He did not know whether to laugh or cry. Freon and Nassandra were the same as their father, always getting into trouble. Perhaps, it ran in their blood. He would give them a proper earful later… but for now, he had to save them. The man concentrated as his aura swelled. Lord Fredrick jumped, and his guard hurriedly protected him. The five elder birds flinched for a different reason. Elder Argo's eyes widened, and he tried to stop Protector Avin, except it was too late. Boom! Protector Avin fully unleashed his True Perception! A humongous perception field swept through the entire mountainside and penetrated deep into the cave network where Elizabeth's group was. Almost instantly, everyone felt a creepy gaze landing on them. It terrified everyone, as most people were unfamiliar with this feeling. They thought there were enemies nearby. However, using it allowed Protector Avin to successfully locate everyone.
It looks like Nassandra and Freon are okay. The princess is fine too. But what are these insects? I've never seen anything like them before. Although most of them don't seem that strong, the problem is their numbers. There are thousands… Just what is this place?
"You idiot! What do you think you're doing?!" Elder Argo's furious voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The bird flapped his wings madly, as his spittle flew everywhere. "Unleashing your True Perception like this will-"
He did not have the opportunity to finish, because multiple powerful auras erupted across the mountains! The massive auras crashed into the group, sending everyone into a state of panic. Even Protector Avin was startled. He might have used his True Perception, but he was more focused on verifying Nassandra and Freon's situation first, which led to him overlooking the more distant areas. That was a blunder, because his True Perception had a truly massive range. It had completely covered the mountain.
Its discriminate and penetrative power meant that every creature felt it. For most of the beasts, they were scared off by Protector Avin's aura. Animals fled in every direction, whether it be by the land, water, or sky. There were stampedes everywhere. However, there were exceptions from the local Beast Lords, who felt intimidated and threatened by Protector Avin instead. They believed he was a newcomer intruding on their territory! Angered by his 'declaration', these Beast Lords charged over with their beast packs! The entire mountain descended into chaos!
Protector Avin ignored Elder Argo's warning and used his True Perception again. There were five particularly strong auras headed his way. The first belonged to a plump, oversized chicken, the size of a small house. Its eyes swirled with a myriad of colors that occasionally shot out beams of light. Its stubby wings should have meant poor flight ability, but it was surprisingly nimble, if not goofy. Out of the five Beast Lords, it was the least scary looking.
The second was a jet-black wolf. Its furry coat was replaced by a dark, sleek, and almost glass-like coat, which gave off a sense of impenetrability. This wolf moved very quickly, as it darted through the mountainside with supreme grace. And because of its dark coat of armor, it blended into the darkness well. It was almost invisible. The wolf must have sensed Protector Avin's gaze, because it snarled and disappeared.
The third was a normal-sized toad, except it had two big round cheeks that were almost bigger than its body. It floated between the trees in a translucent bubble in a somewhat lazy manner. The fact that the bubble could support its weight and navigate was truly mysterious. Not to mention, the toad looked like it fell asleep at some point.
The fourth Beast Lord was the tiniest. It was so tiny that Protector Avin almost overlooked it. It was too ridiculous; however, its aura was unmistakable. That mantis that could sit in his palm was a genuine Beast Lord! It had four sharp front legs that functioned as weapons, rather than two. Although they were 'sheathed' now, they gave an extremely sharp feeling, like they could cut through everything.
The final one was a bloated multicolored ferret. Undoubtedly, it was the cutest of the bunch. It made people want to pet and play with it. The beast hopped through the mountains, and wherever it passed, the plants wilted and died. A deadly cloud of poison swirled around its feet that made even Protector Avin's heart palpitate. This adorable creature also had the strongest aura, far outclassing the other Beast Lords! Protector Avin felt threatened by it.
The flying chicken, black wolf, bubble toad, sharp mantis, and poison ferret were followed by their own animal packs. Their total numbers approached one thousand, making for a grand sight. Protector Avin pondered. The numbers were not really a problem, because he could use large-scale destruction spells, but he would rather not fight here. The cave could be destroyed. Maybe he could get them to fight each other instead? Or, at least, lure them away? And there was Lord Fredrick, his guard, and the Featherwind Sect birds to worry about. What a pain. He felt a headache.
Meanwhile, the birds used their own investigation methods. Their expressions quickly hardened. The Fat Light Chicken, Obsidian Wind Wolf, Bubble Trap Toad, Extreme Blade Mantis, and Triple Poison Ferret… That was two Late and two Grand Rank 2 Beast Lords! There was even a Half-Rank 3 Beast King! All the local tyrants were headed here. This was only one of the smaller mountains of the Mordrigan Peaks too. What else was on the other three mountains, especially the central one? Could there really be a genuine Rank 3 Beast King? The five birds exchanged glances and came to the same conclusion. Flee! If they were at their peak conditions, they could have managed. Now though, they were unsure. Fortunately, they could just fly away, and they planned to do that.
"Wait."
Elder Argo gave him a look. "What is it, Protector Avin?"
"I'll deal with the beasts. Stay and protect them." He gestured to Lord Fredrick and his guard. Although he was not really interested or intimidated by Lord Fredrick's background, he did feel sorry for dragging them here. Protecting them was the least he could do.
"And why should we do that?" another bird sneered.
"If Princess Elizabeth dies, the Alzar Kingdom won't let you go. And more importantly, I won't let you go," he announced with narrowed eyes and a cold tone drenched with killing intent.
"You…" Some of them fumed. Since when were they treated so disrespectfully?
"Fine, we'll keep them safe," Elder Argo replied calmly. He was their leader for a reason.
"And here, this is a map of the caves. I marked everyone's location." Casting a spell, Protector Avin carved out a large three-dimensional model of the cave network in ice. The delicate and precise work would have made every craftsman cry out in tears. It was an absolutely stunning piece of work. He continued, "Find a way to get everyone out. I know you have methods."
The bird fell silent, which led to Lord Fredrick speaking up awkwardly, "Excuse me, but… did you say we're going to be attacked? I don't understand. What is attacking us and why?"
"You can ask them." He casted his movement spell and flew into the sky.
Lord Fredrick's smile froze, and he turned to the birds. Ignoring him, Elder Argo gave his instructions, "Elder Crus, keep an eye on Protector Avin. I want to know how he'll handle the beasts. Elder Terus and Ludin, use your methods. We'll hide the entire cave entrance. Elder Unvo, monitor the area around us, and alert us if anything comes close." He looked over the map Protector Avin left behind and added, "I'll do something about the people inside."
In the sky, the weather was getting worse, but that fat chicken was easy to spot. The other beasts were probably nearby too. As Protector Avin endured the frigid snow pelting his face, he fully released his Blue Depth Core aura. Boom! The wind and snow blasted away from him, carving out a sacred space. A vast, oceanic presence dominated the skies and slammed down on everyone with titanic might. Even the trees and rocks strained under the pressure. Lord Fredrick was already stressed, so he passed out immediately. His guard caught him, but he was not doing well himself. His arms shook uncontrollably, as he barely resisted the urge to flee. For a Perception Realm to experience this feeling, it highlighted the enormous difference in strength!