18 High-end Skill: Domain

Of course, the only one alive who knew about that fact was Heretic Saint. He didn't inform anyone else about it too as he didn't feel any need to do so. There was no need for others to learn something so confidential.

Something that could serve as his very weakness.

So, putting that matter at the back of his head, Heretic Saint shifted his gaze at the Tikbalang standing nearby. He walked towards the beast as he spoke, ''The brats would probably take some time to come back. Let's head out first and greet those Magic Knights.''

''What? Are you talking about those bastards from earlier who were hunting me down?'' Tikbalang refuted as he was taken aback by what he heard.

''What's so concerning about it?'' Heretic Saint responded with a nonchalant smile. He suddenly disappeared from where he was, only to reappear riding on the shoulders of the Tikbalang, ''Stop complaining, Horsey. Just hurry up and get moving.''

As he was speaking, Heretic Saint pointed his forefinger outside the tree cave.

''You...'' Tikbalang found his veins popping out of his head. But he couldn't refuse since he was nothing but a mere slave and the other party was his Master. He could only obey him even if he didn't want to.

Helpless, Tikbalang finally decided to make a move. He produced a screeching ear-piercing neigh as he scratched his foot thrice on the ground. His eyes were sharp and fierce. And after the third time he scratched his foot on the ground, his movement came to a momentary halt before he raised his foot from the ground to take a step forward.

But when his foot finally landed on the ground, Tikbalang, as well as Heretic Saint who was riding on top of his shoulders, suddenly disappeared with a swoosh, leaving only a single footmark of a horse behind.

They moved so fast that it only took them a few seconds for them to reach their destination.

***

A few moments ago...

The three Crimson Knights of Maharlika Kingdom, Cassandra, Jimbal, and Santiago were moving swiftly into the forest they called White Wilderness. It was a place where every leaf of plants and trees out there could turn white when the moon shone at its fullness.

In any case, with Cassandra in the lead, they headed back to the capital city of Maharlika Kingdom to report the news of their mission.

The failure of their mission.

There was nothing they could do about it since they couldn't catch the mythical beast, Tikbalang. They couldn't even find the very beast itself after almost a year of searching in the White Wilderness. So, how were they supposed to catch it?

That being said, they decided to head back home and consider their mission a failure. Even if they wanted to stay, there was nothing else they could do since they had already run out of time.

After all, the 5v5 Tournament Championship held by the Supreme Government was soon to start. It was a must for them to join the competition for them to uphold the prestige of their Maharlika Kingdom and the entire continent.

They were the chosen representative of their Maharlika Kingdom, the capital of the Maharlika Continent.

So, they must hurry back, or else, they would receive severe punishments from the King.

With their current speed of 300km per hour, they would reach their destination within 2 to 3 days. That was if there was no obstruction along the way.

They could go faster than that and reach their destination within a day. But then, they needed to conserve their strength in case some incidents happened along the way.

But then again, who would dare to get on their way? They were one of the strongest in the whole continent. Someone wouldn't recklessly dare to obstruct them just because they were bored.

Everything was going smoothly when suddenly...

SWOOSH!

To their surprise, an unknown individual suddenly appeared many meters away ahead of them, actually blocking their way. They frowned and narrowed their eyes as the sudden appearance of such an unknown individual immediately made them wary and cautious.

For that individual to appear so suddenly, that individual must be not so simple. An unforeseen incident that they had already thought of in advance.

Cassandra and the other two reacted fast as they immediately came to a sudden halt. But when they got a better look at that individual, they couldn't help but have their eyes widened.

That beast... Wasn't that the mythical beast they were searching for all this while?

The Tikbalang in the flesh!

The three of them immediately went exceedingly serious. Silence engulfed the area. They didn't need to talk with each other in order to know what move they needed to do next. All three of them subconsciously thought to subdue and catch the mythical beast with their full power as this might be their only chance to do so.

But why would that beast suddenly appear now of all times and places when they had already given up looking for it?

That matter was suspicious. But they subconsciously put it at the back of their heads.

Only one thought remained in their mind. That was to catch that beast right here, right now, before it ran away again.

Time Domain!

Space Domain!

Gravity Domain!

At perfectly the same time, the three of them finally unleashed their domains, a surprisingly high-end skill that could only be used by those individuals who gained full control and understanding of their awakened ability. Such a skill transformed their surroundings into a separate space where they could be the very ruler of that very space. Their powers were enhanced greatly, and almost no one would be able to defeat them in their own domain.

With that, the Tikbalang, no matter how fast it was, would be suppressed greatly. The time domain would decelerate its movement, while the gravity domain would make its body heavy and light alternately, hindering its movement all the more and distorting its balance. On the other hand, the space domain would trap it inside like a bird trapped in a cage.

With these combined domains, the Tikbalang was more or less, already a dead rat.

''Woah! Hold on! Hold on! Why are you three getting so excited?''

Cassandra and the other two were just about to make their next move when a voice suddenly rang out across the area. That voice was free from all worries and fear, something strange and really annoying.

They narrowed their eyes and focused their gazes on the beast that was still unmoving.

Only to find someone coming out from behind the beast.

An ordinary-looking middle-aged man was his appearance. He only wore shorts, slippers, and dirty-looking ragged clothes. No matter how one would look at him, he only appeared like a beggar.

But an annoying smile could be seen freely on his face, making it seem like he was insane.

However, that man, as ordinary as he seemed, was someone they couldn't help but be wary of. After all, he could move freely in their combined domains, as if he wasn't affected at all by it.

Just what the hell was wrong with this guy? Who the hell was he? How was he able to move like that when he was inside their domains?