Thick scent of blood mixed with the rotten smell of corpses permeated the surrounding. Semmingky unaffected by the bloodshed, the soldiers dressed in leather armor moved as one and bravely held the lines, not allowing a single monster to pass through.
However, no matter how careful they were, still one or two would manage to escape. In such a situation, a soldier would detach himself from the formation and rush after the escaping beast to quickly end its life.
Gray eyes darted around, and in a minute, he fully analyzed the battlefield. The soldiers of Knights Heaven City were outnumbered, but they were able to put up a fight.
"What's going on there?" Gray muttered and looked into the distance with narrowed eyes.
A fully grown adult tiger was slowly retreating back into the forest when it was in a difficult situation.
The more he watched the scene, the more incredulous Gray became. In no time, the injured tiger disappeared into the forest, leaving the cheering soldiers behind.
Sensing something amiss, Gray once scanned the battlefield, this time paying special attention to the tiger's behavior.
And soon a look of solemnity appeared in his eyes; the tigers were definitely acting strangely.
Usually, the Phantom Tiger would die, but right now, if they were to get seriously injured, the tiger would carefully retreat instead of fighting a losing battle.
The more he watched, the more alert Gray became.
But in the next moment, he took a deep breath and walked to an isolated corner where the chaos was the least.
[Ordinary Adult Phantom Tiger killed.]
[+3 Origin Essences Gained.]
Gray danced through the battlefield like a battle demon; his broken sword was like a meat grinder that ruthlessly crushed any enemies that dared to cross his path.
His actions were also discreet at the same time, only acting when no one was focusing on him.
Given how many Phantom Tigers were really here, in no time Gray managed to accumulate 15 Origin Essence points. He was just a few points away from the number 20 and would be able to finally unlock a new skill.
Although Gray was trying his best to not to attract attention, many soldiers soon noticed his actions and threw surprised glances in his direction.
"Whose son is this young man? So young but already so fierce," a soldier commented in amazement.
"To be able to kill a Phantom Tiger with a single slash, is he already an Earthly Knight?" another one spoke in disbelief.
"Hahahaha... are you stupid or something?"
The surroundings immediately burst out laughing after hearing the soldiers' words, as if they had heard the biggest joke of the century.
Some even coldly snorted in disdain. If someone had told them that pigs could fly, they would have believed it, but saying someone as young as the blue-eyed man could be an Earthly Knight was too much.
Of course, that didn't mean they didn't appreciate Gray's effort.
...
Slash!
Rexton slashed his sword again and easily claimed the life of the tiger in front of him.
However, instead of feeling joy, his heart was starting to grow intensely cold.
The beasts were too damn cunning this time, Although the battle looks easy, the casualties were starting to add up.
He glanced at the figure of Skylar Blue Swan in the distance, chopping tigers as easily as cutting grass.
His actions were slightly fierce and ruthless, as was to be expected, since most of the soldiers that had died today belonged to the Blue Swan family.
Roar!
Suddenly, a fierce roar filled terrifying bloodthirstiness echoed in the surroundings, everyone who heard it felt their souls tremble in fear almost instinctually.
As if the roar had been a signal, all the phantom tigers which were acting in an orderly manner suddenly went mad and started to mindlessly attack the soldiers, completely letting go off the earlier cautiousness.
Soldiers who had become a little comfortable were suddenly caught off guard by the change in situation, and in a matter of minutes, numerous lives were lost.
Gray, who was quietly farming on the side, was also surprised by the sudden change. But he remained calm and composed, as he was already expecting something like this to happen.
After a moment, he once again focused back on his grind.
.....
All of the knights, including Rexton and Skylar, stopped and looked in the direction of Blood Moon Forest with narrowed eyes.
Suddenly, Skylar, who had not spoken all this time, shouted in a loud voice, "Watch out..."
Before he could finish his words, a black shadow moving as fast as lightning flashed past, and several horrified screams reverberated through the surroundings.
"Save me!"
Plop! Four heads fell to the ground almost at the same time, their eyes were filled with confusion, having no idea how they suddenly died.
Four Earthly Knights had fallen at the same time.
The rowdy battlefield seemed to have fallen completely silent; not a single human soul dared to speak.
[Extraordinary Adult Phantom Tiger killed]
[+4 Origin Essences Gained]
Gray, who had also managed to gather 20 Origin Essence points, also looked at this scene in horror.
To be able to kill four Earthly Knights instantly.
Only someone at the Legendary Knight level was capable of achieving such a feat.
When his train of thoughts reached this point, without hesitating, Gray started to move backwards.
Not even the intense glow of three suns was able to erase the intense chill that Rexton was feeling in his heart. It took all his willpower just to remain standing still.
The situation of Skylar was also not different; his handsome face was slightly pale as he gazed at the black shadow in the distance.
The black shadows disappeared, revealing the figure of a slender Phantom Tiger with black stripes running all over its body. Its eyes narrowed into two slits as the monster looked at Rexton and Skylar with a slightly disdainfull look in its eyes. The beast didn't seem to care about anyone else other than these two Sky Knights.
"So this is how it's going to end..." Rexton muttered under his breath in a slightly hollow voice, he looked completely defeated. Although he was a mighty Sky Knight, facing the beast which was undoubtedly at the Legendary Knight level, Rexton had no confidence.
Skylar expression had also frozen at some point; it was unknown what he was thinking.