"Soul Drenching Squirrels?" I frowned, taken aback.
Back then when I'd encountered the Acorn Master, he had mentioned something about those beasts, but of course, not many details. Could those really be what he was speaking about?
My attention was redirected to those five, giant squirrels descending from the mountains towards the men.
That was not really what made me entirely surprised. What did, was the mighty bellow that came from the leading animal, causing the one-third remainder of the hundred men to be dispelled from the beguilement which Kira had made on them through the use of Animal and Spirit Brotherly Illusion.
The remaining few of the hundred, on realising that they had been beguiled into killing one another, their eyes were filled with fury. One of the survivals was Derizante, he was entirely abashed by the situation, as he'd boasted indifference, previously, at Kira's threat.
Apart from the fact that I understood animal language, I could also differentiate sounds from sounds and then interpret the meaning of the sounds as quickly as it comes into my head. But from listening to this Soul Drenching Squirrel, I realised that it had actually spoken in the human tongue.
Turning my head to the lady by my side, I asked, "Teacher Kira, how come that savage beast is able to fabricate words, despite being an animal?"
Looking at me in a short-lived astonishment, she replied, "Soul Drenching Squirrels aren't savage beasts, Stephanie."
"Huhn?"
Smirking slightly — as though by force — she quickly elaborated, "Those are spirit beasts, and they, like humans, have the ability to make rational decisions. They make little use of instincts, and at such, they are able to speak the human language to a great extent.
I nodded, eyes wide as though my whole world was a dream. I felt like Alice in Wonderland, at the moment.
Back to the field, Kira took two steps backwards, and fear could be seen in her eyes.
"I've told you all that the Beast Hall would not be giving out the secret manuals, come what may! Why have you left your pride even to side with the Martial Arts Hall despite all we've said?!"
The Soul Drenching Squirrels chuckled unanimously.
"As you know clearly well, the spirit acorns that your Beast Tamers feed us are actually sub-par in our soul cultivation, thus leaving us partially nourished by them, no matter how many we're fed.
"However, as spirit beasts living for almost a millennium now, we know just about every unique cultivation manuals that the Beast Hall possesses... none of these are a match for the ones cultivated by your bloodline." Smiling, the Soul Drenching Squirrel finally said, "We also acquired knowledge that those compiled manuals have the ability to cause spirit beasts to surpass their bottlenecks by two folds!"
Kira took two more steps backwards. Her face looked drained of life. "You know of this as well?"
A hard, deafening screech resounded over our heads just after Kira said those words. It was from a big, eagle-like bird with steel wings.
While nobody could interpret what the screech sound meant, it wasn't the same with me. What I heard was, "Surprise, surprise!"
"Hmm..." I said, furrowing my brows at the bird rotating in the sky for a spot to land.
Noticing my sudden reaction to the screech, Teacher Kira quickly shot me a gaze. "Do you understand what it said?"
Unsure about why the question was asked, I nodded.
"Indeed. . . the Royal Spirit Bloodline has that ability, but most people had only thought it was merely an exaggeration of the records in the legends. To think that it was actually true—" she said, thoughtfully.
Just then, the dust flew up from the earth as the big bird landed.
"Steel-winged Vulture, thank goodness you're here! Quick, save me from these Soul Drenching Squirrels!" Kira pleaded with a sigh of relief as though her saviour had just appeared.
"Ahh-haha-haha!" the Steel-winged Vulture laughed, taking a few steps backwards to fall in line with the Soul Drenching Squirrels.
"This. . ." Seeing how the spirit beast she'd put her trust in, a moment ago, had turned against her, Kira was stuck of words. "The old Acorn Master's spirit beast is also with these betrayers of the Acorn Valley?!"
"Ahh-haha-haha!" laughed the beast in question, a second time. "Old Acorn Master just passed away, and as such, I am no longer indebted to the Beast Hall! Since no expert has been able to raise my tier as a savage beast, isn't any other opportunity one finds to be cherished dearly?"
Kira shook her head in incomprehension. "Any other opportunity? What are you talking about?"
