"Oh? It looks like we caught up to your friends." Aelina commented lightly, feeling a few familiar auras. However, her brows raised when she noticed they were fighting something. "It seems they've got themselves in a bit of trouble as well~" She chuckled.
Mira got curious and spread out her Soul Sense as well, quickly finding their position. She also couldn't help but raise a brow at what they were fighting.
"...Looks like I wasn't the only one who got stronger, huh."
"But of course! Even though you helped them power up before entering this Realm, they're still my Sect's top disciples! If they didn't gain anything, I would've smacked them to death myself!"
"I suppose they're alright…"
"No need to be shy~" Aelina smiled, but as Mira was giving her a cold glare, she didn't pursue that matter. Instead, she asked, "Hm? Do you want to help them? They might have a hard time despite their current strength."
Mira shook her head with a slight smile. "Leave them be and enjoy the show."
"Fufufu~ That's what I was planning to do~" Aelina giggled and took out a table, a few chairs, two cups, and a pot of tea. She sat down and began pouring them some tea. "Let's enjoy the show!"
Mira joined her but kept her senses locked on the girls' fight.
***
Under the gazes of two unknown spectators, Nova engaged in a fierce battle against a giant beast. It appeared that they had been fighting for a while, as both sides were relatively injured, with blood smeared across the ground.
With her spear illuminating the murky atmosphere with black flames, she attacked a Frost Mammoth, a Low-Stage Rank 9 beast known for its indomitable strength and icy tusks, harder than metal.
"Sunfire Devourer!" She yelled, gathering black fire at the tip of her spear before shooting out a flaming serpentine Dragon!
The mammoth, sensing an imminent threat, attempted to avoid the fiery projectile, but the dragon-shaped flame pursued relentlessly, finally crashing into the mammoth's side.
The dark fire immediately began consuming the frost energy covering its hide, leaving scorched, blackened fur in its wake as it attempted to break through its skin.
Close by, Eden was already preparing her next move.
"That's not Sunfire anymore, you idiot! Change your technique names!" She yelled, causing Nova's eyes to narrow in discontent, but said nothing.
With a grace that belied her strength, she notched an arrow to her bow, infusing it with the essence of wood and wind. The projectile glowed with a soft green light, radiating a gentle yet potent energy.
"Emerald Wind Arrow!" Eden whispered. With that, she released the arrow, which cut through the air like a hot knife through butter, embedding itself in the mammoth's hind leg, releasing its energy to entangle and restrain the beast further.
As the mammoth struggled against its restraints, Seraphina seized the opportunity.
With a radiant shield in one hand and a gleaming sword in the other, she moved fluidly, almost like water.
With a shout of "Silver Torrent Slash!", a wave of metallic liquid erupted from her sword, crashing towards the mammoth with an unstoppable momentum.
The torrent slammed into the mammoth, its piercing cry echoing through the chilly air. The metallic fluid began to solidify upon contact, further restricting its movements.
In the shadow of this commotion, Everly began gathering the energies of thunder and fire in her palms, her eyes locked on the struggling mammoth.
A soft hum vibrated through the air, growing louder, resembling the gathering storm clouds. Then, with a shout of "Thunderfire Eruption!", she released a brilliant burst of energy, a blinding mix of red and yellow lights darting towards the mammoth.
The beast roared as the energies struck, its body convulsing from the intense pain and shock of the electrical discharge coursing through it.
Silently, like a wraith in the night, Rayna appeared beside the mammoth. With a flick of her wrist, a thin, barely visible wire looped around the beast's neck. She had an indifferent, emotionless look on her face as she thought, "Nightshade Noose."
The wire tightened, and the mammoth's roars subsided, replaced by choked gasps as the potent poison quickly spread through its veins.
"Sunfire Devourer!"
"Ouroboros Sphere Spear-NO! It doesn't sound the same!"
"Sunfire Sphere Spear Shot!"
Nova, as usual, was spamming one powerful yet efficient attack after another. Normally, it wouldn't do much to a Rank 9 Beast, but the flames from the Ouroboros Bloodline weren't something to scoff at.
