I moved through the battlefield with precise, calculated steps. Fear, as always, was a useful tool—an indicator of what mattered—but it was not sothing I let control .
The Abyssal Tide Serpent, now a fully evolved six-star beast, was beyond anything that should exist on this island. Its mana pulsed through the air in rhythmic, thunderous waves, the storm above twisting in sync with its breathing. The sea itself rose and fell unnaturally, answering its master's silent command.
I had seen this in the novel.
I had read how Lucifer faced it, how he overwheld it with sheer force.
But I was not Lucifer.
I didn't have overwhelming power.
What I had was foresight. Strategy. A mind that could see ten steps ahead.
And I needed to use everything to get out of this alive.
Lightning speared down from the heavens, vaporizing chunks of the battlefield. The remaining adventurers were scattering, retreating where they could, buying ti with mana barriers and defensive formations. They were strong, but they were not enough. Even at six-star, the Abyssal Tide Serpent was refining itself, sharpening its power. It was on the verge of sothing greater—an existence beyond what the adventurers could handle.
The warp gate. That was my objective.
I adjusted my movents, sprinting across the uneven ground, dodging where necessary, slipping into shadows when needed. The adventurers were too focused on the battle to question —to ask why a Mythos Academy student was still moving instead of fighting.
That was exactly what I needed.
I reached a shattered outcrop, crouching low as I surveyed the battlefield. The serpent lood above, its massive coils cutting through the sky, arcs of lightning dancing across its form. Its eyes scanned the battlefield, searching for prey, searching for the source of its evolution.
Because it knew.
It knew sothing had changed. It had felt the careful feeding, the sudden influx of mana-rich prey.
It was aware in a way beasts should not be.
And its eyes flicked toward .
I reacted imdiately, vanishing from my position. Not running, not panicking. Moving. Calculating.
This was the worst-case scenario, and yet, it was also exactly what I had prepared for. I knew from the novel that the serpent could evolve further only if it was allowed to absorb even more mana. That ant it wouldn't attack recklessly. It would hunt strategically.
Which gave an opening.
A thunderous crash split the sky behind as the serpent obliterated the rock I had just occupied.
Too close.
I surged forward, pushing my body to its limit, weaving through the destruction. I had minutes, maybe seconds before it locked onto again.
The gate had to be close.
I knew where it was. I had morized the layout. The novel had described it as a "half-subrged relic, hidden in the ruins near the eastern cliffs." The adventurers had scouted a ruin earlier. That was my destination.
A high-pitched whistle split the air—an adventurer calling for reinforcents. I glanced back just long enough to see two of them launch four-circle spells directly at the beast.
The Abyssal Tide Serpent didn't even flinch.
One spell was caught midair, shattered by the sheer force of its ambient mana. The other detonated harmlessly against its scales.
The adventurers had no idea what they were fighting.
I clenched my teeth. Focus.
I found the ruins. The stone arches jutted out from the ground, covered in moss and residual mana. The faint humming in the air confird it—this was it.
I dashed forward, ignoring the way my body scread in protest. The storm surged, wind howling, the pressure dropping fast. The serpent had realized where I was going. It was coming.
I placed my hand on the ruins, feeling for the mana flow. It had to be here.
A flicker of energy beneath my fingertips. A faint pulse.
I exhaled. Got it.
The warp gate shimred, faint at first, then stabilizing as I poured my own mana into it. The structure groaned, ancient chanisms activating.
Behind , the air boiled with lightning.
I turned, just in ti to see the serpent's maw open wide, a charged bolt of energy forming within.
It had decided I was prey.
I made my move.
God Flash.
I disappeared in a crack of thunder, reappearing just within the warp gate's radius. The serpent's attack obliterated the space where I had been.
The gate activated.
And the world vanished.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Rachel's wings of light flared to life the mont the Abyssal Tide Serpent struck.
The force of its mana alone sent shockwaves across the battlefield, upending the sands of the Isle of Azure Breeze in massive, rolling quakes. The sky darkened, storm clouds roiling in response to its presence, the very air charged with static. She barely had ti to process the sheer scale of the beast—an entity that shouldn't have existed on this island.
Six-star beasts belonged in disaster reports, not mission briefings.
"Everyone, fall back into formation!" she commanded, her voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
The adventurers responded imdiately. Those with flight capabilities took to the air, circling to keep their distance from the serpent's devastating strikes. Mages hurriedly erected mana barriers, defensive pylons activating with flickering arcs of energy. Sharpshooters aid their mana-enhanced rifles and spell-guns, waiting for openings in its thick scales.
Rachel didn't wait.
She launched herself forward, propelled by the sheer force of her Gift.
Light exploded around her, her body a streak of gold against the serpent's vast coils. Saintess Mode was fully activated, heightening her perception, increasing her speed beyond normal limits. Every detail sharpened—the subtle rippling of its scales, the gathering of mana at its core, the faint distortions in the air where its next attack was forming.
A four-circle spell took shape in her hands.
"Solar Lance!"
A beam of pure light shot forward, striking the serpent's hide. The impact burned through layers of mana-infused scales, sending a ripple of damage across its body. The beast hissed, not in pain, but in acknowledgnt. Its slit-pupiled eyes flicked toward her, recognizing her as a threat.
Rachel gritted her teeth. Good. That ans I have its attention.
Another adventurer, a lightning mage nad Kieran, dashed to her side. "Your Highness, we need reinforcents! We can't hold this thing for long!"
Rachel didn't hesitate. "Send an ergency signal to Vellanor. Any available high-rank adventurers, we need them here now."
Kieran nodded, his hands already moving over his communicator, a pulse of mana transmitting the distress signal.
Then, another call ca through.
Rachel barely caught the words over the din of battle, but the mont she did, everything inside her froze.
"Arthur was hit!"
Her entire focus fractured. The battle faded for a single second. She whirled toward the adventurer who had relayed the information, her heart lodged in her throat.
"Where?" Her voice was sharp, urgent.
"The ruins," the woman—Vera—reported breathlessly. "He was trying to get to the waypoint but got caught in the serpent's last strike—I don't know if he's—"
Rachel moved before she finished speaking.
Golden wings flared. The sky cracked as she surged toward the ruins, faster than she had ever moved before.
She didn't doubt him. Not for a second.
Arthur wasn't reckless.
Arthur wasn't soone who acted without reason.
But he had been hit.
And if there was even a chance he was still down there, she had to find him.
The Abyssal Tide Serpent let out another roar, mana surging in all directions.
Rachel forced herself to focus, even as panic clawed at her.
Arthur had been hit.
But he was not dead.
He couldn't be.
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