Seth snickered, shouting in a mischievous tone, "I’ll be borrowing so of that." Saying this, he winked at Anon as a foreign aura enveloped the latter’s body.
Before Anon’s eyes, his blood shot out like plasma bullets toward the thunder cloud beast!
At the sa ti, blood that oozed from Seth’s form intertwined with his staff, forming a sharp blade like the head of a spear that dug into the thunder cloud wolf’s flesh.
The beast stumbled backward, weakly.
In response, the duo made a synchronized movent and advanced.
Anon extended his staff once more, while Seth unleashed a flurry of phantom attacks, each one appearing more real than the last. The Thunder Cloud Wolf, cornered and enraged, prepared to retaliate, but it was too late.
The duo struck in unison.
Anon’s lengthy staff crossed a dozen ters and found its mark, piercing through the air with divine precision, while Seth’s illusory spear created a whirlwind of confusion.
The wolf, overwheld by the combined assault, could do nothing but react, its energy flickering like the dying embers of a storm.
And then, with a final, thunderous clash, the wolf leader fell, its form dissolving into a pool of blood that crackled with static electrical currents, its only remnants.
As the forest fell silent, the air crackled with lingering crimson electricity.
"A beast commander, slain," Anon said in a low tone, stooping over the pool of blood and electricity. Glancing at the man standing next to him, he shook his head, thinking, ’Facing this by myself would’ve been troubleso.’
Rising to his feet, he twirled the golden staff in his hand. "I need to master this quickly."
As the clouds above began to clear, revealing the glimr of stars, realization dawned on the group of five.
Their silence was loud as they processed what they had just witnessed. The duo, both Seth and Anon, indifferently assessed the battlefield and the remnants left behind by the beast group, but the others were speechless.
"That was... amazing," lissa finally breathed, her eyes wide with admiration. "You two worked perfectly together."
Andrew, who had remained at the back, nodded in agreent. "Yeah, that was sothing else. I didn’t even get a chance to jump in!"
Catharina grinned, still buzzing with excitent. "Jump in? You were trembling from that wolf leader’s roar."
As Catharina and Andrew bickered amongst each other, Felix, fully healed, approached Anon, nodding his head and saying in a cool tone, "Slightly impressive, I must say... fairly decent."
Looking around, he turned to Anon and asked, "What’s next?" His voice was steady despite the chaos they had just endured.
"We stay vigilant," Anon replied, his gaze drifting back toward the thickening mist. "This jungle has its secrets, and we need to be ready for whatever cos next."
As they regrouped, Anon couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotion and excitent for the uncertainty of the future within this forest where danger lurked around every corner.
Though the Blood-Drip Jungle was alive with peril, with his companions by his side...
He was relatively confident that, with the combination of his and Seth’s prowess, facing whatever unexpected events ca their way wouldn’t be impossible.
The mist swirled around them, almost as if beckoning them to venture deeper into the unknown.
Anon tightened his grip on his staff. Just then, the weight of the staff suddenly beca noticeably heavy.
This was the weight of responsibility—to protect the other mbers of this group.
"Heh!" He clicked his tongue, chuckling lightly at such thoughts.
Cracks ford on the staff’s body before it exploded into golden lights that transford into an eye-catching earring, complenting his golden amber eyes.
As the group made their way forward, Anon exchanged a glance with Seth.
"Let’s go," Anon said, his voice steady.
The dynamic between them was complex.
An unspoken understanding had been forged through endless sparring and combat, layered with respect and the subconscious status that Anon held toward Seth.
On the other hand, what Seth thought of Anon remained unknown.
They would fight together, seamlessly and ruthlessly against their enemies, but beneath the surface, a simring tension persisted; at any mont, they could turn on each other.
But this was what made their relationship enjoyable for them.
’Proto principles,’ Seth thought, ’As annoying as always.’ He concluded while inwardly assessing the previous battle.
What Anon had chosen to reveal still irked him greatly.
