Chapter 304: Scourge-class Mount

"Let me introduce myself—my name is Henry."

Kai glanced at the man walking beside him, slightly ahead, his eyes drawn to the distinct dark orange robe that made the man stand out like a flame among shadows. Every student donned black and red uniforms, regimented in design, so the orange was eye-catching.

Moreover, the robe was practical, worn at the edges, and marked by faint stains.

Stains that spoke of long hours and dirty work.

Heck, Kai could even see scratches near his neck and wrists.

Based on his voice, he didn’t seem like he was much older than Kai—late twenties or around Kai’s age at best. But there was weight to his bearing that suggested he had seen more—than most Angels, which betrayed his older age.

Kai could also feel the mana radiating from him was dense and controlled.

Not a flicker wasted.

At least an Aspirant Supernal, perhaps around grade one or two.

Henry caught Kai’s look and smiled.

"Yes—I’m not from Eventide Academy." He confessed with a snicker. "Just a keeper working in the Star Beast Rehabilitation Facility. Since you’re still considered new Angels, I don’t think you were aware of it."

As he said, the name was unfamiliar to Kai.

Other than the departments inside Eventide Academy and the AAA, he didn’t know much.

"Once you’re in the Second Sky, you’re also given a choice like you were given upon becoming an Angel. You can either choose to serve mankind by fighting Star Beasts, or play a supporting role." Henry explained—and then shrugged. "I chose the latter. Not the kind of guy who likes fighting, you know?"

"The Star Beast Rehabilitation Facility was a place where Star Beasts with characteristics of a mount or other animal workers were cut from the Blue Void and domesticated, reshaped into, as I said, mounts or animal workers.

"One of the best examples of the facility’s success was the Pegasi and Griffins that were now common across the Five Layers of Heaven. Those two started in this facility, and then bred to become the standard mounts for Angels."

Kai listened attentively as they walked.

Of course, he knew that the academy somehow domesticated the Pegasus and Griffin.

Both animals didn’t exist until the Blue Void appeared.

Just that he had only now learned about the department that domesticated them.

Both moved against the current of students who were heading to the main gate for their usual morning exercises. None of them spared Kai and Henry a confused glance—for going against the current.

It was all because of the Eventide Mantle of Lifeblood draped across his shoulders.

Unlike them, he was a Red Prince with immense freedom.

Soon enough, the two reached the southern part of the academy—stopping outside the fence of a large, rectangle-shaped building squatting against the ground like a warehouse of a factory that wasn’t currently operating.

It was utilitarian, mundane, simply built for function rather than beauty.

Kai had seen this building in passing, but never got closer.

Even before Kai and Henry stepped inside, they could already hear the Star Beasts. Screeches. Growls. And the rustle of wings along—with the scrape of sharp claws against steel and stone. Scourge-class Domesticated Star Beasts that would be Kai’s mount.

Henry rummaged through keys, trying to open the big lock.

"You brought the Star Beasts to the academy? How is that possible?"

"Got a ship right outside, so it’s nothing hard."

"Rather than going through the trouble of bringing the Star Beasts here, why don’t you bring me to where they were kept? Isn’t that way easier?"

"It’ll take two days to go there and two days back. I’m sure the academy wouldn’t let you be absent for that long. Besides, this was supposed to be a reward. It wouldn’t be a reward if we bothered you. Just think of it as a symbolic ceremony of being a full-fledged Red Prince."

"I guess..."

Eventually, Henry opened the lock and slid the heavy door aside.

He made way and gestured for Kai to enter.

Once inside, Kai stopped and sucked in a cold breath.

As expected, the interior was dim, lit only by the light from the sky above that seeped from high windows and scattered across the concrete floor in dusty beams. And there—in the very heart of the space, stood five cages.

Each one held a single Scourge-class Star Beast—their forms shifted in the half-darkness.

Among them, three were land predators with wings.

Quadrupeds with scaled hides and leathery pinions folded against their flanks, stopping them from charging out of the cage—not that they would try. Their eyes glowed faintly against the shadows, tracking Kai’s every move.

As for the other two, they were avians—sleek and sharp-beaked.

One thing that struck Kai most about the two avians was their feathers that were impossibly smooth to the eye, sleek, and also glossy. It seemed they became targets for domestication due to their comfortable characteristics.

Characteristics that made long travels, where a rougher mount would leave the rider sore.

But one among the two seemed to be inactive, crouching in the corner.

Kai stepped forward; his boots echoed softly against the concrete floor while the Star Beasts watched him with sharp eyes. He watched them back—stopping before the five cages to take in the sight better.

"I sense no corruption from them at all..." He mumbled inwardly.

