His winged creature screeched as it closed the distance, prompting Elena to raise her hand in quick action.

A magic circle formed to their side, forming a translucent wall of water in defense against the creature. The winged creature slammed into it with force, and its claws scraped against the surface before it veered away, circling back into the air.

The flames below began to clear as the armored sabertooth emerged from the smoke, baring its fangs with a low growl. There were small burns clearing away from its skin, but its armor held firm and its tamer remained protected beneath it.

Katherine guided Qasag lower, then leaped down from a height. She landed with a force that caused the earth beneath her to crater slightly.

Elena landed beside her, but only a platform of water that hovered just above ground, maintaining flight on it.

The tamers, seeing the dragon and the yellow robes, knew for certain they were members of Valaross, and as such understood they could not afford to take any chances here.

Which is why the female tamer pressed her hand against the side of her beast and whispered, “Beast Fusion.”

The armored sabertooth let out a deep, guttural sound as its body began to glow. The light wrapped around both the beast and its tamer as their forms merging together in a surge of energy.

When the light faded, what stood in their place was a towering and powerful humanoid build of a human warrior with the predatory features of the sabertooth.

There were dark armor plating covered its shoulders, chest, arms, and legs, with tufts of wild fur jutting out from the gaps.

Its head was still human in shape, but its eyes glowed amber, and two long, curved fangs extended from its mouth, with claws tipping from each finger.

Slightly above the battlefield, the male tamer had merged with its winged creature midair. The result was humanoid form that retained his muscular frame, with varying colors of fure and large wings that stretched out from his back. His eyes had become reptilian, and his fingers ended in talons.

Katherine drew her red sword from her side, and her magic surged through her body, amplifying her physical power several times over with strength magic. Her muscles had bulged just a bit as she fell into the right stance to begin.

The female sabertooth hybrid growled and charged forward.

Katherine blitz forward as well, meeting her head-on.

The hybrid swung a clawed hand down with brutal force, forcing Katherine and to sidestep while simultaneously swinging her sword up in a rising slash aimed at the creature’s exposed side.

The hybrid blocked with her armored forearm as the blade scraped against the armor’s plating. She then retaliated with a backhand swipe of her extended claws.

But Katherine ducked beneath it and drove her knee up into the hybrid’s midsection. The impact landed with a heavy thud and shockwave that burst out from behind the hybrid. However armor had absorbed most of it.

The hybrid grunted and swung both arms down in a hammer blow, prompting to Katherine to raise her sword horizontally, catching the strike on the flat of the blade. The force drove her back a step, but she held firm.

The beasts these tamers had merged with were creatures of magic, and not just any kind.

The earliest versions of these monsters had been created by Thyron, the Dragon of Creation herself, when she first shaped the animals of the world. Because of that origin, they carried immense magic within them.

That same inheritance, passed down over the years, was what made them unnaturally strong, even against someone like Katherine.

She shoved the hybrid’s arms away and followed with a quick horizontal slash aimed at the neck.

But the hybrid leaned back, allowing the blade to pass inches from her throat, then lashed out with a kick that caught Katherine in the ribs.

Katherine slid back from the impact, then exhaled, before surging forward again.

The hybrid lunged at her as well, swinging its claws in a rapid combination, left, right, then a downward slash.

Katherine parried the first two strikes with her sword and rolled aside to avoid the third. The movement carried her behind the hybrid, and with a sharp inhale, she drove her fist into the creature’s spine.

The impact of her fist against the hybrid’s back sent it flying with the force of a sonic boom.

It slammed into the ground, bounced off again, and on the third rebound, it twisted midair, righting itself just in time to land on its feet.

From the main hall, Piers raised his fist slightly and grinned. “Let’s go, baby”

Right then, Qasag circled back and unleashed another concentrated beam of blue flames from above, aiming straight at the hybrid.

The fire washed over it, scorching the ground as Qasag streaked past again. The hybrid roared in annoyance as the flames passed, sending a brief gust of wind that parted the smoke.

The flames weren’t doing much damage thanks to its armor, but they were still a major pain to deal with in the fight.

And Katherine had that smug grin on her face, knowing it was pissing off her opponent.

–

Across the battlefield, Elena and the other winged hybrid were having a go at it.

Right now, he was diving toward her, forcing Elena to raise another a wall of water in his path.

The hybrid banked hard to the left, avoiding the wall, then flapped his wings and shot upward.

He circled above her, then extended his wings wide as dozens of sharp feathers detached from it and shot down toward her like arrows.

Elena raised both hands and the water platform beneath her surged upward, forming a dome that surrounded her on all sides.

The feathers struck the dome, embedding into the water but unable to pierce through.

The dome collapsed back into the platform beneath her feet as the hybrid dove again, this time coming at her from the side with his talons extended for another attempt.

Right then, Elena conjured a whip of water and lashed it forward. The whip wrapped around those talons before the reach and yanked him off course to the side.

He tumbled through the air, then righted himself with a powerful flap of his wing, before screeching and shooting another volley of feathers toward her.

Elena raised another barrier of water in front of her and the feathers embedded into it once more without doing harm.

The winged hybrid began circling around her at high speed, but Elena tracked his movements, with magic circle glowing in her hands and ready to act.

She considered the best way to handle such a fast, aerial opponent and decided on a large, concentrated blast of water; but the hybrid dodged, narrowly avoiding a strike to his wing.

The battle continued on both side of the battlefield as neither gave ground to the other, causing a tense stalemate situation.

——

On A Different Part Of The Map…

Kayden walked through the dense forest, and behind him, Maliyah of Orathia followed at a distance of several paces.

She had blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders, framing a slender figure that many would have found strikingly attractive.

Perhaps that was what stirred the sharp spike of jealousy Innis felt as she watched the screens.

They also looked like age mates. However, Kayden hadn’t acknowledged her presence once since they’d entered the forest. He knew someone was behind him, but he paid her no mind.

His eyes remained forward, scanning the terrain ahead while taking notice of both his map and glow stone for directions.

The silence extended for a long time between them, save for the occasional rustle of leaves or distant bird call.

Maliyah glanced at his back, then at the trees around them, then back at him again. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it. A few more steps passed before she tried again.

“Should we come up with some sort of strategy for when we meet the enemy?” she asked, finally getting herself to do it.

Kayden said nothing for a moment. He continued walking, as though she hadn’t spoken at all.

Then, without turning to look at her, he replied in a flat tone, “There’ll be no need for that. None will last that long.”

Maliyah was taken back for a second, unsure whether to press further or simply accept the answer.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep