"Calm down, Kids!" Jack shouted. His [Chains of Vengeance] slithered and constricted a wolf's leg. Stopping it from pouncing on a student.
BOOM! A loud explosive sound reverberated from his steamrune shotgun. Destructive pellets destroyed the caught wolf's head without mercy.
"They're just wolves." Jack shouted again. "And you don't fight them alone. Remember what I taught you. Positioning, communication, identifying weaknesses."
The students were still in a mess. But they quickly got better. Their survival instincts were pushed to the extreme. And these worked extremely well in building their skill mastery and mentality.
Jack observed them. These teenagers would turned into experienced mystic scholars. Assuming they survived the ordeals. And, that was what he and Reina were trying to accomplish. Ensuring they survived and were intact until the mission in the realm was completed.
The couple tirelessly watched over the students. Two guardians against a tide of crimson fury. Their movements were fluid. Their actions were precise and timely. They observed the students. Noting which ones required assistance and acted immediately to help.
The crimson wolves were relentless. They swarmed. Bypassing the guards and targeting the weaker students.
One large wolf lunged at an unaware teenage boy, from behind him. Its fangs bared.
BOOM! Jack's steamrune shotgun roared. A blinding flash of light and raw force tore through the wolf's head. Atomizing it before it could reach the boy. The strong recoil of the gun was nothing for Jack's current durability.
Another pair of wolves broke through the guard's perimeter. Heading straight for a girl who was supporting her slightly-injured friend.
But before they could close the distance, Reina was there. A shimmering distortion of air. A faint wisp of fog. And she had blinked in front of the girl. Her dual handguns spitted fire.
The two wolves dropped instantly. Headshot with incredible precision. She then blinked again. Reappearing behind another targeted girl. Grabbing her and teleported away instantly.
She was a blur of motion. Maneuvering like a dancer of death and rescue that moved unhindered in the battlefield.
"Pay attention, Kids!" Jack shouted. His [Chains of Judgement] lashed out. Wrapping around a pair of wolves and slamming them against each other with bone-shattering force. "Work together! You are not alone."
He saw Nick Glaiver using his [Magic Missiles]. Targeting a crimson wolf. He managed to strike one of its eyes and blinded it. However, the wolf ignored its injury and sprang forward. Aiming for Nick's throat.
Jack's chains flicked out again. One caught the wolf mid-air and smashed it against a rock. The other one yanked Nick back into the safety.
"Stay vigilant, Nick!" Jack reminded him.
Jack glanced over at the professors and the hired guards. They were fine. Able to handle their shares of opponents. Crimson wolves weren't too strong after all. The problem was their numbers.
He focused back to the teenage students. They had started to retaliate against the beasts with more systematic cooperation. Good for them. But, they were not safe yet.
Jack immediately moved again with a calculated brutality. His shotgun boomed. Sending waves of shrapnel through the horde or focused shot against a single, threatening beast.
His focus wasn't on eliminating the wolves but on protecting the students. When wolves got too close, his [Chains of Judgement] would lash out. Either entangling them or yanking the students to safety.
He moved constantly. Always placing himself between the students and the most immediate threat.
Reina was his greatest support in this task. She moved like a phantom. Appearing and disappearing right on time every time.
Her teleportation skill, [Absolute Blink], allowed her to cover impossible distances in an instant. Always handling the threat against the students where Jack wasn't able to reach.
The battle raged for what felt like hours. The ground had become slick with crimson blood. Mostly from the wolves. Fortunately.
Eventually, the sheer number of fallen wolves broke the pack's morale. The remaining beasts whimpered, turned, and fled back into the crimson trees. Leaving behind a devastated clearing.
This time, Jack had no intention to chase the runaway survivors. They were too many and too spread out. And he was mentally exhausted. Having to focus so long protecting the students was hard. It was way more exhausting than battling alone.
Silence descended. Broken only by heavy breathing and the pained groans of the injured. Everyone had survived. But it wasn't without a cost.
Four students lay on the ground. One with deep lacerations. One with a broken leg from a glancing blow. And two other suffered from severe exhaustion due to excessive use of magic spell.
Two of the hired guards were also injured. Not too bad though. One had a nasty bite wound on his shoulder. The other nursed a heavily bruised arm. The raw reality of combat had etched itself onto their faces.
"Anyone able to use healing magic... heal the injured." Jack commanded. His eyes swept over the wounded ones with an almost imperceptible concern.
"We need to move quickly." He continued. "We can't stay in one place long after a battle like that."
The expedition regrouped. The injured were treated. A grim mood hung over them as they packed up. The euphoria of the rhino kill had long been forgotten.
