Chapter 436 Argo
The mana signature the demon beast gave off also had a resemblance with Eren's mana signature. The mental connection he shared with his newborn demon beast also stabilized, enabling both the beast and him to feel what the other was feeling or thinking about.
The butcher had to admit that despite all that had happened, purgatory was a huge opportunity for Eren. Maybe an epic-tier beast wasn't enough for her, but for Eren who couldn't count on his most trusted partner, this beast was a huge power-up.
Eren also understood at this point that Eliza had only offered him the beast so that he could make effective use of it when she assigned him the task she wanted to be done by hook or crook. He didn't believe for a second that the beast was offered to him out of Sage's goodwill.
After all, a gryphon could be a suitable mount for him to fly. And that enabled a more effective set of tactics he could apply to all of his plans. Tactics that were difficult to counter.
Due to his underdeveloped physique, it looked like he wouldn't be able to support the butcher's weight in a constant flight. The most it could do now was give him a short flight experience or help slow down his sudden vertical fall. But the beast will eventually grow in a normal manner after a few more months.
The beast was still yet to open its eyes. He turned his neck 180 degrees towards his master before turning his body in that direction as well. He walked up to Eren and rubbed the back of his forehead against Eren's face while growling a bit.
"Hm? Who am I? Well… you can call me Eren. Your master."
Guttural!
"What does Eren mean by that, you say? It's just my name that was given to me after I was born."
Guttural!
"You want a name too? Well.. that… makes sense. Let me think."
Eren patted the beast's head while understanding the beast's intentions through his mental connection with him. It looked like the conversation was going in multiple directions all at once as Eren kept on giving many seemingly coherent and incoherent replies.
The beast already measured up to his shoulders when he greeted his master for the first time after his birth. His half-opened, curved blackshine beak of a mouth would release a guttural sound whenever the butcher answered one set of questions.
"Argo!"
Eren said his newborn beast's name out loud and finalized it while patting him and caressing his soft-feather-like neckline. The beast didn't mind the name and released some more guttural sounds in affirmation.
Croak!
Altashia's demon beast produced a low pitched noise towards his master when he witnessed an epic-tier demon beast's birth. He had subconsciously understood that Argo was at a level above him in the beastly hierarchy. So he tried to make his concerns known to Altashia.
Argo heard Roo's croak and narrowed his light blue eyes on him as he turned his head 180 degrees. Eren had to admit that his beast was blessed with a lot of seemingly simple yet convenient features at birth. Since he could now share his senses with Argo, he could see what was in front of him from two perspectives. That is if he used his mental connection with the demon beast.
Argo rubbed his head against Eren's chest before straightening his neck up. Then he started walking towards Altashia and her demon beast. His walk was a little shaky since he had just been born and his feet felt wobbly to him. But that didn't prevent Argo from exuding a regal aura a beast like Roo could never match up to in their current ranks.
Roo wanted to assume his true form as well. But Altashia prevented him from doing so. She didn't want a fight to take place between the two demon beasts.
Argo stopped a few inches away from Altashia and looked at Roo who was sitting over her left shoulder vigilantly. He brought his neck closer to the baby crow before making another set of guttural noises.
Altashia looked at Eren who was standing in front of her at the other corner of the watchtower's observation room with keen eyes. It was clear she was looking for a translator.
Eren massaged his forehead before stating what his demon beast wanted to convey to Roo. He looked like he was anticipating trouble dealing with Argo.
"Um… he is saying that if Roo makes one more pass at me or him, he'll have him for his next meal. He is also saying that he is very hungry and could use some nutrition."
Altashia raised her eyebrows and looked at Argo again when she heard Eren's statement. The beast didn't even flinch when he felt her presence. Even without Roo's help, she could beat the crap out of the current Argo. His beastly senses should have been enough to make him understand just that.
The Mana and Demon Beasts respected power above all. They wouldn't be imprudent to act against someone placed higher than them in the food chain unless there were special circumstances.
And yet, Argo was bold enough to make that claim in front of Altashia. Something told her the beast was extremely prideful and battle thirsty in nature. So much so that he could suppress his beastly nature– indicating a will to fight someone stronger than him without any hesitation.
'This guy seems even more of an edgelord than Ivor.'
Eren sighed after talking to himself. He already started comparing Argo with Reen in his head and found out that he was lucky to have Reen as his first partner in crime instead of Argo. Especially when he was handling things related to the case of Osan Woods' Butcher. At that time, If he had a demon beast like Argo instead of Reen who wasn't aggressive by nature, he would have had a tough time covering his tracks the way he had covered them.
Roo didn't reply to Argo's challenge in any way. It stared at him for a while before bringing his neck down in submission. Altashia's assumptions about beasts did come true. The only beast that followed the pattern was hers. Meanwhile, she looked at Eren with keen eyes.
Now with this beast added into the equation, Eren had one more trump card in his sleeves. It didn't seem that far-fetched anymore that he would challenge Altashia to a fight in the future not far from today.