"A second Rainbow Didus?" Oscar exclaimed. "I read that Rainbow Diduses are solitary beasts who only come together for mating season. If you were hunting for eggs, it's past that time."

Unbelievable. Incomprehensible.

For an unknown reason, these Exalt beasts had somehow turned against their nature on their own. It's not like tamed beasts that follow their masters; these were wild beasts and true to their nature.

"It's true. This Rainbow Didus caught us off-guard and immediately killed the Greater Apprentice Exalt. Then it charged and killed another one of us before we could react. The Rainbow Didus stopped, then looked over the corpse of the first, letting out a piercing scream. Then it glared at the rest of us." Nicholas coughed weakly before continuing.

"I don't know what happened, but I blacked out the next instant. I thought I was dead, but somehow I lived. I woke up in this place, next to my dead partners, with this wound on my chest. With what little medicine I had, I was able to slow down the bleeding."

"Wait, you said you were next to them. But now they're gone, and you mentioned this was a snack room…." Oscar spoke in a trembling voice.

Nicholas vomited again, even though there was nothing in his stomach. His eyes reflected sheer horror.

"We took our time getting here to take in the sights and explore a little before finding this cave four days ago. Every day since that battle, the sole Rainbow Didus would come in and eat one of us."

Oscar nearly vomited. No wonder Nicholas was in such a state. It wasn't only the serious injuries on his body but also being right next to a monster eating his friends.

"It's coming….It's coming to kill and eat me. Leave right now, Oscar; you're no match for it. I'm already dead, so don't care about me. Run. Run right now!" Nicholas talked as if he was going mad.

Oscar wanted to retort, but a loud caw caught both of their attention.

"It's here!" The chattering of Nicholas's teeth was so rapid and loud that his teeth might shatter into pieces. He was the next dish.

Oscar looked at the haggard and trembling Nicholas with pity. His fists clenched with anger.

"There's no choice. Wait here, Nicholas. I'll be back." Oscar's obsidian eyes stared dead ahead as he strode out. His face was fiery with passion and resolve.

"Oscar. Don't!" Nicholas tried to move, but his legs gave out, not letting him get up. He could only watch helplessly as Oscar's body disappeared behind the corner.

Step

Step

Step

Oscar's feet moved slowly and calmly. His heart beat still, and his mind was amazingly clear. This sensation was weird and extended all over his body and mind. It was the same feeling when he fought against Greg and Phillip.

In his hands were all the oil from his bag and his makeshift torch that was still in flames.

Oscar tossed the oil all over the cavern and then threw his torch.

The oil erupted into flames. These flames were everywhere around Oscar, who stood undisturbed by them.

STOMP

In the distance, toward the direction of the entrance, a large figure stepped into the light of the fires.

This creature was twice as tall as Oscar. It was covered in wonderful rainbow feathers that would be the perfect gift for a beautiful girl. It had two large wings on its side but was unable to fly.

The most intimidating aspects were its large talons that supported its tall body through its trunk-like legs. But perhaps the most dangerous of all was its large beak that took up half of its head that lay on top of its long neck.

The Rainbow Didus.

This large flightless bird looked at Oscar with menacing eyes like a predator and cawed, surging its Ein out.

"A Middle Apprentice Exalt. The power I feel from you is similar to Phillip's but slightly less." There was no doubt that this creature was also near entering the Greater Apprentice Exalt realm.

The large talons of the Rainbow Didus stepped forward. The Exalt beast was ready to tear Oscar apart.

"I understand. Just as humans hunt down beasts, there is nothing wrong with beasts hunting down humans. A book I read earlier mentioned the survival of the fittest, and in the end, you were the stronger one; thus, you survived." Oscar also stepped forward.

As the two came close, Oscar stared at its glaring blue eyes.

"But in that regard. Just because you took revenge for your fallen companion doesn't mean I can't take revenge for mine." Oscar's blue Ein burst out, and the air and cavern trembled from the clash of their Eins.

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"CAW"

"Die!"

…….

Nicholas struggled to get up. The second Rainbow Didus was at the peak of Middle Apprentice Exalt. There was no way for Oscar to win.

"Shit…."

Having stumbled back, face first, to the ground. His body quivered in pain. His eyes caught a pouch laid to the side.

Opening it, he saw more medicine and bandages.

"That guy…." Nicholas recalled when he first met Oscar. A simple Grade Four boy who disregarded his advice and declared he would be a great Exalt.

"Hehe." Nicholas chuckled weakly. "He's already pretty great."

The way Oscar stood tall and bravely stepped out to avenge him and the others. The nerves of steel he showed as he set out to meet the Rainbow Didus. Nicholas admired him.

How can Nicholas fall behind if his junior could be so dauntless, so fearless?

Hope and strength returned to his eyes as his quaking stopped.

There was no time to be afraid, no time to give up. Nichola's mind was set.

"Hang on. I'll join you as soon as I recover." Nicholas closed his eyes in meditation. How can he give up while Oscar puts his life on the line?

…….

Swish

The great talon of the Rainbow Didus cut cleanly through the air. But Oscar dodged it and responded with a buckler to its chest.

"CAW"

Rainbow Didus swung its head like a whip due to its long neck. Its great beak created sparks against Oscar's obsidian buckler, showcasing its incredible hardness.

It wasn't just hard but also strong. Oscar was forced back and almost crashed into the cavern walls. It was expected from an Exalt Beast near the Greater Apprentice Exalt realm.

