The two demons bared their fangs and lunged, claws flashing. One took the lead, crouching low to the forest floor, coiled like a spring.
Ragna didn't flinch. He stepped forward.
His massive gauntlet suddenly ignited, flames erupting from the metal as if fueled by his very will to fight. He raised his hand, settling into a solid defensive stance. The first demon let out a guttural roar and sprang. Its claws whistled through the air, but Ragna moved with deceptive grace. He leaned to the side, letting the attack pass, and channeled his weight into a counter-punch.
CRACK!
The direct hit smashed into the demon's face. The sheer force sent the creature flying, its body slamming into a thick tree trunk before falling limp.
The second demon didn't hesitate. It moved faster than the first, its talons scraping against Ragna's gauntlet and leaving a long, jagged scratch. But before it could retreat—
BOOM!
Ragna's second fist connected. The demon's jaw was shattered instantly. It spun several times in mid-air before crashing into the dirt, dead before it hit the ground.
Behind him, Shinji and Lio stared in awe, their hands coming together in a flurry of applause. Ragna lowered his arm, his voice calm and steady.
"It's nothing special. I scored a 68 in the earlier test, after all."
But their relief was short-lived. From deep within the woods, the chilling shrieks of more demons echoed through the trees. Ragna immediately turned his head toward the sound.
"Keep moving. Staying here only makes us a target."
Elsewhere in the forest, deep in the shadows where the trees grew thick and gnarled, Team Therion was trapped.
Therion, Macaw, and Vdolky stood back-to-back. Surrounding them were dozens of common demons, three flyers circling overhead, and a ten-meter-tall giant towering over the battlefield like a monolith.
Therion exhaled slowly, his eyes scanning the perimeter.
"The heart of the forest certainly lives up to its reputation. There are too many of them."
The giant demon roared and charged. Immediately, Vdolky stepped forward. His body began to swell, muscles rippling and expanding with terrifying speed until he stood twelve meters tall, matching the giant blow for blow.
At the same time, a massive figure materialized behind Therion. It was a giant iron guardian wielding a heavy mace, its head encased in a helmet marked with a deep "X." It stood like an ancient sentinel of war.
Macaw didn't waste a second. He slammed his palms toward the ground, releasing a massive shockwave.
KABOOM!
The earth fractured, sending clouds of dust and debris into the air. The lower-level demons were tossed aside like ragdolls amidst their own screams.
Outside the Najarin Forest, Argos stood watching the dark treeline. A cold sense of unease settled in his gut.
"Ares... I have a bad feeling about this. Something isn't right inside."
Ares remained unbothered, taking a slow sip of his tea.
"It's fine. Everything was checked thoroughly before the exam started."
Suddenly, a strange object buzzed through the air toward them. It was a metallic box with two small wings and a glowing, circular eye on the front. Ares jumped to his feet, startled.
The box emitted a familiar voice:
"Hello, Ares. It's Tetsutaro."
Ares stared at the flying device, his eyes widening with childlike wonder.
"Tetsutaro! What is this thing?"
"A drone. Want to take it for a spin?"
Ares' face lit up instantly. In a blur of movement, he vanished, leaving Argos standing alone in the sudden silence. The wind moaned through the forest, carrying a growing sense of dread.
Back with Shinji's group, the three were moving along the shimmering barrier created by Ares. The forest was unnervingly quiet, save for the crunch of dry leaves under their boots.
Suddenly, a different sound reached their ears—not the screech of a demon, but the rhythmic clash of metal and the crumbling of stone. Someone was fighting.
Ragna raised a hand, signaling them to stop. He crept forward through the dense brush, with Shinji and Lio following at a safe distance. Through the leaves, they saw them: Team Akidou.
They were being swarmed.
Akidou was a blur of motion, his martial arts fluid and precise. Every demon that lunged at him was redirected and slammed into the earth with clinical efficiency. Beside him, Alba—the group's giant—stood like a mobile fortress. His heavy armor glinted in the dim light. With a simple swat of his hand, demons half his size were sent flying into the trees.
Then there was Omelet, the tiny elf. She hovered in the air, blowing a gentle, steady breeze into a demon's face. It looked so pleasant that the demon actually stopped, its eyes drooping as if it were falling into a peaceful nap.
Shinji's eyes lit up as he recognized them.
"Ah! It's the guy who shook my hand earlier!"
Ragna nodded, his voice dropping an octave.
"That's them. Watch closely; let's see what they're really made of."
Just as he spoke, the ground began to tremble violently. From the dark heart of the forest, two massive shadows burst forth. One was thirteen meters tall; the other was even larger, nearly fourteen meters, its body covered in jagged frostbite scars and old wounds.
The two giants roared and locked onto Akidou's group. Shinji and Lio instinctively stepped forward to help, but Ragna thrust his arm out, blocking their path.
Across the clearing, Akidou realized the danger.
"Alba! Our powers aren't suited for a head-on clash with these things! Fall back!"
But Alba remained strangely calm.
"It's alright, Akidou."
Without another word, Alba curled his massive body into a tight ball.
THOOM!
He launched himself like a human boulder, slamming into the first giant and shattering its leg instantly. Seeing its comrade fall, the scarred giant turned its fury toward Akidou and Omelet, lunging forward to