Jane noticed it first, and her feet slid to a stop. She cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed. "Back!"

The sound waves went out like a blow, pushing the panther back to the boulder. The beast growled in pain as the trio moved ahead.

Killian wanted to note that it wasn’t dead but the beast jumped back into the race, moving even faster. They kept on sprinting past the trees even as yet another panther joined the chase.

While the girls aimed at getting the first panther that had already been injured, two more followed behind them.

The forest turned into a sprinting blur of trees and black bodies and Killian’s eyes kept on darting about to be sure the numbers stayed equal.

Killian looked ahead. "I don’t understand why the coordinator sent newbies to a B-tier realm. They could easily die here if their first two attacks can’t kill a panther."

And it seemed that more than ten panthers existed in the region. His mind went to Evelyn and Juda who were less experienced than he was. He didn’t want to think too much about it.

"Go ahead." Killian halted, he took one step backwards, and a trail of fire separated him from the girls, keeping the panthers closing in from going any further. "And if it gets too gray, Jane, call me."

The girls hesitated before continuing the chase. Killian made sure they were far gone before focusing on the panthers. "So what’s the deal with you guys?"

They replied with a growl, now pacing in front of him leisurely.

"If a sound wave doesn’t even injure you," he nodded. "I guess my fire is the only thing that can."

Dark tendrils spread quietly beneath the ground, moving between the tree roots. The panthers noticed too late.

The tendrils burst upward around them like traps snapping shut.

The beasts lunged immediately, claws scattered into the tendrils, slapping and stomping on them with brutal strength. Their claws were sharp enough to slice through bark and stone alike.

But the tendrils never cut despite their efforts, and there were too many.

Killian moved.

<Piercing Scorch> 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Flames compressed within his two hands, while his focus was on the panthers that couldn’t predict what was coming.

Then he shot forward. Two blazing beams pierced through the panthers’ heads instantly; their growls stopped before their bodies dropped onto the ground heavily.

Fire engulfed his tendrils as they wrapped around the beasts’ corpses. Each touch of tendrils left a charred mark, and a rather pungent smell of burnt flesh that filled the air.

The tendrils wrapped around the corpses immediately and consumed them piece by piece, tearing through the meat like starving mouths devouring steak.

[Capacity: 165 → 189]

Killian exhaled slowly. "I should catch up with those two—"

Scream!

He froze as the scream echoed through the forest. His mind raced to trace which Sound User it would’ve been so he could know what direction to move to. ’Felina.’

Killian’s eyes sharpened instantly. "Evelyn!"

He turned and sprinted toward the sound without hesitation, moving to the opposite direction of Jane and Kia. His flames trailing faintly behind his steps as branches whipped past his face.

Another scream echoed, closer and even more scared. His chest tightened immediately. ’Not again.’

He didn’t like the thought of another person disappearing while he was too far away to stop it.

The memory of Quara chained and bleeding flashed through his mind so suddenly that his breathing roughened. He still remembered how helpless his strong sister had looked unconscious in his arms. He never wanted to arrive late again, and he sped up harder.

The trees finally opened to a wide area devoid of trees. It was Felina. Relief hit him first, but it vanished when he saw she was alone.

He quickly looked around the area immediately. Evelyn and Ryuk weren’t there and the panther prowling toward Felina had blood staining its claws.

His stomach dropped. "You must be fucking kidding me!"

And for one horrible second, his mind instantly imagined torn uniforms. Blood. Bodies dragged somewhere into the trees where he wouldn’t find them until it was too late.

Killian moved before the thought could finish. The Void-Bat appeared in his hand and flames engulfed it instantly.

He slammed the weapon into the panther with enough force to crack the ground beneath it.

BOOM!

A violent surge of flames exploded outward alongside the pressure of the hit. The beast’s body folded under the impact and crashed hard against a tree before dropping lifelessly.

Felina stared at him wide-eyed till Killian grabbed her shoulders.

"Where are Evelyn and Ryuk?" His voice was sharper than he intended.

Felina’s lips trembled. Then she suddenly hugged him tightly and broke into sobs.

"They just disappeared!" she cried. "We got separated and... and my sound waves never worked but their wind attacks did!"

Killian blinked once. Twice. Then his breathing normalised, as he dragged his eyes to the panther.

He exhaled quietly. They were probably alive. His shoulders loosened slightly as he awkwardly patted her back once. "It is okay. You are safe now."

The small girl hugged him tightly. "Evelyn just... just left me for panther food!"

He breathed in and out, narrowing his eyes at the panther. He could see that those blood marks were from the panther’s injuries, possibly done by Felina. If Felina, with the strongest Sound Element Output, could only injure these beasts, then Evelyn was right.

The coordinator was really nuts. If Amega newbies, who had no good teachers to start with, were sent into a realm where the beasts were sound resistant... then he was only trying to kill the newbies.

There was no other explanation.

A breeze suddenly swept through the trees.

Evelyn appeared closely in front of them, her uniform barely rustling despite the speed she arrived with. Her eyes moved from Killian to the crying Felina hugging him.

"So adorable," she said flatly.

Killian looked away and tried immediately pulling Felina off him.

"Evelyn," he said quickly. "Find Juda and his team immediately. I have to go back for mine."

Evelyn nodded once. "Let’s go, Felina."

"No, I’m leaving with Leader-sir!" Felina didn’t move. "Why did you abandon—"

"Could the seventeen-year-old girl get her feet over here!" Evelyn yelled while running through the forest. "Don’t ask questions and move first!"

Killian planted his feet on the ground. "You better go with her, Felina. She has no patience."

He burst forward again, and after covering a distance, spread his tendrils further to find trails of the girls.