They were like a lesser version of Mira's black runes, constantly eating away at the Mammoth's energy and defenses.
Eden kept shooting arrows at the beast, targeting its weak spots, while Seraphina blocked any particularly deadly attacks. Rayna just kept inflicting minuscule wounds while injecting as much poison as she could into the beast.
Meanwhile, Everly rained down powerful spells from a distance, not allowing it to gain any momentum.
Under the combined onslaught, the mammoth's movements grew sluggish, and its eyes, once bright with fury, dimmed. With a final, shuddering breath, it collapsed, sending tremors through the ground.
The five girls regrouped, casting glances at one another, acknowledging their shared victory without words.
In the distance, Mira smiled, noting the synergy and growth in her disciples. Beside her, Aelina raised an eyebrow and commented, "Quite the performance, isn't it?"
"Indeed," Mira murmured.
Suddenly, Nova's eyes narrowed as she finally sensed a familiar aura nearby.
"Mira!" She shouted before running in her direction.
The other girls also soon felt the familiar aura, causing their auras to flare as they followed Nova. Rayna was the last to leave since she collected the mammoth corpse.
Mira locked eyes with them and nodded. She was about to speak up and greet them when suddenly, Nova raised her spear and shot a miniature black flame sun at her!
"DIE!"
Aelina quickly stored everything and teleported out of the area, ditching Mira, who showed a surprised expression.
BOOOOM!
The sun collided with the ground, spewing chunks of molten rock all over the place, leaving behind a massive crater.
A few meters away, Mira stood in her Progenitor Form, speechless at the power behind that attack.
"Get her! This is our only chance to become the Sect's Prime Disciple!" Nova shouted as she raised her hand, creating a flaming black Dragon around her.
"You don't have to tell me twice!"
"Sorry, Mira, but I don't have a choice. Please go easy on me."
"Let's see you beat me now, you crazy fox!"
"..."
The atmosphere around the combatants ignited with tension, the air itself seeming to pulsate with the sheer power being released. Mira, while initially taken aback, quickly collected herself, her eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and decisiveness.
Nova, leading the charge, lunged at Mira with her spear enveloped in swirling black flames, executing a series of rapid thrusts and slashes aimed at vital areas. Mira dashed away from each attack like an elusive target that seemed to be always just out of reach.
Simultaneously, Eden began conjuring a storm of emerald-tinted arrows, each one humming with the pulsating energy of wind and wood. The arrows whizzed through the air, creating a dazzling yet deadly display as they sought Mira with unerring accuracy.
Seraphina and Everly moved in tandem, providing a dual threat of cascading metallic waves and explosive bursts of thunderfire. The battlefield was lit by flashes of silver and gold, accompanied by the constant crackling and rumbling of elemental fury unleashed.
Rayna, true to her nature, remained hidden in the shadows, her wires and blades ready to strike at the most opportune moment, a silent but deadly threat lurking in the periphery.
Yet, in the face of this coordinated onslaught, Mira moved with an effortless grace and control that bespoke her mastery. Her eyes, cold and focused, tracked each of her companions' movements, anticipating their attacks before they were even launched.
Now that she could enter her Progenitor Form and use Primal Energy, she didn't have to worry about a cooldown when using her tails' powers. As long as she continued to pump them with Primal Energy while in that form, she could continue using them as much as she'd like.
Unfortunately, doing this did consume more energy than she'd like to admit, but with her talent and the feedback loop from the World Core in her Soul, she could continue for a while.
As the battle ensued, pulsating with vibrant energy and crackling tension, Mira's form weaved through the cacophony of attacks. That was one of the many perks of this form. It made her especially hard to hit. She could essentially glide through the air as if she were a part of it.
She allowed them to attack for a while to see how far they'd come, but seeing that they were doing nothing but probing, she was starting to get bored.
'Fine. I'll bite.' Mira sneered.
Ice Qi gathered around the tip of her scythe, and she aimed it at Seraphina. With a casual upward swing, she raised small mountains of ice on the ground, which shot at the woman before slamming into her shield with immense force.
Seraphina slid back from the impact, her arms throbbing but not injured.
"Let's get this over quickly," Mira said while twirling her scythe.
