Chapter 86: Flames Against the Tide
Chapter 86: Flames Against the Tide
The Ember Tusk Boar lowered its massive head.
Molten flames coursed along its charcoal-black tusks, scorching deep grooves into the earth beneath them. Heat shimmered through the air as its enormous muscles tensed, each breath escaping its nostrils in thick waves of smoke.
Then—
BOOM!
The three-meter monster exploded forward like a blazing meteor.
The ground shattered beneath its hooves as it thundered across the forest, uprooting shrubs and crushing rocks beneath its immense weight. Towering trees blurred past as it tore through the woodland, leaving behind a trail of scorched earth and drifting embers.
Seraphina didn’t move.
Her emerald eyes remained calm, fixed upon the charging beast.
Not a trace of panic crossed her face.
Mana surged smoothly through her body.
A brilliant sapphire magic circle bloomed beneath her feet, intricate runes rotating slowly around its edge.
"First Circle Water Magic—Aqua Barrier."
The surrounding moisture answered her call.
Water burst from the air itself, spiraling together into a translucent wall several meters thick.
An instant later—
BOOOOOOM!!
The Ember Tusk Boar slammed into the barrier with overwhelming force.
Fire collided violently with water.
A deafening explosion echoed throughout the forest as a massive cloud of white steam erupted outward, swallowing everything within dozens of meters.
The watery barrier trembled violently.
Cracks spread rapidly across its shimmering surface.
Then—
Crash!
It shattered into countless glittering droplets.
But the boar’s unstoppable charge had finally been halted.
Its blazing tusks hissed furiously as water extinguished portions of the flames surrounding them.
Seraphina’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Water suppresses its fire...
Just as I expected.
As the thick steam concealed the battlefield, she calmly retreated several steps, never allowing her breathing to falter.
The Ember Tusk Boar released a furious roar.
Its crimson eyes darted wildly through the mist, searching for its prey.
Unable to find her immediately, it snorted violently before charging once more.
This time—
Seraphina raised a single hand.
Six pale-blue magic circles materialized around her, each no larger than a dinner plate.
"First Circle Water Magic—Water Spears."
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Six razor-sharp spears of compressed water shot through the steam with frightening speed.
The boar twisted instinctively.
Three missed entirely.
Two grazed its shoulder, slicing through its thick hide.
The final spear struck true.
Thud!
It pierced deep into the beast’s flank.
Dark crimson blood splattered across the forest floor.
The monster let out a deafening roar of pain.
Yet instead of weakening...
Its entire body trembled.
The crimson fissures beneath its hide glowed brighter than before.
Heat poured from every inch of its body like an erupting furnace.
Leaves shriveled.
Grass blackened.
Even the moisture lingering in the air began to evaporate.
Seraphina immediately retreated farther.
A Heat Aura...
Remaining close will gradually drain both my stamina and mana.
Without hesitation, she widened the distance between them.
The Ember Tusk Boar snorted violently before launching another devastating charge.
Its burning tusks carved effortlessly through tree trunks, reducing ancient pines to burning splinters.
Seraphina remained astonishingly calm.
Her robes fluttered gently as she observed every movement.
Her pupils shimmered faintly with magical light.
Celestial Insight.
The world slowed.
Every flow of mana became visible before her eyes.
She watched the currents circulating beneath the monster’s hide.
She watched flames gathering around its tusks before every charge.
She watched its muscles tighten moments before it accelerated.
Nothing escaped her perception.
Then...
She noticed something unusual.
The beast’s gaze wandered.
Whenever she remained perfectly still...
It hesitated.
Only for the briefest fraction of a second.
Then it corrected its direction.
Her eyes narrowed.
Its eyesight...
It’s poor.
The realization came almost instantly.
It wasn’t relying on vision alone.
It hunted through movement.
Heat.
Instinct.
A faint smile appeared on Seraphina’s lips.
Then this battle is already decided.
The boar roared and charged again.
This time...
Instead of retreating into open ground...
Seraphina darted between the towering trees.