Recalling the bird he fought from the Dragon Ring Tournament, the corrupted air released by a Scourge-class Star Beast was monstrous. A force that seeped past most Halos of new Angels. Even Kai, with his resistance to corruption, felt it brush against his bones.

However, none of these Star Beasts were emanating anything.

Like they were snakes that had already been defanged.

Clank—!

Just then, the leftmost Star Beast tried to charge at Kai, but it was held back with a loud, steely noise. Kai turned his gaze towards this monstrous wolf almost the size of an elephant, snarling at him menacingly.

Its red eyes glared at him and saliva dripped from its fangs.

Henry came after he turned the light on, making the Star Beasts’ forms clearer.

Slowly, Kai inspected the options before him again.

In the leftmost cage was the monstrous wolf with thick fur and coarse, curving horns.

A savage pair that crowned its skull.

Beside it paced a Griffin—larger than even the ones he had seen at Aurelian Academy. It had white plumage that shimmered faintly against the dusty grey walls. And at the center, equal in size, was a Pegasus with pale blue skin, a near-match to Bree’s mount.

Kai turned to the other side, setting his eyes on the avians.

One cage held a big owl—its pale red eyes set in feathers of mottled black, white, and grey. A mixture of colors that gave it a dirty, unkempt look. And last—pressed into the corner, utterly silent and still was a raven.

It watched him.

No hostility in its posture. No aggression. And yet the air around it trembled.

Kai’s brows furrowed, and then he realized the tremble in the air was bloodlust. So subtle he would’ve missed it entirely had he not been paying attention. He could feel it in his bones that getting closer to it would mean death.

Moreover, as it shifted in its place, he could hear a metallic scraping sound.

It was only then that he realized the trailing edge of its wings was coated with steely material.

Not feathers.

"Eventide Academy is ranked below average by the AAA, so the Red Prince was only given a White Selection. It basically meant the Scourge-class Star Beasts that were allocated are mostly below average." Henry explained as he stood beside Kai, looking at the five cages. "But don’t be too disheartened, as the differences aren’t that glaring.

"All of them can fly—and that includes the wolf. And each one carries an affinity. From left to right: earth, wind, water, wind, and darkness."

"Do you have any warning or suggestion?" Kai asked without looking.

"Of course. I dissuade you from picking the wolf and that raven. One is really aggressive, so you would need to spend time getting close to it. As for the raven, it seemed to be sick. And it is really picky and a loner."

"Picky?"

"Yeah—it didn’t like to socialize and rarely ate anything, no matter what we gave it. Better to pick either the Pegasus or the Griffin. There is a good reason why they became the standards. Reliable, versatile, and easy to bond with."

Kai nodded, taking the keeper’s suggestion to heart.

A reliable mount was essential, something that would not falter in the heat of battle and could also adapt to the situations as per the owner’s demand. But there was a complication. I don’t mind taking Henry’s suggestions, but I have to check one thing.

Failing this test meant bonding with the mount would be extremely hard to do.

So, he needed the mount to pass this test.

Kai swept his eyes across the caged beasts again—the big wolf paced restlessly behind its iron bars. The Pegasus stood tall, wings folded, while its eyes tracked his movements. The Griffin shifted its weight from claw to claw. And the owl sat hunched like a specter of the night.

And then there was the raven, watching him with an uncanny intensity.

Kai exhaled lightly through his mouth—and then inhaled deeply/

He channeled his mana.

Almost instantly, the dark mana seethed from his body, curling off his skin like smoke.

Behind his mask, the whites of his eyes flooded black.

Now, his eyeballs were pits of darkness.

It was a subtle change, but the effect was big and impactful.

All the cages shook as the Star Beasts erupted.

The wolf recoiled—its massive frame slammed against the iron bars of its cage, causing them to groan as the structure shook violently as it tried to scramble away. The Pegasus reared onto its hind legs, neighing loudly, and its wings snapped open in panic.

Beside it, the Griffin flapped its wings wildly, pupils dilating as it threw itself back.

And the owl wrapped its wings around its body tightly, shrinking into itself like it was trying to disappear, to shield itself from the world. Henry’s face went slack with disbelief, surprised by the sudden chaos.

He clicked his tongue rapidly and stepped toward the cages with his hands raised, attempting to calm the beasts like a master training soothing frightened livestock. "Easy! Easy now!" He glanced over his shoulder at Kai in total confusion. "What did you do?"

Kai didn’t answer.

Heck, he didn’t even turn to look at Henry.

Instead, his attention was fixed on the rightmost cage—the one that held the raven.

And the corners of his lips curled into a smile, not surprised by this result at all.

"Seemed like the others made it easy for me to decide."