The fourth day of the Pre-Soldier Exams. By this point in time, a total of hundred and twelve candidates have retired. Leaving a hundred and thirty-five candidates still active in the exam. 

Of those hundred and twelve, over seventy per cent of them have retired due to being injured with grievous wounds. Fortunately, all of these individuals are well on their way to recovery and are currently recuperating in The Medivan Hospital. There has yet to be a single death. 

Many overseers continued to observe the candidates survive the Maizan Forest. As a matter of fact, a sizable amount of them, including a few Medi-Brigade members, are awaiting deployment at a moment's notice.

The situation was considered to be dire. 

Despite the warnings, many participants have dared challenge The Monster. It was a headache for the overseers. The irrational actions by the participants have signified that many of them are really still juvenile and naive. 

While it was pleasing to see many of them conquer their fears and challenge The Monster, forming many small groups to slaughter it . . . 

It was plain underestimation and arrogant of them.  

If The Monster could be slain with a group of candidates, then why would they bother to warn these children to be wary of it? If a beast was too strong for them to kill, then they were expected to form groups to kill it or simply flee and find another beast. After all, though they may be contesting against one another, in the future they were going to be comrades, as future Vanquishers. 

The main crucial issue is that the candidates have failed to follow orders. Though the organisers have not necessarily said it was prohibited to fight the beast, it was against their wishes. 

For an army, if a soldier disobeyed their commander or officer, then it was possible for them to be considered to have committed treason. It was an obligation to follow orders. It is needless to say that disobeying orders could lead to a rupture in operation, dysfunction of the army's unity, and other adverse results. 

When the overseers saw the talented Dalis in the middle of facing The Monster in the pond and then suddenly drowning, they had immediately dispatched people to teleport into forest including two Medi-Brigade units. By the time they had arrived, they had sawed Sienna desperately dive in the pond to save him. The dispatched unit then decided to vigilantly watch by the side and see what happens. When they saw him alive, they relaxed. 

However, the very next moment he was charged at by the beast and it looked as if he wasn't going to survive. The dispatched unit was about to interfere until one of them recognised the incoming airborne Rhinearian Beetle which prompted him to stay their hand. 

The turn of events was eye-boggling for the dispatched unit as they continued to see more and more scenes that stupefied them. It was especially astonishing when they saw the "German Suplex" performed by the Rhinearian Beetle. Although none of them had come across that technique before, to view it live and to see the resulting aftermath, all of their jaws were dropped to the ground. The two Medi-Brigade units have had their fair share of experiences in the battlefield . . . but there was nothing remotely similar to what they had seen.

Almost all of them were speechless. However, a few of them were able to reposition their jaws back into place.

"My $#$%^&* Caleyar, what the heavens did I just witness?"

"Beast master! Beast master! That orphan must be a descendant of the ancient beast master clan! Only a beast master could domesticate a beast and teach it to perform a suplex on another beast! Don't forget its opponent isn't any regular beast but in actual fact "The Monster!" Not only was he able to command a Rhinearian Beetle, but he could also actually make it fearlessly take on a beast that is much more powerful than itself!"

"Seriously who is this Orphan? I wonder if it's okay for me to adopt him? Not only was he able to defeat The Monster through controlling a beast like the Rhinearian Beetle . . . he's also so cool, handsome, and cute!"

When the dispatched unit heard that particular comment, they slowly turned their heads over towards that woman. She was actually one of the Medi-Brigade veterans. Some of the units seemed to have lowered their already dropped jaws to unprecedented levels that people would not believe would be possible. The others checked their ears to see if they had misheard. 

Being stared at by all of her comrades around her caused her to flush in embarrassment. 

"I-is that so wrong?"

For the record, she was twenty-eight. 

"Comrades, stand at attention. We have trouble." A solemn voice ran from one of the males.

When they heard the tone of seriousness, each of them turned to glance back to the battlefield. Their pupils constricted.

 

***

 

A seething aura of hatred seemed to emanate. It was brought to form by the evolved wolf's purplish-black miasma of mana, congregating around itself. 

A moment ago, the children were rejoicing, but once they noticed the odd ambience in the air, it all changed. 

Their scalps went numb, replacing their joyous faces with concentrated seriousness. Both Stilla and Sienna trudged to Dalis, to take a closer look. While Dalis, without a sound, moved his hand to his back to grab hold of his weapon.

The Rhinearian Beetle shuddered as a chill ran behind its elytra. Being the closest existence to the abrupt advent of dark energy, it squirmed miserably in fright. Unfortunately, this only served to agitate the dark mana . . . blazing it with increasing concentration.

"Idiot, stop probing it. Calm down."

Despite the admonition, the Rhinearian Beetle failed to listen to its master's orders. Perhaps the beetle was so terrified that its eardrums have temporarily stopped working.

(You fearlessly slammed that beast to save me and even managed to deal a fatal blow just a moment ago. Why are you afraid of it?) Dalis mulled, complaining about his pet's attitude. 

"What do we do?" Sienna gravely asked.

"Save the cool beetle!" Stilla immediately responded.

