The mountain right after Slyfall didn't have a name but it was signed in Noah's map as a danger zone.
'It says that there is a pack of Loud eagles, they are strong in sound attacks but they usually prefer long-distance combat, I won't find them at the base of the mountain.'
Once he knew the type of magical beasts that occupied the mountain, Noah was immediately able to decide which was the safest place where to fight the cultivators behind him.
'They are picking up speed, it seems that they don't want to fight too far away from the city.'
Noah smiled under his hood and accelerated.
The ten cultivators following him were surprised by that gesture.
Noah was going quite fast already but that speed was still in the human ranks.
However, Noah's new pace completely surpassed that limit!
"He has a rank 4 body!"
One of the cultivators whispered.
"And he was able to perceive us, let's hurry!"
Two female voices sounded in the group following Noah, they had just realized that they had underestimated Noah.
Yet, they needed to retrieve the map, they couldn't just go back and reorganize.
'I've revealed the power of my body but they are still after me, they must have some confidence.'
Noah continued to run toward the mountain, those behind him weren't able to catch up but they also weren't losing ground, their speed was the same.
However, Noah could sense the usage of "Breath" behind him.
'Some of them are using spells to keep up, it seems that not all of them have a rank 4 body.'
That realization reassured Noah.
His trump card was the Demonic form spell and it was almost impossible to resist it with only a rank 3 body, it was enough for Noah to touch them and they would vanish.
'I can't be that naïve, they will surely use their number against me. I should avoid being encircled if possible.'
He was far away from his usual environment, he didn't know which techniques they used nor how organized they were.
'The forms used by Gillian weren't orthodox, it's safe to assume that her followers would use something peculiar too.'
There were many ways to fight in that world and Noah only knew a small part of them.
The academy had taught him well but the world was too big, it was impossible to learn every single technique, especially the unorthodox ones.
The mountain neared and soon occupied all of Noah's field of view.
'I should first make them lose track of me.'
As he had that thought, his figure was enveloped in black flames, disappearing completely from the sight of his followers.
"What!? A teleportation spell?"
"Calm down, he couldn't have gone far and we can still track his position thanks to the scent of the Pink Rose."
The cultivators stopped their march and gathered in a circle.
They stood in silence, they were using a specific technique to follow that peculiar scent.
"He is on the mountain."
"Yes, but he stopped at its base?"
"Is he trying to ambush us?"
"No, he probably thinks that his last spell made use lose track of him. Come on, let's go."
They spoke for a bit before deciding to resume their chase.
Meanwhile, Noah had appeared to one of the branches of the trees at the base of the mountain.
His attention was completely focused on his followers and Echo was using its innate ability to help Noah's perception.
'They are coming right at me, this isn't just luck. It must be Gillian's fault.'
Noah covered his figure with many layers of mental energy and proceeded to carefully inspect his body, he had been cautious the previous night but the actions of the cultivators behind him had aroused his suspicion.
However, even after he analyzed his body inch by inch, he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.
'I guess I'll have to ask them.'
Noah dug a hole in the tree and hid inside it, he was preparing his ambush!
The ten cultivators reached the base of the mountain.
They had a clear idea of where Noah was but they couldn't pinpoint his exact position.
They were following a scent after all, there was a margin of error.
Yet, they still reached the area where he was hiding, they simply had to search and they would find him.
"Let's divide into five groups and search, we will meet at the center of this area."
The group of ten formed five groups of two people and continued their search for Noah.
They were all relatively close, if something happened to one group, they could immediately help them.
RUSTLE RUSTLE
One group of two sensed some movement behind a series of bushes and carefully neared them.
They slowly approached the area only to find that a plain-looking black panther was there, tossing around a large bat with its maws.
"They were just magical beasts."
"Mh, what a peculiar scene though, you don't see these types of beasts in this mountain every day."
The two women exchanged a few words and turned to continue their search but, to their surprise, the two beasts stopped fighting and jumped on them.
"Hmph, merely rank 3 beasts, learn your place."
One of the women snorted and attacked with a whip that had suddenly appeared in her hands.
The whip tore the panther's chest and severed the bat's head, making the woman relax at that sight.
However, the beasts still moved after being mortally wounded and reached the two cultivators, stabbing their remaining fangs on them.
"Fucking beasts!"
The two tried to react but they soon understood that something was wrong.
The beasts had a long fuming line that connected them to something at the top of a tree.
Then, black smoke began to envelop the two beasts, spreading to the women that they were holding still.
Screams resounded at the base of the mountain, turning the attention of the other eight cultivators in their direction.
What they saw was gruesome.
A fuming bat and a fuming panther were biting with all their might their two companions and black smoke continued to envelop their figures, consuming their skin and flesh.
They were too engrossed by that sight that they were one step too late in noticing that black flames had appeared behind two of them.