Chief Ranbu, Yoji and Ipnak, as well as all of the human and draconian warriors, looked at the new arrival.

Andre was confused, he didn’t even feel this person’s aura until he was right over head.

“Who the hell are you?” Andre roared with a ugly look on his face. He felt a threatening feeling emanating from this metallic creature.

“I am here to put you down” Koren replied as the helmet came off. “like the filthy creature that you are.”

“HUMAN!” Yoji yelled in shock. “What is happening, why can’t I see through his cultivation”

“What!, how is it possible for you not to see his cultivation, unless…” Ranbu muttered as he realised the race of the mysterious arrival. “Unless his cultivation is higher than yours, by a large margin, but only the icy mountains have humans that strong”

Ranbu dropped his sword, and collapsed on his knees again, still breathing heavily.

“Brother Ranbu!” Yoji yelled as he knelt down to help.

“Somethings wrong, I’m losing my cultivation early.” Ranbu coughed up blood, and started to sweat. “It seems, the crystals effects are not uniform. You and Ipnak need to be careful”

“Ahhh” Andre screeched, as his wings fluttered and he rose even higher. He approached Koren, and swung his tail like a whip, only to see Koren remain motionless.

Koren saw the tail, but chose to ignore it until the last moment. His hand moved like lightning and grabbed the Scaly draconian tail.

“Seriously, so weak. Koren, it seems you won’t need the battle mode at all. Give this guy some punishment will ya” Hope muttered while chuckling like an evil scientist. “I’m getting a lot of data from him. Ahh, fun times.”

“Sure sis, My thoughts exactly!” Koren looked at Andre’s shocked scaly vulture like face and grinned.

“You… You Let Go!!” Andre yelled as he swiped his talon’s onto Koren’s thigh, only to see it generate sparks when clashing with the Metallic Armor.

Koren gave Andre a wicked stare and said “I don’t like it when someone tries to damage my threads.” He swung Andre by the tail a couple dozen times, and then let go towards the ground.

Andre’s mind was a mess, today was supposed to be his big day. He was going to impress the 2nd Princess and be given the honour of being part of her guard. Instead, he was injured by a bunch of desert rats and now was being wacked around by this mysterious fellow.

Andre clashed against the sand headfirst. His lower body was hanging above ground with his long neck wriggling in the sand to get free. For a moment he even forgot his identity as a noble body cultivator and wind spiritualist.

While this momentary clash happened, the remaining warriors all were looking on in shock. The draconian soldiers could not believe that their commanding officer was thrashed around like that.

“It’s that Mirage Owl, this is not real, it can’t be.” One of the squadron leaders shouted. “Everyone don’t be deceived, charge!”

Yoji, who was kneeling next to Ranbu, didn’t bother to deny. He was even more shocked than those soldiers. He was gazing at Koren with full force when he moved to catch Andre’s tail, but he still couldn’t see it. The speed was so incredible, that his eyes, which were famous for being able to create mirages and illusions, were the ones left illusioned.

Koren looked at the charging soldiers and thundered “I am as real as it gets!”

He raised his arms and the Armor Armature around it opened up. Tiny glowing metallic moths ejected out and flocked behind him.

“Take care of them” Koren muttered as he looked back down at the struggling Andre.

The Metallic moths buzzed and flew towards the draconian soldier’s.

“Ignore them, it’s all fake. There’s no way this backwater region has anyone who can defeat a Noble Draconian.” One of the Squadron leaders yelled as he charged on.

He marched right past the first wave of moths and shouted “See it’s not real, we were being deceived by that Mirage Owl Incarnation human, we should….”

The squadron leader fell on his knees before he could finish. “Ho…Ho…How?” He stammered as he looked down to see tiny moth sized holes in his Armor. He wanted to turn his head back to see how many soldiers survived, but he didn’t have that opportunity as the darkness of death engulfed his soul as a moth dug out of his head.

The moths, which had just burrowed through the draconian soldiers, rushed towards Ipnak.

Ipnak was scared, he had fought and struggled in the desert his whole life, but even he had never seen anything like this before. Just as Ipnak was about to rush into the sand to escape, a voice suddenly entered his ears. “Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you.”

Ipnak paused, and looked up at Koren who was staring back at him with a complicated look. He chose to stay and trust the mysterious warrior. The moths rushed over and congregated on the two cloth covered stumps on Ipnak’s hands. They released a green glow in pulses and Ipnak could feel his wounds stabilizing.

