The One Beneath None!

The next morning....

Igneel had stopped himself from asking Max who the little girl was. He was waiting for Max to tell him himself. He looked on as Max took the girl hunting and later on took her to his cave to sleep. A few years back, Max had created a few caves saying that he wanted to live there to experience the full cultivation world life, whatever that meant. Igneel tried to stop him saying he could just create another cabin for Max but he refused.

The elders also wanted to know but since their king was holding off, they did the same.

Anyway when Max came back with the girl in behind him for breakfast, Igneel couldn't hold back anymore.

"So what?, you're not going to introduce us?". Igneel said looking at Max who was busy roasting some boar meat for them.

"Wow, it took you this long to ask, it seems my father is finally maturing a bit. I'm so proud". Instead of answering Igneel Max started saying stuff that made Igneel's lip twitch while Silvia was dumbstruck by how he spoke to his father.

"Brat!, you knew I was curious and yet you still kept quiet. Do you not even put your own father in your eyes?. You think I dare not spank you because you got yourself a little girlfriend!?". Igneel shouted in exaggeratedly as he disappeared from his spot and appeared behind Max, his hand targeting his back for a slap.

Oddly though, the hand got close to Max but couldn't reach him. After a few seconds more, Igneel gave up and set back down with a sigh.

"Seems you've made some improvements to your space element". He said taking the roasted meat Max was handing him.

"Yeah, I call it "null distance", can only keep it up for a minute though". Max replied with a smile.

"So that's why you were really holding off from telling me about the girl huh?...just wanted to give me a reason to attack you and you could show off". Igneel deduced with a deadpan expression as he ate. He already knew that his son had developed a weird habit of trying to surprise him whenever he got the chance.

"Yup, oh and this is Silvia... Silvia, this is my father Igneel, the ruler of the Great Beast Forest. Father the reason I brought her here is....". Max introduced the two. As he was speaking, Silvia who was already frozen from their previous exchange was even more shocked when he introduced Igneel to her, her brain practically short-circuited. Everyone on the continent knew of the Great Beast Forest after all, a place with enough powerful creatures that it could easily wipe out the humans if it wanted and now she was having a meal with it's meal ruler and had been speaking so casually with its prince. She had been wondering why they lived on a mountain despite being so strong, now she knew why.

"I-Im sorry for acting so casually your majesty, I didn't know. I'll accept any punishment." She quickly put down the meat she was eating and spoke while basically kow tow-ing. This was the first thing she could think off when Max finished explaining and both he and Igneel were now looking at her.

She, a little former noble from Crypt was having a meal with the uncrowded emperor of the continent, anyone would probably do what she was doing right now. Humans had been too weak to even know about the forest ruler until he fell for a human a few years back. And although they were still as weak as ever, they now at least knew a few things about Igneel. One being, he was beyond Level 10 and had long broke free from his mortal shackles while there were barely any Level 9 humans. Then there were the five elders all Level 10 which was basically a myth to humans. So the fact that Silvia could even speak despite knowing all this was already good enough.

"Hmm, I like this little girl, unlike a certain brat, she knows how to respect her elders. Anyway, don't worry girl, it's fine, I don't care much about your human show of respect, get up and continue your meal. And I'm really sorry for your loss... Seems humans are really beyond saving as I thought" Igneel spoke to Silvia with a gentle voice.

"Y-yes, t-thank you". Hearing his condolences, she couldn't help but emotional and weep again as she got up.

"Max, you better take care of my little daughter-in-law or you'll have to answer to me you got it?". Igneel said looking at Max with piercing gaze. Before Max could say anything, Igneel added something.

"You hear that little Silvia, if he bullies you, come tell me and I'll clean him out for you". Igneel spoke to Silvia who was now red-faced in embarrassment.

"Who said she was your daughter-in-law?". Max asked while rolling his eyes.

Silvia looked at him with teary eyes. Although she hadn't fallen for him or anything like that. He was her saviour and she had developed a dependency on him. So him indirectly denying her like this made her want to cry, her emotions were still unstable after all she had gone through so her tears weren't too far away.

"Brat, it hasn't even been a few minutes and you're already making her cry!". Igneel screamed at Max with a look that said, "you better apologize or you're dead".

"Sigh, fine, I'm sorry Silvia, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Rest assured that I'll never live you alone". Max usually do as his father said, so he apologized. Silvia's face turned a bit red again in embarrassment and she looked down to avoid Max's gaze.

"That's how you d...hmm" Igneel was about to express his approval when he sensed something. Both he and Max looked in the same direction. If the elders who were at their residences also looked in they direction and they all disappeared from were they where.

One after the other, they all appeared in the sky at a certain part of the forest looking down. Max who was grabbing the hand of a confused Silvia was the last one to appear.

"Hmm, interesting, after such a long time, another one appeared huh?". Igneel spoke as he looked down.

"What's that thing anyway?". Max asked as he was also looking down like the rest.

"An abyssal creature... An unusually high Level one too" Those are the only words Igneel said.

Below them a creature completely enveloped by black miasma feasting on the body of a dead Level 9 beast could be seen. It's body couldn't be properly seen but it was around eight metres in height, and at least a metre and a half thick. The creature ot was eating was a brown bear with spikes on its back, with the same height as the creature eating it.

"I thought these things only appeared up to Level 6?". Iliana asked looking at Caroline.

"Well that's all we've seen so far but it was never actually confirmed. Though the higher Level ones die sooner than the lower levelled ones even if we don't do anything. This one is a Level 9, so it should die within four hours. But the damage it could do in that time...I'll take care of it now". Caroline replied to her before creating a giant crimson fire ball above them.

"Crimson flame meteorite!"

BOOM!

As soon as Caroline finished casting her spell a giant orb of crimson flame with a radius of about 7 metres crushed down on the abyssal creature and exploding on impact. A shockwave blew out in every direction, Igneel had to contain it or a sizable part of that part of the forest would have been destroyed.