An Odd Beast (Rewrite)
[: 3rd POV :]
"What do you think? Why don't you give it a try?" Daniel smirked.
"Then don't mind me," Zuke said.
From the start, it appeared that Zuke had forgotten to assess Daniel's cultivation.
Simultaneously, he was quite curious about Daniel's cultivation realm.
However, the moment he attempted to extend his Spiritual Awareness around Daniel, he discovered that it was blocked off.
Meaning to say, he couldn't peer into Daniel's cultivation realm.
When such instances occurred, it could only imply two reasons.
Either Daniel had never cultivated before, or his cultivation realm was so high that it could block Zuke's awareness.
'There's no way...'
He found it challenging to believe the second reason, considering Daniel's youthful appearance.
Even though he adheres to the rule that one shouldn't underestimate anyone, he couldn't readily apply that to Daniel.
After all, if he were a high-realm cultivator, for what reason would he visit the lowest-ranked city?
At this point, Zuke's impression of Daniel shifted from suspicious to peculiar.
"Well, what do you think?"
Daniel questioned, and only then did Zuke realize how he had been spacing out.
He hadn't even noticed that he had been attentively observing Daniel.
"Cough, it seems that you have a good cultivation realm, so keep it up."
Zuke didn't want to lose face and pretended that Daniel might have a formidable cultivation realm.
Moreover, he was genuinely uncertain about whether or not Daniel had a high cultivation realm.
'Well, I can judge later on when we battle against the Flame Lions,' he thought.
Daniel smiled at his words and didn't bother to correct him.
Afterward, all of them began approaching the pack of Flame Lions.
However, once they were at a certain distance, they noticed something was amiss with the numbers.
"Goddamnit! How many are there?" Zuke whispered in both fury and fear.
"P-Patriarch, it seems that more of them are starting to gather,"
One of the guards at his side reported.
"Shit! Dealing with just 5 of them is already hard enough for all of us, yet, there are already 10 more!?"
Zuke was baffled by this sudden occurrence.
It was strange that the Flame Lions, who rarely left their habitat, had appeared in the middle of the region.
Although he didn't know the reason behind their sudden appearance, it definitely wasn't a good sign.
"P-Patriarch, it seems like more of them are gathering around!"
Another guard reported, pointing towards where the Flame Lions were, and more of them were gathering.
"What!? It can't be!"
At this point, Zuke felt something was wrong.
After all, he noticed a sight where there were more than 10 Flame Lions, totaling 25 Flame Lions.
"Why are the Flame Lions appearing?" he questioned.
He kept pondering the reasons why, and eventually, he found the clue.
"I think we might be caught in a dangerous situation," he said.
"Why, Patriarch?" one of the guards questioned.
"If more Flame Lions are appearing, then it means their habitat has been taken over by other beasts," he explained.
"Normally, once their habitat has been taken over by stronger predatory beasts, their next course of action is to find a new habitat."
"Unfortunately and coincidentally, they chose this place as their habitat,"
He shook his head with difficulty.
"What!? If it's like that, how are we going to return?"
One of the guards spoke.
"That isn't the most troubling part," Zuke said.
'That's not the most troubling part?' All of the guards had the same question.
"If the Flame Lions are gathering around, then it means both the King and Queen are around."
Zuke claimed, and he clenched his teeth as he found this situation ridiculous.
At his words, all of the guards trembled in fear.
After all, their cultivation realms were just around the Foundation Realm.
The average cultivation realm of a Flame Lion is at the 5th Stage of Foundation Realm, and some are even at the Late Stage.
If a Flame Lion requires at least 2 cultivators at the same realm to deal with, then how could all of them deal with 25 of them?
Furthermore, their numbers continued to swell, making it increasingly evident that they were ill-equipped to handle the current situation.
Additionally, the Flame Lion King and Queen were formidable beings at the 10th Stage Origin Realm, surpassing even Zuke himself.
If things unfolded unfavourably, the monarchs might seize the opportunity to advance into the Daybreaker Realm.
"It seems wise to fall back and call for backup,"
Zuke decided, unwilling to take any unnecessary risks, especially with his daughter present.
The overwhelming numbers left him concerned.
"One of you, send a message for backup,"
He ordered, and promptly, one of them retrieved a communication talisman.
Upon activation, it would transmit a message via Spiritual Energy to its designated recipient.
"Let's retreat," he commanded.
"Yes, Patriarch,"
All the guards complied with his directive.
However, before they could reach the carriage, an oppressive force descended upon them.
"W-What the hell is this!?" Zuke exclaimed.
His body felt immobilized as if burdened by an overwhelming weight.
The sudden turn of events left him in shock and instilled fear towards the entity responsible for this tremendous pressure.
Simultaneously, they sensed the gaze of a particular beast fixated on them.
Grounded, their only recourse was to use their eyes to witness the creature responsible for their plight.
They could hear footsteps and with each footfall, the pressure intensified to the point where one of them vomited blood.
"Foolish humans who dare to approach us," the Beast declared.
As Zuke strained to see its appearance, he was taken aback.
It bore no resemblance to the familiar Flame Lion King or Queen.
In contrast to the reddish-orange fur, massive claws, and bloodshot red eyes of Flame Lions, this creature stood out.
Its purplish fur and possessing a pair of hands made it uniquely different.
However, what heightened their despair was Zuke's realization of its cultivation realm.
"Transcendence Realm...?"
He couldn't believe his eyes and what he had sensed from this strange beast.