The wind howled along the coast, whipping seawater into the air like a warning cry.
Helion, Yuri, Zezzy, and Liena sprinted in formation—each of their senses sharpened, movements synced from countless attacks together. The ocean shimmered to their right, endless and vast. To their left, dunes of sand shifted like lurking giants.
That's when the ground rumbled again.
Another worm.
This one burst from the sand with even more force than the last—taller, thicker, covered in shards of crystalline shell that caught the light like jagged mirrors.
Yuri didn't hesitate.
He skidded to a stop, planting his hand against the wet coast floor.
"Spirit Skill—Transmute."
The sand beneath the worm began to churn, bubbling like boiling water. It liquefied into thick sludge—then hardened just as fast into a stone-like mud trap.
The worm tried to lunge.
It didn't move an inch.
Its massive body was locked mid-burst, frozen in its own momentum.
Helion drew his blade with precision, the Solstice Edge gleaming with a faint pulse of light.
But before he could strike—
Liena moved.
A rush of wind carried her forward in a blur. She joined Helion at the front, her blade already drawn and glowing with aerial mana.
No words.
Just instinct.
Together, they struck.
Two swords—one forged in light, the other in air—sliced clean through the worm's skull, their twin slashes meeting at the center like a perfected technique.
The creature collapsed, its body crumbling into pale golden mana, scattering like dust in the wind.
Silence.
Then a grin from Yuri. "Nice combo, you two."
Beside him, one of his living roots curled protectively around the encased golden egg, still sealed inside its bark-shell prison.
Zezzy gave a nod of approval, her eyes scanning the horizon. "They're getting tougher… That one didn't even hesitate."
Helion wiped sand from his brow. "Neither did we."
The four regrouped, breathing steady, eyes sharp.
Team Crimson was getting faster.
Stronger.
And the coast was far from done with them.
Zezzy came to a sharp stop, turning to face the others. Her hair whipped in the ocean wind as her expression turned serious.
"Okay," she said, voice clear and steady. "If we keep running without a plan, we're going to burn through our mana. These worm creatures… they're not just threats—they're delays. And they're chipping away at us."
Liena slowed beside her, nodding. "Good thinking, Zezzy. They're not attacking to kill—they're draining us. If we're not careful, we'll be sitting ducks before the real fight starts."
Yuri glanced up at the eight glowing stones suspended in the sky above the terrain—timers, floating high like silent overseers.
"Only an hour's passed," Zezzy remarked. "Feels like we've been out here longer."
Helion stepped up beside Yuri. "So what now?"
Yuri looked at him, then Liena. "We wait or keep moving?"
Helion crossed his arms. "We don't have time to waste."
Liena smiled faintly and stepped forward. "Then leave it to me."
She closed her eyes—and when they opened again, they gleamed a vivid green, glowing like twin emerald beacons.
"Spirit Skill: Mystical Eyes of Aerithyn."
A wind-like hum rippled through the air as the power took hold. Her pupils shifted, no longer human—now crystalline, like fragments of ancient jade etched with runes.
"My spirit Aerithyn allows me to see all mana channels within a terrain—every flow, every current. Even hidden magic."
The others watched in awe as she scanned the world around them, her eyes flaring brighter with each passing second.
"I can also identify weak points in magical beings… and trace mana cores directly."
She turned to Helion, briefly locking eyes.
"Your core releases more mana than all of ours. Not surprising." She thought to herself.
Liena turned away before answering.
Her voice dropped, serious again.
"I can see it now. There are roots—buried under the terrain. Mana-infused. They're feeding information somewhere… like veins."
"Veins?" Yuri repeated.
"Yes," Liena confirmed, her gaze narrowing toward the tree line ahead. "Whoever planted them… they're not using them for defense."
Zezzy stepped beside her. "What then?"
"They're watching us."
A long pause fell over the group.
Liena pointed beyond the coastal ridge—toward the dense, misty forest.
"All of these roots lead to one source. Someone out there… is tracking every team on this battlefield."
Liena's glowing green eyes narrowed toward the forest. Then, with a sly grin, she turned to the group.
"Why don't we pay them a visit?" she said, a mischievous spark in her voice.
She giggled, already stepping back to make room.
Zezzy cracked her knuckles, water pulsing lightly at her fingertips. "That sounds perfect."
Yuri adjusted his glasses, nodding. "They've got the upper hand right now. Taking the fight to them? That might tilt the game back in our favor."