"Yeah for now—"

All of a sudden, the evolved wolf's fiendish energy appeared to condense and travel to one particular location of its body . . . the large steel horn of the beetle.

"RRRIIIIIIIIIII"

The Rhinearian Beetle wailed in agony as if it was being burned in purgatory. 

Wait a second . . . 

It was being burned.

The large steel horn was no longer rigid. As each second ticked, the soaring dark energy surged with inferno, melting the solid as if it was pastry. Although the purplish-black mana was not shaped like a teardrop, it flickered and burned similarly to a flame.

Dalis was the first one to react.

Aroused by the predicament and suffering of its pet, Dalis bolted with hostility and anger. His eyes were familiar . . . it closely resembled the time when he witnessed Stilla and Melvin being knocked out. A faint killing intent seethed outside of him.

Stilla and Sienna only paused for a moment to take in the scene, before dashing off to back up their suffering comrade. 

However, by the time Dalis arrived, the large steel horn was no more. 

The Monster laid upon the hard floor, slowly recovering. With keen menacing eyes, the evolved wolf glared and observed its enemy approach him. The expression it wore suggested that, once it had recuperated a sufficient amount, it would tear the living skin off him. Thus, all it could do was snarl in a guttural manner as means to express its hatred and desire to kill him. 

Dalis first examined The Monster. Noticing that the beast didn't appear to be in a condition to make a move, he focused his attention to the Rhinearian Beetle. However, he took glimpses of the evolved wolf occasionally in case of any unforeseen issues. 

Dalis glanced at the spot where the horn last was. Fortunately, the dark miasma had only afflicted the area of the horn. The space around it was barely touched, albeit contained minor scorch marks. Dalis's eyes went sentimental for a moment as he softly caressed the injury. The beetle gave a low cry in response.

He then dropped his head down to view where the horn had fallen. There was not a single remnant remaining that indicated a horn had fallen there. It had been utterly extinguished by the powerful dark mana. 

Dalis countenance went grim. 

He wanted to straight away help the Rhinearian Beetle return back to its six feet, but considering the size and weight of the beast . . . it was not a task that could be accomplished with ease. 

"Quit squirming around, don't worry you will be fine."

The beast relaxed its legs, and no longer wriggled around, patiently waiting for its master.

Stilla and Sienna were now by Dalis's side. Stilla watched over the Rhinearian Beetle and provided some soothing words to further calm it down. The beetle felt warm in its heart, and like a baby, embraced its mother's warmth. Sienna was somewhat of out of words from Stilla's earnest care. However, she soon recovered and smiled. 

"Sienna, assist me."

"Yeah. Though it appears where going to have a whole lot more trouble now."

Steadily, The Monster raised itself back onto its four legs. The beast's purplish-black mana had abated to a large degree. In spite of this, a corporeal layer of dark mana encapsulated its fur, highlighting the creature. 

Most worrying of all . . . overtly, the beast's wound had stopped haemorrhaging. One could see the inside organs and blood vessels, gradually recovering. Although it would take a fair bit of time, it spelled disaster for the group of children.

 

***

 

"Should we interfere? Without the assistance of the Rhinearian Beetle, it would be challenging for the children to fight The Monster, needless to say kill it." 

"I believe we should contact our superiors and obtain their stance on the matter. This isn't something we should rashly act upon."

"You're right. I will contact General Baseth." 

The squad leader, of the dispatched unit, took out a marble grey stone that was shaped like a square. It was just enough to fit in a child's hand. If it wasn't shaped like a square, it could be easily mistaken for a natural stone. Though if one looked carefully, there were traces of unique patterns engraved to form a frame. This marble grey stone was one of the few types of sound transmission artefacts. 

Although it was the most common type, it enabled the user to communicate at least two kilometres away at an acceptable quality. To use it, one would require holding the stone, chanting a certain phrase, as well as thinking of the person in mind.

"Prithee hark to quoth calleth thither!" - Please listen to said call towards that place!

The stone reacted with shimmering yellow light. It only took a few seconds for the connection to be established. For it to operate, it required the receiver to also have the same or similar type of transmission artefact. 

Though the users speak aloud, the words received are conveyed to the mind.

The passed medium to transmit is unknown. It is speculated and argued that the communication line is granted through Caleyar's blessing. 

Overall, it essentially acts in the way a telephone does.

"Hello, is this General Baseth?"

Muffling sounds could be heard over the line along with overlapping of voices. 

"Hmm? Is this Connor on the line? You got something you need to tell Baseth?"

"Huh . . . Apostle Wrau?! How did I end up calling you? Wait, you just said General Baseth."

"Haha that's right bud. I figured you were going to call him, so I asked him to hand the stone over once the line was connected. He's next to me right now. So what's up?"

"Apostle Wrau this is the issue . . . "

Connor begins to explain the problem.

"Hmm . . . as of this moment, we are observing the broadcast through a multitude of channels. So we know exactly what is going on. The Monster was a beast we have known for a long time. Although it has some demonic mana, we actually let it go because it only had a small amount contained in its body. However, it seems that it is now a mistake on our part. Even though it lives in the Maizan Forest, free from demonic energy, over the years it has grown in its body."

