Senior Lu slowly looked back, his head tilting up to see the massive, looming figure that had appeared. Just its weapon was larger than any one of them, let alone the Oryx itself.
Those that had been in Valiant Heart for a few years had all heard their fair share of Oryx Tribe horror stories. But, no freshmen had ever seen an Oryx personally… Or, more accurately, no freshmen had ever survived such an encounter to tell the tale.
Senior Lu's knees went weak. He fell to the ground, his eyes turning almost vacant as he looked up. At that moment, he along with every freshmen felt no different from those beasts who lost their minds to fear.
The foul smell of the Oryx was seared into their souls. It was the kind of memory they would never forget in their lifetimes.
At that moment, though, the Oryx looked into the skies. As though none of them even existed, he focused all three of his eyes into the clouds, training his gaze on something that seemed to be flying.
Leonel looked down from his surfboard, his gaze twinkling.
'What a monster…'
This was Leonel's conclusion after just a single glance. Compared to humans, if the measure was pure combat ability, the Oryx were superior in everyway. Their digitigrade legs made them faster than any human of similar stature could hope to be. Their muscle structure stored more than ten times more energy. Their bones were more than tenfold sturdier. And their eyes… There was something deeply unsettling about them.
As though this wasn't bad enough, those of Valiant Heart seemed to think that the Oryx weren't intelligent, but Leonel's dictionary hadn't said a word about their poor intelligence. Just looking at the eyes of the Oryx before him, Leonel didn't even need his dictionary to know that these Oryx were no less intelligent than any human.
Leonel held Aina in one arm, the three freshmen standing in a row to his back. It was difficult for the surfboard to fit all of them on, but they just managed it.
"Okay. I'm going now." Aina said softly.
With a leap, she plunged onto the other side of the wall, falling down heavily between Hallis and Arfire.
The two seniors were stunned. A flying treasure?
Maybe it was only at that moment that everyone realized that Leonel had never been worried about his survival from the very beginning. Had he used his flying treasure from the start, he could have already made it back to the mountain pass.
The freshmen who realized this felt a second wave of guilt assault their souls.
Leonel pulled out his bow, nocking two arrows. However, he didn't raise it.
"How about it, Mr. Oryx? Why don't we both take a step back?"
The Oryx continued to stare at Leonel without saying a word. But, it was at that moment that a translation he could comprehend drifted to his ears.
The Oryx's expression changed, his tusks vibrating slightly. However, it was just for the briefest of moment.
By this point, Aina had an ax at Hallis' throat. Senior? Since when did a mere white belt pose a challenge to her?
At that moment, though, Leonel wasn't feeling relaxed in the slightest.
An intelligent creature like the Oryx would know that at Leonel's current vantage point, it was at a great disadvantage. Even someone as powerful as this Oryx wouldn't like to be used for live target practice. But, that was exactly what would happen if it couldn't find a way to deal with Leonel in the skies.
However, at that moment, though it was hard to tell…. Leonel was certain this Oryx was smiling, the blood on its body slowly trickling to the ground beneath it.
At that instant, Leonel's pupils constricted.
"Hold on!"
With barely a warning, Leonel rolled the surfboard to the side as a beam of red shot into the skies. It continued for so long that it seemed intent on penetrating the canopy of the world.
Ingkath and Irolana barely managed to hold on, but Moos slipped, he hand only just managing to grasp at the side of the surfboard.
Unfortunately, before Moos could get a solid grip, Leonel was forced to swerve violently again, causing Moos to lose whatever hold he had left. In fact, even Ingkath and Irolana couldn't hold on any longer.
The vertical eye of the Oryx pulsed, red veins popping across it as it released its second beam. It even seemed to be preparing a third.
'Little Blackstar!'
"Yip! Yip!"
The little mink flashed, strong surges of black-green swirling around his body. An upswing of wind slowed the descent of the three, allowing them to fall into the wall Hallis formed unharmed.
The situation instantly became more complicated.
Leonel's eyes narrowed. He felt that if he let that beam hit him, he would be finished. What good was a Metal Body if it was melted into scrap? The strong destructive character of the blast sent a shiver down his spine.
Yet, even now, he had no idea if this was a unique ability of the Oryx, or if all Oryx had access to this. If it was the latter…
The surrounding forest began to shift and rustle again. The freshmen below could hardly hold in their horror as another Oryx appeared.
Two Oryx, one from the south and the other from the north, pincering the freshmen from both sides.
This second Oryx wielded a crimson halberd, its stature no less imposing. Yet, Leonel was certain that he felt more pressure from it.
At that instant, Leonel suddenly felt like the space around him had been locked.
The first Oryx reacted immediately, its third eye pulsing as yet another beam was sent in Leonel's direction.
Leonel's pupils constricted into pinholes.
One's eye pulsed an locked him in place. The other's eye released a devastating attack.
What the hell kind of species were these Oryx? How could they possibly be so powerful?
If this was the case… Valiant Heart was not in just a little bit of trouble. Forget Valiant Heart, even he was facing quite a tall mountain right now.
The crimson beam tore through the skies, bearing down with every intention of splitting Leonel's skill in two.