The grand hall of the Verdant Hollow ruins, now desecrated by the felled Millennium Willow Tree, hummed with a tension more palpable than any magical energy. Sebastian and Kael stood at the center, surrounded. The air was thick with fury, their opponents a living wall of seething animosity.
Prince Tovros Erem Darakel, his face a mask of rage, stepped forward, his Tier IV: Terrakor Elephant and Terravault Rhino pawing the ground, their forms a physical manifestation of his anger. "You two will pay for this," he snarled. "Not only for the loot, but for the disrespect of your deception."
Prince Ashmed Khazran Khurzaban, a predatory gleam in his eyes, drew his curved scimitar. His Tier IV: Scorialis Tiger and Vulkanos Giant materialized, the latter's fists glowing with contained volcanic heat. "Give back what you have taken, and we might allow you to leave with your lives," he threatened, his voice a low growl.
The Holy Theroustadt Empire's princes and princess stood as a unified front, their light-based Rune-Beasts casting long, sharp shadows. Princess Aerisyl Faelivara Elareneth, though her expression was serene, had her hand resting on the hilt of a curved Elven sword, her powerful Tier V: Nebuleth Wolf standing silently beside her, its form a misty silhouette. Prince Thaerion Vaelorian Elareneth and his Solyndra Phoenix added to the intimidation, the fiery bird's call a stark contrast to the hollowed hall.
Sebastian, his face still concealed by his mask, simply looked at Kael. The message was clear: they were outmatched, and a direct battle was suicide. There was no victory here, only survival.
"My Lord, what is our strategy?" Kael rumbled, his grip tightening on his Star-Iron Warhammer.
"Strategy?" Sebastian's voice was a cold whisper, amplified by his helmet. "There is no strategy. Only an escape. We hold them off and find an exit. Use your shield, Kael. Be the wall that holds back the tide."
Kael's Boulder Fang and Stoneclaw Grizzly took their places beside him, forming a tight defensive phalanx. Sebastian's Blairon Giant positioned itself to the side, ready to absorb and deflect attacks, while his Springshoot Panda began emitting a concentrated mana mist, its healing properties a silent promise of support. The Gale Shield Cicada hovered near Sebastian, its purpose to create sound-based distractions and defensive barriers.
The first to attack were the most aggressive: the Khurzaban and Darakel students. Prince Ashmed and his Scorialis Tiger moved with terrifying speed, a blur of striped fury, aiming for Sebastian's head. At the same time, Princess Naeza's Gravitus Giant stomped the ground, a powerful wave of gravity pushing down on Sebastian and Kael, trying to pin them in place.
Kael met the charge head-on. "My Lord, I will hold them!" he roared. He slammed his Obsidian Soul Shield into the ground, its surface flaring with dark energy, a localized gravity well countering the Gravitus Giant's pressure. The Scorialis Tiger met his charge, its claws scraping against the shield with a shower of sparks. Kael's Boulder Fang stomped down on the tiger, distracting it with a powerful headbutt.
Sebastian, free from the initial gravity attack, met the charge of Prince Tovros's Maelstrom Dragon. The dragon, a serpentine beast of wind and water, roared, its body wreathed in a miniature tornado. Sebastian's Twin Starfang Blades were a blur of motion, deflecting the dragon's wind-based attacks while he dodged the fiery fists of Prince Ashmed's Vulkanos Giant.
Far away, at the Mysticrium Academy's Grand Assembly Hall, a massive Rune-screen showed the battle live. The hall was packed with professors and the Headmaster himself. The professors, who had been lazily observing the trial, were now on the edge of their seats, their faces a mixture of shock and utter disbelief.
"My word," Professor Lyra, a Rune-Beast tamer, exclaimed. "Two students! Against so many. Look at the coordination! The large one, Kael, he's a natural bastion. And Sebastian… that boy moves like a phantom."
Professor Marcus, a renowned Rune-crafter, leaned forward, his spectacles fogging up. "They must be the ones who plundered the Verdant Hollow. The sheer audacity! They've just single-handedly provoked three major empires and the Elven sovereign territory."
The Headmaster, a stoic and powerful man whose face rarely showed emotion, watched in silent contemplation. He wasn't just seeing a battle; he was seeing a tactical genius at work. Sebastian's movements were not random. They were precise, calculated, and aimed not at winning, but at creating an opening.
"Look at the boy's equipment," the Headmaster whispered to himself. "The forged gear, the runic inscriptions… a first-year student. A boy with the blood of a forgotten line. This is no ordinary prodigy. This is a storm."
Back in the hall, the battle was now in full swing. Sebastian and Kael were holding their own, but the pressure was immense.
The Holy Theroustadt princes joined the fray. Prince Theodar's Tier IV: Radiarch Golem, a massive stone construct imbued with blinding light, stomped towards Kael, its glowing fists aimed for a crushing blow. At the same time, Prince Aurelio, wielding his Sword of Light talent, charged with his Tier IV: Lumineth Pegasus, its hooves shimmering with radiant energy.
"Kael! Watch out!" Sebastian yelled. He knew the combined force would be too much.
Kael, seeing the golem and the pegasus, stood his ground. "My Lord, they shall not pass!" he roared. He met the Radiarch Golem's fist with his Star-Iron Warhammer, the clash echoing like a thunderclap. The Obsidian Soul Shield absorbed the brunt of the Lumineth Pegasus's radiant attack, its surface turning a brilliant white before returning to its inky blackness.
Sebastian, meanwhile, was surrounded. Princess Adelheid's Tier IV: Enchanta Fairy Dragon wove through the air, casting binding spells, while Princess Siaran's Tier IV: Starfern Drake and Breezewalker Deer used nature magic to trip him up and slow him down.
