"Hmmm... An interesting one finally appears." The Beast Whisperer said with a strange look in his eyes.
"Bastard, you are late." Silver smiled weakly.
"Lucius?" Maya's face lit up, and a bright smile spread across her lips.
Dean, who was kneeling beside her, saw this and frowned. He had put in so much effort looking after her but never got this kind of reaction.
The seven soldiers on the van approached Lucius cautiously while gazing at the fallen Stampede Beast, slowly rising to its feet
"W-we will support you." One soldier said with uncertainty in his voice.
"Just take the wounded to the medical center. I will deal with them." Lucius shook his head.
"A-are you sure?" The soldier was reluctant to leave Lucius alone here.
"Did I stutter?" Lucius shot the man a cold glare, causing him to shiver.
He stepped back instinctively and turned to the rest of his team.
"You heard him! Bring the wounded, prioritize students!" He roared.
"Yes Sir!" They responded energetically and swung into action, leaving Lucius alone to focus on the battle.
An unsettling silence filled the battlefield as the soldiers helped, Silver, Alex, Dean, and Maya up. It was as if the Beast Whisperer was deliberately waiting for the injured to be taken out of the battlefield.
"For a villain, you are a decent person." Lucius said in a leveled tone.
He noticed that the only people killed were soldiers. The students, be they sidekicks or heroes, sustained heavy injuries but nothing life-threatening.
Even a monkey would know this was not a mistake!
"Ooh?" The Beast Whisperer's eyes shone. "Villain and not Deviant?"
Lucius shook his head in response and shot a rare smile at the man.
"I am a slave who only joined the world of Guardians recently, so their beliefs haven't tainted me." Lucius said. "A Deviant is someone who has completely lost his mind, you do not fit that description."
"Oooh?" The Beast Whisperer was genuinely shocked. "Tell me your name, boy…"
"Lucius Blackwater." Lucius said as he assumed a fighting stance.
"Do you know what they are doing in the underground facility here?" The Beast Whisperer asked.
"Nope, but after experiencing the cruelty of these people for the past ten years of my life, I know it's nothing short of evil." Lucius shrugged.
"And you still fight for them?" The Beast Whisperer asked with narrowed eyebrows.
"I have my reasons and plans. It's just unfortunate, it clashes with yours." Lucius said dryly.
Silence followed as Silver and the others being led away looked at Lucius with confused gazes, trying to understand the meaning behind his words. This was the first time Lucius was open and honest about his feelings towards the government, but even then he was a bit vague with his words.
"I would have asked what plans can a child have but not act like one." The Beast Whisperer shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway because I have no intentions of backing down."
"Neither do I." Lucius responded.
Buzz!
As if reacting to its master's thoughts, numerous mutant birds swooped down, charging towards Lucius and completely swarming him.
Hmph!
Lucius stomped his feet while expelling an outburst of concentrated Aether energy, creating a shockwave that blew the birds away
WOOOOO!
As soon as the birds were blown away, the image of the rampaging Stampede Bull, came into view, its horns glowing with bright blue energy!
"Dodge!" Silver screamed.
Hmph!
Lucius planted his feet on the ground as he threw his hands forward to meet the Stampede Bull directly!
"Suicidal!" Dean cursed.
"Lucius!" Maya screamed.
Boom!
The loud explosion erupted as the ground sank upon collision. A powerful blue shockwave erupted but froze midway before rapidly surging into Lucius's hands which held down onto the Stampede Bulls horns.
[Careful Lucius!] Lyxor warned.
"He is absorbing the Aether power of the beasts?" Silver muttered with genuine shock.
"This kid…" The Beast Whisperer muttered with a deep frown.
"HHHHHAAAAAAA!" Lucius's body glowed violently, and his body glowed dangerously with blue power before exploding.
BOOM!
The shockwave was so fierce, that it shook the watch towers, shattering the CCTV cameras around the facility and toppling other structures.
Even the Van of the military was knocked over and if it wasn't for the joint defensive barrier set up by Dean and Silver, both the students and soldiers would have been badly hurt.
Blegh!
Dean clutched his belly and coughed up a mouthful of blood. He and Silver were badly hurt but their curious eyes followed a figure that shot out of the explosion site with keen interest.
It was the Stampede Bull
Everyone's eyes as the Stampede Bull was sent hurling back, its horns broke off its skull. They watched the bull fall to the ground, twitching repeatedly while blood leaked out of its nose, eyes, and mouth.
IT WAS HURT!
HE MANAGED TO HURT AN EVOLVED BEAST!
Whoosh!
A strong wind blew away the dust, revealing Lucius's body. His arms were trembling, desperately holding on to the horn of the Bull. His eyes looked weak but fierce.
"Are you retarded or something?" Lucius's voice jolted the soldiers back to reality. "Get the hell out of here now!"
"Y-yes!" The soldiers carried the injured students and began running toward the command center.
They could only watch, Lucius slowly rise to his feet as his figure vanished in the distance.
"I commend your strength. To defeat a Wolf threat level beast at such a young age is truly commendable, but at what cost?" The Beast Whisperer said as he watched Lucius's shivering body.
[I warned you!] Lyxor said.
"Hehehe. Who said I'm done? Come on old man, I still have some fight left in me." Lucius said as he tightened his grip on the horn, absorbing its properties.
Soon his entire body was encased in silver armor, dazzling under the sunlight while also hiding its weak body.
"Come!" Lucius roared as he took a battle stance.