Oscar dusted himself off and looked warily at the Rainbow Didus. The exchange confirmed the strengths of this beast. Its talons weren't that fast, but the flexible neck and beak were the opposite and versatile.

"That confirms what the 'Creature Report' recorded."

His Ein surged and formed his partner, the blue deer anima. His face tensed slightly from using 'Ein Awaken' to minimize the Ein for its existence.

The blue deer anima stared at Oscar. Its pure blue eyes were full of resolve and preparedness.

"I certainly can't defeat this creature alone. I don't know if we can kill it together, but it's a better chance. Let's fight together." Oscar and his Anima readied themselves.

The only times he fought seriously with his Anima were against Greg and Mary. Against Greg, his Anima was a last-ditch effort. Against Mary, Oscar ended the fight before his Anima could even do anything.

But this time, Oscar and his Anima were fighting as partners, together from start to end.

The blue deer anima grunted in agreement and excitement. It was finally time for it to fight with its master.

The caverns shook with the stomps of the Rainbow Didus as it approached them.

Oscar and his Anima split off in two directions to confuse the Rainbow Didus, leaving it staggered for a moment while it tried to decide who to chase.

It eyed the two intruders. One was blue but in a beastly form, while the other was the same as those that killed its beloved. The choice was obvious. It would tear apart Oscar.

The clumsy and powerful strut of the Rainbow Didus did not scare Oscar. His mind was clear, and his eyes focused. Once again, the beast readied his head and whipped its beak toward Oscar.

'Reis Awaken'

Oscar's Reis empowered buckler, wrapped in blue Ein, slammed against the diamond-like beak. Instead of being blown away, Oscar held his ground, letting out a strained voice.

The thought of using 'Floating Mountain' came to mind, but he scratched that off because there was one move that would be much more effective.

His blue deer anima burst forth with great speed due to the Ein collected in its feet, brandishing its antlers forward like a spear. Then the Ein flowed from its feet to the antlers, increasing its potency.

The Rainbow Didus could not react in time. The antlers slammed into its exposed side. Although it was a heavy creature, it was still forcibly moved to the side.

Oscar noticed that the antlers didn't puncture through its body as he had hoped. It was more like a blunt wooden object slamming into someone's stomach.

Oscar tried to follow up, but the Rainbow Didus sensed Oscar's intent on going for its eyes, retracted its head, and whipped out at the deer anima.

However, Oscar was one step ahead. The Ein collected back into his Anima's feet as it leaped away. Now it was Oscar's turn to follow up.

Oscar was not at the level of moving by himself and controlling the Ein in his Anima simultaneously. The strategy was to attack through the gaps. If the Rainbow Didus went for Oscar, then the deer anima would strike and vice versa.

Once the Rainbow Didus came for either of them, Oscar would block it, or the Anima would dodge. This way, Oscar only has to focus on one of them rather than carelessly trying to move both.

He aimed for the legs of the Rainbow Didus, but this time, the creature was ready because the Anima wasn't bothering it and swiped its talon to block Oscar.

After a fierce clash, Oscar backed off.

"No wonder a Greater Apprentice Rainbow Didus took four people to bring down. It's incredibly tough. The Rock Ankylon's scales weren't this hard." The creatures deeper inside the Hurin Plains were truly on a different level.

CRACK

Oscar was stunned and looked at his obsidian buckler. It was very thin and small, but a crack had formed on its smooth surface.

"The beak is that hard?" Oscar muttered in dismay.

He planned to wear it down with the alternating blows from him and his Anima, but that was contingent on him being able to block the Rainbow Didus so his Anima had the chance to attack.

His mind strained to figure out what to do, but the Rainbow Didus began to act strangely.

"What the hell?"

The Rainbow Didus crouched low and dug its head closer to its torso like a sheathed blade.

As the ground under its talons began to crack, Oscar realized what it was trying to do.

"Shit!"

The Ein quickly gathered on his Anima's feet, more than before.

But the Rainbow Didus kicked off the ground with tremendous force, leaving behind a mess of rubble, as its head extended out fully with its beak pointed straight. It was like a bolt being shot out of a ballista.

Oscar's Anima kicked off, trying to dodge as fast as possible. The cavern walls behind its original position collapsed from the piercing bolt of the Rainbow Didus.

"Huk!" Oscar spat out some blood. His Anima was missing an antler. Although his Anima dodged with all its speed and Ein, it wasn't enough.

"It shouldn't be able to recover that fast from its own attack." Oscar clenched his teeth and dashed out. He leaped up above the pile of rubble, saw the Rainbow Didus in the center, and prepared to slam down with all his might.

He was right that the Rainbow Didus was a little staggered by its headbutt technique. With all the buildup, it required a moment to recover.

However, that did not mean it was defenseless. It could still move two things that were not involved in its previous move.

A blur of rainbow extended out at Oscar without warning and was fast.

Sensing the danger, Oscar tightened his body close to his buckler and invoked 'Steel Scales' for extra protection. One rainbow blur slammed into his shield while the other swiped close to his head.

His body was flung across the air. The deer anima came to Oscar's rescue and softened his landing.

"Cough. Thanks for the save." Oscar panted with a relieved face. But that soon twisted from intense pain.

Drip Drip

Blood started flowing down the left side of Oscar's head.

Oscar felt something warm in his ear and reached his hand to feel it. But there was no feeling.

"My ear…."

His left ear was gone. There was only a mess of blood in its place.