"I need to escape".
As soon as he muttered on top his hideout, Ramon looked down.
Thud! Thud!
This part of the Wheat Trye Wilderness already turned chaotic.
Looking down, Ramon saw countless myriad beasts stomping about in panic. From small astral beasts like Kick Rabbits to gigantic astral beasts Wild Boars and Wild Dogs. They ran everywhere, causing a stampede.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sounds of battle between the big dogs already started close by.
Everything was happening so fast.
"…!"
On top his hideout, the pine tree, Ramon was put in a dilemma.
'Should I stay here hiding?'
BOOM!
Another dozen trees collapsed from the tremors, he gulped.
'Should I run for it?'
He looked down at the countless beasts running in panic, causing a stampede and he gulped again. This was no forest; this was the Wheat Trye Wilderness.
None of these beasts were normal beasts, they were all astral beasts.
The least of them were low-tier Legionnaire Stage Beasts and despite not seeing them, Ramon already felt two immensely dangerous auras that he identified as General Stage Beasts.
'What should I do?'
Ramon was panicking, sweat filled his full body as thoughts rapidly flowed through his head, terrifying thoughts that made smoke to come out of his head.
At this moment, his body felt in immense danger.
In this pivotal moment that would decide his life or death, Ramon's brain suddenly shut down.
The thoughts in his head were too much and not used to it, his brain froze as he remained petrified on top his hideout.
Ramon's survival was up in the air.
Would he die today?
Would he survive?
Badump! Badump!
His heart kept on beating rapidly even as his blood pressure increased, then a question came. 'What would Joel do?'
Another question came. 'What will the Fate Destroying Emperor do?'
And a last question. 'What is the fat man doing?'
…
"ROAR…!!!"
Powerful shockwaves of energy reverberated through the air as the gigantic beast flexed its vocal cords, erupting thick guttural sounds aggressively.
Standing at almost 2.5 meters tall, it was an absolutely gigantic beast.
This was a horrifically powerful mid-tier Commander Stage Beast, an Iron-Tooth Siberian Tiger who already condensed a powerful beast core.
As it roared, astral energy from its beast core flooded out like an avalanche.
BZZZ!
A thick ominous red aura surrounded this beast like a veil.
Each movement from its heavy body that weighed several tons made the ground beneath its limbs cave in, while causing the ground to shake like an earthquake was imminent.
Each swing of its deadly claws unleashed energy manifestations in the shape of Tiger claws that went far, cutting everything in their path with absolute abandon.
Its casual movements changed the terrain of this part of the wilderness.
Watching the 7 humans before it, it felt even angrier.
"ROARRRRR!"
At this moment, the casual confident look that was always on the HOD's face was no longer there, a seriousness that Ramon had only ever seen during the encounter in Coca Market last year was now there.
This was a face depicted only when the HOD's life was truly in danger.
"Maintain a safe distance from it!" This astral warrior roared.
"Any casual attack from it can kill all of you!"
Mr. Patrick stared attentively at the gigantic beast even as he protected his instructors behind him, his eyes flickering rapidly as he analyzed a lot of things even as the beast kept on going on a rampage.
'Why did you come here? Why now of all times?' He felt a bit frustrated.
His eyes narrowed as he rapidly made his analysis. "Despite being immensely angry, it's not attacking us head-on".
"This means its protecting something".
Mr. Patrick's eyes narrowed as he looked around and noticed a hole dug beside a thick bush in this wilderness. "It probably came all the way here to give birth, probably its cubs are inside there".
'F*ck!' This HOD cursed in his mind. 'Worst timing possible!'
"Originally, in a situation like this so long we leave it be, it won't attack us since it is protecting its cubs during their first hour of birth but this part of the wilderness has already been sent into a frenzy".
"The panicking beasts will make foolish decisions due to their panic".
"Some are already running through here in panic".
All the beasts that dared strayed here in panic all suffered horrific deaths that they could not comprehend. One moment they were escaping, the next moment they were dead.
"This will only agitate it more, there's no running from this," Mr. Patrick grimaced as he turned his head to look at the 6 instructors that he brought with him. "The students…, their status".
One of the instructors, a red-haired middle-aged man who was a Warlock briefly closed his eyes, seemingly using an ability before answering.
"Some already escaped, but some went deeper than expected while hunting, a lot of them are still trapped by the stampeding beasts".
"And some are already dead".
Mr. Patrick clenched his fists. "Then we can't run from this".
Shing!
This fat man unsheathed his huge broad sword from its leather sheath that was strapped to his back, being too heavy and big to strap to his waist.
"We have no choice but to wait and fight," His eyes gleamed. "Till the students are safe".
"Brace yourselves, I need your support to survive today".
"Yes, Mr. Patrick!" The astral energy of the 6 instructors erupted the next moment, agitating the gigantic Iron-tooth Siberian Tiger even more.
At this moment, they were about to tempt fate.
BOOM!
The Iron-Tooth Siberian Tiger pounced!
BOOM!
Mr. Patrick countered!
Just for emphasis, Mr. Patrick was a low-tier Commander Stage Warrior Transmutator, one tier weaker than the gigantic Siberian Tiger.
