Reincarnated As A Lion In Another World-Chapter 221: Lionhood

The Iron Blood Pyramid was quite on the inside. Apart from the low hums of magical machines that had been active for more than a million years, there was no other noise.

A large fiery red lion lay on the floor of the fifth level of command. His dark red mane flushed over his head, shoulders, and back, giving him a majestic appearance despite his unconscious state.

Adolf opened his eyes, regaining his long-lost consciousness. Memories rose from the depths of his groggy mind, memories of his last time awake.

Yes, something had hit him, something with a large body, impressive aura, and golden fur, something…

His breathing stabled as he remembered the name of his attacker, Kael.

As he moved, he felt the broken ribs that were yet to heal. That hit had been really devastating, not only knocking him out but also shattering his ribs.

Adolf struggled to breathe, every time he exhaled, a burning sensation filled his chest. Surely, one of his lungs had been pierced by one of his broken ribs.

Thankfully, as a tier 3 lion, he would eventually heal from this, even though it may take weeks or months, depending on how severe it really was.

If he could meet a Magus Lion or a Veggie Lion, the healing could be sped up to a few minutes or a couple of hours.

Unfortunately, that's not a privilege he had access to, he would soon come to realize.

Adolf noticed that his ankles were bound by strange metal strings. These metal strings were attached to the metal ground of the fifth level and were all black in color.

The point that connected the metal strings to the floor had a circular magic formation on it.

Adolf tried to move his limbs and felt resistance. Not only were these metal strings strong, but they were also causing him pain.

He wouldn't be able to break free, and even if he tried his hardest, the strings would dig into his flesh and give him serious injuries.

Adolf's heart beat rapidly as he was starting to realize the situation he was in.

He looked around him, recognizing the forest of pillars with complex magic runes on each of them.

Xu Ying, Orion, Alora, and King Larvis's grandchildren, they were nowhere to be found.

He was all alone, trapped.

Fear began to creep in on his mind, causing him to breathe faster and his eyes to dart around.

Adolf was capable of enduring isolation, but this type of isolation was not like those simulations he had played with back in heaven. His life was in danger here.

And from the strings binding his limbs to the ground, he knew that someone intentionally trapped him here.

Not able to hold back, Adolf opened his mouth and roared at the top of his lungs. The temperature rose and the sound of his roars echoed out.

This roar was not a roar of challenge or aggression, it was a call for help.

No one answered.

He roared again, and again and again, hoping that someone would come for him, anyone, even his captor.

Yet, every time he roared out, the only response he got was total silence. This silence was louder than anything Adolf had heard before.

The uncertainty of his near future was driving him into a state of despair.

He was now a trapped beast.

Adolf continued roaring, hoping that someone would hear him, hoping that his captor would come and tell him what his fate was.

The sound waves bounced from one pillar to the other, reaching the elevator section and flowing down to the fourth level.

######

The shimmering barrier door dissolved as Chloe and Kael walked out with steady steps and confidence.

As soon as the door was removed, the noise cancellation disappeared and the duo was able to hear Adolf's roars.

"Is that Adolf?" Chloe asked, surprised that one of them was still here. She thought Kael had let all of them go.

"Yes," Kael confirmed with a cold expression, his ears twitched at the roars of Adolf.

Adolf was bound by the anti-intruder protocol system of the fifth level, all with Kael's awareness of it.

"I have use for him, we'll pick him up on our way out of here," Kael said. He had some things he wanted to test out, the new insights he had about contracts. Adolf was a good experimental subject.

It was all part of his plan to deal with Xu Ying and the rest while avoiding killing them and offending the Lion Kings.

It had been a while since Kael schemed so hard and it gave him a euphoric feeling. The last person who made him plan schemes like this was Bibi III.

But for now, Kael wanted to check something at the third level of the Iron Blood Pyramid, something important to his power-up.

Kael ignored Adolf's roars and signaled for Chloe to do the same. Chloe did as Kael asked, ignoring Adolf's roars.

She never really liked him anyway.

"These clothes of yours," Kael spoke as they both headed for the elevator, "I want something like that,"

Chloe smiled, "There should be a storage room on the third level, I'm sure some clothes should be there. That's if they were stored in a place that will let them be preserved for so long."

Kael selected the third level option on the pyramid diagram, and immediately, the elevator descended to the level below.

It wasn't that Kael was particularly mindful about his appearance, being naked was pretty comfortable for him. But some things needed to be considered.

He had noticed that Xu Ying, Chloe, Adolf, and the other lions who had come from heaven all had clothes.

It was apparent that the society in Leonine Heaven had some sort of value on clothes. At least, they wore clothes over their human forms.

They had even created it in such a way that it didn't hinder their true lion forms.

'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' Kael thought, remembering an old saying from his previous world.

His was just one of the necessary steps for the first phase of his long plan to take over the Lion Civilization.

He would start small, bite by bite, small bites, and big bites until he swallowed it whole.

Metaphorically of course.

"Chloe, I want to learn more about this Lion Culture of ours, you spoke of it before," Kael said."

The elevator reached the third floor, the doors slid to the sides and the two of them stepped out.

This elevator was different from the one they had taken previously. The elevator that could go to the throne level could only go as low as the fourth level, probably for security reasons.

Chloe tilted her head, "Hmm, I'm not much of a teacher though. But the Lion Culture is fairly simple.

It's primarily based on might and the ability to conquer.

The ability to conquer is the most important aspect of lion culture.

We have a singular word for it called Lionhood. 'The Ability To Conquer' and 'Lionhood' are synonymous in meaning.

They represent the same thing.

A lion without his Lionhood is a lion without the ability to conquer. In heaven, some lions would tell their opponents that they are lions without Lionhood, this is a very heavy insult that usually results in conflict.

Isaiah had told us that you were a bit…un-lion-like, having little desire to take over the territory around you and even living as equals with other creatures.

Those things literally go against the principles of lion culture and the aspect of Lionhood.

I don't think Isaiah knew this beforehand, it was just a coincidence. This was also why we believed him so easily.

You have to know that most lions brought up in heaven would find Isaiah's description of you very disdainful and react with disgust.

Many lions would go out of their way to re-educate any lion that strays from the path of Lionhood.

From birth, we have all been fighting. A couple of my siblings died for different reasons, but mostly because of resources and food.

I myself killed two of my siblings when I was still a cub, I had to do it, even though I didn't really know the real reason why I did it.

It was natural selection, the strongest would survive, and the weak wouldn't make it past infancy.

Not just me, but most lions experience this brutal upbringing in their early years, fighting to prove their right to live in this world.

Our parents only pick favorites after the infancy stage has passed, to avoid being biased toward a weak offspring.

This goes on for the rest of our lives, to the point where we have to prove our Lionhood. Even Lion King's have to fight once in a while, no lion is an exemption.

It sounds harsh compared to other creatures, but it is this harsh culture that has kept our lines strong and our worlds conquered.

Look at them, those with gentle ways of life. None of them can hold a candle to the supreme might of the lion race, they all end up being conquered by us.

Kael, do you think our culture is flawed?" Chloe ended her short summary of the lion culture

Kael shook his head, "I don't know," Kael said bluntly, "But I like it,"