Luna landed upon the creature's chest. The King Ape attempted to move. Then several distant cries echoed through the city.
"MWOOH!"
"MWOOH!"
"MWOOH!"
Luna glanced toward the surrounding ruins. More voices answered. Her eyes narrowed.
"Did it call for reinforcements?"
She stood upon the King Ape's chest, her nine tails moving behind her, and one by one monkeys emerged from the surrounding buildings — ten, twenty, thirty, more continuing to appear. Some climbed across the ruined towers, others moved through the streets, several stood upon nearby rooftops. Eventually Luna counted more than fifty. They surrounded the crater, every creature staring toward her, while the King Ape beneath her struggled to rise.
Luna smiled.
"Unfortunately, you chose the wrong person to surround."
Her nine tails spread outward, flames appearing at their tips. The King Ape's eyes widened as the heat reached it almost immediately.
So hot...
Luna raised one hand.
"Foxfire Domain."
The world changed. Crimson flames erupted from every tail, the fire expanding across the ruined city in one wave, then another, then another — nine enormous streams of foxfire spreading outward in every direction.
The surrounding air became unbearably hot, stone began glowing, the ground blackened, and every creature within several kilometers felt the temperature rising.
The monkeys attempted to flee, others searched for shelter, some climbed higher, others disappeared inside abandoned buildings.
It didn't matter.
The fire followed, emerging from the streets, from the ruins, from the air itself, until the entire region became a burning domain. The monkeys screamed, and one after another they collapsed.
The King Ape remained trapped beneath Luna, its jaw broken, blood covering its mouth, part of its chest crushed by the previous attacks, its enormous body visibly deformed. Luna looked down, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. She frowned.
"Perhaps ending this quickly was the correct decision."
The King Ape possessed intelligence — it might have entered a state of rage, it might have possessed a hidden ability, the creature could have become stronger if given enough time. Luna had no intention of discovering whether that was true.
More importantly, she didn't know what other monsters occupied the region, and continuing the battle would only attract unnecessary attention.
Luna inhaled. Fire gathered around one of her tails, the tail hardening, its fur covered in crimson energy, the flames growing darker, hotter.
Then her tail descended, piercing through the King Ape's abdomen.
BOOM!
Crimson fire erupted inside the creature, flames escaping through its mouth, its eyes, its wounds. The King Ape's body burned from within.
The enormous creature struggled once, then stopped moving, and within seconds its body became completely charred.
Silence returned to the ruined city. Luna stepped away as her academy bracelet produced a quiet sound.
Ding.
A holographic screen appeared.
[MIDVEST ACADEMY — FINAL SELECTION EXAMINATION]
[PHASE ONE: EXPLORATION, ENCOUNTER, AND SURVIVAL]
Candidate: Luna
Tier: Mythical Tier
Time Remaining: 20 Days, 14 Hours
Core Objectives
Exploration — Required Points: 0 / 500, Extra Points: +0
Meet Students — Required Points: 0 / 1,200, Extra Points: +0
Defeat Monsters — Required Points: 200 / 1,500, Extra Points: +100
Take Points — Required Points: 0 / 1,000, Extra Points: +0
Survive — Required Points: 0 / 800, Extra Points: +0
Required Points Acquired: 200 / 5,000
Additional Points Acquired: +100
Total Academy Points: 300
Core Objectives Completed: 0 / 5
Phase Status: In Progress
Luna stared at the interface, then smiled.
"I defeated one King Ape, and all of its unfortunate subordinates, yet I only received one hundred additional points?"
She looked toward the remains of the smaller monkeys.
"Interesting."
The academy had awarded two hundred required points for the designated King Ape, while the remaining monsters had produced only one hundred extra points combined. Luna rubbed her chin.
"I still don't understand how the academy calculates their value. Perhaps those creatures were simply too weak for me."
She shrugged — it was the most reasonable explanation. Luna took one elegant step before rising into the air, her body crossing the ruined city, and landed upon the roof of a massive building that had somehow survived the battle. From above, she examined the surrounding destruction. Several structures had collapsed, a large section of the streets had been destroyed, yet the city remained largely intact.
Luna looked toward the distant horizon.
"This area really is enormous. Our battle barely damaged this section."
Her eyes moved across the city, and only now did she notice several distant figures — students.
Some carefully explored the streets, others flew through the sky while examining the surrounding territory, several remained far away from everyone else, watching, waiting. No one had formed an obvious group, at least not yet.
"It is still early. No true teams have formed."
Luna glanced toward the building she had selected as a temporary residence, her expression thoughtful. Flying back and forth would eventually become inefficient, especially if other powerful monsters occupied the region.
She looked down at her bracelet, where several colored dots had appeared across the map, each representing a different objective. The academy had made them easy to distinguish — one color represented designated exploration areas, another indicated possible student locations, others marked objectives related to monsters.
Luna studied the map, then smiled.
"Let's start with the nearest area. It should be easier."
She turned toward the distant ruins, her nine tails moving gently behind her. Then Luna disappeared.