Sylphie seized the moment. With a flick of her wrist, thick vines erupted from the ground, twisting into sharp, lance-like spears. Her Thorn Piercer skill drove the spiked vines into two serpents' throats, silencing their cries in an instant. Four down. Two left.
Agitated, the remaining serpents let out an enraged screech, their tails whipping wildly through the air. Kael smirked and touched his cape once more. Dozens of illusory versions of himself charged toward the serpents. The creatures, driven into a frenzy, lashed out blindly, unable to distinguish reality from illusion.
In the chaos, the real Kael slipped through their defences and drove his sword into one serpent's throat. At the same time, Darius reappeared beside the last monster and skewered it with his spear. The battle was over.
Kael and Darius panted as they pulled their weapons free. "That wasn't too bad," Kael mused.
"Yeah, except—"
A sudden ripple in the water cut Darius off. A deep rumbling followed, and before anyone could react, a colossal Tide Serpent burst from the river. It was twice the size of the others, its eyes burning with raw malice.
Ronan's instincts kicked in. He instantly infused fire into one of his daggers, the blade glowing red-hot. With a swift motion, he hurled it at the monster's throat. Just as it was about to land, the air shimmered, and the dagger was deflected by an invisible force.
"Mana shield," Ronan muttered under his breath. "Kael, Darius, move!"
But the warning came too late.
The serpent's massive tail swung toward them like a battering ram. Both warriors raised their weapons in defence, but the moment their blades made contact, a fiery spark erupted from the impact. The force sent them hurtling backwards, crashing onto the rocky riverbank.
Ronan gritted his teeth and quickly conjured a series of small fireballs. But these were no ordinary fireballs—they were dense, concentrated spheres of devastation. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them flying toward the beast. Upon impact, the mana shield shattered like fragile glass, dissipating into the air.
"Sylphie! Now!" Ronan called.
Sylphie took a deep breath, raising her hands. The air around her shimmered as she activated Solar Bloom, an advanced Wood-element skill. The sunlight above condensed into a single radiant beam, golden energy swirling with nature's essence. The beam shot forward, piercing through the serpent's head. In an instant, its skull disintegrated into nothingness, evaporating into the wind.
Silence fell over the battlefield. The water, once turbulent, was now still. Seven Tide Serpents lay dead.
From above, Aria was shocked. "They actually did it…"
Orin teases Aria, saying, "You said there are six, but Ronan said there are seven. Hmm?"
Aria glared at him.
Garrick smirked. "Told you they'd be fine."
Ronan sheathed his daggers, stepping toward his fallen teammates. "You two alright?"
Kael groaned as he sat up. "Yeah… remind me to dodge faster next time."
Darius winced, rubbing his shoulder. "Noted. Also, next time, let's not get hit by a giant tail."
Ronan chuckled, offering a hand to each of them. "Come on."
Ronan crouched beside the massive Tide Serpent's remains, carefully extracting its shimmering cores. The orbs pulsed faintly, radiating residual energy from the beast's formidable strength. He turned to Kael with a grin.
"Kael! We can sell those six Tide Serpent bodies. Their materials alone will fetch us a fortune."
Ronan, satisfied, then glanced toward Sylphie, who sat on a nearby rock, catching her breath. Her usually sharp eyes were heavy with exhaustion from using her advanced skill.
Just then, Kael and Darius approached. Kael raised a brow. "What's with that look, Ronan? You look like you just saw a ghost."
Ronan exhaled, still staring at Sylphie. "Darius," he muttered, "you and I like to tease Sylphie sometimes, right?"
Darius followed his gaze to the headless Tide Serpent and gulped. "Yeah?"
Ronan sighed dramatically. "If we ever piss her off too much… do you think she'd do that to us?"
Darius visibly paled. "You mean…?" His eyes flickered between Sylphie and the decapitated serpent. "Maybe we should be more careful."
Ronan patted Darius on the back with exaggerated pity. "You still want to tease her? Man, she's a monster in disguise."
As if on cue, Sylphie approached, a playful smirk dancing on her lips. "What are you two whispering about?"
Both Ronan and Darius stiffened like caught criminals, their faces immediately betraying their panic. They waved their hands in unison. "N-Nothing! Nothing at all!"
Kael smirked. "Oh, they were just talking about you being a M—"
Before he could finish, Ronan and Darius launched themselves at him, clamping their hands over his mouth. "Aaa! Aaa!" Ronan blurted. "We were just saying we could make a great shield with this monster's scales!"
A knowing chuckle escaped Sylphie's lips as she watched the chaotic mess unfold before her. "Mhm. Well, you boys have fun. I'm heading back to the ship. I need rest. That skill takes a full twenty-four hours before I can use it again." She stretched before gracefully making her way toward the magical flying ship.
Ronan and Darius finally released Kael, who gasped dramatically.
Kael chuckled, watching their horrified expressions. "But wow, your faces were marvellous."
Kael nodded and, with a flick of his hand, stored the massive carcasses in his storage ring. They all followed Sylphie onto the ship.
On the deck, Ronan approached Garrick, who was still recovering from his previous hand injuries. Without a word, he handed him the Big Tide Serpent core.
"This will help you recover faster," Ronan said, his voice gentle.
Garrick's eyes widened slightly before he accepted the core with a nod of gratitude. "Thanks, Ronan."
Nearby, Aria walked up to Kael, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "I… I want a monster core," she said, eyes serious. Seeing Kael's uncertain expression, she quickly added, "Not for free! I'll exchange it for money or other materials." She hesitated, then sighed. "And… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have looked down on you or your team."
Kael let out a small chuckle. "No need to apologise. We really were the weakest team." He glanced at Ronan, then back at Aria. "If you want a core, you should ask him."
Before she could respond, Ronan casually tossed a core to Orin. "Use this to heal up."
Aria blinked in shock. He just… gave that away? Just like that?
Ronan, seemingly unfazed, took one core for himself and handed the remaining four to Kael. He glanced at the glowing core in his hand and murmured, "Time to heal up." Without another word, he settled himself by the ship's railing and began absorbing the core's essence.
The journey back to the academy was not without excitement. Along the way, they hunted a few more monsters, growing stronger with each battle. After three days, as the first light of dawn painted the sky in soft gold and blues, the magical flying ship finally reached its destination, The Academy.