Helion smirked. "Count me in. I'm ready for whatever's next."
Liena raised her arms.
"Then let's go."
She whispered:
"First Form—Temporal Air."
The winds stirred.
Not just any wind—precise, measured, and layered in magic. It curled around their feet like invisible ribbons, tightening upward, gathering momentum.
One by one, they began to lift off the ground.
Helion's coat fluttered. Yuri's legs started to tremble.
"Wait—wait—are we flying?" Yuri's voice cracked. "Oh no. No no no. Liena—don't drop us. I swear—if I look down—"
"I already looked down," Helion said, grinning. "It's not helping."
He laughed as Yuri clutched one of his roots still wrapped around the golden egg like it was a life raft.
"This takes me back…"
Helion's voice trailed into memory—but before it could fully pull him away, Liena cut in, smirking.
"Oi, don't go all nostalgic on us now," she said, nudging him mid-air. "We've got enemies to surprise."
Liena's voice stayed steady, focused, as she maintained the swirling currents beneath them. Her eyes still glowed a shimmering green, scanning through the currents of mana below.
"Liena," Zezzy said. "What can you tell us about the other team?"
Liena squinted through the glowing threads only she could see.
"Mmm… I can confirm two of them are water affinity," she said. "The other two… I'm not sure. Their mana signatures are… hazy. Could be hybrids or dual-types. My spirit only lets me see pure elemental lines—water, wind, fire, earth."
She gave a brief glance toward Yuri.
"Anything like your swamp magic? Or Helion's light? It blurs to me. Like fog over glass."
Zezzy tilted her head, thoughtful.
"Yuri… if two of them are water users—do you think you could mess with it somehow? Maybe sludge it up, make it unusable?"
Yuri tapped the frame of his glasses, processing the idea.
"Hmm… never tried transmuting liquid water into something viscous like sludge," he said. "But… in theory? Yeah. If I anchor the particles right, fuse it with enough trace minerals in the air…"
He nodded slowly, a spark of excitement in his voice. "Yeah. I could probably gum up their attacks."
"Nice," Zezzy said, a grin forming. "Let's call it—Operation Mudbath."
Helion chuckled, shaking his head. "You guys have some wild abilities."
Zezzy raised an eyebrow, playful. "Says the guy who cut a sandworm in half with light."
"Our skills are versatile," she added. "But you—you're the finisher. The heavy hitter. That blade of yours turns the tide."
Helion looked away, a small flicker in his expression.
"Maybe," he said quietly. "But even heavy hitters fall if they don't trust the team around them."
Zezzy smiled at that. A real one.
Liena called out over the wind, "We're nearly above them. Start preparing—Yuri, be ready to reach into the soil the second we land. Zezzy, you flank left. Helion, you're with me."
The team nodded as the treetops approached, the wind beginning to slow.
The hunt had begun.
Lily's head snapped up.
A shift in the air. Faint—subtle—but unmistakable.
The petals of her massive flower shivered slightly, pulsing as the mana-encoded roots below the forest floor sent a message only she could understand.
"They're coming," she said, voice rising.
She turned to the others. "Team incoming—straight toward us!"
Clipso's sword hand twitched, excitement gleaming in his storm-gray eyes.
"How long do we have?"
"Just a few minutes," Lily replied, already weaving her next spell into the flower's bloom. "They're fast. Tactical. Probably Team Crimson."
Clipso grinned.
"Perfect."
Just then—an eruption.
A violent clash echoed from the cliffs beyond the forest's edge. Flames burst skyward, immediately followed by a surge of water crashing in the opposite direction. Cracking earth spiraled upward as wind howled between stone ridges.
The trees trembled.
The sky lit up.
And in the distance—chaos.
Swords rang like bells in battle. Figures darted midair, exchanging spells in a dazzling display of raw skill.
The crowd watching from the Royal Stadium erupted.
"Look at those teams go!"
"Team Emerald and Team Sapphire—locked in a dead heat!"
"Earth versus wind! Fire versus water!"
Clipso turned, eyes sharp and wild.
"Ohhhhh, now this is getting fun."
He ran a thumb across the flat of his blade, wind crackling faintly around him.
"Let them come," he said, voice low. "Let's see who wants to get plundered."
Above them, Team Crimson descended.
From their vantage point in the sky, Helion watched the battlefield erupt like a storm-torn painting—colors, elements, motion all blurring into something greater.
