Watching the battle, it was obvious that the three of them weren't the type for coordinated team fights. They simply lacked that kind of experience.
If you asked them to judge how the Spirit Bureau members were performing, they honestly wouldn't know what to say.
"Will you three shut up already?" Ethan Yates snapped, glaring at them.
"If you're not going to help, then at least stay quiet and let me focus. Do you have any idea how exhausting this is for me?"
"Seriously, why did I have to awaken a healing ability instead of a combat one?"
"I want to fight, I want to deal damage—I don't want to be a healer!"
When he'd first awakened his Light of Life, Ethan had been stunned. He'd gained an ability, yes, but not the battle-oriented power he'd hoped for. Instead, it was a healing type—an extremely potent one, but still not what he wanted.
In games, he never played the healer. Jungle and solo lanes were always his thing.
"And why am I the only one here handling all the healing? Where are the other healers? I don't see them anywhere."
He grumbled under his breath.
If he could, he'd love to stand at the back like these three, acting all aloof.
"Because you alone can heal everyone here," Skyler Quinn said with an amused smile.
"Other healers are too fragile, and their range is nowhere near yours. They'd need someone to cover their retreat before they could help. You, on the other hand, can heal from anywhere without slowing down the fight."
Firewing nodded in agreement. "And standing near us, you don't need to worry about your safety at all."
Chris Frost shot him a sidelong glance. "Exactly."
And she wasn't the only one who could sense it—plenty of other ability users could as well, even the flame-wielding brawler fighting far ahead.
"I swear…" Ethan sighed helplessly, but there was no helping it. He'd just have to keep going.
After all, this was just one of a few training runs. The other healers would have to pull their weight eventually.
"By the way, Chris," Firewing said suddenly, a teasing note in her voice, "I heard you went to find Brandon. Got humbled, did you?"
Chris didn't deny it. "Yes. The gap between us is far greater than I'd imagined. In front of him, I couldn't even activate my ability."
"Told you," Firewing laughed. "Brandon's a monster."
"Last time I sparred with him, he actually summoned a golden Susanoo—and he told me that was him holding back! At this point, I think he could pull anything from anime into reality."
She shook her head. "I'm never comparing myself to him again. He's not even human. It's like he's got a cheat code running—and not just any cheat, but an invincibility mod."
"Honestly, the heavens should just ban his account."
"I doubt the heavens have any plans to ban me," a calm voice cut in from right beside her. "But if you keep talking like that, I might consider banning yours."
Firewing flinched, turning her head slowly. "…Oh. You're here, Brandon."
"If I hadn't shown up, I wouldn't have known you talk about me like this behind my back." Brandon shot her a look, then glanced at Skyler, Ethan, and Chris, giving them a polite nod.
"This fight—you're not planning to get involved?"
"Of course we are," Chris replied, "just not yet. At the end, we'll clean up and show our abilities. There'll be an official recording, and the footage will be released online."
She explained further, "The country wants to 'create gods.' Part of it is to put arrogant individuals back in their place, but it's also to let the public know who we are—so that when war comes, they'll remember our faces, think of our strength, and feel a measure of reassurance."
Brandon nodded. He understood perfectly.
The revival of spiritual energy had brought not only opportunities, but also unpredictable dangers and disasters. These elites were the state's chosen champions—symbols of hope.
As long as they remained, every threat would be faced head-on. This was about building public trust in them.
"So," Firewing said with a smirk, nudging Brandon's shoulder, "want to join in? Do something flashy—maybe bust out that Susanoo again. One swing, wipe out the rest of the rat tide. Full power and cinematic effects."
"No need," Brandon said, shaking his head. This was the country's initiative for them, not him.
"It's about time," Skyler suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention back to the field.
Thanks to Ethan's wide-range healing, almost none of the Spirit Bureau ability users had sustained serious injuries. Per the plan, they began a steady retreat, leaving the battlefield open for Skyler and the others.
By now, the rat tide had been cut to nearly half its original size. It was still impressive, but nowhere near as overwhelming as before.
Ideally, they'd have left more for the finale—Firewing and the rest needed material for their display—but it was enough.
"I'll start," Skyler said, stepping forward.
Limitless arcs of lightning gathered in his hands, spiritual energy surging through his body until the air itself seemed to crackle with pressure.
KRA-THOOM!
ROOOAAAR!
In the sky above, lightning coalesced into the shape of a colossal thunder dragon, tens of meters long. With a deafening roar, it dove into the battlefield, unleashing a storm of blinding blue-white bolts.
The dragon pierced the air like a lance of living electricity, crashing into the rat tide.
KRA-THOOM! KRA-THOOM!
Explosions of lightning tore through the swarming rodents. Countless mutant rats convulsed and blackened into charred husks.
And still the thunder dragon rampaged, its massive body sweeping through the horde, leaving scorched corpses in its wake.
"That dragon…" someone whispered.
"I knew there was a gap between us and the elites, but this is insane. Are we even the same generation of awakeners?"
"This—this is what real lightning looks like! Compared to this, what I just used was… pathetic."
The Spirit Bureau members could only stare in awe. Every one of them was already among the top tier—one in a hundred, maybe one in a thousand—but Skyler's display made the gulf between them impossible to ignore.
Plenty of them were elemental users. More than a few were lightning specialists. Yet none of them could touch what Skyler had just done.
For most, calling lightning from the sky was the limit of their power. Skyler, on the other hand, had crafted a dragon of pure lightning.
With that single strike, a full quarter of the remaining rat tide was obliterated—and judging by the dragon's form, it could have kept going.
But as soon as the number of rats reached roughly a quarter less than before, Skyler casually waved his hand, and the thunder dragon dissolved into nothing.
"Your turn," he said to Chris.
She nodded.
(End of Chapter)