Food! Food!
Loya, moving swiftly through the air, was unaware of Kuzan's boasting about him to the other officers on the warship. His mind was consumed by a single thought.
I need to eat!
Separated by hundreds of meters, the silver-backed great ape roared violently in Loya's direction.
"Roar!!!"
Its roar stirred the forest into a frenzy, sending countless animals into a panic. What had happened? Why was the island's king enraged?
"You sensed my hostility from such a distance? Not bad, but this just makes the hunt more exciting!"
The stench reached him as Loya opened his mouth wide and leaped into the sky.
"Is that all you've got, barking from afar? Let me show you what a real roar is!"
"The Roar of the Ice Dragon!"
Boom!
An ice tornado, over ten meters in diameter, quickly formed in the air, barreling toward the silver-backed great ape. The cold air rapidly froze the moisture and particles, turning them into ice shards, which were swept up by the tornado as it charged toward the ape.
The tornado's ferocity caused the great ape to feel a dire threat. It roared, uprooted a towering ten-meter tree, and hurled it at the tornado.
Yet, how could an ordinary tree withstand Loya's formidable attack? As it collided with the ice tornado, it was engulfed instantly, transforming into a mass of ice that crashed into the great ape and... exploded.
Boom!
The successive explosions sent shockwaves that pushed the frigid air outward. The cold wind howled, freezing flora and fauna alike. In an instant, a stark white expanse appeared in the lush forest. From above, it resembled a green canvas splattered with white paint.
Roar!
The silver-backed great ape let out a scream that echoed across the island, its massive body skidding across the ground, carving a trench tens of meters long.
On the deserted island, Loya understood the primal law of the jungle: strike first to gain the upper hand, and exploit any weakness.
Seizing the moment, Loya leaped from the air, forming two ice blades beneath his feet, and advanced along the icy path created by the dragon's roar, heading straight for the explosion's center.
As he neared, Loya hammered his fists together, palms open, aiming at the large figure in the smoke: "Ice Make Ice Bomb!"
"Explode!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sound of the ice bombs whizzing through the air echoed as they spiraled, wind and ice fragments swirling around them like cannonballs, heading for the silver-backed great ape. The air itself seemed to tremble from the force.
It was as if he were bombarding the area with artillery fire, ice and debris flying everywhere, amplifying the explosions' destructiveness.
...
"What happened?"
"What was that sound just now? Was it the warship firing?"
In the forest, the other recruits looked up in surprise, their attention drawn to the dense forest's depths.
"Moo!"
"Grumbling!"
"What~"
The forest came alive with activity as countless animals fled for their lives, starting as small groups that quickly grew into a larger stampede.
The confrontation had occurred in the king of the island's territory, the silver-backed great ape's domain, and its cries had terrified them. Most animals have an instinctive fear of loud noises, a survival trait embedded in their genes.
This turn of events spelled trouble for the recruits on the island. They were relatively weak, capable of handling individual beasts, but a stampede was beyond their capabilities—akin to a blade of grass at the roadside, easily trampled.
"Run! The beast tide is coming!"
"Climb up trees! They won't climb trees!"
The more agile among them shouted, scrambling up trees and clinging to the trunks in desperation.
"Don't fall~ Don't fall~"
...
In the warship's surveillance room, the navy personnel watched the monitor with stunned expressions, sweat trickling down their faces.
The animals fleeing from the silver-backed great ape's vicinity had inexplicably turned into a full-blown stampede.
"Well... it's time to get to work, or our dear recruits will face significant casualties."
Lieutenant General Mole rose, addressing his colleagues, then looked at Zefa.
Zefa gritted his teeth, watching Loya on the screen, still bombarding with ice bombs, a mix of awe and frustration. On the screen, Loya continued his assault, all while munching on something.
Catching Mole's gaze, Zefa sighed and nodded, "Go, and remind those stationed on the island that they should be the ones to save the day."
"Yes!"
Mole and the others saluted, exiting the room hastily to head for the island.
Fortunately, the assessment had just begun, and apart from Loya, the others were not far from the coast, minimizing their risk of life-threatening danger.
Once the officers had left, Zefa turned to Kuzan with a peculiar expression, "I admit his growth this month is astonishing, but didn't you teach him to avoid trouble?"
Kuzan's face stiffened, and he pulled down his blindfold, avoiding Zefa's gaze.