"We have three minutes before I return to human form," Rylan said, voice tight with urgency.
"I can handle the amnesiac MC and the paladin," Shun offered.
"Amnesiac MC? Oh—Arthur." Edric blinked, then nodded. "In that case, I'll take the hot-headed princess and cut off their source of life."
"That leaves me with Tinna," Rylan said, snapping his yellow claws together. "They won't leave their marksman unguarded. We need a plan to separate them."
The air suddenly thickened with heat, pressing against their skin. Beads of sweat no larger than kernels traced down Shun's forehead.
The ground cracked. Orange light glowed from below. Shun's eyes widened in realization.
Flames erupted upward, devouring everything in their path. Shun leapt aside.
Rylan clapped his mighty wings together, unleashing a burst of wind that hurled Edric clear while propelling himself in the opposite direction.
The moment the trio separated, the members of Genesis moved in.
"Shit!" Rylan cursed.
"We improvise!" Shun shouted as the hot-headed princess shot toward him, flames roaring from her palms.
She stopped directly above him and spun forward into a flaming dropkick. Fire wreathed her legs—hot enough to sear flesh from bone. The force alone would shatter his spine.
Inches from his abdomen, Shun's hands moved smoothly, redirecting the kick.
With nowhere else to go, the kick's power slammed into the ground. The earth trembled. A cloud of dust swallowed the area.
Shun landed in an unfamiliar section of the forest. Ancient trees rose six feet wide, their dense leaves blotting out most of the sunlight, leaving the forest floor dim and shadowed.
A roar like a jet engine approached. Shun slipped behind a thick trunk and masked both his presence and mana.
"Why did you dodge that? You're making this difficult for me!" The princess stomped. Flames exploded outward from her feet like a tidal wave, charring everything in a widening circle.
Behind the tree where Shun had stood, a hole now gaped in the earth, crawling deeper into the darkness. His hands transformed, fingers lengthening and hardening into spinning drills that bored through the soil ahead of him with a low, steady grind.
Normally, even someone as powerful as the princess would have heard the sound. But on his wrist, a glowing green pendant pulsed softly. The artifact projected a translucent barrier two meters in radius around him. Any noise born within that sphere remained trapped—inaudible to the world outside.
Silence fell. Her eyes darted through the smoke, hunting for any sign of him.
Suddenly, hands burst from the earth, seizing her ankles and yanking her downward. The ground swallowed her up to her neck.
"Why can't I move?" She struggled, face twisted with effort. In the distance, a thin silhouette emerged from the shadows, grinning.
"You! What did you do to me? Why can't I move?!"
"Just a little paralysis and tranquilizer potion. Nothing much." Shun held up a small syringe.
"That's our invention!" Her face flushed with rage. "Dirty rat! When did you inject me? You'll pay for playing dirty!"
Shun chuckled, ignoring her outburst. "That kick was powerful, I'll admit. But it's useless if it can't hit its target. You should practice more." He turned away. "Sleep well."
His figure melted into the darkness.
"Hey! Wa—it…" Her voice faded as her eyes slowly closed.
***
Shun examined the syringe, feeding it his mana. A display of al-magath calculations appeared before his eyes.
A self-sufficient syringe. The liquid is generated from the user's own mana and can be converted into low-grade potions with the correct formulas.
As expected from the top students. It must be that healer designed this. Shun admired the craftsmanship. Given time, he would have loved to reverse-engineer it.
A powerful gust of wind suddenly tore past him, ripping trees from the ground as if they were made of styrofoam. A brown silhouette tumbled within the gale.
"Rylan?" Shun turned. It was indeed him—badly injured, shallow cuts covering his body, blood trickling through his feathers.
Shun approached. Rylan's eyes were shut tight.
With a quick al-magath adjustment, the syringe's liquid turned red. Shun pressed the plunger.
Rylan's eyes snapped open with a sharp gasp.
"You look like a butchered chicken. I almost didn't recognize you," Shun said, helping him stand.
"I was fighting Arthur… what did you expect?" Rylan panted.
The air around them tightened. A heavy presence descended.
Both turned.
"You really are a walking cheat code," Rylan muttered, pointing at Arthur before glancing at Shun. "Just so you know, I used every strong attack this form has. That golden child of the gods isn't even tired, let alone bleeding."
"He's still a Saint. His physical body far exceeds his now low stage."
Arthur observed them in silence. White particles gathered in his palm, forming an orb.
"We gotta r—?!" Before Shun could finish, the rope shot forward like a striking serpent and coiled around him.
So fast! Shun thought. The device wasn't designed for this speed. Did he revise the al-magath? But how?
The rope tightened mercilessly, crushing his arms and legs against his torso. Breathing grew difficult. Channeling mana or exerting strength became nearly impossible.
"Damn it!" Shun cursed as he crashed to the ground.
"Why did we have to make the rope tighten the more we struggle?" Rylan groaned as he too was bound and slammed down.
"What should we do, Shun?" Rylan asked immediately.
Shun's mouth stayed shut, but his eyes darted around, searching for any advantage. His gaze landed on Rylan. An idea sparked.
"I have a plan," Shun said.
"What's the plan?"
Shun didn't answer. He squirmed like a worm until his face pointed toward Arthur.
"Tell me, Arthur," Shun called out, "how did you manage to revise the al-magath? I added extra security—if anyone tampered with my creation, it should have exploded. How did you do it?"
Arthur remained silent.
"Not speaking? I understand—it's your little secret. But you can tell me! I'm a man of my word. I never break promises! If I do, you can do whatever you want to me. Believe me, you wouldn't lose anything. I'm the goose that lays golden eggs, and you can make me yours!"
Arthur turned and began walking away.
"Is this your plan?" Rylan asked. "Because it doesn't look like it's working."
"Ten."
"Huh?"
"As soon as I reach zero, throw me at him as hard as you can."
"What? Why?"
Shun continued counting. "Eight…"
"But you're basically useless right now. How is throwing you supposed to help?"
"Three."
"Alright, alright. I'm ready."
Arthur stopped and turned back around.
"One."
Rylan's form shifted. Bones crunched and reshaped with grotesque sounds as feathers and wings melted back into human flesh. The rope loosened as his body shrank.
"Oh, so that's why." Rylan quickly lifted Shun with one hand.
"Tie my leg with the rope. Quick!"
"What are you trying to do?" Rylan's brows rose in sudden realization. "Oh… I see."