I Can See Evolution Paths

The camp had gone completely silent. The strange scream from the depths of the Everglades still echoed in everyone’s minds.

Arthur slowly stood, his eyes fixed on the darkness.

Then something appeared behind the students.

No footsteps.

No rustling leaves.

No warning.

One moment, there was nothing behind them.

The next—

Something was standing there.

Arthur’s eyes slowly moved upward.

A massive stone body towered over the students. Eight arms extended from its sides. Eight swords hung loosely from its hands. But its head was the most horrifying part.

A Voodoo Mask.

The wooden mask was cracked and twisted, with glowing eyes staring directly at the students.

Arthur’s breath caught.

They hadn’t even sensed it.

Then a terrifying pressure swept across the camp.

Eden’s wings stopped moving. Kong’s fur stood on end. Melo’s tails stiffened. Athy immediately dropped lower. Even the students’ Beast Partners began growling and trembling. Arthur’s body refused to move.

The Voodoo Mask Beast slowly raised one of its swords. Then, SWISH! The sword hacked downward toward Roland, tearing through the air, already inches from his neck when, CLANG! A pitch-black sword blocked it.

Roland blinked.

Beside him stood a massive skeletal horse, black flames leaking from its mouth, burning inside its empty eye sockets and swirling around its bones. But the most shocking feature was the pair of arms growing from its sides, one holding the black sword, the other covered in swirling black flames.

Roland looked toward his Beast. "Silver."

The skeletal horse raised its head. Silver was Bakotsu, Roland’s Silver Rank Beast.

The Bakotsu’s flames suddenly erupted, its flaming hand thrusting forward, and a massive beam of black fire exploded from its palm.

BOOOOOOM!

The black flames swallowed the Voodoo Mask Beast and tore through the trees behind it.

The students gasped.

Arthur’s eyes widened. "Whoa..."

The flames finally faded, and the Voodoo Mask Beast suddenly jumped out of the inferno, landing several dozen meters away, its stone body scorched. Yet it was still standing, its head tilting unnaturally, and then the Voodoo Mask twisted into an expression of rage.

The Beast roared. "Those who get in the way of my sacrifices..." Its eight swords slowly rose. "Must die!"

A terrifying aura exploded from its body and swept across the entire camp.

Arthur blinked. Then suddenly his vision dropped.

Thud.

Arthur stared at his own body.

For the first time in a long while, he couldn’t understand what had happened.

Did I just die?

He tried to move.

Nothing.

He tried to speak.

Nothing.

Then he saw Mithra.

Then Sun.

Then Athena.

Then Vedas.

Their bodies were being destroyed one after another.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

No...

He couldn’t even warn them.

He could only watch as something horrible happened to the others. Mithra body had been split apart. Sun’s body shattered into fragments. Athena had holes through her chest. Vedas had been cut apart. Their Beast Partners were also being torn into pieces.

Arthur tried to shout or screamed but once again, nothing came out.

Then, "HOW DARE YOU HURT OUR STUDENTS!"

Roland’s voice exploded across the battlefield, a massive black aura erupting from him, and the terrifying pressure disappeared.

CRACK!

It sounded like glass breaking.

Arthur suddenly gasped, his hands immediately grabbing his neck. And then all around were several students collapsed to their knees, gasping.

Arthur stared at Roland.

’That was Roland’s aura?’

For the first time, Arthur understood something. The professors hadn’t merely been monitoring them but also keeping those terrifying beasts away. And then he quickly looked around towards the other.

Mithra was alive.

Sun was alive.

Athena was alive.

Their Beast Partners were also unharmed.

The students were screaming and grabbing their bodies in panic.

"What happened?!"

"My head—!"

"I thought I died!"

"My body was cut apart!"

Even the Beast Partners were roaring, screeching, and trembling.

Roland turned toward them. "Calm down!" His expression was serious. "That was only its pressure."

The students slowly quieted.

Roland continued. "A Silver Rank existence can project its aura with enough force to overwhelm weaker beings. Your minds reacted to the pressure before your bodies did."

Arthur stared at him. "So we were hallucinating?"

"Not exactly." Roland looked toward Vordo. "You experienced what your bodies believed would happen if that attack actually reached you."

Arthur swallowed. "That’s terrifying."

Roland’s expression hardened. "Everyone, gather around the other professors." He stepped forward. "I’ll handle this."

Silver moved beside him, black flames beginning to leak from Bakotsu’s mouth.