Exploding with immense speed and force, gathering incredible momentum through its hind limbs, the Iron-Tooth Siberian Tiger pounced even as its front right limb slammed down at the strongest of the humans, exposing its deadly claws in the process that seemed capable of slicing reality in twain.
"Astral Technique: Gravity; Pull!"
BZZZ!
Gravity erupted.
The force of attraction was so sudden and so forceful that losing control of its speed for a second, not due to slowing down, but due to accelerating after being pulled, the Iron-Tooth Siberian Tiger briefly became disoriented.
Its body accelerated out of its control.
"Astral Sword Technique: Death Sentence; Executioner's Stab!"
The Iron-Tooth Siberian Tiger was absolutely gigantic, far taller than Mr. Patrick. And as soon as his gravity pull activated, dragging it forward even as this apex predator briefly lost its footing, Mr. Patrick sought to take advantage of it.
With its own momentum carrying it forward, Mr. Patrick placed his broad sword vertically, the tip of its blade exposed dangerously.
As the Siberian Tiger fell forward, Mr. Patrick's astral technique triggered as directly under the Tiger's neck now, his broad sword stabbed upward.
If it connected, at worst, the Siberian Tiger would be severely injured and if his luck shone, this Tiger would suffer a crippling injury that would threaten its life.
But no, this was a mid-tier Commander Stage Beast.
CLANG!
The sound of metal colliding against metal reverberated loudly in this wilderness, causing the ears of everyone in this vicinity to ring and vibrate loudly.
A certain 11-year-old boy on top a tree felt dizzy.
Mr. Patrick looked up and saw what blocked his fatal stab.
Metal materialized from nowhere, coating the Siberian Tiger's neck.
His eyes narrowed.
Iron-Tooth Siberian Tigers were called so for a reason, this was because of their affinity for metal. Able to coat their claws, their teeth, and even parts of their body with metal, they were adept at both offense and defense.
From the moment of Mr. Patrick's broad sword colliding against the Tiger's metal-coated neck to now was just 2 milliseconds, and the beast retaliated.
The claws of its left limb became metal, growing to become half a meter long as they swatted at the human the next moment with terrifying speed.
If this connected, Mr. Patrick would be sliced and diced apart.
The attack was too close for comfort and came too fast, Mr. Patrick would not be able to react to it, but he had support.
"Astral Technique: Defense Shield!"
The 2nd mage Warlock among the group of instructors reacted, creating a shield that surrounded the HOD just as he was about to be hit.
BOOM! CRACK!
The shield cracked immediately but that was not all.
"Astral Technique: Shield Bash!"
Among the group of instructors, there was also a Manipulator. Under his control, an extremely thick pitch-black shield accelerated, arriving just in time after the first shield was shattered as the metal claws also collided against this.
CRACK!
The black shield lasted only a moment before also being shattered.
But they did their job, buying the little time for the HOD to react as while placing his giant sword for a basic vertical block, he also used his eyes.
Mr. Patrick's eyes briefly turned gray.
"Astral Technique: Gravity; Shift!"
Gravity pushed against the Iron-Tooth Siberian Tiger's deadly claws, just in time for the broad sword to parry it as Mr. Patrick's eyes gleamed soon after.
Mr. Patrick's thick meaty flesh shook from the impact as he retaliated again.
"Astral Sword Technique: Energy Burst; Explosive Slash!"
This was an astral technique combined from an Evolver's energy burst with a master swordman's explosive slash, Mr. Patrick could use it in battle only because of his incredible aptitude and also because well, he was Mr. Patrick.
Gravity didn't fail to amplify the attack.
BOOM!
He slashed upwards with so much speed and force that this time, the Siberian Tiger was unable to react on time as the sword cut through the side of the beast.
CKRSH!
Sword cut flesh open, and blood splattered.
"ROAR…!" The Iron-Tooth Siberian Tiger roared in anger and pain.
Despite being a tier lower than this beast, Mr. Patrick managed to injure it. Of course, he received support from his other instructors but very few astral practitioners can achieve this feat.
Mr. Patrick was the HOD of Centerpoint Astral Academy's wildlife department for a reason, he was the textbook authority at fighting astral beasts.
Even more angered now, the gigantic Siberian Tiger increased its attack intensity which Mr. Patrick matched tooth for tooth.
"Astral Transmutation Technique: Gravity Application!"
"Astral Sword Technique: Tequila Sword Dance!"
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The instructors put their lives on the line, giving their all to fight for the chance of their students escaping from this wilderness safe.
While all these happened, only 1 student managed to catch a peek of it.
With most of the trees blocking his hideout already destroyed, on top his hideout tree, Ramon managed to see the HOD in action against the gigantic beast.
'What would Joel do?'
Another question came. 'What will the Fate Destroying Emperor do?'
And a last question. 'What is the fat man doing?'
As soon as these questions came, he got a preliminary answer. "Mr. Patrick…, is so strong!"
And finally, the light bulb of inspiration came.
Epiphany!
Ramon got his answer, he grinned. 'Hehe!'