When others were eager to embellish his reputation, Howard had no reason to argue.
He responded with a smile, accepting the accolades without a word of dissent.
It was clear from the conversation that Mind Cultivators were a rare breed, providing Howard with a convenient excuse for any peculiar actions he might undertake.
Once Howard had removed the Beast’s Binder from each of the ferocious creatures, they did not turn hostile.
After all, the real enemy was still lurking outside!
Their lack of intelligence did not mean they were blind to the unfolding situation.
To escape the dungeon, they had to rely on Howard.
Consequently, the formidable beasts humbly gathered around Howard, appearing remarkably docile, as if they were already under his control.
This scene left both Aurelia and the onlooker frozen in place, their hearts pounding with shock.
Howard, activating his equipment, translated his words into the language of beasts:
“Soon, I will cloak you all in invisibility. We’ll quietly leave the dungeon. Once we’re out, it’s every creature for itself. Your survival will depend on your own abilities!”
“Agreed!”
The beasts, true to their nature, offered no thanks to Howard, harboring no thoughts other than their impending escape.
Howard cast a lingering glance at the onlooker, then, taking Aurelia’s hand, he deployed his skill — Stellar Stealth.
Even within the confines of the dungeon, starlight shimmered.
In the blink of an eye, Howard, Aurelia, and all the formidable beasts vanished into the void, cloaked in the celestial brilliance.
“Power of Stellar! Truly harnessing the forces of nature. But Mind Cultivators are so rare, appearing perhaps once in centuries. Why, then, have there been two in just a decade or so?”
“Could it be… that this realm is undergoing some change?”
The onlooker’s eyes darted about as he muttered under his breath, “Perhaps it’s time… for me to take action?”
Unfortunately, Howard did not hear these words.
Intent on not wasting time, he led the multitude of beasts along the passage, heading upward.
Inside the dungeon, with the Sealing Stone in place and the beasts still bound by the Beast’s Binder, escape seemed highly improbable.
The guards, confident in these measures, had let their vigilance slip.
This lapse allowed Howard and his companions to smoothly navigate the passageways, eventually reaching and opening the exit door.
As they emerged into the light, the beasts, still under Howard’s cloak of invisibility, scrambled out in a frenzied dash, thankfully undetected.
By the time Howard and Aurelia made their escape, the oppressive atmosphere had dissipated, indicating that the various restraining mechanisms no longer held sway.
Surveying their surroundings, they found themselves in a warehouse.
There were no guards nearby, but through the windows of the warehouse, the cacophony of distant voices was unmistakable.
Approaching the bed, Howard scrutinized the scene, realizing that the manor’s patrolling guards were numerous and fully armed.
Their jade-stone equipment, also in an active state, flickered with a milky white light.
“The presence of spatial array constraints nearby and such heightened vigilance suggest these are no ordinary individuals.”
“When we make our escape, we’ll need to find a way to spare their lives. The more of them that survive, the greater the damage they can inflict on the empire’s forces.”
“It would be ideal if these rebels and the empire’s army could inflict mutual destruction. Then, I could lock onto the coordinates, possibly contact my master or Daniel. We could bring in a grand army to this plane and ensnare them all in one fell swoop!”
With his plan firmly set in mind, Howard maintained a calm exterior as he spoke to Aurelia, “I’ll provoke those wild beasts to clash with the soldiers patrolling outside. In the ensuing chaos, we’ll find a place to hide and then devise a way to escape.”
Aurelia responded softly, “I trust your judgment, you don’t need to explain.” .
Despite her assurance, Howard, concerned she might become nervous or distracted, leading to unforeseen problems, felt it was important to share his thoughts.
There were numerous guards patrolling near the warehouse.
Simply letting the beasts loose could lead to their swift neutralization.
Therefore, Howard needed to find the right opportunity for the beasts to ambush the guards, creating more confusion and drawing in even more people.
If possible, Howard himself might need to intervene, aiming to eliminate the leader of the group.
