Chapter 296: Who is the Culprit?

"Gruh"

"Kahg"

"Roar!"

Everything began to shake.

The mountains, the trees, the ice land, the frozen lakes.

Everything.

Tens of thousands of beasts descended down the mountain. With each of their steps, the ground shook and ice crackled.

"Roar!"

The high mountains soon crumbled and were reduced to rubble, sending tremors throughout the region.

Ashtarh, Tiama and Maissa were on the run as they tried to escape the devastating impact of the beast tide.

Yet, the beasts filled everything their eyes can see.

"I can fly, should I take you…" Tiama shut up midway as he saw the beasts that blanketed the sky.

Ashtarh kept his cool and said. "We'll just need to not stand in their way."

But what was their way?

Literally everywhere their eyes can see!

Even then, Ashtarh looked at them and said. "It's not life threatening. Most of the beasts are weaker than us. But if we're caught in the tide, it's another story."

He said and ran outwards.

Ashtarh's speed was very fast, but the beasts standing in his way slowed him down.

Even then, he avoided all the beasts he could and rushed out.

But there were some beasts, particularly those of level 6 that tried to attack him in frenzy.

His two scimitars reaped their lives and cleared the way.

Tiama and Maissa followed his lead and rushed out of the beast tide.

They ran across the beast tide's direction.

Injuries were common.

As they passed through thousands of beasts, despite trying their best, they had to face many attacks.

There weren't many peak level 6s, but there were plenty enough.

As such, by the time trio escaped the beast tide, they accumulated a lot of minor, but significant injuries.

"Roar!"

"Kruaah!"

"Duh! Dugh!"

Some of the beasts at the edges of the beast side saw their injuries and rushed towards them.

"Die!" Maissa clenched her fists and the beast were crushed into pastes of meat and bone.

Sweat rolled down her forehead as she panted heavily from the exertion.

Ashtarh bent down and held his knees as he heavily breathed in.

Tiama just laid on the ground and pretended to be dead.

After a few minutes, the beast tide's intensity reduced in their region and Maissa asked.

"How?"

Ashtarh recalled the flash of golden light on a mountain and narrowed his eyes. This beast tide was definitely provoked by one of the teams.

This team knew that Helia's team was here and also that they were chasing after them.

So, they planned this.

Who else could it be?

"Sarah's team should have used some explosives and provoked the beasts." Ashtarh exhaled and said.

"I acknowledged her strength. But I overlooked her tactics. I didn't know she was this…shrewd." He said as he looked at his own injuries and his teammates' injuries.

"She should know that we won't go down with a beast tide." Tiama sat up and growled. "We're stronger than that."

"Of course. But she never expected to eliminate us." Ashtarh said slowly. "It is…to weaken us."

Maissa and Tiama fell silent.

Whether they admitted it or not, their strength had dropped. They already took the healing potion, but they weren't going to recover to their peak anytime soon.

They could barely exert peak level 6 power now.

A depressing atmosphere filled the air.

Suddenly, Maissa's eyes lit up and she said. "Now, Charles and Xavier teams fight, Xavier team will also weaken. Sarah's team is the weakest. So, we'll all be even."

Ashtarh rubbed his chin in thought but didn't comment on her words.

"Let's go to the laden burrows. I guess Sarah's team is already on the way, eh. We'll settle our scores there."

Soon, the three exited the Ice Region and entered the laden burrows.

*** *** **** *** *** ****

"Bastards!" Sarah cursed under her breath as she looked at the thousands of beasts in the distance.

Thankfully, they were some distance away from the mountains when this happened and were able to barely escape.

The team suffered only light injuries and came out relatively unscathed.

But still, Sarah's face was cold.

"An explosion, huh. Which bastard did this?" As a level 6 Enhanced, she remembered the rumbling sound of explosion.

If she was not wrong, it was a thunder type explosive.

The obvious answer would be Ashtarh Team.

But Sarah denied that without hesitation. With his personalty, Ashtarh wouldn't do that.

Especially to her team, which was weaker than his.

"All our messengers in the region are done for." William said with a bitter expression.

"Sarah, if it's not Ashtarh, then who is it? They need to get the thunder explosives, place it here." Philia frowned and said.

"Thankfully, they miscalculated the time. We got the flag early on. And we weren't even close to the mountain during the explosion.

But if…" She paused.

If they were close to the mountain, they'd heavily injured. And if they were unlucky and got besieged by dozens of peak level 6 beasts, then there's a risk of elimination.

"Xavier…damn it!" Sarah clenched her fist. "He is the one who can do this. He will work with you and also against you."

"Let's go to the laden burrows. We'll settle the score there." She said and soon, the trio left the Ice Region.

*** *** ****

"Huh? A beast tide?" Xavier Bell rubbed his temples and said.

Marcus stood in the distance as he closed his eyes and recuperated. The attack in the core region took a heavy toll on him.

So, he didn't respond to Xavier's words.

But Rodey checked his comm and exclaimed. "Who did it?"

"Our messengers were all eliminated. But they saw Ashtarh enter the Ice region. My guess is Helia."

Rodey frowned and he said. "That's disgu—"

"Brilliant." Xavier cut him off.

"Pardon?"

Xavier raised a brow. "Brilliant. Helia was somehow able to provoke the beasts…without being present there. So, I guess she used explosives or sacrificed messengers. Excellent, I must say."

"…" Rodey stayed silent.

Xavier shrugged. "Perhaps you look down on her. But from the start, this was never a fair fight. Everyone has to do their best to win."

His eyes glittered as he said. "We need to be careful of this woman."

He didn't know…Helia was long eliminated.