The air cracked.
Inside the observation chamber, alarms blared across all screens.
"Warning! Warning! High-level Veyrith detected in the arena!"Red glyphs flashed across the holographic panels as instructors scrambled.
"Sir, we need to extract the students now!" one instructor shouted.
The overseas commander, Fraund, clenched his jaw. "No. Not yet. Let's see what they're made of."
On the battlefield, chaos erupted.
The evolved Veyrith burst forward like a meteor, its crystalline limbs ripping into the stone terrain. Every step sent tremors through the ground. Its roar tore through the sky, silencing every other noise on the field.
This wasn't just a creature. It was a calamity.
Laziel darted past the monster's face on his hoverboard, sharp mana lenses glowing around his wrists.
"I've got its attention! Move!" he shouted.
Kael and Reks didn't need to be told twice.
Kael's mana flared—pure Omnimana, like burning glass weaving into his bloodstream, awakening his instincts.Reks followed, triple-mana surging like magma through his veins.
They struck in tandem—Kael's blade slicing through the creature's side, Reks smashing into its lower ribs with a volcanic punch.
The impact staggered it—but it wasn't enough.
With a furious screech, the Veyrith pivoted, its rage redirected. Its molten eyes locked onto them.
"It's coming your way!" Laziel shouted.
The monster grabbed a massive boulder and hurled it like a cannonball. Kael and Reks barely had time to respond.
They raised earth barriers. Not enough.
The boulder exploded into shards. Kael hit the ground, coat torn, ribs stinging—but alive.Reks rolled to the side, blood trickling from his brow. He stood, panting, refusing to fall.
Laziel swooped down. "You two good?"
Kael nodded once.
"I'm still standing," Reks said, cracking his neck. "But we're gonna need more than punches now."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "It's injured. We need to wear it down—before it fully evolves."
Reks pointed, grim. "Too late. It's already there. But… that injury we left—it's not healing. We can use that."
Kael turned to Laziel. "If you hit that wound with a fully charged lightning strike… could you bring it to its knees?"
"I'll need time," Laziel said, mana circuits whirring around his gauntlets.
"We'll get it for you," Reks said, smirking through the pain. "Right, Kael?"
Kael's answer was simple. "Go."
Laziel soared into the sky, gathering mana as stormlight coiled around him.
The Veyrith roared again, louder, more volatile.
Kael's grip tightened around his sword. "Let's dance."
They struck.
Flashes of steel, fire, and earth lit up the terrain as they exchanged furious blows with the monster. Despite its injury, the Veyrith retaliated with terrifying strength.
It raised its jagged arm and swung—too fast.
"Kael—!" Reks dove in, shoving him aside.
Kael tumbled free—but Reks took the hit full-on, crashing into a half-crumbled structure with a deafening crunch.
"Reks!" Kael shouted.
"I'm ready! MOVE!" Laziel's voice cut through the chaos.
Kael leapt back—not retreating, but preparing.
From the sky, Laziel unleashed his storm.
A massive bolt of lightning, infused with concentrated mana, screamed downward like judgment itself. It struck the Veyrith's wounded side.
The beast howled, collapsing to one knee, crystals shattering from its torso.
Kael didn't hesitate.
He surged forward—mana igniting from every pore, his blade gleaming with fire, wind, and shadow.
The Veyrith raised its remaining arm in defense—But a sudden quake from beneath interrupted it.
"Not today!" Reks, bloodied but defiant, drove his earth-enhanced fist into the ground. Spikes of stone erupted, knocking the beast's arm away.
The opening was perfect.
Kael launched upward—mana roaring behind him.
He slashed with all the strength and precision he had, his sword cutting through the beast's neck like divine judgment.
The Veyrith's head toppled, crashing into the ground like a fallen star.
Silence.
Ding! Your level has increased by 3.
Kael's breath caught. His vision blurred.
"If it hadn't been injured first… could we even have brought it down?" he whispered, voice trailing off as the exhaustion overtook him.
And then—
Darkness.