The air of the Sun People's realm felt heavier the moment everyone stepped outside the giant treehouse.
Golden light filtered through the enormous trees overhead, covering the land in a warm glow. The ground beneath them was soft sand mixed with roots and stone, yet despite the beauty of the environment, the pressure lingering in the atmosphere never disappeared.
It pressed constantly against the body.
Against the mind and the soul itself.
Sera stepped forward calmly beside David while the others observed silently from the treehouse entrance.
Her black hair moved gently with the wind as her hazel-black eyes scanned the Black Sun Syndicate.
Then she spoke.
"I will teach you about your powers."
She folded her arms loosely.
"So attack me all at once."
A grin slowly spread across Eryndor's face.
He rolled his shoulders once as blue lightning began crackling around his body.
"Guys… what are you waiting for?"
BOOM.
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
Eryndor shot forward like a streak of lightning across the sand and instantly appeared in front of Sera, spinning his body horizontally as he launched a kick toward her face.
Sera did not move her body.
She merely tilted her head slightly.
The kick missed her face by inches.
A violent burst of wind erupted behind her from the force alone.
At the same instant Kaelus appeared behind Sera through a swirl of wind currents.
"Wind Palm."
He thrust his hand toward the center of her back.
BOOOOM.
A compressed wave of wind exploded outward—
but Kaelus' eyes widened slightly as his own attack rebounded into him.
He was blown backward across the ground, sliding several meters through the sand before catching himself.
Meanwhile, Eryndor continued pressing forward relentlessly.
His fists blurred with lightning-fast speed.
Right hook, Jab, Left straight and an Elbow.
Every strike carried enough force to flatten mountains.
Yet Sera calmly dodged every single attack without moving from the same spot.
Her upper body shifted minimally.
An inch to the left.
A slight lean backward.
A subtle turn of the shoulder.
Nothing more.
Eryndor narrowed his eyes.
"She's reading everything…"
He suddenly jumped upward and spun violently in midair before bringing down an axe kick coated in storm energy.
BOOOOM.
The impact shook the entire area.
Wind exploded outward in every direction.
Sand rose into the air.
But when the dust cleared Sera had not moved.
Eryndor's kick rested against her shoulder.
No damage, Not even a scratch.
Stellar moved next.
Cold air spread across the battlefield as frost formed around her hands.
A massive spear of ice rapidly formed above her.
Without hesitation, she launched it.
The spear tore through the air with tremendous speed toward Sera's chest.
Sera calmly raised one finger.
Tap.
The enormous spear instantly shattered into countless frozen fragments.
Darius clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
Dark shadows spread rapidly across the ground as chains erupted upward toward Sera from every direction.
The chains suddenly twisted midair before reaching her then changed direction completely.
Darius frowned.
"What?"
He immediately attempted to enter Sera's shadow but the connection vanished.
No access.
His eyes narrowed.
"I can't even enter her shadow…"
Then Rein moved.
The ground cracked beneath him as he rushed toward Sera with pure physical force.
He swung a devastating punch directly toward her face.
Sera raised one finger.
BLOCK.
Rein's fist stopped completely against it.
The shockwave behind him blasted apart nearby trees.
Rein grinned.
"Now this is fun."
He immediately transitioned into close combat.
He threw a series of Punches, Elbows, Knees and Kicks.
His movements were explosive and relentless, each attack flowing naturally into the next with overwhelming pressure.
Yet Sera continued dodging everything effortlessly in the same position.
She looked almost relaxed.
Alucard and Dova attacked simultaneously from opposite sides.
Alucard's hands transformed into beast claws as divine fire flickered around his arms.
Dova's palms glowed white with entropy energy.
They struck at the exact same time.
Sera lightly jumped upward.
Their attacks collided beneath her and shattered the ground apart.
Above them isly raised her black staff.
"Chaos Magic — Amaterasu."
Black flames erupted outward in a massive wave toward Sera midair.
The flames engulfed her completely.
A huge explosion erupted across the battlefield.
Heat distorted the atmosphere.
The surrounding sand melted.
Then the flames slowly dispersed.
Sera floated downward completely unharmed.
Tina suddenly appeared directly in front of her.
Soft green soul energy glowed around her hands.
"Soul Power — Righteous Touch."
She thrust her palm forward toward Sera's stomach.
Sera smiled slightly.
"You use soul power directly…but the density is not enough yet."
The moment Tina touched her…BOOM.
A massive force pushed Tina backward across the battlefield.
Her boots dragged through the sand as she caught herself.
Then everything became chaos.
Eryndor attacked again from the front.
Kaelus controlled the wind currents around Sera's movements.
Rein pressured her physically.
Darius manipulated shadows beneath the battlefield, Stellar froze sections of the terrain to limit movement, Alucard attacked aggressively at close range, Dova tried sealing movement through entropy, Isly distorted space with chaos magic, meanwhile Tina targeted the soul itself.
Their synergy was flawless.
Every movement connected naturally with another.
One attack flowed into the next seamlessly.
They surrounded Sera completely.
Shockwaves exploded constantly.
The wind roared, Lightning flashed, Frost spread, Shadows twisted, Fire burned and Soul energy rippled through the battlefield.
Yet not a single hit landed.
Sera calmly weaved through every attack as if dancing.
She moved through impossible openings naturally.
Minimal movement, Perfect control and awareness.
The Black Sun Syndicate slowly began realizing something terrifying.
Sera was not overpowering them through raw strength.
She simply existed on an entirely different level of mastery.
Then suddenly she disappeared.
The team's eyes widened.
Fast.
Sera reappeared in the center of them.
Using only her index finger she struck each of their foreheads once.
BOOOOM.
All nine members were instantly sent flying backward.
Some crashed through trees. Others rolled across the sand.
The entire battlefield became silent afterward.
Sera stood calmly in the center while brushing dust from her sleeve.
Then she smiled.
"Wanna go again?"
For a moment, nobody answered.
Then eryndor slowly stood up first.
Lightning flickered weakly around his body as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
A grin spread across his face.
"I won't stop. I wanna repay you for that hit."
Rein stood next, cracking his neck loudly.
"My pride won't allow me to give up."
Kaelus stood while Tempest floated back into his hand.
"The wind can't be left behind."
Stellar brushed frost from her sleeve and exhaled cold air.
"Guess I have to start freezing outcomes."
Darius laughed quietly as shadows moved around his feet again.
"So this is what the headmistress was talking about"
Alucard's eyes burned with excitement.
Dova rolled his shoulders calmly.
Tina adjusted her stance.
Isly spun her staff once before resting it against her shoulder.
All of them stood smiling.
Ready and hungry for more.
Sera looked at them for a few seconds.
Then she smiled.
"Good. That's how deities should act."