Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 175: Red Eyes



The room settled into a tense silence as Eratz stepped forward, taking the lead with a calm confidence.

His gaze swept over the group, lingering briefly on each face. The atmosphere was heavy, everyone was waiting for his next words.

"I have more to share," he began "About the calamity beasts. And about someone I met recently and am about to betray maliciously: Rex Goldwing."

The name landed like a thunderclap. Ryder froze mid-shift, his mouth opening slightly in shock. Kaida leaned forward, her arms tightening across her chest.

"Wait... Rex Goldwing?" Ryder repeated in disbelief. "You're talking about the Rex Goldwing?"

Eratz nodded, his expression unreadable.

"Yes. I crossed paths with him during one of my hunts. He revealed something interesting: Infinite Twilight is actively hunting the calamity beasts."

Victoria's sharp intake of breath broke the brief silence. Her eyes narrowed as she

straightened, her arms crossing tightly in a defensive gesture.

"Infinite Twilight? Hunting unique beasts?" she said, her voice low and tinged with disbelief. "How would they even know such creatures exist? Tamara wouldn't have shared that

information..." She trailed off, her brow furrowing as if piecing together a puzzle.

Eratz caught her hesitation, his head tilting slightly as he asked.

"What about another Ishtarian beast master?"

Victoria's body stiffened, and her eyes snapped to him, startled by the question.

"Another...?" she echoed, her voice barely audible.

Eratz's gaze sharpened, his tone measured as he continued.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"There's a certain member of Infinite Twilight. Arin Corvasta."

The name hung in the air for a moment, unfamiliar to most of the group but clearly triggering something to Victoria. Her expression darkened as she leaned forward.

"What are you saying, Eratz?" she asked cautiously.

"I've done some research on her," he explained. "And from what Rex shared with me, along with what I've found online, I'm confident that she's a half-breed Ishtarian. Her abilities confirm it. According to Rex, she can see the names and types of beasts, just like I can."

The room stirred uneasily, the revelation sinking in.

"But there's more to confirm it," Eratz continued, his voice lowering. "From the pictures I found, her eyes... they're red too."

Victoria's lips parted slightly, but no words came. For a moment, she looked genuinely shaken, her carefully composed demeanor cracking.

"Red eyes..." she murmured, her voice barely audible. "That means... she's awakened."

Her hands slowly clenched into fists. For a moment, her gaze dropped, lost in thought, before she snapped back to the present.

She looked directly at Eratz, her sharp eyes searching his face as if trying to find some explanation.

"Arin Corvasta... a half-breed Ishtarian," she repeated, her tone heavy, almost disbelieving. "If what you're saying is true, then... this changes everything."

Ryder let out

nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head.

"Okay, so... we've got Infinite Twilight chasing after these beasts, and they have an awakened Ishtarian to help them? Well... I guess that gives us a reason to look for these beasts too, huh? If Infinite Twilight's on it, we can't fall behind!" His voice wavered slightly, betraying his

unease.

Victoria's expression hardened as she straightened in her seat.

"No, Ryder. This isn't fine. Eratz said that Infinite Twilight has difficulties finding them, but he managed to locate one so easily. There's more with this ishtarian's ability," Her gaze drifted to Colin, lingering thoughtfully.

"Colin," she said softly, her voice tinged with curiosity. "...Cassie. Can either of you... see anything about Eratz's beasts?"

Cassie exchanged a confused glance with Colin.

"I've never tried before," she admitted, her tone hesitant. "But... I guess I can try."

Both focused their attention on Raijinara and Cinderblaze, their brows furrowing as they concentrated.

After a few moments, Cassie sighed and shook her head.

"I can't see anything," she muttered, glancing at Victoria before pointing vaguely. "Just the yellow bird and our butler."

Victoria blinked, taken aback.

"Your what?"

Before Cassie could respond, Colin gasped softly, her hands flying to cover her mouth. Her wide eyes flickered with uncertainty as her voice wavered.

"I... I saw something," she whispered.

Everyone froze, turning their attention to her.

"[Name: ???

Type: ???]" she recited, her tone hesitant.

She looked up at Victoria, her expression filled with confusion. "That's all it said. It didn't

give me anything else."

Eratz's lips curved into a faint smile.

"You did great, Colin," he said. "That's more than I expected."

Colin's cheeks heated slightly as she glanced down. Roger's lips pressed into a thin line as his

gaze darted between Colin and Eratz.

"Colin..." he said quietly, turning to his daughter. "What did you see? Can you explain it

again?"

Colin hesitated, her fingers tightening on the edge of her robe.

"It was just... weird symbols. That's all. It didn't make sense." She glanced nervously at Eratz,

who nodded at her encouragingly.

Cassie exhaled sharply, running a hand through Colin's hair.

