The atmosphere in the forest had shifted.
The roar of the Titan Stone Ape still echoed faintly in the background, like a drumbeat from the heart of the earth. The trees swayed slightly despite the absence of wind, as if the forest itself trembled in anticipation. Within a temporary camp lit by faint soul lamps, the Shrek group gathered, expressions tight with both excitement and tension.
Zhao Wuji stood with his arms crossed, flanked by the aged but formidable Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang. All three had fought countless battles, yet even they looked uneasy.
"I will not interfere in this next hunt," Zhao Wuji announced calmly, though his deep voice held a hint of steel. "It's their trial."
Meng Shu nodded in agreement. "Yiran, you'll join the students this time."
Meng Yiran looked up sharply. "Me?"
"Yes," Chao Tianxiang added. "Rongrong will need your coordination. And you've seen the way they fight. This is a good chance to learn and contribute."
Meng Yiran's eyes flickered toward Li Wei, who stood quietly at the edge of the group, adjusting his belt where the Diendriver rested.
"I understand," she said softly.
Li Wei glanced toward the others. Zhu Zhuqing was stretching silently, her body exuding quiet focus after the absorption of her third spirit ring. Xiao Wu twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, her demeanor relaxed—but her eyes were sharp. Ning Rongrong, by contrast, seemed uncharacteristically tense.
"Rongrong," Li Wei said, approaching her. "You alright?"
She looked up, biting her lip. "A Titan Stone Ape? What we are trying to that's… insane."
"Not if it's young and alone," he said. "This is your moment. Your spirit is the most valuable in a team. With this spirit ring, you'll finally have something that lets you act on your own, not just support from the backline. You can even stand on the front line to support us."
She hesitated, then nodded.
The group set out under the shadowed canopy, Meng Yiran walking beside Zhu Zhuqing while Li Wei led from the front. He held a silver Rider card between his fingers, just in case.
As they traveled, Meng Yiran broke the silence. "So… how do you plan to fight something like that? Even a young Titan Stone Ape is stronger than most thousand-year beasts."
"We don't fight it head-on," Li Wei replied. "We isolate it, break its balance, and support Rongrong to land the finishing mark."
"You're trusting me to do that?" Rongrong asked quietly.
"Yes," he said simply. "And we'll help you every step of the way."
---
It didn't take long to find it.
The young Titan Stone Ape was easily the size of a carriage, its granite-like skin glowing faintly with golden veins. It moved with unnatural silence through the dense forest, yet each step left deep impressions in the earth. Trees swayed under its casual movements.
"It's over there," Zhu Zhuqing whispered from her vantage point in the canopy. "It's resting. No sign of a pack."
Li Wei tapped the Diendriver.
[KamenRide: Riotrooper!]
A brown-armored soldier appeared, saluting before crouching down. "Go," Li Wei whispered. The summoned Rider moved forward through the underbrush like a phantom, making noise on purpose—drawing the beast's attention.
The Titan Stone Ape growled and turned.
As expected, it charged after the decoy.
"Now!" Li Wei barked.
The team burst into action.
Zhu Zhuqing blurred from the treeline, landing a precise kick to the back of the beast's knee joint. Meng Yiran whipped her snake staff forward, sending serpent cane with it's blade open to entangle the ape's feet just long enough for Xiao Wu to launch into the air.
"Waist Bow!"
Her teleport ability triggered mid-leap, and she appeared above the beast, striking its shoulder and spinning away before the monster could retaliate.
The ape roared, smashing both fists into the ground. The shockwave split nearby trees and knocked Xiao Wu off balance. The Riotrooper collapsed in fragments.
"Li Wei!" Zhu Zhuqing called.
[KamenRide: IXA!]
A glowing knight in silver and blue armor appeared, raising the Ixa Calibur in the gun mode and blasting radiant bullet at the ape's eyes. The Titan Stone Ape reeled.
Now.
Li Wei inserted another card.
[BuffRide: Build.]
The card shot from the Diendriver and struck Ning Rongrong, bathing her in twin-colored light.
"You've got increased resistance and spirit compatibility," Li Wei said. "This ring is yours!"
Ning Rongrong stepped forward, heart thundering. The ape noticed her and roared.
She planted her feet.
"Second Amplification—Agility!" she called. A pulse of light washed over her team.
Then—
"First Amplification—Strength!"
Everyone's power surged again.
"Now, finish it!" she cried.
Zhu Zhuqing leapt, summoning two of her Phantom Civet clones mid-air. They struck with mirrored attacks while Xiao Wu teleported in from behind. Meng Yiran lured the beast's arm away with a feint, her serpents cane blade stick into the beast leg trying to pull it.
And then—
IXA raised his weapon and triggered his finisher. Ixa inserting the Calibur Fuestle into the Ixa Belt and pressing the Ixa Knuckle, Ixa then use the Ixa Calibur to perform a powerful slash. When performing this Ixa Judgement, a vision of the sun appears behind Ixa.
"IXA Judgement!"
A beam of pure light burst from the Ixa Calibur slashing into the Titan Stone Ape's chest. It staggered and dropped to one knee.
Zhu Zhuqing's clone landed a final blow to make it loss it abilities to fight.
The beast collapsed.
The clearing fell into silence once more.
Ning Rongrong approached slowly and end it life with a knife. A glowing purple ring floated above the beast's body. It pulsed with power, heavier than any she had ever felt.
"You're sure?" she asked softly.
"Yes," Li Wei said, walking beside her. "It suits you."
"But… it's not a support-type beast."
"That's exactly why you need it. Break the limits of your role."
She nodded, steeling her heart.
Sitting cross-legged, she reached out.
The ring descended.
---
Time passed.
Everyone stood in a protective circle. Meng Yiran held her position with surprising discipline, keeping watch alongside Zhu Zhuqing.
At the center, Ning Rongrong's body trembled as she absorbed the immense energy of the Titan Stone Ape.
Her pagoda spirit flickered, gold and jade lights spinning rapidly. Her hands shook. Sweat rolled down her cheeks. But she didn't scream. She didn't falter.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity—
A thunderclap echoed.
She opened her eyes.
Brilliant light radiated from the pagoda.
Li Wei immediately scanned her aura. "She did it…"
Zhao Wuji's distant voice reached them through the trees. "Looks like the little princess just became more than a support."
Ning Rongrong stood slowly.
"I can feel it," she whispered. "A new ability. A shield. Made from the Titan's power. A defensive burst that protects allies and reflects some physical damage. It scales with the number of amplifications I've used."
"It's called Treasure Earth Barrier," Rongrong said, her voice trembling with awe. "It creates a shield that absorbs 90% of physical damage… and reflects 50% of it back as seismic shockwaves. The more teammates I have around me, the stronger the shield becomes."
Li Wei smiled. "Congratulations. You're no longer just a supporter. You're our backbone."
Meng Yiran nodded silently beside her.
The forest grew quiet again.
The students had won their battle.
And Ning Rongrong had taken her first step toward becoming a true battlefield commander. "The old me would've waited behind the others," she thought. "Not this time."