"I pardon for my impudent inquiry sir, but isn't that a little . . . foolish? To let a powerful beast roam free . . . not to mention it is a rare evolved beast!"

"You're right, but that beast actually has a little history behind it. In any case, it was known to be a proud beast. It was due to its pride that it did not bother with harming humans. Of course if you dared to provoke it, then it would definitely give a bite back. In the past, it had been attacked by a couple of people, but I suppose its imperious nature disdained it from killing anybody. That was another major reason as to why it was ignored. After all, we aren't that cold-hearted to slay a beast that isn't causing any problems." 

"Has the demonic energy ever been used by the beast? I still find it hard to believe that it wasn't condemned to death for such devilish energy."

"That's the kicker. Within the last fifty years, we have known about it, it has not once used its demonic mana. Thus, we have concluded that it was safe. We only know about it by detecting it with particular artefacts."

"Ah I see . . . I understand now. Thank you. I am sorry for the delay. What should our dispatched unit do?"

"Connor, wait for orders. It is decided we will watch over those kids for now. If it gets out of control we will contact you immediately."

"Yes sir!"

The line was cut. 

It was primarily due to Apostle Wrau's influences that there hasn't been any major movements. He wanted to see what the children would do in this situation. After all, it was not every day; one would be able to experience fighting an evolved beast. It would be a valuable experience for them.

 

***

 

Tension filled the battlefield. Three children were faced off against the lord of the Maizan Forest—The Monster. Sweat threatened to trickle down their skin as they continued to stare, waiting for the beast to make a move.

If it wasn't for how exhausted Dalis was, he would've already attempted to strike it down. His restricted condition only enabled him to make a few drastic actions. Otherwise, he was certain to faint in the middle of combat which would be disastrous. 

He had to find an opening for him to exploit to take advantage of his greatest strength; the element of surprise. It must be mentioned that though Dalis is tailored to sneak attacks, that are sometimes underhanded, he fairs very well in a normal standoff.

(Why isn't that "thing" here yet?)

That "thing" of course was referring to Melvin.

"Stilla, I will watch over the beetle. Work together with Sienna. Test the waters."

"Okay! Rest well beetle."

Sienna waited for Stilla to accompany her. 

Soon the two stood side by side. Stilla had her fists ready, appearing to yearn and thirst for battle. Sienna drew upon her sword hilt, exposing the scintillating special model artefact.

ARRROOOO

Stilla and Sienna sprung off, circling in. Stilla flanked to the left while Sienna flanked from the right. They were equal in speed which made the duo appear harmonious and coordinated. The beast was forced to split its attention in half to embrace the incoming blows. 

Sienna was a sole moment faster than Stilla, lunging her sword forward with great velocity, straight towards the wolf's side neck. 

The Monster dodged backwards, sweeping the floor with its porcupine plume tail to counter-attack the entering fists of fury from Stilla. Sand was displaced up into the air, but this did not obstruct the girl from keeping her momentum or her trajectory. 

Pow pow pow pow pow

Understanding that she was unable to maintain this for any longer, she retreated back down. The result was part of the beast’s tail having marks resembling a pummel. No longer was that section acute like prickles. 

However, Stilla did not lose out either. Her clenched fists were grazed, especially her knuckles that were scarred with streams of blood. In spite of its worrying defacement, it was not a concern to a body consolidator like herself. 

Vanquish style: Four crescent strikes. 

Sienna erupted her body, filling the muscles with extensive strength reaching up to eighty per cent of muscle power. For the average body consolidator, this strength was considered naught. It only enhanced her muscles with thirty per cent more than the average consolidator! 

With the increase in strength, her physical abilities were boosted, allowing her to dash towards the beast with unprecedented speed. Gripping her longsword that was uplifted a few centimetres off the ground, she executed a low blow towards the beast's upper half. Following the first attack, she repeated the attack from the reverse side, creating an upside-down V shape. Retaining the integrity of the flow and style, her attack pattern changes, replacing her low blows with mid blows, in trajectory to the aimed location. 

The sudden change from Sienna's battle prowess caught The Monster off guard, pushing the beast to try and defend itself from the onslaught of arcing slashes. 

Seeing Sienna unleash her inner muscle strength, Stilla also mimicked her actions, boosting her strength to a total of eighty per cent strength likewise to Sienna. She bolted after her to aid her assault.

Stilla lunged above by kicking off against her right foot to land on the side of the beast's hide. Then, she propelled her body upwards with her available leg to deliver a series of powerful battering punches in her descent. 

Dalis was not idle and had seemed to slip in the shadows; patient for the inevitable opening.

"These children are not bad at all. That tomboyish heroic girl with short-medium blue hair is quite proficient with the four crescent strike technique. It would give anybody trouble within her league."

"Indeed. But that other girl is just as skilled. Without a weapon, her fists are equivalent to a rockslide, forcing the beast to bear the full brunt of the attack. It's not even a technique!"

"Hey look over there. That boy has disappeared."

When the dispatched unit looked towards where Dalis was last seen. The sole thing that remained in view was the oscillating six legs of the Rhinearian Beetle.