"This is... strange," she admitted, her voice wavering. "We've never talked about anything like this before. Colin, you've never shown signs of... whatever this is."

Colin looked down at her hands.

"I didn't know I could do this, Mom, Dad. But... it felt like something was there. Like I knew it

already."

Victoria leaned back, her fingers tapping lightly on the table as she processed Colin's

response.

"Interesting," she murmured. "So you can see something, but it's incomplete. This is... unexpected. Let's test something else. Catarina, summon a normal beast."

Catarina rolled her eyes dramatically but stepped forward, stretching.

"Alright, fine. But you'd better appreciate this."

She summoned a small, rotund cat, which landed on the ground with a heavy thud before

promptly curling up and falling asleep.

Kaida snorted, while Ryder chuckled.

"No comment!" Catarina retorted before they could speak, her ears twitching in annoyance.

Colin stepped forward hesitantly, her hands trembling slightly. She closed her eyes and focused. Moments later, she spoke again.

"Name: Purrloaf... Type: Normal."

Victoria's frown deepened as she leaned back, crossing her arms.

"So it's true. Tamara could track unique beasts, Eratz can too, but Kallistra always claimed something about Tamara being unique. I haven't seen Kallistra in years, so I don't know what her search has uncovered. But now I'm sure of one thing. Every Ishtarian beast master can see characteristics. But only two, for now, can track unique beasts."

Her gaze snapped back to Eratz, her voice growing firmer.

"This confirms it. Kallistra will hunt you, Eratz."

The tension in the room thickened once more, and the group exchanged uneasy glances.

Victoria sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"Tamara. Kallistra. Infinite Twilight. This operation is going to bring us enemies at every

turn."

Eratz nodded, his expression calm but resolute.

"The story of my childhood then. Let's do it."

Victoria's lips curved into a faint smile.

"From tomorrow, we'll begin training together. And Eratz..." Her voice softened as she

leaned forward. "I'm giving you free rein to decide how we proceed with your hunt."

Catarina bumped her shoulder against Eratz, grinning.

"Our hunt, right, Boss?"

Before Eratz could respond, Kaida joined in, nudging him from the other side.

"Yeah, man. Our beasts, right?"

Ryder let out an exaggerated groan.

"You beast diggers."

The group's laughter echoed through the room, easing the tension as the camaraderie

returned.

As the group began to head out of the room, the tension of the night giving way to a lighter atmosphere, Mercury walked toward the exit alongside Eratz and his family.

Just as they reached the doorway, Zara called out behind them.

"Hey, Mercury!" Zara's voice was unusually loud, tinged with nervousness.

Mercury stopped and turned, her expression neutral but curious.

"What is it?" she asked, watching as Zara hesitated, gesturing awkwardly with her hands.

It was as if Zara wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words.

Mercury frowned, tilting her head. "What... are you doing?"

Eratz, standing beside her, sighed and rubbed his forehead like a tired parent witnessing a

familiar spectacle.

"Unripe fruit hunter behavior..." he muttered under his breath, shaking his head in mock

exasperation.

Zara groaned, throwing her hands up dramatically before hesitating again.

This time, her face twisted into an exaggerated pout.

She looked as though she might cry, her voice trembling with theatrical sadness.

"Child!" she exclaimed, pointing toward Mercury. "Still a child!"

Eratz' jaw dropped.

"Oh my God..."

Mercury's eyes widened as she realized. She flinched, scrambling for an excuse.

"I... uh... just remembered I have something to take care of first. You guys go ahead without me."

Her voice came out rushed, and without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and hurried off in the opposite direction.

Eratz watched her retreat with a mix of amusement and pity.

"Don't try too hard," he called after her, his voice carrying over the soft murmur of the

departing crowd. "Only a psychiatrist can fix her... or a dwarf."

"Fuck you Eratz!" Zara lamented, holding her head in her hands.

Eratz smirked.

"Please, I'm pretty much riped, in every sense."

Back inside, Mercury sat with Zara and Victoria, her expression clouded with frustration.

Zara fidgeted, embarrassed with a flushed face.

"I'm sorry for not realizing sooner," Mercury said quietly.

Victoria waved her hand dismissively.

"It's fine. But what's your plan for Milo's contract?" Mercury hesitated, biting her lip. Zara tilted her head curiously.

"Why hesitate? You're famous now. It should be simple."

Mercury exhaled sharply, glaring at her phone.

"That's the problem. Ever since the finals, I've been flooded these calls."

The room fell silent, tension simmering between them. Victoria frowned, her sharp eyes

narrowing.

"... That should have been... expected," she observed.

Mercury nodded grimly.

"I hate this," she muttered. "But for Milo... I have to do it."

Victoria's gaze softened.

"Do what you need to. But remember, we'll always have your back." Mercury nodded, clutching her phone tightly, then, she started dialing a number.