He couldn't look away.
So this… this is what Soulform warriors look like in full motion.
Helion's grip on Solstice Edge tightened—not in fear.
But in anticipation.
The moment Team Crimson touched down—
They locked eyes with Team Pearl.
The tension between the groups spiked like lightning in the air. No words. Just instinct. Recognition. Rivalry.
Clipso stepped forward first.
His blade half-unsheathed, the excitement practically crackling off of him.
"Hahahaha!" he laughed, wild and grinning. "Been waiting for this!"
He yanked his sword free.
"First Form—Shattering Storm!"
A violent burst of wind and lightning erupted from the blade, arcing toward Team Crimson in a streak of roaring destruction.
But Helion already bolted ahead.
In one instant, he stood between his team and the incoming storm.
"Spirit Skill—Solstice Glow!"
A brilliant golden light exploded from his blade, clashing with Clipso's elemental blast mid-air. The impact was seismic—light versus storm. The mana ripple blinded both the combatants and the spectators watching through the floating scrying crystals.
The ground trembled. Trees bent and snapped. Leaves burst into the air like shrapnel.
The crowd went silent.
Clipso laughed through the chaos.
"Not bad, rookie… but you lack the finishing touch!"
He pressed forward—his blade pushing through the stormlight—and slammed into Helion's defense.
The force launched Helion backward into the air, golden sparks trailing in his wake.
"Helion!" Zezzy called,
Liena already reacting.
She spun, one arm raised. Wind coiled from her palms like ropes and snatched Helion midair, pulling him back before he could crash.
At the same time—
Yuri planted his palm into the earth.
Massive roots erupted upward, curling protectively around the golden egg still encased in hardened mud and stone.
"Defense is up!" Yuri called.
From the other side, Geno and Gena sprinted in, their synchronized movements flawless.
Their blades gleamed with waterform enchantments, eyes locked on Yuri's position.
"They're going for the egg!"
Zezzy landed lightly across from Lily, who stood just ahead of the flower pulsing with mana.
Their blades met with a sharp clang.
Zezzy's eyes narrowed. "You're the one controlling the flower, huh?"
Lily parried lazily, her tone mocking and calm.
"Looks like you're the observer type… always watching from the back."
Sparks flew as their weapons locked again—support versus support, precision versus finesse.
And just then.
The stadium roared louder than ever.
Crowds stomped, waved banners, and chanted through the thunderous clash playing out on the crystals above:
"Team Pearl!"
"Team Crimson!"
"Pearl! Crimson! Pearl! Crimson!"
Up in a reserved noble's lounge—far removed from the screaming citizens and commoners—one man remained silent.
He sipped dark wine from a crystal goblet, the light of the battlefield flickering across his sharp features.
Vlad Valden III.
Head of House Valden.
Draped in elegant silver robes lined with black trim, he watched the broadcast without emotion. A servant behind him stood motionless. The only sound in the room was the cheering echoing from below… and Vlad's voice.
Low. Cold. Dismissive.
"That rookie boy…" he said, referring to Helion.
"…thinks he can deflect a Valden storm? Compete with us?"
He swirled the goblet slowly. His lip curled in distaste.
"Mere peasant."
⸻
Meanwhile, back in the Royal Balcony…
The captains were just beginning to lean forward again—watching the Helion–Clipso clash play out—when suddenly—
Heavy footsteps.
A beat.
Then two armored knights sprinted toward the dais, sliding to one knee as they arrived.
"U-Uh… sir…!"
Their words barely landed before another presence passed behind them like a silent shadow.
"Welcome back… Sir Chrono."
The words came from one of the kneeling guards—whispered like a prayer.
The man who walked in said nothing at first.
He was dressed in black and muted gold. His cloak was torn at the edge, but his posture was perfect.
Zeyr.
The Former Head Captain.
Chrono the hero.
He stepped behind the captains' seating row, boots echoing like thunder across the marble.
"Looks like you've been keeping the seats nice and warm."
His voice was low. Dry. Teasing.
"Good job."
Arinelle's eyes widened.
She stood slowly, stunned. "Zeyr…?"
Axel Nova, who had been leaning so far back in his chair he was practically horizontal, nearly fell over trying to stand.
"You—! You're back?! You—! You just disappeared!"
Captain Arion Drael stood with quiet respect, stepping back to allow the new presence room.