The monster followed without hesitation.
CRAAASH!!
An enormous pine exploded into splinters.
She slipped around another tree with graceful precision.
The boar attempted to follow—
But its massive body couldn’t change direction quickly enough.
BOOOOM!!
Its skull slammed directly into an ancient trunk.
The impact shook the entire forest.
Birds burst screaming into the sky.
Before the monster could recover—
"First Circle Water Magic—Water Bullet."
Dozens of compressed spheres of water erupted from shimmering magic circles surrounding Seraphina.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Each projectile struck the boar’s blazing tusks.
Steam exploded continuously.
The flames coating them visibly weakened under the relentless barrage.
The monster roared in fury.
Blood dripped from several fresh wounds.
Its breathing grew heavier.
Then...
Everything changed.
The crimson cracks spread farther across its body.
Like molten lava escaping from beneath shattered stone.
Flames burst from beneath its hide.
Its muscles expanded dramatically.
Its crimson eyes lost the last traces of reason.
Only savage fury remained.
A terrifying pressure swept across the surrounding forest.
Wild Rampage.
The wounded beast had entered its final state.
Without warning—
It vanished.
Seraphina’s pupils contracted.
Faster.
A heartbeat later—
The Ember Tusk Boar burst from the trees like an avalanche of living fire.
She barely shifted aside before one burning tusk grazed her shoulder.
Slash!
The heat alone scorched part of her sleeve.
The tree behind her exploded into burning fragments.
Another charge followed.
Then another.
Each one faster than the last.
The forest became a blur of collapsing trees, exploding earth, and roaring flames.
Yet throughout the relentless assault...
Seraphina remained perfectly composed.
Her breathing never quickened.
Her mana never wavered.
Every spell she cast consumed only the precise amount of mana required.
Not a fraction more.
Not a fraction less.
That was the strength of her Absolute Mana Control.
Meanwhile, Celestial Resonance continuously accelerated both her casting speed and mana recovery.
The longer the battle continued...
The greater her advantage became.
While the monster grew stronger through blind rage...
Seraphina grew stronger through flawless precision.
Her emerald eyes reflected unwavering focus.
Brute force won’t defeat it.
Its greatest strength...
...is also its greatest weakness.
Water.
And beyond water...
Ice.
A plan formed instantly in her mind.
She slowly raised both hands.
Mana surged outward like an endless tide.
The air itself began to tremble.
This time...
The magic circle beneath Seraphina’s feet expanded rapidly.
One layer became two.
Two became three.
Ancient sapphire runes revolved along their edges, radiating an overwhelming aura of mana.
The surrounding atmosphere changed instantly.
Moisture gathered from every direction.
Countless streams of water converged through the air, swirling around her body like obedient serpents.
Mist blanketed the forest.
The temperature plummeted.
A thin layer of frost spread across nearby leaves before creeping over the grass beneath her feet.
Even the air felt heavy with an icy chill.
The charging Ember Tusk Boar sensed the sudden change.
For the first time since the battle had begun...
It hesitated.
Instinct screamed at the beast.
Danger.
Then it released a deafening roar that shook the forest.
Every flame covering its body erupted at once.
The crimson fissures beneath its hide blazed like molten magma, and waves of scorching heat rolled outward in all directions.
It abandoned every trace of caution.
This would be its final charge.
BOOM!!
The earth collapsed beneath its hooves.
Its enormous body became a streak of crimson fire racing toward Seraphina, tearing apart everything in its path.
Ancient trees shattered.
Rocks exploded.
The forest trembled beneath its fury.
Seraphina never moved.
She stood perfectly still, her robes fluttering gently in the freezing wind created by her own magic.
Only when the monster entered striking distance did she finally speak.
Her voice was soft.
Calm.
Yet filled with absolute certainty.
"Third Circle Water Magic..."
The enormous magic circle erupted with dazzling blue light.
The surrounding mana surged wildly.
"...Glacial Torrent."
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A deafening roar echoed across the forest.
A colossal river burst from the magic circle like an enraged dragon breaking free of its chains.
