Chapter 61 - Instant Death
As Maxmillan listened more to their conversations using his powerful, superhuman sense of hearing, he got to understand that human casters of Astra Mystralis at the Lord level, were basically Immortals, while magic-weaving beasts at the Lord level were not immortals. But they could live for a really long time which was solely because of Astra Mystralis turning into solid magical cores within them which diffused their energies into their bones and flesh to immensely toughen and fortify them to the point of being extraordinary durable.
'Amazing!' Maxmillan said within himself as he observed the massive crowd below using his powerful sense of vision.
"Sisters, let's go in." A beautiful female that was decently tall and was an Astra Spellcraft Commander at the Twelfth layer of Common Achievement stage, Mortal tier, said with a determined look in her face.
As soon as she said that, a dark black chain that gave off fearsome ripples of magical power, suddenly appeared in her right hand and caused the earth beneath it to generate sparks as it rubbed against it.
"Guys, look. Alejrana of the Profound Queens Institute is moving in. We should move in too!" A male said as he pointed at Alejrana group that consisted purely of ten females.
"Alright then. Let's go in." A male who was an Astra Spellcraft Commander at the fourteenth layer of Common Achievement stage, Mortal tier, said with a bright confident smile in his face.
Just like that, groups after groups began to move into a cave found at the foot of a particular large mountain, which would lead to numerous other caves and then underground caves where they would come across the cave that a powerful Astra Lord Beast was rumored to have died in, after failing to enter into the next magic evolution layer.
Seeing that a lot of movement was taking place, Maxmillan nodded his head and prepared to secretly follow them.
Actually, Maxmillan could have entered the cave that would lead to other caves and begin his ceaseless, relentless search for the Astra Lord Beast that died, he however had to be really careful, since he couldn't tell how many Astra Lord Beast were there.
Although they could be slightly or far lower in rank to the one that died, they were still Astra Lord Beast that were fully sentient, much more intelligent than average humans and could skillfully weave immensely destructive magic-attacks that they could unendingly unleash at both beasts and humans.
Although most of their powers flowed into the bodies to increase their toughness and imperviousness, they could still discharge focused magical attacks that will entirely obliterate an opponent that they targeted.
Therefore, it was better to stay behind the really large group of Astra Spellcraft Commanders that were equipped with numerous ancestral magical artifacts and could cooperatively take on whatever beasts that they would come across in any of the caves as they searched for the corpse of the Astra Lord Beast. Or if he went in alone and came across multiple fierce, vicious and baleful Astra Lord Beasts, he could be quickly exterminated. Unlike Astra Spellcraft Lords that could fall to his seemingly fearless and bold, irritable words which would help him to evade them once they perceived that he showed no form of reverence or respect to the deific, city-quaking grand power that they possessed.
Just as they walked into the distance within the cave that they entered at the foot of the mountain, they began to hear growls of beasts that caused some of them to turn cold from fear and terror.
"Guys, don't be afraid. I am with you!" Laniarr suddenly said when he saw that some of the people in his group had turned pale-skinned from the numerous frightening beastly growls that suddenly rang out from random far places within the cave that they were walking into.
***
Vaultstone, the leader of the Black Axe Raiders that carried out nefarious evil operations around the Blacksilk Valley, said with a broad cold smile in his face, "How evil can one actually be? Hahaha...!!"
As he laughed, he recalled not telling even his own men that, really deep inside the massive cave that the Fifth Layer, Minor Achievement stage, Earth tier-Astra Lord Beast died in, there were more than two hundred high-tier Astra Ruler Beasts that will emerge and definitely pounce on the huge group of students that had entered the cave to voraciously drain the life out of them.
"Well, let me relax and see how far these damned stupid students would be willing to go once the true battle starts!" Vaultstone said loudly with a look of entertainment surfacing in his scar-marred face.
Then he said further, "I hope many of you are killed, and many more of you are killed before finally taking down that Third layer Astra Lord Beast that also resides in there."
Raaaaagh!!
Raaaaagh!!
Raaaaagh!!...
Beast growls rang out continuously till an Astra Ruler Beast suddenly emerged from the solid ground like a phantom and jumped at one of them, which it rapidly sucked out the life from and instantly grew stronger.
Once the beast had drained the life out of its target, it shot back into the ground, also like a phantom.
Looking at the broken, fully dried and brittle corpse of the student on the ground, the others grew more alarmed and totally wary of their surroundings.
Maxmillan saw what happened and shook his head in both awe and wariness. He then became more careful and alert, since the beast that previously emerged from the ground to attack a member of the large group in front of him, produced no sound upon its emergence from the ground and even as it dashed out at a great speed towards the student to attack him. It was like a ghost. And it was so fast that in less than a second, the vitality and blood of the student had been completely drained. Its appearance, attack and disappearance was too fast to be noticed. It left virtually no room for the thought of a counter-attack or defense.
Imagining himself being the victim of such an instant-annihilating magical assault, Maxmillan couldn't help but turn cold from a bit of fear immediately manifesting in his heart. But still, he pressed on with courage and valor. There was no turning back for him. He will take all the living magical beasts in here with him, including the corpse of the high-tier Astra Lord Beast, and every edible, consummate treasured item that he would come across in his path!
But suddenly, about thirty dark-grey beasts that looked formless in appearance and gave the idea that they were formed out of grey smoke, suddenly appeared in front of them and howled with deeply piercing, greatly hungry gazes manifesting in their flashing bright scarlet eyes.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!...
Swooshing sounds began to ring out as the smoke-like, formless grey beasts began to shoot through the air as streaks of dim grey light into the bodies of students that they targeted, which immediately caused the targeted students to become engulfed in raging, extremely-cold scarlet flames that burned their fleshes and bones down to crystallized, ice-looking blue ashes to reveal only their shrieking, greatly horrified souls that were in the jaws of the beasts and were being ravenously devoured by the beasts before being swallowed down their throats with slight gulps!