The crimson grassland was now felt... menacing. They started their journey back towards their established basecamp. In the former shadowling's lair. They needed to consolidate their plan and let the injured recover.
For a few hours afterward, they walked in full vigilance. The students were quiet and watchful. The guards were tense.
They were not far from the basecamp...
But... a sudden, guttural roar echoed through the plains. Ahead, the ground seemed to ripple. From the tall red grass, a surge of scaled, bipedal figures burst forth.
Lizardmen. Crimson scaled lizardmen. Short and lean, yet great in numbers. Wielding crude spears and stone axes. Their eyes were glinting with primitive malice.
"Ambush!" Leon Drake roared.
"Dammit! These lizardmen again." One of the guards swore. "Did they track us?"
Jack noticed that they were outnumbered again. The fight would probably be as difficult as the previous battle. He gritted his teeth and prepared his weapons.
However, he noticed that Rune glowed in dark crimson hue. A sign of extreme danger. And she didn't look at the lizardmen. The danger wasn't from them.
...
The ground beneath them began to tremble violently. A colossal shadow fell over the group. A horrifying, serpentine head, rose from the grass. Adorned with two immense, curving horns. Easily towering over them. A gigantic horned serpent.
The monster's scales were a mottled red and brown. Glistening with a wet film. Its body was as thick as a tree trunk. It uncoiled relentlessly. Revealing a monstrous length easily exceeding thirty meters. Its huge eyes fixed on the clustered expedition members.
This was a beast of a different caliber entirely. A predator that hunted apex predators. It felt comparable in danger with an illuminated powerhouse.
"Everyone... break for the basecamp. Now!" Jack yelled. His voice carried an undeniable urgency. "Ignore the lizardmen if you can. Get to cover!"
He didn't wait for a response. He activated his [Incarnation Shift]. His form began to distort, shimmer, and swell. In a burst of crackling energy, Jack's human form dissolved. Replaced by a monstrous, nearly three-meter-tall rakshasa. His Black Buto incarnation. Judge Jack
Jack's skin turned a deep, reddish black in color. Rippling with corded muscle. Covered with blazing armor. His hair turn into dark and thick mane. His eyes were furious red, burning with an infernal light.
He carried his enormous [Judgement Warhammer] with one hand easily. His sharp teeth could be clearly seen as he snarled. With eyes never leaving the great serpent's head.
Rune, next to him, also transformed. Morphing into a tiny dragon. Glowing with the same crimson light.
"Get out of here, Love! I'll deal with this one." Jack commanded. His voice was now a resonant rumble that seemed to shake the ground.
Jack didn't wait for any response. He was already moving. Intercepting the great horned snake's initial lunge.
Reina didn't hesitate. She completely trusted Jack's survival ability. "Be careful, Dear!" She shouted.
She turned to the expedition members. "Everyone, with me! To the camp! Don't look back! And don't worry about Jack. He has his own way to survive."
She began to run to the direction of their basecamp. Other than Leon Drake, Dr. Crafton, and Chloe Chase, the others were stunned by Jack's sudden transformation. The three had seen him fighting the incarnation of Ink Dragon's Claw during the expedition to Lake Trishade. So, they weren't that surprised.
They were also the one who quickly followed Reina. They understood the gravity of the situation. The students' safety was very important. And, against the great serpent, it was an impossible fight for anyone but Jack.
"Come on! Jack can focus better without us nearby..." Dr. Crafton said as he ran along with Reina, Leon, and Chloe.
The others immediately followed them. The guards formed a defensive perimeter around the fleeing students. They clashed against the swarming lizardmen. Buying precious seconds for the retreat.
Leon Drake roared. His armored body crashed against a couple of the lizardmen. His grimoire was opened and glowing. A storm of lightning magic burst out. Clearing the path.
The group managed to move quickly. Retreating to the direction of their basecamp. Clashing with a small part of the lizardmen along the way.
Meanwhile...
Jack, in his rakshasa form, was a terrifying force of nature. He charged at the gigantic serpent.
The great horned snake sensed a true challenge. It lunged toward Jack as well. Hissing furiously. Emitting a sound like grinding stone. And trying to bite down with fangs that could impale a giant.
Jack roared as a response. An unearthly sound that echoed across the red grassland. He met the attack head-on. Swinging his [Judgement Warhammer] in a full power.
BOOM! The ground cracked under the sheer force of their collision.
The battle between the rakshasa and the giant snake began. A cataclysmic clash that shook the very earth. And they weren't alone.
A large number of fearless lizardmen were joining the battle. Attacking both Jack and the great horned serpent. Turning the battle into a chaotic three-sided battle.
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