Though his expression was unreadable and as indifferent as ever, he thought, ’Not all, but so of his attacks just went through the beast commander’s defenses, and even its counterattacks.’ Reflecting on this, he couldn’t help but scowl internally.
Behind the group of seven, he walked shoulder to shoulder with Bolan, both coincidentally and simultaneously lost in their own thoughts.
’His spirit has only drawn about ten percent of the power it can from Inevitable End.’ He could make such a deduction because his spirit was also of the second world, choosing to draw only the strength of his blood principle, which resided within the first world.
Thinking of the future, he couldn’t help but sigh.
’Well, the old man wouldn’t be the old man if this weren’t the case,’ Seth smiled, ’It makes everything all the more pleasing when this world cos to its end, with standing atop, triumphant.’
...
Ti passed.
The bracelets on the academy students’ wrists tracked their distance and location.
Before entering the Blood-Drip Jungle, they were tasked with venturing to a certain depth within it. If they did not achieve this depth, even if they survived until the 18th of November, they would still fail October’s assessnt.
As for how deep this distance into the jungle was, the students remained unaware. They only knew that their bracelets would notify them once they reached the satisfactory distance.
Until then, they were to venture deeper into the Blood-Drip Jungle, unaware and frightened.
Naturally, students of the military academy, upon graduation, would directly enter the ranks of the army, becoming the most important line of defense for the Victorious Fighting Country.
Whether it was the higher-ups, the six heroes, or the masses, they did not desire nor trust just anyone to beco part of that group, holding such weighty responsibilities.
Even if it was ruthless, nurturing geniuses into soldiers must be done with utmost efficiency and speed. The endless droves of beasts in the lands beyond this country did not simply wait for the soldiers that made up the army to be replenished.
The best example was the seven forests that surrounded the six cities.
Instead of being one singular entity, a country, the six cities resembled more six small nations, separated by these forests.
The current era, though not as depressing and despairing as the last, still did not grant humans the luxury of control, an authority they had held over Earth in the years before the great rebirth.
Even with Otherworldly Knights among humanity, they had yet to vanquish the seven forests and establish complete dominance over the lasting lands.
...
Without realizing it, the first week of November had almost co to an end. Several days had passed since the comncent of October’s assessnt.
There were many locations on the current Earth where one simply could not sleep; instead, ditation would be a better option when one needed to rest their spirit.
The Blood-Drip Jungle was one such place.
So, at night, the group of seven would take turns surveying the surroundings while the others ditated.
Naturally, as previously ntioned, there was still a lack of full trust among them. In fact, considering the state of this world and their upbringing, fully trusting another wasn’t just difficult; it was seen as foolish.
Even if humanity was united against beasts, inside the Blood-Drip Jungle, where their lives were genuinely at risk, they were naturally unwilling to give one person the responsibility of being on the lookout while they themselves were in a semi-helpless state.
For a chunk of the night, lissa, Catharina, Seth, and Felix would keep watch as Andrew, Anon, and Bolan rested. The three would then do the sa during the other half of the night.
The relationship between Anon and Seth was complex, and though Anon had so trust in him, it wasn’t to the degree where he completely accepted the idea of being in a deep ditative state near him.
But he was sowhat aware of Catharina’s feelings.
With her around, and lissa, who was simply a good person, and finally, Felix, Anon had suggested this group of individuals after much consideration.
With Seth’s strength and their willingness to protect him, he could rest sowhat easily and recover his spirit. For so reason, Anon was also quite trusted.
More importantly, being in Andrew’s care made the group of four feel most at ease. Not only did he possess heightened senses due to his principle, but he was also relatively easy to read.
There was almost a certainty that he would protect them, even at the cost of his own life.
Evidently, Bolan, after revealing himself as a stellar genius on the last night, had not had ti to build such a trustworthy image.
Moreover, he did not care to.
Anyways, this was how the group of seven ensured their safety even while resting within the Blood-Drip Jungle.
Still, in this world, keeping one’s life would never be easy...
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