Sebastian's Blairon Giant intercepted Princess Naeza's Tier IV: Tremorconda, a colossal snake that tried to constrict the giant. The giant, however, was too tough. It held its ground, protecting Sebastian from the snake's deadly coils. The Springshoot Panda created thorny vines to trip the Breezewalker Deer, while the Gale Shield Cicada released a disruptive frequency that interfered with Princess Siaran's spellcasting.
Suddenly, the Elven students made their move. Prince Thaerion's Tier IV: Solyndra Phoenix flew high above, its body wreathed in fire, raining down fiery arrows. But the true threat was Princess Aerisyl's Tier V: Nebuleth Wolf. The wolf, a creature of pure mist and shadow, phased through the chaos, its form a living illusion. It was not a physical threat but a mental one, its howls carrying a sense of deep despair and confusion, a direct assault on the minds of Sebastian and Kael.
"My Lord, the wolf! Its howl is... unsettling," Kael grunted, shaking his head to clear the fog of despair.
Sebastian, his focus unwavering, saw the danger. He couldn't afford to be distracted. He activated his All-Seeing Eyes (Rare), and the world seemed to slow down. He could see the pathways of mana, the subtle emotional states of his enemies, and the weak points in their coordinated attacks.
He dodged a light beam from Prince Aurelio's Lumineth Pegasus, a lightning bolt from Prince Tovros's Storm Hawk, and a fiery projectile from Prince Ashmed's Vulkanos Giant. This was no longer a battle; it was a desperate dance of survival.
"Kael! We can't sustain this! We need to break their formation!" Sebastian commanded. "On my mark, create a diversion!"
Sebastian, with an act of sheer audacity, brought out a small crystal he had collected from the ruins and threw it at Prince Ashmed's feet. As the prince's Rune-Beast, the Vulkanos Giant, stomped, the crystal shattered, releasing a powerful burst of concentrated mana that overloaded the giant's feet, causing it to stumble and fall.
"Now, Kael!"
"Understood, My Lord! Stoneclaw Grizzly, Boulder Fang, push them back!" Kael yelled, his Rune-Beasts roaring in unison. They charged, a single-minded battering ram, pushing back the front line of students, creating a small pocket of space.
Sebastian seized the moment. He reached into his spatial ring and materialized his Tier IV: Thunderjaw Wyvern. The wyvern, a beast of immense power, let out a deafening roar as it appeared, its scales crackling with raw lightning.
Prince Tovros Erem Darakel, recognizing the beast from a distance, paled. "A Thunderjaw Wyvern? No, this is impossible! Only a handful of students have a Rune-Beast of that caliber!"
The professors at the academy watched, their jaws agape. "He has a Thunderjaw Wyvern?! Where did he even get that?!" Professor Lyra shouted, her composure completely shattered. The Headmaster, however, simply smiled, a glint of genuine admiration in his eyes.
"Unleash your full power!" Sebastian roared to his wyvern.
- Ultimate Technique: Storm Dragon's Fury.
The Thunderjaw Wyvern took to the air, its body arcing with electricity. It opened its massive jaws and released a colossal, swirling torrent of lightning that engulfed the entire hall. The lightning was not aimed at a single target but was a chaotic, overwhelming force of nature. The students, their Rune-Beasts, and their auras were all caught in the maelstrom.
The entire hall erupted in a blinding flash of light and sound. The air crackled, the stone walls groaned, and the ground trembled. The students shrieked, their Rune-Beasts howling in confusion and pain as the raw power of the wyvern's attack disrupted their formations and stunned them.
"Now, Kael!" Sebastian's voice, though faint, was sharp with urgency. "The Zephyrex! Now!"
Kael, who had been shielding himself and his beasts from the worst of the blast, released his newest companion from its Beast-Ring. A flash of sapphire-blue light filled the hall as the magnificent Tier V: Azure Zephyrex materialized.
The Zephyrex, a creature of the wind and sky, immediately recognized the command. It took to the air, its wings beating with an ethereal grace. The lightning from the Thunderjaw Wyvern did not harm it; instead, it rode the currents, its feathers shimmering with absorbed energy.
- Ability Activated: Mirrorfeather Cloak
The Zephyrex's wings pulsed, and a shimmering, almost invisible aura enveloped Sebastian and Kael. The two of them, along with the Zephyrex, became a fleeting, ghostly mirage, a silent blur of motion.
"Let's go!" Sebastian commanded.
The Azure Zephyrex took off with incredible speed, a burst of magical acceleration, carrying Sebastian and Kael towards a gaping hole in the ruined ceiling, a path created by the sheer force of the Thunderjaw Wyvern's attack.
They ascended into the clear sky, the chaos of the battle fading below them. The students were still disoriented, their Rune-Beasts staggering, their combined power unable to stop the two retreating shadows.
Prince Tovros, finally recovering his senses, looked up at the sky. He saw a flash of sapphire, a streak of moonlight on metal, and the unmistakable silhouette of a magnificent avian beast carrying two figures away.
"The Azure Zephyrex!" he yelled, his voice a mix of awe and defeat. "They've captured it too!"
The professors in the grand hall were in a state of stunned silence. The Headmaster, however, let out a deep, satisfied sigh. "A Thunderjaw Wyvern for a diversion and a Tier V Mystic Avian for the escape," he mused, a faint smile on his lips. "These two… they are far beyond what we had anticipated."
Sebastian and Kael, carried by the graceful flight of the Azure Zephyrex, disappeared into the night sky, their names now whispered in hushed tones not just as prodigies, but as legends in the making. They had not won, but they had survived, their plunder secured, and their legend solidified. The trial had just become a whole lot more interesting.