Transcending Dreams

B2 - Chapter 71

What the hell was that eye? He asked tensely as he stared at the approaching mob.

I dont know. Kae didnt sound as calm as before.

I felt something like that before, William clenched his fist. It is far, far beyond us.

I know.

And that is more than a hundred beasts, Kae, William continued tersely, pointing out all the issues he noticed as the large mob of spirit beasts rushed toward them.

Yes. I have eyes, Kae pulled out a small vial, immediately breaking his own suggestion of avoiding the use of their spatial items during a beast wave. Theres something wrong. This is at least three beast waves worth of spirit beasts. Forget the mission. Our goal is to stay alive.

William ignored Kae, who downed the vial before bringing out another to do the same. He was scouring the mob of spirit beasts approaching them to determine the danger level.

Of course, that wasnt the only thing he was doing. While Kae was drinking his elixirs like an addict, he had one thing that would be of help. Something that he had owned for a long time but never really used properly.

He pulled the Elemental Gauntlet from his ring and slipped it on his right hand.

[Equip detected]

[Calculating cost per use]

[Activation cost | 600 Spiritual Energy]

[Duration | 10 minutes]

That was expensive. William always knew it would be since he had never qualified for activation before, but six hundred? [Force Multiplier] only cost two hundred, and it was beyond devastating.

The extra cost could also be due to having no adverse effects, unlike his [Force Multiplier]. Whatever it was, he didnt intend to use the Elemental Gauntlet unless absolutely necessary.

Unbelievable!

What?! William would have been shocked at the yell in any other situation. Kae had never raised his voice before.

The plateaus shield is failing! Kae spat in frustration. I have to get the elixirs!

Wait William cut himself off when Kae jumped, leaving him alone to watch the approaching mob. Fuck it.

He followed Kae by jumping to the plateau. The beasts were a few seconds away. He couldnt allow for his egg to be put into danger.

William rushed to his egg the moment he landed, picking it top and cradling it in the crook of his left arm.

Wei Liang, catch!

He instinctively raised his right hand to snag the vials thrown at him.

I have no idea whats happening, but save those if we get separated, Kae ordered as he rushed to the edge. The growls and snarls were far too close. Theyre here. Remember, the goal is to stay alive. Dont try to preserve any corpses.

Understood, William stored the vials in his ring and joined Kae to look down.

They were surrounded by spirit beasts of all shapes and sizes. Far too many different species to try and see what type of beast they were. Thankfully, they had one thing in common. They were grotesque, closer to the corrupted beast from the Shard than a normal spirit beast. It would make them easier to kill.

And this was more than just three beast waves joined together.

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Its six beast waves, William stated as he scoured the mob for any standouts. All he could see was cannon fodder but no beast wave leaders.

Yes, Kae replied. There are too many changes, and the sect hasnt reacted. I fear we may be cut off from the usual monitoring.

What Im concerned about is what happens after we kill these things. William noticed a significant increase in the growling, which gave him a scary thought. Are these things sentient?

I would say no, but they have never waited to attack before. They are supposed to be mindless, murderous beasts. The growling turned into snarls as eyes locked onto Kae, reinforcing the assumption of their intelligence.

William tightened his grip on the egg. He didnt think there could be worse news. It goes without saying that fighting a mindless beast was far more preferable. There would have been no plans or thoughts for their attacks. Just raw savagery that was predictably unpredictable.

I dont think theres a point in waiting around, William dropped his voice to near inaudible levels. I feel were playing into whatever theyre planning if we do.

Kae nodded without taking his eyes off the beasts. You are considered my junior. Ill take the lead. Join when you wish, but stay away from me.

William was taken aback. However, he had no chance to react to Kaes sudden harshness.

He watched in surprise and horror as Kae leaped from the plateau's edge, plunging right at the horde of beasts below. Either Kae wasnt afraid of death, or he wanted to die.

The only reason William had the confidence to come out of this without much issue was [Force Multiplier]. Kae did not have that as reassurance.

He soon found that he was wrong.

Kaes body began to change mid-fall. His muscles bulged, his bones shifted, and his skin sprouted hair, almost to the point of being called fur. His face contorted into a snarl, with his teeth sharpened and eyes glowing a harsh red.

Kae no longer looked human. He would be more fit among the beasts he was plummeting towards.

William stared as Kae met the mob with a guttural snarl. Blood flew freely as the transformed cultivator mowed through the horde, sharp nails removing limbs wherever they sliced.

He saw that the horde moved in one direction. To Kae.

Looks like its you and me, egg, William muttered as he searched for the best place to make his entrance. It had to be a reasonable distance from Kae so he wouldnt interrupt his rampage while drawing enough attention to take some of the pressure.

There. A spot more dense with beasts than others.

William reinforced his legs with Qi as he glanced at Kae again. It was a bloodbath. Literally.

Kae was surrounded by spirit beast corpses in various states of destruction, with more added every microsecond. That by itself almost assured that the mission was a failure. There was now little reason to hold back.

William jumped. Intelligence or not, there wasnt enough time for the beasts to do much of anything. They were too packed together to avoid his landing.

He plunged like a falling meteor through the air, Qi blazing a bright blue around his leg. His Qi surged before he crashed into the mass of fur, scales, claws, and fangs. He smashed into the horde with a war cry that he didnt know he possessed.

William felt bones break and flesh tear. His foot acted like a sharp blade and sliced through the beasts. The descent ended when he reached the ground, creating a massive crater that took the lives of the few spirit beasts that had somehow survived his onslaught.

The dying squeals and pained roars of the spirit beasts did nothing to slow William. His only purpose right now was to lessen the attention on Kae, and he would do his damned best to make that happen.

He made sure to have a secure hold on the egg and launched himself out of the crater, unleashing hell on the beasts unlucky enough to be close to him.

The system alerts went wild as Williams right fist turned multiple beasts into mincemeat with every swing. The power difference between him and a peak Qi Gathering Realm beast couldnt be more apparent in the unfair, one-sided slaughter.

The problem was that there were hundreds of them to kill. With every beast William killed, two replaced them.

The novice martial arts he mastered werent needed at all, which was a relief, all things considered. It hinted at the spirit beasts lacking enough intelligence to change their attacks when their previous attempts were futile.

GRAAAHHH!

Williams fist bisected a rat-like beast as he snapped his head toward the scream. It was Kaes voice.

He couldnt see over the mob.

Fuck, William cursed as he beheaded a beast trying to claw at him before jumping, soaring above the horde to get a better view.

He thought Kae needed help. He was wrong.

What William saw was devastation. Nothing in a faint vicinity near Kae lived. He figured he was progressing well with his side of the beast horde, but it was nothing compared to what Kae had accomplished.

Fuck! William cursed even louder when Kae wasnt satisfied with his massacre. The cultivator-turned-beast was rocketing directly to his area, his feet cracking the ground at the sheer force of his steps.

He quickly decided to vacate the space and let Kae work out his energy. He wasnt keen on having to fight his possibly-crazed fellow disciple.

William shot back to the ground like a thunderbolt, ignored the enraged roar of the beasts he landed near, and cut a bloody path out of the mob.

He left behind a trail of corpses when he escaped the horde, just in time for Berserker Kae to have his merry fun without him in the way.

GAHAHAHA! COME HERE TRASH!

William raised an eyebrow at Kaes manic laughter and made the intelligent decision to put more space between them. It would be a better vantage to watch for the beast leaders anyway.