"What's going on?" Dax asked quickly, his brows knitting together. "Female Master… did you sever the bond with them yourself?"
His mind raced as he spoke. Which two males could possibly have the strength—or the audacity—to have their matches dissolved so cleanly and without consequence? Without even checking their female out first?
Rory answered with striking casualness, her tone light, as though she were commenting on the weather rather than the collapse of something sacred. "They offered me star coins and begged me to end the match. So I agreed."
She spoke as if she had merely finished a glass of water. There was no hesitation, no emotional weight in her voice at all—clearly, to her, dissolving a match was nothing worth dwelling on.
Dax clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached.
These people were tearing holes in the Beastmate System itself—no better than Paros, flaunting rules and power alike.
"Female Master," he said carefully, forcing a smile while suppressing the urge to cough up blood, "how much did they pay you?"
Rory paused, tilting her head slightly as she thought it over. "Let's see… one gave me fifty Rank 5 beast cores and five million star coins. The other paid one hundred and fifty million star coins outright."
Her words landed like a hammer blow.
Then she added, almost kindly, "Dax, if you want to withdraw as well, you can. Just pay me and I'll end our match immediately. I know you're not as wealthy as they are, so I won't ask for much. Ten million star coins will be enough."
It wasn't as though she hadn't given him a way out. In fact, by interstellar beast world standards, she was being extremely generous.
Ten million star coins?
Dax scoffed inwardly. Not a single star coin will ever leave my hands.
Outwardly, however, his expression softened into something wounded and earnest. "Female Master, what are you saying? That really hurts. How could I ever consider severing my bond with you?" He reached out and grasped her hand firmly, emotion threading through his voice. "Even if every other match abandons you… I will stay."
Rory smiled.
Her eyes sparkled like scattered starlight—bright, sincere, and utterly disarming. For a fleeting moment, Dax found himself captivated, his thoughts stalling as that smile burned itself into his mind.
"Dax," she asked again, gently but directly, "you truly don't want to end the match?"
I haven't gained a single star coin from her yet. There's no chance I'm letting this bond go.
He nodded firmly once he regained his composure. "Female Master. I couldn't bring myself to do it."
Rory studied him, confusion flickering briefly across her face. If he doesn't want to end the match, then what exactly is he after?
Unable to make sense of his motives, she smoothly shifted the topic. "You said earlier that you were waiting for me. Was there something you wanted?"
That snapped Dax back to his original purpose. He chuckled lightly, as if struck by inspiration. "Female Master, since the other matches still haven't arrived, why don't you let me handle things?"
She frowned slightly. "Handle what?"
"I'll contact them," he said confidently. "I'll bring them to you as quickly as possible."
Rory shook her head. "That won't work. I can't even contact them myself right now. The system doesn't allow me to share their names or any personal information with other matches until they meet me in person."
Instead of looking discouraged, Dax's smile widened. "That's easy, then."
She looked at him skeptically. "Easy how?"
"All you need to do is create a group chat," he explained smoothly. "Once they're inside, I'll take care of contacting them one by one."
Rory hesitated, deep in thought.
There were cases—dark, whispered stories—where a suitor, upon learning the identities of his rivals, would secretly send assassins to eliminate them before they ever had the chance to meet their matched female. Since she hadn't met those men yet, their deaths wouldn't weigh on her conscience.
But once she met them face-to-face, everything changed.
Killing a match after that point inflicted unbearable backlash—mental strain, shattered stability, and a violent rebound that rippled through every remaining bond. Eventually, all connected matches would spiral together toward collapse and self-destruction.
That was precisely why the Beast God System enforced strict safeguards.
Until a male met his designated female in person, all personal information among the suitors remained sealed.
Because Rory understood this, she didn't agree immediately. Instead, she fixed Dax with a sharp, penetrating stare, silently questioning his true intentions toward the other matches.
Dax met her gaze—and instantly realized she had misunderstood.
"Female Master," he said solemnly, placing a hand over his chest. "I swear to the Beast God—I would never harm them. My only intention is to help you. I want them to reach you sooner so they can protect you."
The Beast God was the supreme deity of their kind. Swearing an oath in that name was no small matter—it was equivalent to signing a binding contract with fate itself. Breaking such a vow could mean catastrophic loss of power at best… and death at worst.
Dax's willingness to swear made one thing clear: he was telling the truth.
Rory nodded slightly. Trust flickered in her eyes.
She activated her light-brain and began setting up the group chat.
The system prompt appeared:
"Honored Female Master, have all your matches met you in person?"
Rory selected: No.
System Notice: Since your matches have not yet met you in person, all personal information will remain concealed to ensure the safety of all parties.
The group chat opened.
Aside from Paros—and the two matches whose bonds had already been dissolved and removed—the remaining participants appeared only under coded identifiers. Their profile images were blank, reduced to question marks.
Dax, listed as Match No. 1, was the first to speak.
Match No. 1 (Dax):
"Hello everyone. I'm the first match. Who else is here? Step forward and introduce yourselves."
Rory stared at the screen, silently wondering which of the remaining six unknowns would answer first.