"If I hear another son of a bitch make a sound, I swear by the One God that his neck will no longer have a body attached to it!"

"Mm..." The councillors who had stood up swallowed nervously, sat back down slowly, and turned their eyes toward the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess looked at them coldly and said nothing about Etham’s rude behavior before turning to Jansh.

"You may continue."

"As you command, Your Highness." Old Jansh bowed respectfully and continued.

"After His Majesty Rios defeated Giant Ang, his aura began rising steadily until it reached the peak of the first level. After that, Luna and I stepped forward and revealed ourselves to him. We told him everything about ourselves and the situation of the City of Light, then asked for his help. Fortunately, His Majesty agreed."

Old Jansh continued recounting the story of meeting Rios without leaving out even the smallest detail—from his astonishing running speed and how he killed a second-level owl with a single strike as though it were an ant, to his miraculous ability to consume 100% of monster cores, finally ending with Rios’s power of flight and his unbelievable speed in the sky after breaking through to the third level in a single night.

Among those present, some had their mouths hanging open in utter shock. Others wanted to speak but ultimately remained silent, unable to find the words. Of course, some doubted the truthfulness of Jansh’s and Luna’s account, but that doubt didn’t last long before fading away.

The more they thought about it, the more they realized there wasn’t a single logical reason for Jansh and Luna to lie to them. As for Rios’s strength and abilities, they had witnessed them firsthand on the battlefield, and the annihilation of the Centaur army was proof enough. As for his age, they could send any member of the Wood Elf clan to determine the age of Rios, who was currently resting outside the city walls, within minutes. And as for his strange and terrifying ability to consume 100% of monster cores, that truth would reveal itself sooner or later—and would also explain his insane rise through the power levels in just one night.

"Doesn’t that make him as powerful as the Giant Commanders?" Thandria broke the silence and asked nervously.

The moment everyone heard the title "Giant Commanders," countless terrifying images and memories surfaced in their minds.

There were many third-level Giants, but among them existed a special group that possessed far greater strength and wisdom, and whenever they appeared, it meant the end.

No place they had ever visited remained anything but ruins.

No civilization survived their arrival.

Wherever they appeared, civilizations collapsed and entire populations were exterminated.

They embodied absolute terror on this continent, to the point where their power was compared to legends such as the Tree of Cradle, which had once split the heavens a hundred thousand years ago.

The only reason the City of Light had survived until now was because the Giant Commanders had yet to attack it.

By all rights, the City of Light should have vanished beneath the Giants’ advance just like everyone else.

Yet thirty years ago, something happened that caused the Giant Commanders to withdraw to the heart of their territory, and they had not appeared since. Even so, everyone was certain they were still alive.

"We’ll know soon enough whether he stands on the same level as the Giant Commanders or not. But what matters now is that not a single word spoken here must leave this room, or the consequences will be severe!" the Crown Princess warned before continuing,

"Everyone may now return to their duties. We’ve just survived a war that should have wiped us out. Our supplies must be replenished as quickly as possible, order must be restored, and the people need reassurance. None of these tasks can tolerate further delay. As for everything else, we’ll discuss it at the next meeting. And if any of you have theories or speculations, keep them to yourselves for now. The people need you now more than ever."

"As you command, Your Highness!"

All the councillors stood, bowed lightly, and left to attend to their responsibilities.

And so, time passed until three days had gone by.

Outside the city walls, Rios remained as motionless and silent as he had been throughout those days. But at this moment, the purple sphere that embodied his consciousness began glowing once more until it regained its original brilliance, no longer almost transparent and dim from exhaustion.

"My Lord, everyone is waiting for you at the city gates to welcome you. If you permit us, we can guide you there."

Rios looked down and saw numerous Elf knights clad in silver armor kneeling respectfully.

"They’re waiting for me? And how did you know I would wake up now?" Rios asked curiously.

"My Lord, your branches were already moving yesterday. The experts of the Wood Elf clan said you would most likely awaken today, so everyone prepared accordingly," explained the captain of the knights standing at the front, hoping to avoid any misunderstanding.

"Mm, very well. Lead the way," Rios nodded and ordered.

"As you command, My Lord. This way." The captain bowed, followed by the other knights, and gestured toward the city gate.

"Deactivate the formation, and prepare to welcome the King!" Councillor Etham shouted as he issued the orders.

Rios entered through the main gate, which stood fifty meters tall, and found an enormous crowd of Elves waiting for him with cheers and flowers, while some had already fallen to their knees.

"Blessed be the Sacred Tree!"

"Blessed be the Sacred Tree!"

"Blessed be the Sacred Tree!"

...

"Welcome home, My Lord." Queen Elena knelt, and behind her all the councillors and nobles of the city followed suit.

"Mm." Rios nodded before extending one of his flexible branches, lifting Queen Elena onto one of his sturdy branches near his face. As for how he knew she was the Queen, all the credit naturally went to the chatterbox Luna.

"Take me to the royal palace," Rios’s commanding voice echoed through the ears of everyone present.

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances before looking toward Queen Elena, who immediately understood what they meant.

"My Lord, the royal palace is indeed where the Tree of Life resides. If that is acceptable to Your Majesty..." Queen Elena looked toward Rios’s face, knelt on one knee, and explained everyone’s concern—the issue of having two Sacred Trees in the same place. Would Rios’s pride allow him to coexist with another Sacred Tree? After all, one mountain cannot hold two tigers.

But before she could finish, Rios interrupted her.