Nora's eyes widened as she stared at the approaching horde.
Dozens of Initiate Overlords charged across the wasteland like a living tide of destruction.
Behind them stood the true Jade Beast.
Its emerald-colored scales reflected the sunlight while streams of wind circled around its massive body. The creature's eyes burned with intelligence.
It had fooled them.
The wind clone John had killed earlier was merely a decoy.
The real monster had been observing the battle from a distance the entire time.
Then Nora saw it.
A vision.
A glimpse of the future.
A burning wave of compressed wind exploded from the Jade Beast's mouth.
John stood directly in its path.
Sophia's shield was already occupied protecting the others.
There would be no space for him.
The scorching wind would engulf him completely.
Nora's heart skipped a beat.
"John!"
Her voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Fall back!"
John instinctively turned.
Nora's expression was unlike anything he had seen before.
She rarely shouted.
When she did, it meant danger.
"John, stay away from us immediately!"
Without hesitation, John leaped backward.
He still remembered the last time he had ignored Nora's warning.
The memory sent chills down his spine.
Back then he had nearly lost an arm.
This time he wasn't taking chances.
The moment he retreated, the Jade Beast attacked.
BOOM!
A torrent of blazing wind erupted from the monster.
The attack carved a path through the battlefield.
The ground melted.
Rocks shattered.
Several approaching creatures were vaporized instantly.
Fortunately, Sophia reacted in time.
Golden light erupted from her body.
The Elite Shield expanded into a massive dome.
The burning wind crashed against it.
The shield trembled violently.
Sophia gritted her teeth.
Her essence drained rapidly.
But the relic held.
When the attack finally ended, everyone inside remained unharmed.
John swallowed hard.
If Nora hadn't warned him...
He would have been dead.
"Thanks," he muttered.
Nora didn't answer.
Her attention was already elsewhere.
The Overlords had arrived.
The creatures slammed against Sophia's shield repeatedly.
Cracks of impact echoed throughout the battlefield.
Sophia's expression darkened.
"We can't stay defensive forever!"
Nora nodded.
She stepped forward.
"Then we attack."
Black essence surged around her.
The Blind Owl spirit manifested behind her.
Dark feathers scattered into the air.
At the same time, seven glowing arms made entirely of destiny threads appeared behind her body.
The Seven Arms of Destiny.
Nora's God Body.
The battlefield instantly became different in her eyes.
Countless glowing threads connected every living thing.
Every creature.
Every ally.
Every movement.
Every possibility.
Destiny.
Nora focused on one Initiate Overlord.
She attempted to seize its thread.
The same way she could influence humans.
Yet the thread remained blurry.
Unclear.
Unreachable.
Nora frowned.
Then realization struck.
Humans and creatures were fundamentally different.
Human destinies were relatively straightforward.
Their choices shaped their paths.
Their futures branched naturally.
But creatures were different.
Their destinies were connected to instinct.
Evolution.
Bloodlines.
Ancient influences.
Some were even tied to powers far older than humanity.
Instead of a single path, each creature possessed thousands of tangled possibilities intertwined together.
Trying to control them directly was like grabbing smoke.
It wasn't impossible.
But it was far harder.
Especially for someone at Nora's current rank.
The realization lasted only a second.
Then an enormous Bone Tiger lunged at her.
The creature's body was composed entirely of white skeletal armor.
Its claws carved deep trenches into the earth.
Nora twisted her body unnaturally.
The attack barely missed her.
The Bone Tiger turned.
Confused.
Its target should have been directly in front of it.
Instead...
Nora was suddenly three meters away.
Or so it believed.
False Glimpse.
The creature had seen a future that didn't exist.
The Bone Tiger attacked the illusion.
Meanwhile the real Nora appeared beside its ribs.
BOOM!
Her fist connected.
The impact launched the enormous creature across the battlefield.
The Bone Tiger crashed through multiple rocks.
Yet it stood back up.
Its defense was absurd.
Nora clicked her tongue.
One punch carrying the force of all eight arms should have crippled most Initiates.
Instead it merely staggered the monster.
Before she could continue, another figure descended from the sky.
Mark.
His sword flashed.
