೯⠀⁺ ⠀ 𖥻 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 | 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝⠀ᰋ

╠21╣ [LEON]

Everyone was now gathered near the sparring grounds, a lively area brought to life by the flickering glow of firelight against the darkened sky. The atmosphere was charged, an exciting mixture of anticipation and tension as the evening progressed.

"Ask the males to come," the Leopard King commanded one of his guards with an authoritative wave of his hand. The guard immediately sprang into action, darting off into the shadows to fetch the group of males waiting nearby.

"So, how do you plan on evaluating their worth and strength?" Damien asked, his gaze piercing as he scrutinized the males from Azura. He was searching for a response that would satisfy him, one that would promise a fair test of capabilities.

"Of course we'll fight first," Asher replied with a casual shrug, an almost laid-back attitude that belied the intensity brewing beneath the surface.

"Let's see if they are worthy, even if they happen to lose," Winston added, emphasizing the importance of tenacity in his words.

"If we observe that they are determined enough to grow stronger in their quest to protect Azura, only then will we consider them," Noah stated resolutely, while Curtis hissed in agreement, a sharp sound that conveyed his own approval.

"That's a very nice answer," Lante remarked, clearly impressed by the strategic mindset of the group.

"Indeed," Victor concurred, nodding appreciatively.

"So who's going to fight?" the Leopard King queried, his curiosity piqued by the unfolding proceedings.

"I'll go first," Asher declared with a fierce determination, stretching his arms and locking his intense gaze on the five men lined up before him in the sparring area.

The lineup consisted of a lion, two wolves, and two tigers, their varied species standing in stark contrast to Asher's predatory demeanor. The females lingered behind the males, their view obstructed, unable to catch a glimpse of Azura at all.

Asher was in no mood for games tonight; he was eager to handle this assessment swiftly and decisively. He had zero tolerance for unworthy challengers, particularly those who might dare to lay eyes on his beloved female.

"Leopard Queen," Asher called out, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "You won't mind if I ruin this sparring ground of yours, will you?" he asked, excitement dancing in his voice.

"Of course I won't!" the Leopard Queen replied with a warm smile, clearly amused by his enthusiasm.

Winston and the others felt a shiver of excitement ripple through them at the sight of Asher in this feral mood; it was a rare occasion when he displayed such intensity, completely unwilling to tolerate any nonsense from the challengers.

With a flourish, he transformed into his half-beast form, powerful wings sprouting from his back while the rest of his body remained unchanged. He soared into the air, his very presence radiating strength, before landing with a thundering crash that sent cracks spiraling across the ground. The moment he made contact, he unleashed a potent wave of beastly pressure, a wicked smirk plastered across his face as he zeroed in on the wolf beastman.

In a breathtaking display of power, a single gust from Asher's wings sent the wolf beastman flying through the air, while the two tigers struggled to maintain their footing against the sudden rush of energy.

The lion beastman stood his ground, seemingly unfazed by the destruction happening around him, which only served to further fuel Asher's excitement.

With a confident strut, Asher returned to where his family stood, landing next to Winston. "The wolves and tigers are useless, if you ask me. Send the wolves away; Winston can test his skills against the tigers," he declared with finality, to which Winston nodded in agreement, his competitive spirit lighting up.

As Winston stepped back into the sparring ground, a duel with the two tigers commenced. He, too, unleashed his beast pressure, and it was quite the spectacle observing the tigers striving to keep pace with his agile maneuvers.

The onlookers couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all-the impressive display of strength juxtaposed with the unlikely comic relief of two overly enthusiastic tigers trying to match a confidently prancing Winston.

In no time , the two tiger beastmen gave up , on the contrary the lion beastman stood there as he stared at the scene unfolding in front of him with a hint of boredom in his eyes , he looked like he was done with the shenanigans here and wanted to go back and sleep , as if he could hardly care enough to give a fuck about all this happening around him .

He was also disgusted in some way, all this was happening for a female ...... apparently he too was one of those donkeys who were chosen as worthy for the female by her family .

He was questioning whether the female's family was blind or they just didn't care in general and wanted to get the custom done . Because the wolves and tigers were weaklings according to him and the tigers managed to last in their fight with winston merely because of good luck and that they outnumbered Winston.

Their beast marks were hidden as they were fully dressed . He was sure by now that the female wasn't into weak men as her weakest male was a three marked beast who was nearing to attaining the fourth mark .

He chuckled to himself .
" any hierarchy other than strength is useless, "
And he was glad that the female understood it earnestly , but that didn't mean that he fancies the idea of dueling for a female . It hurt his pride to be dumped in the same boat as those loosers .

Asher's ears perked up when he heard the lion beastman mumble those words.

He had a sinister smile on his face . He sure had good ears , Noah was looking at Asher as if he had gone mad and Curtis couldn't be bothered to look at anyone except for azura who stood behind him and her fathers .

" Winston, let's switch ! "Asher said excitedly .

"Huh , sure... "
Wisnton said as he pushed those two tigers away and then rushed back to where he was previously.

And Asher went into the grounds and stood right in front of the lion beastman .

" would you be interested in my female in any way ? "
He asked the lion beastman calmly .

" I don't know, "
The lion said rolling his eyes . Asher could tell that he was dragged here , the lion beastman was totally not here by will .

" your personal feelings about this situation that you are litreally and actially dragged into ? "
Asher said giving an eye smile to the lion beastman who for a second was shook- but regained his composure and his expression returned to the nonchalant one.

" how do you know ? "
He asked .

" You're way too obvious, I'd be dumb if I can't notice. "
Asher uttered .

" no , I'm not into ugly females "
That was where Asher's brain exploded , this big kitty cat in front of him, just dared to insult his azura like that .

" you sure are confident of your knowledge about her, aren't you ? Let me enlighten you about her then. "
Asher raised a brow , trying his best to remain calm and not throw any sarcastic remarks as his untilamte goal was to build a happy and strong family that makes azura feel loved and protected .

Still he always has his back-ups ready .

"Don't bother."
The lion beastman waved his hand dismissively.

" My dear lion, I must commend your unwavering confidence and strong demeanor. However, I do hope your pride is not dampened by the fact that even the mightiest of creatures can still learn a thing or two. Learn to keep your mouth shut if you don't have required knowledge ."

He said trying his best to remain respectful considering the guy was strong and can cause some damage if he puts his heart into it .