The Steel-winged Vulture screwed its eyes and said to Kira, "You of all people know I'm a 3-star savage beast who just made a breakthrough two months ago into Half-spirit realm."
Kira nodded, "Yes, I know of that. It was said that the death of the old Acorn Master had propelled an impetus for your breakthrough into Half-spirit realm, making your prowess increase a fold stronger than before."
"Indeed!" responded the Steel-winged Vulture with pride and disdain mixed in its eyes. "My breakthrough into Half-spirit has opened my eyes into the world of Animal and Spirit! In normal circumstances, it should have been entirely difficult for a breakthrough to occur, due to the backwardness of the cultivation manuals in such a kingdom as the Acorn Valley and the situation propelling my breakthrough into being half a spirit beast."
Shaking its head, it continued, "As such, I was left with only one choice, and that is to travel into the kingdom of the Dwindling Mountains where the Intermediate leveled Gifted are nurtured. However, considering the fact that I've lost my authority due to the fact that the old Acorn Master's dead now, I wouldn't even be spared a second glance by the Beast Hall there, needless to say, the spirit beasts."
Understanding what was going on now, Kira said, "So you decided to side with the 1-star untameable spirit beasts; the Soul Drenching Squirrels?!"
"Ahh-haha-haha!" the Steel-winged Vulture laughed with a tilted head, towards the sky. "Now that's a smart one. I am impressed."
Beside the Steel-winged Vulture, the Soul Drenching Squirrel that led the other four said, "Steel-winged Vulture has relayed to us the secret manuals that the Royal Euphenic Blood cultivates, and it just happens that we also need to make breakthroughs in our cultivations to reach the Spirit Perception realm, I expect you to know what that means. . ."
Kira almost fell to the ground in shock, "Y-you wish to become 2-star spirit beasts?"
"Yes! Now give us what we are here for or die!"
Clenching her fists, Kira stole a glance behind her towards the Beast Hall with crimson eyes.
"Don't even think of doing anything stupid, we've already sent a false alarm to the elders of the Beast Hall, and they should presently be in an ambush by our Soul Drenching Squirrels!"
Kira's face was drained off its colour. "You're responsible for the alarm too?"
"Are we going to talk all day? I gave you two options already. Bring out the manuals or die!" exclaimed the Soul Drenching Squirrel, impatiently.
Angrily, Kira screamed while spreading her arms towards the sky like a demon, "Audacious!"
At the scream, the ground began to tremble beneath their feet, and the Beast Hall began to loose its once solid glory.
"Is this the Euphonic Call of the Deities? Shit!" one of the Soul Drenching Squirrels was aghast.
"To think that I'd one day witness the true Euphonic Call of the Deities... and to my death at that, this is indeed messed up!" said another.
As the earth trembled, buried bones of savage beasts and humans began to assemble themselves up from the ground. It was like one of those zombie movie wherefore the zombies ascended up from the ground in graveyards, during their appointed time. I didn't know what expression to carry on my face; to laugh or to burst into tears of the overpowered Kira.
Seeing this, the Steel-winged Vulture flew into midair and bellowed against the Soul Drenching Squirrels, flapping its wings in agitation. "What are you waiting for, don't just stand there?!
"Humph!" The Soul Drenching Squirrels seemed to have stepped out of their terrified trances and positioned themselves in some kind of well-practiced formation.
Rising from the grounds, due to Kira's call, were hideous looking beasts of all sorts. They began to charge against the Soul Drenching Squirrels in their full mights.
"Your souls are mine!" the Soul Drenching Squirrels declared and, together, they were able to send a mighty dragon-like mist run through the advancing beasts.
Kira laughed. "That might work on others, but these are only existing due to the Euphenic Call of the Deities, they possess no souls from their own driving forces!"
"No souls?" the eyes of the Soul Drenching Squirrels watered. That could have been said to be their strongest trump card from the way they turned to this, during this dire life-threatening situation. Who would've known that it'd be ineffective to these?
"No matter what, these should not carry stronger might than us... let's charge headlong!"
Both parties began to charge against one another, and before long, there was a harmonious explosion from both parties.
'Boom!'
After which, smoke covered everywhere.