Leonel and Aina locked gazes for a moment before simultaneously jetting off in the same direction.
Aina couldn't help but look toward Leonel with a hint of surprise.
"When'd you get so fast?"
Leonel turned toward Aina and winked. Leaping off the ground, he shot into the trees like a swallow, the faint image of an illusory pair of wings appearing to his back.
"…" Aina shook her head. "Show off."
Aina's body was instantly wrapped in a thick crimson fog. Her thighs bulged to a one size increase, causing her body to catapult forward.
The couple almost instantly made it to the source of the sound. But, they weren't foolish. Rather than instantly jumping into the fray, they both hid in the trees, watching what was happening below with furrowed brows.
The beast could only be described as grotesque.
It stalked forward on four legs, its jagged teeth dripping saliva that stunk of rotting flesh. It was two and a half meters in length, not including its tail which seemed to have had a chunk bitten out of it.
Its body was covered in patchy, mustard yellow fur with a sprinkle of black spots. Somehow, though it was clearly a four legged creature, its upper half was far bulkier, manifesting itself in a large hunched back that bulged with muscles that could make one's scalp tingle.
The creature's claws were about the only clean thing about it. They were so polished and sharp that dirt, grime and blood couldn't seemed to get any hold on them. They almost seemed completely out of place.
Though the creature's looks weren't great and it was even missing an eye, its strength was undeniable.
As though its bones were formed of heavy steel, its every step made the ground quake. The rippling of its muscles bulged with energy, carrying a strength that could snap even these ancient trees, tempered in a Fifth Dimensional world, right in half.
Leonel could immediately tell that this creature had the strength of someone at Tier 6 at the very least, and that was only if he considered its lack of intelligence. Objectively, it had the strength equivalent to someone at Tier 7.
If it wasn't for the situation, Leonel would suck in a cold breath. What kind of monster was this? And what the hell was it doing here?
What made it even more baffling was that the screams from below were from black belts just like them. In fact, Leonel recognized two among them: Irolana and the massive Ingkath.
Along with Radlis, Balthorne, and of course, his lovely Aina, these two were supposed to be the cream of the crop of this freshmen batch. And, as expected, they didn't disappoint, joining a Peak not even a few days after entering Valiant Heart.
Due to this, Leonel hadn't seen them since that fateful day.
The last time he interacted with them, they tried to draw a line between him and them so as not to offend their seniors. But, Leonel didn't mind this very much. After all, they didn't owe him anything, he didn't expect everyone to be as stupid as he was.
Now, though, he was in a bit of a dilemma. A fight against a beast with Tier 7 strength most definitely wouldn't be easy.
Just as Leonel was fighting against his own morality, he found Aina looking at him with a blazing gaze. Within it, he saw excitement and anticipation, as well as a slight pleading.
Leonel knew Aina well. She wasn't begging to save these people. In this regard, she was far more cold blooded than he was. Rather, she wanted to battle.
Leonel grinned. "Alright. Let's do it."
"Yip! Yip!"
"Sit tight Little Blackstar."
"Yip! Yip!"
"Yes, yes. I know you want to fight too. But I want to test something."
Aina shot out of the tree that instant, leaving deep footprints in its bark.
She fell like a speeding bullet, her palm flipping over to reveal an ax shimmering of gold and red as she landed heavily on the ground between the group and the creature.
Leonel stood, his expression turning a jarring cold as a bow appeared in his hands. His breathing grew steady, his heartbeat slowing to a crawl. Every blade of grass seemed to be reflected in his mind. The speed of the wind, the humidity, the shade of the trees and the rays of the sunlight, all of it was perfectly formulated.
The group of freshmen below were stunned. At first they were happy beyond measure, but when they noticed the black belt around Aina's waist, they fell into despair once again.
"Run!" One of them yelled.
It might have been nice had these words been targeted for Aina, but they very clearly weren't. The words had hardly left his lips before he turned tail. The only thing he wanted was for Aina to last just a few more seconds than the last person did before getting ripped apart. Maybe then he would be able to escape.
Leonel's senses locked onto this person, but soon he wasn't the only one running. A group of what was at least seven only had three left in the blink of an eye.
Leonel couldn't be bothered to care anymore. This was the world of the Dimensional Verse. Over time, he was getting more and more used to it.
Aina faced the creature as it ripped into the corpse of a freshman, one of its paws anchoring the carcass down as it used its sharp teeth to rip into the poor kid's chest.
Sensing Aina, it looked up, its one eye turning hostile instantly.
Leonel stood within the tree, his breathing relaxed as Aina brandished her ax.
'Dream Model.'
Leonel's gaze flashed, his Dream Force churning as the Three Stars of his Ethereal Glabella began to rotate faster and faster.
Leonel nocked three arrows, releasing them all at once as Aina charged.
One whizzed a centimeter from her earlobe. The second deflected slightly off the neckwear that hung from her shoulders. The last shot just beneath her elbow as she raised her ax.
If anyone was looking on from afar, it would seem as though Leonel was trying his best to kill Aina and she just so happened to subtly move enough to dodge all his attempts…