Chapter 116: Chapter 74: Facing the Battle (2)

But they wouldn’t get any answers out of Paige Summers.

She simply watched in silence as he helped Erin Quinn up into a crooked tree. After making sure Erin was seated securely, he took out two sheets of talisman paper and stuck one on each side of her, warning her not to come down until they came back for her.

"What are those for...?" Paige Summers asked as soon as he came down, pointing at the talisman paper.

He smiled. "To hide her aura. Mutant Beasts don’t track people by sight, but by smell. This talisman paper can temporarily block her scent, making it impossible for the Mutant Beasts to detect her. So, she’s very safe."

But Paige Summers had another question. "How long is ’temporarily’?"

Sean Raines held up two fingers.

"Two hours?"

Sean Raines paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Two of my master’s ’hours.’ It comes out to four of yours."

He was so heavily influenced by his master; even after all this time, he still couldn’t shake some of his old habits of speech.

When Paige Summers heard him use that old-fashioned turn of phrase, she nodded casually. But inwardly, it confirmed her suspicions about his origins. Though the man didn’t look anything like a Daoist from head to toe—except when he used his talismans—these small, ingrained details suggested he likely came from a school with an ancient heritage.

Once they had also found places to hide, everyone began to wait.

About an hour later, the first thing they felt was the ground trembling.

Some of them immediately grew tense.

’Didn’t they say there wouldn’t be many? What’s with all this commotion?! This is way more than just ten or twenty of them!’

If Sean Raines had known what they were thinking, he would have laughed his head off without any regard for his composure.

A base had once encountered a Beast Tide years ago. Although he hadn’t seen it himself, his master had witnessed it firsthand and even participated in the battle.

According to his master’s description, it had been a scene of ten thousand beasts stampeding as one!

Compared to that, what was a mere hundred or eighty beasts now?

As it turned out... he was partially right...

But it was far more than a hundred or eighty!

When the first wave of Mutant Beasts appeared, running ferociously and swiftly in the distance, they kicked up an immense cloud of dust. Peering through the haze, the onlookers could see the horde of beasts stretching almost endlessly into the horizon, their formation seemingly chaotic yet somehow orderly...

Even Sean Raines, who had been expecting a large number, couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Paige Summers, meanwhile, gripped her Crossbow, glad that she had taken two extra bundles of Crossbow Arrows from Marcus Monroe.

The Mutant Beasts charged forward menacingly, but not long after entering the edge of their attack range, the few in the lead abruptly slowed down.

But at that moment, there was no time for anyone to wonder why.

Marcus Monroe’s sweeping Energy Blade was the signal that began the battle!

In an instant, Flames, Water Arrows, and Sharp Blades flew—the Natural Ability Users, with their powerful offensive capabilities, all unleashed their attacks!

A chorus of howls erupted as the dozen or so Mutant Beasts in the first few rows fell without question.

Next came the entangling and binding attacks from the Wood Element Superpower Users...

The next moment, the humans’ second wave of attacks descended!

When the Long-range Attack Superpower Users’ energy was nearly depleted, the Earth Ability Users raised earthen walls from the ground to block the advance for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, the Close Combat Superpower Users quickly moved into offensive positions.

Now, it was their time to show their strength!

No one held back any longer; everyone unleashed their full power. The most common were the strength- and speed-type Original Ability Users. Through countless battles, they had long since learned how to fully leverage their advantages, either hacking down foes with immense force or outmaneuvering them to win with swiftness.

There were also more unique ones, like Old Man Townsend, whose superpower was the metallization of his hands.

Thus, his fights against the Mutant Beasts were extremely violent and bloody. He would often go for their vital spots with his bare hands—the eyes, throat, or heart—and would be covered in blood in no time. On a normal day, it would be a terrifying sight. But now, his booming roars and the thick stench of gore only served to ignite the fighting spirit of those around him!

The same was true for Paige Summers.

It was her first time witnessing a scene like this, but after the incident with the blood-raining bushes, she was now completely calm and composed.

The hand holding her Crossbow didn’t tremble in the slightest. Every arrow she fired reaped the life of a Mutant Beast.

On the rare occasion one was only left half-dead, it would quickly be finished off by someone else!

She never fired a second arrow from the same spot.

Her figure was like a bolt of lightning; very few Mutant Beasts she passed were able to escape unscathed.

Gradually, her body and face became spattered with blood, soaking her black combat suit and staining her fair complexion.

The tail of the bandana wrapped around her head fluttered like a small flag.

To her allies, she brought aid; to her enemies, she brought slaughter!

Elsewhere, Sean Raines was also fighting with all his might, and his stack of talisman paper was quickly dwindling.

He wielded a wooden sword. Relying on miraculous footwork that made him seem to float above the ground, he dodged the Mutant Beasts’ attacks while flicking his talisman paper, which would instantly burst into a ball of flame. Wherever his wooden sword pointed, the fireball would seem to fly over weightlessly.

It was a strange form of attack, one that seemed unreliable in the eyes of other Superpower Users, yet it struck a Mutant Beast’s forehead every time. It was as if the attack instantly drained the creature’s energy, causing it to collapse into a limp heap.

As for Sean himself, he seemed to have energy to spare, growing stronger the more he fought.

He even had enough spare energy to notice Paige Summers.

Her beautiful face was slightly pale and still held a touch of youthfulness, but her eyes shone with a steady and cold light.

Her entire being was like an arrow released from its bow, advancing swiftly across the blood-soaked battlefield. She seemed tireless, her determined steps never faltering!

A single glance was all it took to be utterly captivated!

Sean Raines didn’t know how to describe it.

He never actually liked killing, but he had never imagined that a girl could display such dazzling beauty in the midst of battle!

It made him unable to resist the urge to follow her figure with his eyes!

He had always been one to act on his impulses.

As he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her, amidst the clash of blood and blades, amidst the roars of the Mutant Beasts, he had a sudden realization...