The Calm Belt remained as still as ever, its lifeless sea surface resembling a vast piece of blue glass.
If this long-suffering deserted island could speak, it would probably curse Brian and all the Beast Girls present to the eighteenth generation.
Today, this island had truly endured immense suffering, with successive fierce attacks all landing upon it, leaving it battered and scarred.
Charred craters, crisscrossing fissures, and traces of solidified lava all testified to the intensity of the previous battles.
And such assaults were not yet over. The specially leveled combat arena at the island's center once again became the stage.
This time, it would witness the determination of the third and fourth seats.
Indeed, following the previous two battles, the two defeated Beast Girls would now face off in a great battle to seize the third seat.
This was a struggle for future influence within the Beast Girl Legion, and no Beast Girl took it lightly.
Fortunately, after receiving dual treatment from Brian's Healing Dumplings and milk, plus ample time for adjustment, the four Beast Girls had mostly recovered about eighty percent of their condition.
On the roughly leveled ground, two Beast Girls stood facing each other from a distance, the atmosphere tense and filled with fighting spirit.
On one side was the pride of the skies, the Mythical Beast Type: Cat-Cat Fruit Griffin Form Beast Girl Griffin.
Her lion body remained tall and majestic, her massive eagle wings fluttering slightly, stirring up air currents. Her amber eagle eyes were sharp as blades, locked firmly on her opponent.
Although she had suffered some burns in her previous battle with Agni, with slightly charred feathers, her arrogance and aura as the ruler of the skies hadn't diminished in the slightest.
She longed for a victory to solidify her ranking and wash away the embarrassment of her previous hard-fought battle.
On the other side was the hero of nature, the Mythical Beast Type: Horse-Horse Fruit Centaur Form Beast Girl Leona.
Her chestnut horse body stood firmly on the ground, the human upper torso muscles taut. Her emerald eyes analyzed Griffin's every subtle movement like the calmest hunter.
Her long bow was already in hand, quiver full. She stood silent and resolute, her four hooves seemingly connected to the earth, drawing strength from it.
She held no particular obsession with ranking, but her warrior's dignity meant she would never surrender easily.
On the familiar viewing rock platform at the edge, Brian stood as calmly as ever.
Behind him, the Beast Girls appeared more relaxed than during the previous two viewings, but also more focused, as the outcome of this battle would directly determine their internal hierarchy.
Especially the Beast Girls of the same species as the two Mythical Zoan Beast Girls below, who regarded this with particular importance and anticipation.
Tiger Girl Yin watched with burning intensity, Leopard Girl Xuan with solemn eyes, and Cat Girl Mi with a grave expression.
As the three Beast Girls directly under Griffin's command, they hoped their big sister would achieve victory.
Only the horse-type Beast Girls belonging to Leona's group currently consisted of just herself, giving her a somewhat "solitary" feeling in this situation.
"Begin."
As Brian's voice fell, the battle instantly erupted!
Leona was the first to launch an attack. She knew full well she couldn't let Griffin easily take to the skies and gain absolute advantage.
Her four hooves slammed against the ground, sending gravel flying as her massive body burst forth with astonishing acceleration, charging toward Griffin like an arrow released from its bow. Simultaneously, her bowstring thrummed.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Three arrows shot forth not in straight lines but in weird arcs—one aimed directly at Griffin's face while the other two sealed off her left and right escape routes. The arrows tore through the air with sharp whistles.
"Forest Patrol Arrow Technique: Triangle Lockdown!"
"Hmph, petty tricks!"
Griffin snorted coldly, her massive brown-gold eagle wings giving a powerful flap. The strong airflow not only deflected the arrows' trajectories but also effortlessly lifted her enormous body into the air, perfectly evading Leona's charging path.
However, Leona seemed to have anticipated this.
The moment Griffin ascended, Leona maintained her charging momentum. Instead of stopping, she used the forward impetus to rear up on her hind legs, her front hooves rising high while her hands—now holding five arrows seemingly materialized from nowhere—drew the bow into a full moon arc.
"Useless! On the ground, you can never reach the monarch of the skies."
Griffin circled overhead, issuing a haughty declaration as she folded her wings slightly. Dozens of crescent-shaped blue wind blades poured down like sudden rain.
"Azure Sky Combat Skill: Sky-Splitting Wind Array!"
Facing the blanket coverage of wind blade attacks, Leona's emerald green eyes showed not a trace of panic.
Her raised hooves came crashing down!
"Boom!"
"Steel Hoof Shock: Earth Vein Ripples!"
A profound force radiated from her point of impact, resonating as if synchronized with the earth's pulse.
Simultaneously, she released her bowstring.
The five arrows weren't aimed at Griffin but at the ground before her.
Upon impact, the arrows instantly buried themselves into the earth. Immediately after, five barriers composed of entangled vines, roots, and hardened rock erupted from the ground, forming shields above Leona!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Wind blades densely impacted the barriers in a continuous series of explosions, sending wood chips and stone dust flying. Though the barriers shook violently, they stubbornly withstood the assault.
"What?!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Griffin's eyes—she hadn't expected Leona to possess such defensive capabilities.
In the instant when the collision of wind blades and barriers raised a dust cloud obscuring vision, Leona moved.
She emerged like a phantom from the other side, her longbow raised once more. A peculiarly crafted arrow with a tip glowing with emerald green light was already nocked.
"Pierce through! Forest Arrow: Armor-Piercing Roots!"
The arrow left the string, its speed leaving only a green streak in its wake.
Even more peculiar was how the surrounding air seemed to have its vitality drained during the arrow's flight.
The arrowhead was aimed precisely at Griffin's momentarily stunned form.
Griffin sensed that the arrow carried not pure physical force but a natural energy imbued with "restraint" and "penetration," making her heart tighten.
She hastily twisted to evade while swinging her sharp talons to bat away the arrow.
"Swish!"
The arrow grazed past the edge of her wing without causing serious injury, but the emerald green glow attached to the arrowhead instantly erupted, transforming into several tough energy roots that writhed like living things toward her wing joints.
"Damn it!"
Griffin felt her wings grow heavy, her movements instantly becoming slightly sluggish.
She frantically stirred up a storm, attempting to tear apart these roots.
But in that brief moment of stagnation, Leona's second wave of attacks had already arrived.
Galloping on all fours, she circled the restrained Griffin at high speed, her bowstring twanging continuously.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ordinary arrows rained down like a sudden storm, targeting Griffin's wings, eyes, and other vital areas, forcing her to constantly block and evade, unable to focus on breaking free from the root restraints.
The battle took a sudden turn for the worse. In a move no one had anticipated, Leona—who had previously been at a disadvantage due to her inability to fly—instantly reversed the situation and gained the upper hand.
Griffin was thwarted at every turn. Was she about to be defeated like this?