SSS Awakening: I Can Class Change at will

Chapter 179: Selene’s Rescue

The Black Raven spread its massive wings to their full intimidating span, casting an enormous shadow across the battlefield that swallowed Moon. More screeching cries escaped its beak as it prepared to engage.

Behind the guardian beast, the Heretic Chief’s expression transformed from concern to triumph. With their S-rank protector now active, the situation had shifted in their favor. They had expected their guardian beast to not join the fight so quickly, but it did.

“Perfect timing,” Moon said quietly, already beginning to casting one of his strongest skills—Ignite. “I was wondering when you’d finally show yourself.”

♢♢♢♢

NEIGH!

Mirage burst through the chaos at full gallop, his powerful legs striking the floor with impressive force, propelling him forward at insane speeds. His fin-like tail whipped around with incredible speed, reaching for a Heretic warrior who’d nearly struck Selene from her blind spot.

WHOOSH!

The tail sent the warrior flying backward several meters, his body rag-dolling through the air before crashing heavily against a tent support pole.

“Thank you!” Selene gasped gratefully, immediately placing the barely-conscious Yara and the severely injured Gratis onto Mirage’s broad back.

The two remaining Savi warriors were limping desperately several paces behind, helping support each other’s weight as they struggled to move. Multiple arrows protruded from their bodies, embedded in their shoulders, legs, and torsos, but through sheer determination they continued pushing forward despite the agonizing pain.

Selene pivoted to face the rapidly approaching Heretic pursuit force, already challenging her mana to cast out her spells. She rapidly conjured successive spells of pressurized water jets, earth spike eruptions, cutting wind blades, and explosive fire bursts sending them directly toward the incoming warriors.

The desperate barrage slowed the pursuit’s momentum considerably, injuring several Heretics and forcing others to dodge rather than maintain maximum speed.

After ensuring Yara and Gratis were secured on Mirage’s back, Selene turned to help the struggling warriors. One of them was barely maintaining his grip, his blood-slicked hands unable to hold onto Mirage’s mane properly due to his injuries and lack of space.

Seeing this critical problem, Selene gritted her teeth and made an immediate decision. She motioned urgently for the failing warrior to climb onto her own back for a piggyback carry.

Thankfully, despite the language barrier, signals were able to do the job as he complied without hesitation.

“GO! Mirage!” Selene commanded as they began running at maximum sustainable speed.

Mirage immediately took off, keeping Selene within reach. He knew that Selene was his rider’s companion, and he wouldn’t let her get hurt when his rider had entrusted her with him.

Behind them, angry Heretic shouts grew louder as the pursuit intensified. Arrows began whistling through the air, several embedding into the ground dangerously close to Selene’s racing feet.

Selene’s mind worked frantically while running. She formed simultaneous fire and water spells, deliberately blending them together in a collision that generated clouds of obscuring steam and mist. The thick vapor rapidly spread across their escape route, completely blocking visual tracking from the pursuing warriors.

<I can’t see them!>

<Where did they go?!>

Confused Heretic voices echoed through the artificial fog.

Selene didn’t stop her casting. While still sprinting, she conjured multiple sharp earth spikes erupting from the ground directly in the pursuers’ path, creating dangerous obstacles that forced the Heretics to slow down dramatically or risk impaling themselves.

Some of the heretics that were closest were hit by the spikes, injuring themselves due to the lack of vision.

More arrows continued flying blindly through the mist, one grazing painfully across Selene’s shoulder and drawing blood, but missing any vital areas.

“Keep going! Don’t stop!” Selene shouted to Mirage, who was galloping slightly closer.

The Heretic warriors were relentless, their enraged shouts suggesting they were closing distance again despite her delaying tactics.

Selene’s mana reserves were slowly going down, sweat poured down her face mixing with blood from minor wounds.

’We’re almost clear…just a little further.’

An arrow struck the Savi warrior on her back, embedding into his already injured leg. He grunted with pain as his grip on Selene’s shoulders tightened.

“Shsava kax.” he whispered weakly.

“I don’t know what you are saying, but hold on!” Selene cut him off fiercely.

To make more distance between them, Selene decided to try out a technique she had been working on for the past few days. The mana inside her body began to form wind, and within seconds a massive wind barrier appeared behind them.

The barrier wasn’t made to block arrows, stop attackers or defend. But it was made as a jumping pad, to propel them forward with explosive power that rivaled a jumping pad horizontally rather than vertically

WHOOSH!

The air burst launched Selene and her passenger forward like an arrow, covering a few tens of meters in seconds and buying crucial separation from the pursuit.

She hit the ground hard on her feet, barely able to keep herself standing on her feet from the force.

“GO! RUN!” Selene screamed at Mirage, who immediately took off at maximum speed into the forest with Yara, Gratis, and the other warrior secured on his back.

The heretics were quickly being left behind from the various traps and obstacles that kept injuring and delaying them.

The arrows from a far slowly began to lessen as the distance increased. These few arrows that did fly were blocked by the dense forest canopy that provided them natural cover.

After another two hundred meters of desperate running, the pursuit sounds finally began fading behind them completely.

♢♢♢♢

A single human stood defiantly amongst the presence of his enemies. Despite being completely surrounded by hostile forces from every direction, his face showed no hints of fear.

Blood covered his clothes and skin, yet none of it was his own.

Before Moon stood the massive Black Raven that had caused him considerable difficulty for the past several intense minutes. The guardian beast’s exceptional power combined with its ability to fly made it an annoying opponent to pin down and damage effectively.