Ravok stepped forward.
Standing between them and his team.
Calm.
Unmoving.
"…Something I can help you with?"
The wolf vessel smirked.
Sharp teeth visible.
"…Yeah."
A short pause.
"…We want our ticket back."
His eyes narrowed.
"…And at least two of you dead."
Silence.
Ravok didn't react.
Didn't flinch.
"…Sadly…"
A slow exhale.
"…That's not going to happen."
His voice remained calm.
Steady.
"…We need that ticket."
A pause.
"…And I don't allow anyone to harm my friends."
The wolf and elephant exchanged glances.
Interested now.
Curious.
Then—
Ravok tilted his head slightly.
"…But I do have a proposition."
Both enemies looked at him.
Confused.
"…How about this…"
A faint grin formed.
"…I take both of you down…"
"…and we pass the trial."
"…while you don't."
The wolf and elephant vessels glanced at each other.
Then—
They laughed.
Low.
Confident.
"…We're going to enjoy tearing you apart."
Before either side could move—
BOOM—
The ground exploded beside them.
Sand and dirt scattered into the air.
Everyone turned instantly.
Four figures stepped forward.
Calm.
Confident.
Unhurried.
Leonis stood at the front.
Golden hair shifting slightly in the wind.
A faint smile formed on his face.
"…Well…"
"…Looks like we arrived at the perfect time."
Korin froze.
Eyes darting between the groups.
"…T-There's… three teams…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"…A-And one of them is… the guys that don't like you…"
He glanced nervously toward Leonis.
Leonis smiled faintly.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"…Oh."
His gaze shifted toward Ravok's hand.
Toward the glowing ticket.
"…So you guys already have one."
A short pause.
Then—
"…We have two."
Silence fell.
Then Leonis smirked slightly.
"…Let's make a deal."
Ash narrowed his eyes.
"…Huh?"
Leonis answered calmly.
"…Simple."
"…You give me your ticket…"
"…I keep mine…"
"…And none of you die."
Silence.
Then—
Ash laughed.
Short.
Amused.
Ravok laughed too.
Low.
Nyro joined in.
Grinning widely.
Only Korin remained tense.
Still sweating.
Ravok stepped forward slightly.
"…So you came to us…"
Ash continued smoothly.
"…When you already have two tickets?"
A faint grin formed on his face.
"…You just made our lives easier."
A woman beside Leonis stepped forward.
Her eyes sharp.
Cold.
"…Cocky."
A short pause.
"…You have two severely injured teammates…"
She pointed slightly.
"…One coward…"
Korin flinched.
"…And one more who thinks he's stronger than he really is."
Her smile widened.
"…This is your end."
Nyro laughed lightly.
Unbothered.
"…Seriously injured?"
He tilted his head slightly.
A confident grin spreading.
"…Darling…"
"…We haven't even started."
Behind them—
The wolf and elephant vessels exchanged confused glances.
Three teams.
Three tickets.
Too many targets.
Too many threats.
The wolf exhaled slowly.
"…Well…"
A grin formed.
Sharp.
Predatory.
"…This just got interesting."
Ash stepped forward slightly.
Tired.
Injured.
But—
Calm.
And focused.
"…So…"
A short pause.
"…Shall we start?"
Silence lasted only a second.
Then—
WHOOSH—
A blur exploded forward.
Too fast to track.
Too fast to react.
A cheetah vessel.
Shira.
CRACK—
Korin was sent flying backward.
His body slammed into the ground.
"…GH—!"
Before anyone could react—
THUD—
Nyro took a direct punch to the chest.
Knocked down.
Air ripped from his lungs.
The attacker didn't stop.
Didn't slow.
He vanished again—
Reappearing behind Ravok.
CRASH—
A brutal punch slammed into Ravok's stomach.
The impact echoed.
Ravok staggered one step back.
Only one.
Then—
He smiled.
"…Is that all you've got?"
Shira froze for half a second.
That was enough.
GRAB—
Ravok caught his arm mid-motion.
Locked.
Unbreakable.
"…Got you."
SLAM—
He smashed him into the ground.
Hard.
Dust exploded outward.
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Then—
WHOOSH—
The wolf lunged.
SLASH—
Claws tore across Ravok's shoulder.
At the same time—
BOOM—
The elephant crashed into him from the side.
Driving him backward.
Trying to force him down—
Trying to reach the ticket.
The wolf reached forward—
Hand stretching—
Almost touching Ravok's arm—
Then—
BOOM—
A water shot pierced through the air.
Faster than before.
Stronger too.
SHUNK—
It struck the wolf's shoulder.
Punching straight through.
"…GH—!"
The wolf staggered backward.
Bleeding.
Nyro stood behind them.
Blowgun raised.
Eyes sharp.
Focused.
A faint grin formed.
"…I'm hydrated now."
The battlefield shifted again—
A shadow moved behind him.
Fast.
Silent.
"…You're getting distracted…"
A female voice whispered.
"…Water boy."
She lunged—
But before her strike could land—
WHOOSH—
Ash dropped from the sky.
CRASH—
His kick slammed into her side.
Sending her flying across the ground.
Rolling.
Hard.
Ash landed smoothly.
Wings folding behind him.
Calm.
Cold.
"…Bad manners."
A short pause.
"…Attacking someone from behind."
Behind them—
Shira slowly rose from the crater Ravok created.
Smiling.
Excited.
Ready.
The battlefield had fully erupted.
© 2025 Moku. All rights reserved. The Tower of the Animal Kingdom is an original work by Moku. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is prohibited.