Roland placed one hand on his weapon. "Come, Silver."

The skeletal horse lowered its head. "We need to put this Vordo to rest."

Vordo tilted its Voodoo Mask and then it charged.

Roland and Silver charged at the same time.

BOOM!

The ground exploded beneath their feet. Vordo’s eight swords came down simultaneously, and Silver raised its black sword.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Three swords collided with Silver, and Roland slipped between the remaining attacks, his body suddenly changing.

CRACK.

His arms transformed, bone spreading across his forearms, replacing flesh with blackened skeletal armor, dark flames wrapping around his hands.

One of the professors immediately explained, "That’s another ability available to Silver Rank Beast Tamers!"

Everyone looked at him.

"When a Beast Tamer reaches Silver Rank, their connection with their Beast changes." The professor pointed toward Roland. "They can partially transform their bodies using their Beast’s characteristics. Strength, durability, senses, and traits."

Arthur’s eyes widened.

He would have never thought he could take on aspects of his beasts. He glances at Vedas and imagines his right arm turning into a golden gauntlet. Vedas saw this and gave him an amused smile after seeing the image.

"That sounds amazing!"

"Of course it is, as it allows you to stack your beast’s strength on top of your own."

Roland’s skeletal hand closed into a fist, his strength suddenly exploding, and he punched Vordo directly in the chest.

BOOM!

Vordo flew backward, and then Silver suddenly appeared behind it, its flaming hand striking forward. Black flames erupted. Vordo blocked with four swords, but the flames still pushed it backward.

Roland appeared from the opposite side and swung his transformed arm.

Vordo blocked.

Silver attacked.

Vordo blocked again.

The students stared.

Roland and Silver fought like a single entity.

Vordo suddenly slammed all eight swords into the ground.

BOOM!

A shockwave exploded outward, and Roland was thrown backward, Silver digging its hooves into the ground. Vordo immediately rushed forward, eight swords descending, and Roland crossed his skeletal arms.

CLANG!

Silver appeared beside him and blocked the remaining blades.

Roland grinned. "Now."

Silver’s flames exploded, black fire erupting from its body, and Roland’s transformed arms ignited as well. The two unleashed their attacks simultaneously, and a massive black firestorm swallowed Vordo. The Beast roared. But it emerged from the flames again. Still standing.

Arthur’s eyes widened. "It’s still alive?"

Roland smiled. "Silver."

Bakotsu’s empty eye sockets burned brighter, and ice suddenly spread across its body.

Arthur blinked. "Ice?"

The professor laughed. "Bakotsu has more than one elemental ability."

Silver slammed its flaming hand into the ground, and a massive wave of black ice erupted across the battlefield. Vordo attempted to escape. Too late.

CRACK!

Ice climbed over its stone body. Its eight swords froze in place. Its legs froze. Its torso froze. Finally its Voodoo Mask froze completely.

Roland raised his transformed arm. "Now!"

Silver charged and Roland charged beside it. The two struck Vordo simultaneously before a terrifying flames exploded and shook the area.

BOOOOOOM!

The frozen Voodoo Mask Beast shattered, pieces of stone flying across the battlefield.

Silence returned.

The students stared.

Roland slowly released his transformation, his arms returning to normal, Silver trotting back beside him, black flames still leaking from its mouth.

The students were speechless.

Then one finally whispered, "So that’s a full Silver Rank fight..."

Another student swallowed. "I wonder when I can reach that level."

A professor smiled. "Reach Level 30 and evolve your Beast once."

The student blinked. "That’s all?"

The professor nodded. "Every major rank requires your Beast to evolve once and then reach the required level."

Another professor added, "Silver Rank requires Level 30." He held up a finger. "Gold requires Level 50." He smiled. "As for the higher ranks..." He laughed. "Hahaha! You should worry about reaching Silver first before thinking about those!"

Several students groaned. "That’s so far away!"

"I’ll reach it!"

"Level thirty..."

Arthur wasn’t listening to the students anymore as his eyes remained fixed on Roland and Silver.

Level 30.

One evolution.

That was all he needed to reach Silver Rank. Arthur’s fingers slowly tightened before looking at Vedas and then Eden.

A smile slowly appeared as he finally knew what waited at the next stage. Not just a new rank or an evolution requirement to fulfill. But now also a completely different way of fighting.

Arthur’s eyes shone. "I can’t wait."