‘How is this possible, only the most high grade medicinal pellets can heal a wound this bad, and even they take at least a few minutes’ Ipnak thought. ‘These things healed me instantly’

Andre freed himself from the ground, and looked up to find Koren gone.

“Looking for me” said a voice from his back. “I’m right here”

Andre turned around to see Koren standing 10 meters away, an evil grin plastered across his face. “Your punishment is not over yet.” Koren stated as his figure flashed and appeared right in front of Andre, with his right fist rolled back.

Andre crossed his wings to block, but when the punch came, it burst through his wings like they were made of clay.

Andre couldn’t believe himself, Ipnak, Yoji and Ranbu were all dumbstruck as well. They all saw it. A casual, laidback punch. It seemed to barely have had any force to it, but it finally managed to do what even the three chiefs with all of their abilities couldn’t do. That punch managed to break Andre’s Bones. Once a body cultivator completes the tempering process of his bones, they reach level 29 peak. Only an attack at the avatar realm can break through the defensive abilities of a bone tempering peak draconian.

The punch smashed through Andre’s wings and smacked him on his chest. He rolled across the sand like a tumbleweed, and crashed against a dune almost 100 meters away, parts of his flesh and blood painting a brush stroke right across the sand.

Andre coughed as his feathers retreated, his neck became normal size again and his talons turned into feet again. As he exited his wind vulture incarnation, his draconian form also retreated, and his normal form was visible for all to see. Koren who was walking towards Andre, suddenly stopped in his footsteps, staring at Andre’s face with shock.

“Koren…Koren…KOREN!!” Hope yelled as she saw Koren’s eyes get misty. “What happened, why did you suddenly go stiff.”

“He was there” Koren answered with rage “When my village was attacked, he was there.”

Ipnak and the rest also noticed the change in Koren, from confidence to sadness, and from sadness to rage. Each state of emotion coming in waves, emanating out and effecting even others.

Andre wiped the blood off of his eyes and looked at the distant form of Koren, he could see this mysterious warrior look back at him with rage. Andre blinked, and as his eyes opened, the mysterious warrior was now standing right on top of him.

“Y..you!!” Andre muttered as he was grabbed by his neck, and dragged up into the sky, as Koren blasted up with the thundering sound of his Repulsor plasma jets.

Koren tightened his grip on Andre’s neck and brought his face closer to his own.

“Wha…Wh…Ples…Do…nt…kil…m..eee…” Andre who had lost all of his previous gusto, was in tears, as he tried his best to beg for his life.

“If you want to live, you will answer my questions.” Koren stated, his face expressionless like death, but his voice, tenacious and thundering. “ Nod if you understand”

Andre nodded, tears and snot rolling down on his cheeks.

“Sis, can you confirm if he’s telling the truth” Koren asked Hope who was floating next to him, looking at him with worry.

“I can Koren, but you need to be prepared.” Hope replied, calmly. “The truth can be good and bad”

Koren nodded and tightened his grip on Andre.

“You attacked a human village around a day’s journey on foot from here, were there any survivors.” Koren asked, his face was expressionless, but deep down his emotional state was a mess.

Andre nodded.

Koren rejoiced, he was glad to know there were survivors, perhaps his mother was one of them.

“How many” He asked, still maintaining the same deadpan look.

“Se..S…” Andre struggled to answer, as his neck was still very firmly in Koren’s grasp.

Koren loosened his grip on Andre’s neck and asked him again. “How many!!”

“Sev…Around Seventy or so survived” Andre replied as he took in a large breath.

Koren’s mood instantly collapsed. ‘Only 70…’ Thought Koren, sorrow and rage mixing in his heart. ‘over a hundred, all dead’

His eyes became bloodshot, as he began to tightened his grip again, this time he wanted to finish him off.

“Koren, control yourself, and ask him where they are now.” Hope’s form appeared in front of Koren before he could snap Andre’s neck in rage.

“Please… Please, don’t kill me. I’m useful to you alive. I’m just a lieutenant, this plan was all orchestrated by my commander.” Andre yapped on as he begged for his life. “He’s at the border right now, trying to catch any stragglers from crossing into Raavi territory.”

Koren, who was overtaken by emotion, suddenly came to his senses.

“What did you say!” Koren asked in a thundering voice.

“My…My commanding officer, Commander…commander Uther, is…is at the border…” Andre replied stutteringly.