The three-headed bird was massive.
Its body length easily exceeded twenty meters.
When it spread its wings, they blotted out the sun.
It was an absolute behemoth.
As it dived from the sky, it resembled a crashing fighter jet, stirring up a violent gale. It hadn't even reached the ground, yet the oppressive aura it exuded was already overwhelming.
"A beast! It's a flying beast!!" someone screamed.
That single scream triggered a chain reaction, instantly plunging the entire highway into chaos.
"The beast is coming! Run, hurry!!"
"Help! Someone help me!"
"Honey! Wait! Don't leave me and the baby behind!"
The road erupted into a cacophony of screams, cries for help, and panicked wails.
People ran blindly in all directions. Within moments, a stampede broke out, followed by waves of agonizing screams.
It only took a blink for the highway to descend into pure disorder.
This was the first time Vincent Fox had seen a beast like this.
Just the creature's sheer size shocked him.
It was clear at a glance that this wasn't something easy to take down.
No wonder beasts like these posed such a threat to humanity, forcing humans to construct fortified walls just to survive.
If every beast was this monstrous, then yeah, it made sense why they were so terrifying.
In fact, calling it a "beast" felt inaccurate, it was more like a monster.
Vincent turned his head and saw that everyone around him, including Ben Carter and the others, was pale with fear.
Even Autumn Summer had lost all color in her face.
"Move!" Vincent barked, snapping his companions back to their senses as he prepared to intercept the beast.
However, someone moved faster than he did.
Zoe Harper rose into the air, her entire body wrapped in a green psychic aura. She hovered off the ground, suspended mid-air.
Clearly, she was unleashing her full spiritual power, activating her psychokinesis.
"Haahhh!!"
With a sharp cry, she thrust both hands forward.
The diving three-headed bird suddenly halted in midair.
But only for a moment.
The creature was simply too massive at least several dozen tons in weight. Zoe's current strength wasn't enough to fully control something of that size.
"Skreee!!"
The beast let out a strange screech, flapping its wings violently and breaking free of her psychic grip, diving again at the crowd.
"Gah!"
Zoe spat out a mouthful of blood and plummeted from the sky.
She had overextended her powers and was now suffering severe backlash.
Her face went pale as paper. She couldn't even maintain her floating ability anymore.
Just as she was about to hit the ground, a figure dashed forward and caught her mid-fall.
It was Vincent!
As Zoe regained her senses, she realized she was being held in a strong, warm embrace, her cheek resting against a solid chest.
Her cheeks flushed, but before she could even say thank you, Vincent passed her to Autumn and shouted, "Take her! Get out of here, now!"
The moment he finished, Vincent raised both hands.
Fwoosh!
Crimson flames burst to life.
Then.
He punched out, rapid-fire, unleashing five or six consecutive fire-infused strikes.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
His punches flew through the air like a barrage of bullets, smashing into the three-headed bird.
Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions erupted, fire shooting sky-high.
Under the relentless blaze, the bird was finally forced to stop its descent. Its wings flapped powerfully, sending it reeling backward.
As the flames died down, the monster looked ragged.
Much of its plumage had been scorched off, its body charred black in places.
Of course…
It only looked injured.
In reality, the damage was minimal. The bird had only suffered superficial wounds and was still more than capable of fighting.
Now, all six of its vicious eyes were locked on Vincent.
He had clearly enraged it.
But instead of panicking, Vincent actually smiled and gave the creature a taunting wave.
Then he turned and bolted toward the wilderness on the right.
"SKREEEEEE!!!"
The monster shrieked and took off after him with thunderous flaps of its wings.
Anyone with a brain could tell Vincent had deliberately drawn the monster away to protect the others!
As both Vincent and the three-headed bird vanished from view, everyone finally snapped out of their shock.
"Vincent… he…"
Zoe's voice was trembling. Her expression was one of disbelief.
She hadn't expected Vincent to make such a sacrifice for the sake of everyone else.
Could he survive after luring the monster away?
To be honest, Zoe didn't think so.
Facing something that terrifying… there was only despair.
The other students from Regal Academy remained silent.
Before, they had been bitter about losing the championship to Vincent.
But now? That resentment was gone.
When the beast attacked, all of them froze in fear.
It was Vincent who stepped up who caught Zoe, fought the monster, and risked his life to draw it away so they could escape.
That kind of courage…
That kind of selflessness…
Who could compare?
Regal Academy losing to him? They no longer felt the slightest indignation.
"That young man just now…"
"He lured the beast away. He gave us the chance to escape."
"He saved our lives!"
"He's just a student, right?"
"Yeah. This year's national freshman champion. He's amazing!"
"We all owe him our lives…"
Among the crowd were many ordinary citizens who hadn't been able to flee in time.
Now, as they realized the monster was gone, they were overwhelmed with both relief and guilt.
Anyone with half a conscience could see it.
If not for Vincent's actions, they'd all be dead.
To them, there was no way Vincent could survive the encounter.
"He… What was his name?"
A middle-aged man spoke up, his voice filled with gratitude. "He saved my whole family. I want my son to remember that name for the rest of his life."
"I want to know his name too…"
"Will he make it back alive?"
"I remember he was the national champion, but I forgot his name…"
Voices rose one after another.
Zoe took a deep breath and shouted, "His name is Vincent Fox! He's a freshman from Martial Saint Academy and this year's national champion! A champion in every sense of the word!"
"Please, remember his name. Don't forget what he's done for us!"
Many eyes turned red with emotion.
Of course, there were also a few selfish people trying to slip away quietly.
But Autumn Summer stepped forward and shouted, "That flying beast could return at any moment! Everyone, leave now! Don't waste the chance Vincent bought us!"
That snapped the crowd back to reality.
"She's right, let's go!"
"We can't let him die in vain!"
"Move! Everyone, go!"
Meanwhile…
Vincent was racing across the open wilderness like a streak of lightning.
The bird, though fast, couldn't close the distance right away and screeched in frustration.
But just then…
Vincent suddenly stopped on a flat plain.
He turned to glance behind him.
The highway was now barely a dot on the horizon.
Rolling his wrists, he muttered, "That should be far enough. If I go all out now, no one should be able to see."
Then he looked up at the oncoming monster, his expression calm.
"This ugly bird looks pretty tough… Perfect. Let's see just how strong I've become."
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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