The air shattered into chaos before any of them could breathe.
IRON VOW surged forward on command—twenty players fanning out in a practiced wedge formation. Their weapons glowed with low-tier enchantments, armor clattering, boots tearing the azure grass as they rushed.
Kalyani swore under her breath.
Rezion raised his staff.
Jonathan braced his shield.
Fire Cat hissed.
Ice Husky snarled.
Tiger Cub lowered its stance.
Riley didn't flinch.
"Stay tight!" he barked. "Protect the spirits!"
The first wave hit like a crashing tide.
THE FIRST CLASH was chaos
Three melee attackers lunged for Rezion, blades and hammers swinging.
Ice Husky leaped forward—
Frost Fang Lunge!
—bit down hard on one attacker's wrist, forcing him back with a scream.
Rezion slammed his staff into the ground—
Frost Pulse!
A ring of freezing mist erupted around him.
Two guild members staggered, legs locking in ice.
Riley took the opening.
"Radiant Line!"
A gleaming beam tore across the battlefield, carving through slowed players, sending two sprawling and one scrambling away in panic.
But more replaced them immediately.
Ten more Iron Vow fighters rushed in from the left.
Kalyani reacted first.
"MOVE!"
She sprinted into a blur of flame, Fire Cat streaking beside her.
Flame Step!
A trail of burning fire cut across the grass, forcing the incoming fighters to dodge or take damage.
One didn't dodge.
Kalyani slammed her daggers together—
Ignite Burst!
A rush of flames swallowed the attacker, his HP chunking down rapidly.
But even burning, he kept coming.
"Persistent idiot!" she yelled, flipping backward as he swung.
JONATHAN was holding the middle
Jonathan moved like he'd been born on a battlefield.
Every time an Iron Vow fighter tried to slip around Rezion or flank Riley, Jonathan was suddenly there—
Shield up.
Axe swinging.
Tiger Cub releasing tiny roar buff pulses.
Roaring Guard!
Plus Attack
Plus Defense
Plus Stability
The Team hummed with the strength of it.
"Behind you!" Jonathan shouted—and knocked a spear aside an inch before it would've stabbed Kalyani in the back.
Tiger Cub pounced the attacker's face, claws raking, buying Kalyani time to scorch him with a spinning kick.
"Thanks!" she called.
"That's my job!" Jonathan yelled back.
BUT THEY WERE BEING OVERWHELMED
Even with perfect coordination… it wasn't enough.
Twenty players was too many. Too organized.
Four rogues blinked behind Kalyani at once—
Rezion was forced backwards as three tanks battered his shield—
Jonathan absorbed blow after blow, HP dipping dangerously—
Riley had to leap aside as ranged attackers fired a volley of arrows at him.
Lumi zipped frantically above them, sending little shockwaves of light to blind enemies momentarily.
Luna stuck close to Riley, but every loud crash made her flinch.
This was bad.
"Fall back!" Riley yelled. "Break out of the circle!"
Kalyani darted toward the right. Jonathan guarded the rear. Rezion tried to push forward—
But Iron Vow slammed their formation shut.
"Going somewhere?" their leader sneered.
He stepped forward, dual blades glowing faintly blue.
"You could've just given us the bow, kid."
Riley drew Shimmerstring.
"You should've stayed in Dawnview."
The guild leader grinned—and lunged.
Their duel lit the field.
The leader had speed—
Riley had precision.
Clash.
Parry.
Slide.
Shot.
He blocked the first arrow with a blade.
Dodged the second.
Deflected the third.
But Lumi's flash blinded him—
Riley fired—
Critical Hit!
The leader's HP chunked hard.
"YOU LITTLE—"
He swung wildly, forcing Riley back.
"Riley!" Rezion shouted. "We can't hold much longer!"
He was right.
The team was being pushed steadily inward.
Surrounded.
Outnumbered.
Running out of room.
And then—
A sound ripped through the clearing.
A low, thrumming growl.
Not from a player.
Not from a mob.
Something bigger.
The grass shivered.
The azure mist thickened.
The wind stilled.
Kalyani froze mid-swing.
"…What the hell was that?"
Rezion's eyes widened.
"I don't think that was a wisp."
Jonathan swallowed hard.
Tiger Cub began backing up.
Fire Cat arched its back.
Ice Husky whined.
Luna crept under Riley's cloak.
Only Lumi remained still—eyes glowing.
He had sensed it first.
THE STORM-TOUCHED AZURE LYNx
It came out of nowhere.
A blur of blue lightning and rippling muscle.
It launched from the trees, slammed into a guild rogue mid-charge—
SSSHHK—
Its claws sank straight through the player's chest.
Instant KO.
The player didn't even have time to scream before he burst into death particles.
The entire battlefield froze.
Even Riley inhaled sharply.
The lynx landed, crouched low, fur crackling with azure arcs of lightning.
Its eyes glowed pure white.
Its tail whipped behind it, leaving streaks of light.
Storm-Touched Azure Lynx — Elite Beast — LeVel 12
It stared down Iron Vow with murderous intensity.
The guild leader blanched.
"…What the— WHY IS THERE AN ELITE HERE?!"
Kalyani whispered, horrified and thrilled:
"Holy. Shit."
Rezion stepped back purely from instinct.
"Riley…?"
Riley's eyes didn't leave the lynx.
His mind raced.
Storm-Touched.
Azure-affinity predator.
Perfect for the Azure Dungeon.
Fast.
Deadly.
Rare spawn.
One of the best offensive evolution paths for midgame.
He felt his heartbeat spike.
"I want it," he whispered.
The lynx growled at Iron Vow—electricity rippling across its back—
Then lunged again.
The PANIC set into IRON VOW
"RUN! RUN!"
"WHY IS IT TARGETING US?!"
"IT SHREDS ARMOUR—HELP!"
"IT'S AN ELITE! WE'RE DEAD!"
The lynx tore into another attacker—
A clean slice—
Another kill.
Iron Vow didn't stand and fight.
They broke.
In total panic.
Players scrambled backwards, tripping over each other, sprinting full-speed back toward Dawnview as the beast chased them with bloodlust.
Rezion blinked. "W-we're… saved?"
Kalyani wheezed. "That thing DESTROYED them."
Jonathan crouched behind his shield. "That was… too fast. Way too fast."
Riley exhaled slowly.
His eyes gleamed.
"No," he said softly. "Not saved."
The trio turned to him.
"Riley…?" Kalyani asked.
He stepped forward, Shimmerstring glowing faintly.
"We're going to capture it."
The lynx finished ripping apart the last guild straggler's HP bar and slowly turned its glowing white eyes toward Riley's team.
Lightning crackled along its jaw.
Fire Cat hissed.
Ice Husky growled low.
Tiger Cub trembled.
Lumi floated ready.
Luna hid but peeked.
Riley smiled.
"Get ready."