, who watched her with wide eyes, and a rare smile appeared on her face as she approached.
Rygar, who until then had been trying to catch Diana's attention with a magical sphere of serpentine light that crawled on the ground, turned to his wife and said:
"So, Ghislaine… how do you feel after these months without practicing?"
The beast-woman approached Perseus, messing with the boy's hair.
She answered, confidence in her tone:
"Actually… I feel better than ever. Just with these days of training, I've recovered. I don't feel weaker than before."
Rygar nodded, crossing his arms.
"Alright. How about some challenges at the Combat Temple? Ornthorn keeps saying he's going to take your number-one title."
In the Kingdom of Gaia, Ghislaine was considered the strongest of all, except Rygar.
She was not only one of the most powerful Sword Emperors of all time, but she was also on the verge of ascending to the rank of Beast Emperor by Rygar's standards.
Pregnancy had interrupted her progress in that regard, but now the thirst for battle was reborn in her heart.
Moreover, the Magic Power Eye was a great advantage; with it, she could see opponents' mana flow.
Although her expression remained serene, the wagging tail betrayed her excitement.
"That would be good. Even with the training of the last few days, I feel my battle instincts still need to return to normal," she replied.
Before Rygar could say more, Eris suddenly stood up, holding Perseus in her arms, and exclaimed:
"Yes! Let's fight, Ghislaine!"
Her look was challenging. Perseus, understanding nothing but infected by Eris's energy, raised his little arms in the air and let out a confused sound:
"Aaaaaadaaaa!"
Rygar stood as well, Diana in his arms, still as impassive as ever, watching everything as if nothing could impress her.
"Alright… I think Jino and Nina will want to spar with you too. There'll be plenty of practice available. I'll tell Verdia we're on our way to her," he said, activating the magic communication device.
Shortly after, the group set off toward the Combat Temple.
Not at their usual maximum speed, but leaping from tree to tree, crossing the Great Forest.
For two babies, that was already impressive enough. Still, Diana remained stubbornly indifferent.
---
When they arrived at the Temple, many disciples and warriors greeted them.
It was the first time most had seen the Beast God's heirs, and curiosity was palpable.
One by one they approached, offering blessings to the two children, wishing that they grow strong, that they become warriors or rulers worthy of Gaia.
Soon they found Verdia, who was constantly training her elven swordsmanship and lightning spells.
Upon learning of Ghislaine's return, the Combat Temple buzzed once again, and in little time dozens of disciples surrounded the central arena.
Everyone wanted to see the fight of the current number one of the Gaia Twelve Kings.
The first challenger was Ornthorn, the North Emperor.
The man, looking boyish due to his size, carried his usual three-meter golden sword.
He entered the battlefield fully prepared.
Perseus watched his mother with interest, while Diana, indifferent, stared at the blue sky above the temple.
The battle intentions of the two collided even before the first movement, and the invisible impact made many around hold their breath.
Without warning, Ornthorn advanced.
Cheers and shouts echoed through the Temple, and Rygar could not help but think that this place was becoming more and more like a Coliseum.
In the center of the arena, the clash was already explosive.
Ornthorn possessed unmatched strength and endurance; only Rygar surpassed him in the Kingdom of Gaia, and even Baron, the Red Ogre, was inferior.
Each blow of his golden sword was devastating, capable of opening craters in the ground if the Arena weren't reinforced by magic.
But Ghislaine favored speed; her lethal fencing style, combined with the Prediction Technique and the Demon Eye, allowed her to predict and evade every attack.
The battlefield was filled with the sound of steel cutting through the air.
Ghislaine, instead of tiring, became even sharper, and after just over fifty exchanges, the fight finally came to an end.
With a single horizontal cut, she opened the North Emperor's torso, shredding vital organs and sending him flying backward in a spray of blood.
The crowd held their breath.
Ghislaine frowned, realizing she had gone too far.
Rygar disappeared from the stands in the blink of an eye and appeared beside Ornthorn, casting King-level Healing Magic without even chanting.
The wound closed as if it had never existed. Ornthorn stood up staggeringly, laughing with a tired expression.
"Hey, Lady Ghislaine… why do you seem stronger than before you got pregnant?!"
She had expected at least some resentment, but was pleased to see he didn't seem to mind. Relaxing her shoulders, she replied:
"It's your impression. I was already that strong back then."
From afar, Eris shouted:
"That doesn't mean you didn't improve at all, Ornthorn?!"
Saying that, she passed Perseus into Verdia's arms and leaped into the arena.
"My turn!"
Her sword left its sheath quickly, but before she could advance, Rygar appeared at her side and grabbed her arm.
"Eris, don't overdo it. You're pregnant. If I see you going too hard, I'll stop the fight immediately."
She grumbled but nodded.
"I know! I won't overdo it!"
Rygar cast a serious glance at Ghislaine.
"Fight only to measure Eris's progress. Nothing beyond that."
Ghislaine agreed.
The bout began, lighter compared to the previous one, but still intense enough to make the audience watch closely.
The brief skirmish helped Eris see how far she had improved. She still hadn't reached Ghislaine, but she was no longer so far behind.
And so, one after another, new challenges followed, while the Combat Temple seethed with excitement at the return of the number one to the arena.
The result of so many fights was, finally, an overwhelming victory for Ghislaine.
One after another, all challengers fell before the Black Wolf.
It didn't matter whether they were veterans, renowned warriors, or young prodigies full of determination.
Jino was defeated.
Baron fell without forcing Ghislaine to retreat a step.
Nina, in turn, barely had time to shine — she was taken down with a single blow.
Even after pregnancy and a pause in training, Ghislaine had returned with renewed vigor.
It was no exaggeration to say that every fight only served to rekindle her instincts.
However, even amid that succession of victories, Ghislaine had to admit something to herself.
Although she was back at her peak, she wasn't confident she could remain above Jino, or even Eris, for the next five years.
Jino was almost a certainty; he was growing at a monstrous rate.
Unknown to her, not even Rygar believed Ghislaine's position would remain intact for that long.
It wouldn't take five years — in just two, Jino would probably be surpassing all the Gaia Twelve Kings.
He was a genius of pure swordsmanship.
It didn't matter what blade he held, it didn't matter the martial art he learned: it was as if every style, every movement, had been created for him.
The sword was simply a part of him.
It was difficult, almost impossible, to surpass such a talent without possessing an equally prodigious gift.
Take Eris, for example: she was incredibly talented and extremely hardworking, but even so, she would eventually be surpassed by Jino.
The difference lay solely in the level of talent; Jino was a once-in-an-era talent, a martial monster born to dominate the art of the sword.
Rygar chuckled to himself.
There were those who said, in his previous world, that talent could be overcome by pure effort, that any barrier could be broken with hard work.
But what if the one who already possessed unlimited talent also worked with all his heart?
The result of such a combination was the birth of beings like him, Jino and Aisha.
Monstrous beings destined to change the structure of power across the entire world.
While Ghislaine wiped Hiramune's blood after another victory, Rygar looked at the children in his arms.
Diana was even sleeping, and Perseus was chewing on a stone with full determination.
He smiled as he imagined how his children would grow in a world where Magic was around every corner.
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