Both the captain of the Shaman Squad and the captain of the Immortal Trainees Squad stood side by side, watching the Yeti.
They were enjoying the fight, but worry was clear on their faces.
Captain Shaman spoke with a serious look:
"This monster is really tough... what kind of healing ability does it have?"
The captain of the Immortal Trainees Squad replied:
"We have to kill it quickly. If it keeps healing like this, we're the ones who'll get exhausted!"
The Immortal Trainees' captain thought to himself:
"If this monster keeps going like this, all my efforts to destroy his research peak will go to waste."
Although Captain Shaman had stopped me in the beginning, the Yeti's endless regeneration eventually made him mock me and stop caring about what I did.
Captain Shaman glanced at both squads and saw that they had recovered somewhat, but still kept them from fighting.
Then he turned his gaze back to the monster and spoke to his system:
"Familiar User — Chosen Beast: Evolved Panther!"
The system responded:
[Executing command...]
[Familiar User activated — Transformation into Evolved Panther form complete.]
A surge of power filled Captain Shaman's body, and he transformed into the Evolved Panther.
In an instant, he dashed forward with blinding speed — the speed of a panther with human endurance — and appeared behind the Yeti.
He locked its neck with his legs, tightening his grip.
Then he commanded:
"Return to Evolved Bear form."
The system replied:
[Executing command...]
[Familiar User activated — Returning to Evolved Bear form.]
His body transformed again, this time into the Evolved Bear.
With all his might, he slammed his fists into the Yeti's head, choking it with his legs as he struck.
The Yeti roared in rage, dizzy but still frantically using its healing ability.
It tried to hurl itself backward into the mountain wall to crush Captain Shaman, but the captain held firm and kept pummeling its head.
The Yeti's brain began to suffer damage, slowing its regeneration.
Frustrated, it started striking Captain Shaman recklessly, unconcerned about its own safety.
Captain Shaman was hit several times, but thanks to the Evolved Bear's endurance, he continued to crush the Yeti's skull with relentless blows.
Seeing this, the Immortal Trainees' captain said to his system:
"Immortal Martial Arts... Shadow Steps, Third Step!"
The system responded:
[Executing command...]
[Immortal Martial Arts activated — Shadow Steps, Third Step.]
[Support and enhancements remain active. Safe Mode still engaged to prevent risks.]
He vanished, reappearing right in front of the Yeti, and quickly commanded:
"Immortal Martial Arts... Celestial Sword Art, Second Step!"
The system replied:
[Executing command...]
[Immortal Martial Arts activated — Celestial Sword Art, Second Step.]
His sword shone brilliantly, and he plunged it deep into the Yeti's heart, leaving no room for survival.
Just then, an urgent message reached them.
The two captains exchanged glances, then left the battlefield swiftly, using their abilities, leaving the Yeti behind.
The Yeti stumbled into the wall, disoriented by the sudden disappearance of its enemies.
But unfortunately...
A bullet shot through its last eye, blinding it completely.
Though not strong enough to kill it, the pain was unbearable.
The Yeti tried desperately to heal itself, until another shot came — this time faster, sharper, and deadlier — piercing straight through its brain.
The Yeti froze, terror flooding its face, then collapsed lifelessly... having defended its homeland to the very end.
Silence and tension filled the battlefield.
Then the two captains — Shaman and the Immortal Trainees' — appeared beside the corpse.
They were the ones who had dominated the battle from start to finish, giving the Yeti no chance to unleash its full strength.
Both the first and second squads were stunned.
The first squad's leader said:
"So this is the power of world-ranked squads... and the power of Heirs of the Ancient Hakka Users. I still have a long way to go before I can be ranked like them."
The second squad's leader scoffed, sighing:
"Don't forget, there are also normal Hakka Users in the rankings, not just the Heirs. We just graduated — we don't have their experience, gear, or resources.
So don't lose hope. At least no one died today, or that mark would've shown up on our record, and we would've paid a heavy price."
The first squad's leader nodded:
"You're right. What matters is that we're alive and can all go home."
The bow users from both squads were overjoyed.
One of them said to the other:
"Am I dreaming? We just witnessed real snipers take down a target in front of us!"
The second squad's archer replied:
"When will we get our sniper licenses and become professionals?"
The first squad's archer sighed:
"I don't know, but I'll try. Also... who fired that first shot? It was good, but it felt like a beginner's work. Did they just get licensed recently?"
The second squad's archer said:
"Maybe. Even if they're a beginner, they're still stronger than us bow users. But I do know who fired the second shot."
The first squad's archer beamed with excitement and shouted:
"I know too! I'm one of his biggest fans!"
Both archers yelled together:
"I can't believe we just saw the famous American Sniper! He's one of the top three snipers in America — and one of the best in the world!"
The first squad's archer said dreamily:
"I don't want to wake up from this dream... and he clearly wasn't using his full power. He even controlled the bullet's strength."
The second squad's archer replied:
"Exactly. That just shows how skilled and talented he is. We're so lucky... I wonder how powerful the world's top five snipers must be."
The hidden snipers revealed themselves from their concealed nests and regrouped with their captain before resting.
Suddenly, the battlefield was filled with aircraft and vehicles.
A man descended gracefully, his presence radiating overwhelming power — even stronger than Captain Shaman and the Immortal Trainees' captain combined.
He scanned the squads, confirming that everyone was present, then examined the Yeti's corpse.
Without looking at them, he spoke to the captains:
"Good thing no one died. You know the consequences if anyone had, right?"
The Immortal Trainees' captain tensed up, thinking:
"Why is Rank 15 — one of the world's top twenty ranked powerhouses — here?!
He's also the leader of one of the Alliance's Investigator Squads... and a Mujahideen as well!"
Captain Shaman replied nervously:
"Of course we know the rules of the Alliance and the Al Adl organization, Investigator.
And you must know this monster was an official mission from the Shaman branch."
The investigator responded:
"Don't worry. We'll conduct our research and study how this monster evolved, then send it to the Shaman branch."
Captain Shaman smiled in relief:
"Thank you, Investigator."
The investigator nodded, then ordered the Alliance team and the transport company:
"Move the monster. Take the injured. And retrieve every piece of data from this AI Orb."
Everyone obeyed and began their tasks.
---
Elsewhere — in the world of Seris
Amid a frozen yet civilized land, inside a majestic palace, a messenger rushed to the king and cried:
"My lord, one of the princes has been killed!"
The king appeared, resembling the fallen Yeti but much larger, more majestic, and far more powerful.
He spoke coldly:
"What of it? Many princes die. Why should this matter?"
The messenger, voice trembling, replied:
"This was no ordinary prince... He was of the noblest lineage — the Earth Lineage — and he was also your brother, my king!"
The hall fell into an ominous silence.
The air grew heavy with a suffocating aura.
Fury twisted the king's face as he glared at the messenger with merciless, icy eyes.
---
Next Stop:
The Council of Races and Middle Lineages in of World Series.
----
"I'm back with a new chapter! What do you think of it? We've returned to the world of Series. What do you think will happen in this world? And what challenges will the hero of the novel face like this?"