Wind exploded beneath his feet as he accelerated downward.
CLANG!
His blade collided with the Bone Tiger.
The creature was driven into the ground.
Mark landed beside Nora.
"I'll handle this one."
Nora nodded.
"Good luck."
Then she disappeared toward another section of the battlefield.
The battle intensified.
Sophia was now acting like a moving fortress.
Every swing of her Elite Shield crushed enemies.
One Overlord attempted to attack from behind.
Sophia simply rotated her shield.
The impact alone shattered the creature's skull.
The shockwave blasted several more monsters away.
Nearby, John had engaged a true Initiate Mystic.
Unlike the Overlords, this creature possessed intelligence.
It resembled a giant serpent covered in metallic scales.
John's Ashley Aura spread outward.
A pale gray field surrounded the battlefield.
The serpent's movements slowed immediately.
Its elemental abilities weakened.
Its regeneration diminished.
Its strength decreased.
That was John's specialty.
Suppression.
He couldn't overpower enemies directly.
Instead he dragged them down to his level.
The serpent lunged.
John met it head-on.
His sword flashed repeatedly.
Each strike weakened the creature further.
Meanwhile Nora continued fighting.
False Glimpse activated continuously.
Dangerous attacks appeared in her vision before they occurred.
She dodged.
Countered.
Retreated.
Advanced.
Again and again.
Yet despite her success, injuries accumulated.
Cuts covered her arms.
Bruises formed across her body.
She lacked the advantages most Initiates possessed.
No Data.
No enchanted weapons.
No powerful relics.
Only her fists.
Her will.
And her God Body.
Still, she refused to stop.
One Overlord.
Then another.
Then another.
Each fell before the Seven Arms of Destiny.
Eventually the battlefield began shifting.
The creatures were losing.
Sophia was destroying everything she touched.
Mark had slain the Bone Tiger.
Nora had defeated multiple Overlords.
And John's battle was nearing its conclusion.
The Jade Beast finally entered the fight personally.
The wind around it became violent.
Trees were uprooted.
Dust filled the sky.
The creature roared.
John stepped forward.
His Ashley Aura expanded to its limit.
The Jade Beast immediately weakened.
Its speed dropped.
Its wind lost intensity.
Its movements became sluggish.
The battle reached its climax.
John charged.
The Jade Beast charged.
Both attacks collided.
A massive explosion shook the battlefield.
For several seconds nobody could see anything.
Then the dust settled.
John stood there.
Barely standing.
His armor was dented.
Blood dripped from his forehead.
His breathing was ragged.
Across from him, the Jade Beast collapsed.
Its life finally extinguished.
Silence followed.
Then the system announced:
"You have slain an Initiate Mythic."
The remaining Overlords froze.
Their master was dead.
Fear spread through them.
One by one they retreated into the wilderness.
None wished to continue fighting.
The battlefield was finally over.
John laughed weakly.
"That was amazing."
Then a dark silhouette emerged from his shadow.
A creature shaped exactly like the Jade Beast appeared beside him.
An Echo.
Everyone stared.
Even Nora looked impressed.
John grinned.
"I got an Echo."
The Jade Beast Echo bowed its head beside him.
Nora sighed.
"You're lucky."
John laughed.
"You sound jealous."
"Maybe."
Nora smiled slightly.
"If I got one, I couldn't use it anyway."
Sophia approached while gathering shards from fallen creatures.
"Less talking. More work."
John immediately pointed toward the battlefield.
"Jade Beast, help collect the shards."
The Echo obeyed instantly.
Soon dozens of shards had been gathered.
After everything was secured, the team activated their return devices.
Their consciousnesses were withdrawn from the Projection Chamber and returned to their real bodies within the academy.
Nora slowly opened her eyes.
The chamber lid lifted.
Her body looked untouched.
No wounds.
No blood.
Yet exhaustion weighed heavily upon her.
Her essence reserves were nearly empty.
Nearby, Sophia sat up.
John looked equally exhausted.
Only Mark appeared relatively fresh.
Awakened Rose watched them carefully.
A small smile appeared on her face.
The mission had been a success.
And all four students had returned alive.