Mane dashed towards the direction he could feel the incoming auras from. Abelard was annoyed with his friend, but he wasn't far behind either. Both of them left blurs as their small figures rushed towards the new threat.
"Isn't it an overkill to send so many of us after an unknown enemy" a black haired man asked whilst running through the huge forest. Behind him were 25 profound wielders with the least of them in the late stages of the profound realm. He himself was an earth wielder at the peak of the early stages – he was a 3rd stage earth realmer. However, he wasn't the only earth realmer here. There were to others who were earth wielders as well. And one of these wielders was at the peak of the earth realm!
"It is because the enemy is unknown that so many of us have been sent. We have already lost five profound wielders. This time Master wants complete success, which is why we are here" A brown haired man who had his hair held by a green bandana was the one who replied. He was the peak wielder in this huge group. He was at the 9th stage of the earth realm and had no equals among his peers.
"They are coming" the last earth wielder informed. He was also at the 3rd stage of the earth realm. He had a glow that allowed him to sense the auras of those around him. When he used this glow in addition to the sensing device their master had provided them, he was able to notice a lot of things many didn't. In a way, he was a pseudo scholar.
"How many" the strongest in the group enquired?
"Two" the pseudo scholar replied.
"Just two" the black haired earth wielder asked, surprised that the task was going to be simpler than he thought.
"Don't lose your guard just because there are only two combatants" the leader reminded. "They are marching towards us which means they could feel our aura. This is proof that they aren't weak" he continued.
His words knocked some sense into the black haired man's head. He was rudely awakened from his ignorance. If he couldn't tell that the enemies were on their way, yet they were capable of sensing them from so far away, it meant they were stronger than him. It was either that or their enemies had a device like theirs which allowed their opponents to sense their approach.
"Prepare yourselves. The enemy approaches!" the leader screamed in warning when he received his colleague's signal that the auras of their enemies were almost upon them. The leader unshackled his sword and raised it up high for all to see. In response to his actions, several sounds of weapons leaving their scabbards followed immediately after. The black haired wielder unsheathed two unusual daggers, and quickly disappeared into the forest. He was a wind wielder and a master assassin. His expertise wasn't in a battlefield. He would be a better asset in the blind spots of their enemies. The pseudo scholar untied the huge rod on his back. The unusual weapon had no scabbard, so it was only tied crudely to the man. But that did nothing to hide the imposing manner that it gave off.
The leader of the group had his eyes staring ahead of him in great concentration. He didn't know if their enemies were going to ambush them, or face them head on. Although the pseudo scholar had assured him that the enemies were unhidden, he was still cautious. One would never know if the enemy had something that could trick the senses of another.
"There they are" he heard his colleague say. True to the pseudo scholar's words, two small forms were running towards them without a hint of fear. They didn't even flinch at the sight of the many people that had come for them. And why would they?
Mane had spent months hunting down Celestials, a race famed for their battle prowess. He didn't back down then when he was faced with their elite, no matter how vast their numbers were. So why would he be terrified now. Abe wasn't one to fear his enemies. He was a cautious fellow, not a fearful one. Besides, he was more than eager to test the limits of his newfound power. His awakening had pushed him directly past the initial stages of the profound realm into the peak of the middle stage. He was now a peak 6th stage profound realmer. He was more eager to test his strength, than he was dreadful of his enemies.
Mane calmly run forwards. "Three earth wielders: one is at the peak of the earth realm; the other two are at the 3rd stage. Of the two at the initial stage, one is hidden; the other isn't." Mane calmly analysed. His words were loud enough for Abe. The assassin thought he was well hidden. He had no idea that his every movement was recorded by Mane's keen senses.
"Leave the earth realmers alone. We save them for last" Mane ordered. Abelard nodded in reply. He didn't like what Mane did previously, but he agreed with the boy's suggestion. It was exactly what he was thinking. Although their opponents were vastly superior in terms of levels, they weren't so strong. Since they had received their power by accepting a blessing, they were weaker than their peers. They may feel themselves strong, but they weren't. They had no way of knowing how strong they were since their only comparisons were also other people who had been 'blessed'. It was up to Mane and Abelard to teach them that.
"Let's be quick. I promised Mom that we would be back before tomorrow" Mane informed Abelard. And then he disappeared. Abelard nodded, and disappeared as well.
Mane reappeared in the midst of the twenty five profound wielders. None of them caught his movements. Even Abe was too fast for them to notice. Once the two boys found themselves in the midst of the weaker profound wielders, they run rampant.
Mane waved his sword around, and swung his blade at random. Every swipe brought a head down, and he wasn't even using any techniques. Abe wasn't slow either. He was using them to practice his hammer techniques. The large hammer descended every few seconds and took a life with it.