Supreme BeastTamer: I Can Copy and Upgrade Skills 10x!

"Don't tell me—" Giles slowly rose to his feet as he drew his sword.

"What's happening?" a girl cried out.

"It can't be!" Giles cursed under his breath.

BANG!

Another bang echoed against the walls again, and everyone became aware of what was happening.

"No, no, no, they found out!"

The cracks on the door spread further, and with each second, the heartbeats of the students accelerated—a few even wet themselves.

The longer it took, the more suffocating the tension became.

Giles' arm trembled slightly as he felt his back soak with sweat.

At that precise moment, a final bang echoed, and the stone door finally exploded as a flood of orc-like demons poured in!

A flash of regret passed through Giles' eyes as he saw the wave surge forward. But it was already too late—he had messed up. Because of his cowardice, he would lead everyone here to their deaths.

"Die!"

"Help!"

"Headmistress!"

"Hehehehehe, I heard the more beautiful they are, the more delicious they taste!"

"Hmpf, kill all the males, but keep the girls alive!" a demon roared.

Giles clenched his fist, his eyes ignited with anger and fury as he charged forward, joining the fight.

Even if he would die, he would take as many demons as he could to the afterlife.

---

Meanwhile, above the underground hideout, the group of fifty followed behind Nox, who was walking at a brisk pace, Glacier's End held out.

It seems a new troupe has arrived, he mused, sensing hundreds of presences along with the bestial roars and growls of demons.

Everyone was moving at the same pace as Nox, and the few who couldn't keep up broke into jogs. Bridget was just behind him.

As they passed by the academy hallways, she noticed piles of demon corpses littered everywhere, still bleeding from fresh wounds.

Her gaze subconsciously shifted to Nox's broad back, and her eyes gleamed.

"Now I know why the Lich Court is after him," she mumbled under her breath. At such a young age, he had already reached the Expert Rank. If he grew at this pace, in a couple of years, he would reach Level 200, becoming one of the strongest existences in the human domain.

Just who are you, kid? Is this growth because you're his son?

The group had only moved a couple of steps when suddenly they heard human cries and abruptly stopped, their expressions paling.

"It happened faster than I thought," Nox mumbled.

"Should we go back and help?" someone asked.

"No!" Nox's answer was immediate. "They made their choice, and now they'll have to pay for it. Come, let's go."

The group hesitated, but eventually resumed moving, trying to ignore the cries of their classmates.

Bridget especially felt the urge to return, but she knew that going back could potentially risk the lives of the students here.

Besides, the moment they agreed to stay back, she had stopped considering them as her students.

They were now on their own.

Still, she felt… a tight knot in her chest, a mix of guilt and helplessness she couldn't shake off, even as her feet kept moving.

Sensing how curious everyone was to know if the others were still alive, Nox decided to do something.

"Blazy, come out!" he called as a blue portal split open. From within, the ember hawk emerged.

He quickly ordered the hawk to check on the situation, and it flew backward immediately.

The flaming elemental hawk returned to its master's shoulder after a while.

Nox closed his eyes for a second as he received the feedback.

"...They're all dead."

Gasps erupted among the group.

"Already?!"

"No way..."

Even Bridget frowned. "That fast?"

Nox didn't respond.

He opened his eyes, calm as ever.

"Like I said, they only suffered the consequences of their actions. Now I'd appreciate it if everyone focused on escaping."

Nyx bit her lip. Even if she didn't like some of the students who stayed behind, it didn't mean it didn't sting.

But there was no time to mourn.

"Let's move," Nox said, picking up the pace.

'Well, no need to tell them that one of them is alive,' he inwardly smirked.

"The demons will comb the passage and realize which direction we escaped. We need to exit this building within five minutes."

Bridget nodded. "I'll cover the rear."

"What happens after that?"

"How do we get off the island?"

"That's for me to worry about!" Nox shouted back.

Suddenly, as they finally exited the building—

CLINK—CLINK—CLINK.

The sound of chains dragging on the ground echoed ahead.

Everyone froze and looked forward.

A tall figure stepped out.

A demon.

But not just any demon.

Its body was stitched from multiple corpses—its head that of a goat, its arms mismatched: one massive like an ogre, the other skeletal and twitching.

Worse, it wore a priest's robe—twisted and blood-soaked.

"A priest-class demon..." Bridget muttered, finding that very strange.

[Lv. 93 – Stitcher Apostle]

"Praise be to the flesh..." the demon growled, licking its lips as it spotted them. "Ahhh~ fresh ones. The crawling meat that still breathes. So much better than leftovers."

At that moment, two male figures also appeared. These ones wore cloaks with the symbol of the Burning Rose on them.

It was the other end of the Flaming Rose.

Nox noticed they didn't attack the demonic priest beside them, nor did the latter attack them—making him realize that what Bridget had said was really true.

The Order of the Flaming Rose and the demons were allies.

A few students shivered uncontrollably when their eyes fell on the Burning Rose members. Their last encounter with that wicked organization was still fresh in their minds.

"Looks like we found some strays," one of them chuckled, spinning a flaming spear in his hand.

"We're so close to the gate too," another grinned. "Guess they're trying to run."

Suddenly, one of the members of the Flaming Rose pointed at Nox and said, "You there! Were you the one who killed Vom?"

"Yes," Nox replied calmly as he slowly advanced. "And you two will be next."

"Hahahaha, this must be the funniest thing I've heard this week!"

"Brother, do me the honor of kil—"

FLASH!

The second member of the Flaming Rose wasn't able to finish his words before his world turned upside down. Even in death, the shock was vivid.

With blood dripping off his blade, Nox calmly approached the demonic priest and the last man.

"I don't have time for this," he said. "If you want to be a stumbling block, then I'll just have to crush you all."