Noah ran at full speed toward the appointed location for his mission.
He had to vanquish a pack of rank 3 Sun tigers that occupied a lake in the area near the academy.
Since these magical beasts disrupted the environment of the lake, many precious plants had been lost and the academy issued a mission to restore the zone the way it was.
However, Noah's focus wasn't on the road ahead of him but rather on the branches above.
As soon as he stepped in the Arolyac forest, he felt that someone was observing him.
That sensation didn't stop as he moved but only became more real.
He could clearly sense that someone was following him.
'This time, I won't let them go with just a bit of public humiliation.'
Noah's eyes shined and he uncovered his upper body.
Black rings appeared under his feet and his speed increased drastically.
His figure distanced from the pursuers and they increased their pace to keep their vision of him.
Noah zigzagged between the trees, making his figure hard to follow.
At some point, he reached a large trunk and went behind it.
Shadow steps activated and black smoke was released from his legs as he forcefully jumped in the air.
With the two spells empowering his leap, Noah reached a height of fifteen meters in an instant!
Then, two pairs of wings came out of his back, which carried him at the top of the tree where he was hiding.
As he reached the tallest branch, he used his mental energy to cover his presence and he stood still, waiting for his pursuers.
That usage of the mental energy was one of the skills that he learnt in the general cultivation course.
Since the mental energy could be used to inspect things, of course it could be used to hide them!
However, it could only hide from weaker mental energies, stronger ones would just break its concealment.
His pursuers went right past his position, his movements had been too fast for them to notice that he had disappeared.
Noah watched coldly as the figures went on and, only when he was sure that no one noticed his position, he began to follow them.
From the prey, he had become the hunter!
As he neared them, he noticed that they had stopped after a few hundred meters.
They were arguing loudly, he could not help but shook his head at their poor performance in the ambush.
"I'm telling you he must have gone in that direction, there is no way that I lost him."
"Mal, that guy managed to surpass Lord Daniel's record at that age, I won't be surprised if he knew some tricks."
"And what tricks could ever do to the ten of us. We are nobles! He is just a no one with a bit of talent."
"Norton, if you really think that some commoner with no background can surpass Lord Daniel, then you really deserved to be hanged naked."
"If you ever speak of that again, I swear I-"
He could not finish his phrase since a winged figure appeared behind him at high speed.
Noah attacked him with the bladeless part of his sabers, hitting the student's shoulders and cracking their bones with the impact.
The student smashed on the ground releasing a painful yell but Noah simply stomped on his head.
The student fainted due to the impact.
The other pursuers looked at Noah's figure in fear, his two pairs of wings coupled with his cold expression sent chills down their spine.
Noah turned the youth below him and pointed his feet on his knees.
Then, he grabbed his ankles and forcefully pulled.
The student's legs arched in the opposite angle releasing cracking sounds.
Noah then raised his gaze toward the other students and spoke.
"You know, I was really trying to be a good student but it seems that you think too highly of yourselves. Don't worry though, I will fix that behavior of yours."
One of the students gathered his courage and yelled at the others in his group.
"He is alone and there are nine of us! Let's teach him his place!"
The other youths regained some of their confidence and began to wield their weapons but Noah had already charged at them.
He immediately appeared in front of the one that seemed the stronger of the group and cut diagonally on his chest.
Blood flowed but the wound appeared quite superficial, Noah was still holding himself back.
The youth though backed for a few steps and a bat materialized behind him.
Echo pushed him on the ground and Noah kicked his face a few times.
Blood and teeth fell on the terrain.
Noah stopped only when he was sure that the student had fainted.
At that moment, a ball of fire shot in his direction.
Echo appeared in its trajectory and endured the might of the spell.
Its body broke in many spots but it recomposed almost immediately.
Noah jumped through his blood companion and shot in the direction of the fire mage, Echo had been absorbed in his body making the wings reappear on his back.
Eight students remained.
They were inexperienced but still equipped with spells and martial arts.
Since Noah could not use the Demonic form for fear of killing them, he used this chance to test the improvements in his fighting style.
Noah attacked the fire mage relentlessly.
In the eyes of the student, Noah's sabers multiplied.
From two attacks they became four, and from four, six.
He didn't understand at all how all these attacks were not illusory but completely real.
In a few seconds, the mage's shoulder was pierced and Noah punched strongly on his face.
His mouth distorted and he retreated but Echo blocked him on the ground, giving time to Noah to neutralize him.
The other seven had reached him by then and attacked with great dexterity.
Since they were all near him, the usage of spells with a wide effect range was limited as it would hurt those in their group.
It became a battle of martial arts!
'First form of the Ashura, endless assault.'
Noah slashed madly at the students encircling him.
His "Breath" and mental energy depleted rapidly as more and more blades appeared in the air.
Seven students attacked Noah in every direction but each of their strikes was blocked and counter-attacked!
Noah's figure was surrounded by the after-images of his attacks that clashed on all seven at the same time.