Syrus, ever the composed one, rose abruptly. His eyes burned. His voice was sharp.
"Where the hell have you been, Zeyr?"
"Head Captain Zeyr."
That title hung in the air like thunder.
Arion crossed his arms, still stunned.
"I thought you just… got up and retired or something. You left not ten minutes after declaring it—no note, no goodbye—just vanished."
Zeyr smiled faintly, looking at them in turn.
His gaze finally landed on the glowing scrying screen—where Helion stood, glowing with light, clashing against Clipso's storm.
He nodded.
Just once.
"Had to see something for myself," he murmured.
"Now I have."
He walked past them, toward the edge of the balcony, his cloak brushing the floor.
A low growl rippled through the balcony.
From behind Zeyr's black and gold cloak, Loken the wolf emerged—his fur silver as dusk, eyes like pale glass. Silent, poised, and massive. Though the crowd below couldn't see him, every captain on the balcony felt his presence press against the air.
Above them, flames danced across the sky.
Linx, the phoenix, soared overhead—its wings blazing golden-orange, leaving embers flickering in its wake. It cried once, loud and piercing, then circled above Zeyr like a crown of fire before disappearing into the sunlit clouds.
Zeyr didn't flinch.
He just kept walking until he stood at the balcony's edge, arms folded behind his back, eyes fixed on the scrying crystal.
Behind him, Captain Syrus stepped forward, his patience wearing thin.
"You can't just come walking in here, chest out, like nothing's changed. You're not a captain anymore—let alone the Head."
Zeyr didn't turn. He simply waved one hand behind him.
"Oh, be quiet."
A pause.
"Sit down."
Silence fell like a blade.
Captain Arion glanced toward Syrus, his voice dry.
"He may not wear the title anymore…"
He leaned back slowly.
"…but I wouldn't forget who trained half the people standing here."
Syrus scowled but didn't speak.
Zeyr finally turned—just enough to reveal a faint grin beneath his stubble.
"Relax. I'm not here for thrones or seats."
He looked back to the crystal, where Helion's golden glow shimmered at the edge of battle.
"I'm just here to see whether the fire I passed on… still burns."
The focus shifted back to Team Crimson and Team Pearl.
Geno and Gena flanked Yuri, weaving in and out with relentless rhythm—one attacking high, the other low. Yuri parried a strike, twisting his body as he launched thorned vines toward them like whips.
"First Form—Aqua Prison!" Gena called out.
A surge of water erupted from her palms, spiraling into twin serpents aiming to bind Yuri.
Just before it struck—a gust of wind blasted between them.
The air bent and split, forming a sudden gap between the twins and Yuri. Liena hovered just above, arms outstretched, wind swirling from her fingertips.
"Now's your chance!" she shouted.
"Thanks, Liena," Yuri grinned.
"Spirit Skill—Transmute!"
The ground rippled beneath them. In an instant, the forest floor turned to a thick, muddy quagmire—sinking roots and destabilizing footing. Geno and Gena backflipped away just in time, but one figure wasn't as quick—
Clipso.
He looked down as the muck sucked at his boots.
"Pathetic." He scoffed, and then gently lifted into the air, carried by swirling wind beneath his feet.
But before he could fully regain posture—
A streak of light carved through the air.
Helion appeared in a flash, blade glowing white-hot as he slashed from above.
"I'm your opponent."
The edge of the beam grazed past Clipso, slicing a thin lock of hair clean off his head. His slicked-back hairstyle loosened slightly, a few strands falling forward.
Clipso blinked.
Then smiled.
"You really don't know how to shut up, do you?"
His voice was amused.
"I like that."
Lily and Zezzy clashed in a flurry of graceful swordplay, twin blades dancing with speed and fury.
Zezzy pressed forward, her strikes sharp and deliberate—each swing followed by a snap of her fingers, firing thin, razor-like bursts of pressurized water from her other hand.
Lily blocked the sword strikes, her footing slick as she parried left, then ducked right—but the relentless combo of blade and magic was overwhelming.
Zezzy spun low, her blade sweeping under Lily's guard.
Then—she pointed.
Her eyes narrowed.
"There it is…"
"First Form—Pressure Resin!"
A concentrated blast of water, sharp and fast as a bolt, slammed straight into Lily's shoulder. The impact twisted her back, throwing her off balance—
—and sent her crashing into the flower.
Petals trembled. The light pulsing from the bloom faltered for a brief second.