Eliminating a leader would plunge the guards into disarray until a new leader emerged, buying Howard more time.
The challenge lay in identifying the hierarchy within the guard group. .
Merely observing their equipment offered no clues.
They were not soldiers; their armor and weapons seemed chosen at random, making it exceedingly difficult to discern who among them was a leader and who was merely an ordinary guard.
Left with no other choice, Howard resorted to communicating with the beasts in their language.
He instructed them to stealthily approach the guards and strike them down, which would enable their escape.
The beasts immediately followed his command.
Fortunately, Howard’s Stellar Stealth was a fusion of a hidden class skill and high-level abilities, making it significantly more effective than before.
Despite his limited strength, he was adept at concealing the presence of dozens of fierce beasts.
Being natural hunters of the wilds, the beasts were well-versed in the art of ambush.
They crouched low, stealthily advancing towards a group of about a dozen guards.
They were smart enough to understand that gaining the upper hand was crucial for their breakout.
Otherwise, they would quickly be recaptured.
Sadly, they were unaware that the entire estate, not just the dungeon and this warehouse, was under enemy control.
Once all the beasts were in position, Howard released them from the effects of his skill.
In an instant, the figures of numerous ferocious beasts materialized out of thin air.
The guards, shocked at the sudden appearance of these creatures, were too stunned to even shout.
The abrupt emergence of something in one’s field of vision can be disorienting, leading one to doubt their reality, suspecting they’ve fallen into an illusion.
Before the guards could fully grasp the situation, the beasts had already launched their attack.
Though the invisibility effect of Stellar Stealth no longer worked on them, the boost in damage following their emergence from stealth was still in effect.
In the next moment, sharp claws and fangs struck with lightning speed, landing deadly blows on the unsuspecting guards.
With a sickening squelch and a spray of crimson, screams of agony and the sound of flesh being torn asunder filled the air.
As the beasts’ teeth and claws pierced the guards’ bodies, they inflicted severe wounds, causing excruciating pain.
But the onslaught was far from over.
The beasts’ attacks, though varied, were all ferociously executed.
Before the guards could muster any form of counterattack, they were overwhelmed and pinned to the ground, subjected to relentless tearing and biting.
Some of the more unique beasts even conjured a malevolent energy that surged into the bodies of the guards.
Their faces turned blood-red, their bodies convulsed uncontrollably.
Caught off guard, not a single guard was safe. All were toppled, suffering grievous injuries.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
From not too far away, the sound of a horn blared.
Looking towards the source, Howard noticed that around the perimeter of the estate, approximately every 50 yards, stood a tall tower.
Each was not only manned with guards but also featured a structure resembling an arrow tower, all crafted from jade stone.
As the guards atop the towers blew their horns, they immediately reached out to touch the arrow-like structures.
A humming vibration filled the air as power flowed into the jade, causing it to flicker with light.
Even in his state of invisibility, Howard felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
He had no idea what those structures were, but he could sense the immense power they contained.
Casting a glance at Aurelia, he saw that she was still visibly terrified.
Not daring to speak to her, he took her hand and quickly retreated, moving away from the warehouse.
Boom!
Barely two seconds after Howard and Aurelia had left the warehouse, numerous beams of light erupted from the nearby towers.
They seemed to lock onto the warehouse, all converging in a barrage of attacks.
In the next instant, as the beams merged, a colossal explosion ensued.
The terrifying force not only blasted the beasts that had escaped the warehouse and were mauling the guards but also sent them flying, their fur singed with evidence of severe burns.
“What in the world is that? Just by activating the jade, it unleashed an assault imbued with intense flames!”
“This is definitely not a mere skill. It must be something akin to equipment, but ordinary equipment, even when powered, usually just produces a simple blade of light or something similar. The power of these light beams is almost on par with the full-strength blow of a Level 70 awakened!”
Howard’s mind was rife with shock and uncertainty.
This content is taken from 𝘳.𝑐𝘰