It wasn’t ordinary water.
Every drop had been compressed with immense mana before being infused with freezing power powerful enough to halt flowing rivers.
The torrent surged forward with unstoppable momentum.
The Ember Tusk Boar collided with it head-on.
The impact shook the entire forest.
An enormous explosion of steam erupted skyward, blotting out everything within sight.
The monster roared defiantly.
Its blazing flames fought desperately against the torrent.
Fire and water clashed in violent succession.
Steam exploded continuously.
For a brief moment...
The two forces seemed evenly matched.
Then...
The flames began to fade.
One after another, they were extinguished beneath the overwhelming pressure of the torrent.
The boar struggled violently.
Its massive muscles strained with all their strength.
But it couldn’t advance another step.
Instead...
It was slowly forced backward.
A sharp cracking sound echoed through the steam.
Crack...
A thin layer of ice appeared around one blazing tusk.
Another followed.
The frost spread relentlessly.
Across its head.
Its neck.
Its shoulders.
Its massive body.
Within seconds, the monster’s movements became sluggish.
Its flames weakened.
Then disappeared completely.
The roaring torrent carried the frozen beast dozens of meters across the forest before smashing it into a cluster of ancient trees.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The impact shattered trunks thicker than castle pillars.
Towering trees collapsed together with thunderous crashes.
The forest shook violently.
Then...
Silence.
The torrent gradually subsided.
Steam drifted lazily through the air.
At the center of the destruction...
The Ember Tusk Boar remained embedded within the shattered trees.
Its enormous body was completely encased in crystal-blue ice.
Not a single movement.
Not a single breath.
The D-Rank monster was dead.
Seraphina slowly lowered her hands.
The immense magic circles beneath her feet dissolved into countless motes of blue light before disappearing completely.
She exhaled softly.
Although the battle had been intense, her breathing remained remarkably steady.
Thanks to Absolute Mana Control, her mana consumption had been reduced to the absolute minimum.
Her gaze swept calmly across the devastated battlefield.
Broken trees lay scattered across the forest floor.
Steam still rose from the shattered earth.
The smell of wet soil mingled with the lingering scent of burnt wood.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Only one person surfaced in her thoughts.
Andras.
"I wonder..."
"...where you are now."
Without another glance at the frozen corpse, she turned and disappeared into the forest, beginning her search.
---
Elsewhere...
Princess Aurelia stood quietly over the corpse of a C-Rank monster.
Fresh blood dripped from her elegant silver sword before slowly dissolving into particles of light.
Moments later...
The monster’s body vanished completely.
She released a slow breath.
A C-Rank monster...
Manageable.
She had barely taken another step when the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the forest.
Aurelia immediately turned.
Three students emerged cautiously from between the trees.
A brown-haired young man raised both hands to show he meant no harm.
"Please don’t misunderstand."
"We have no intention of fighting."
The other two nodded in agreement.
The young man bowed respectfully.
"My name is Ethan Mercer."
A blond youth standing beside him smiled awkwardly.
"I’m Noah Hale."
The final member of the group, a young woman with auburn hair tied neatly behind her head, offered an elegant bow.
"My name is Lena Ashford."
Ethan spoke once more.
"Your Highness..."
"We witnessed your battle from a distance."
His expression was filled with admiration.
"You defeated a C-Rank monster entirely on your own."
"We were hoping..."
He hesitated for a moment before gathering his courage.
"...that you would allow us to form a party with you."
Aurelia remained silent.
Her golden eyes carefully studied each of them.
None appeared particularly hostile.
A team would increase hunting efficiency.
More importantly...
It would reduce the risk of being ambushed by other students.
After a brief moment of consideration, she nodded.
"Very well."
The three students brightened immediately.
"But understand one thing."
Her voice became firm.
"If we travel together..."
"You will follow my orders."
The three exchanged excited glances.
"Of course!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Thus...
A new alliance was formed.
Without wasting another moment, the four disappeared deeper into the forest in search of stronger prey.
---
Elsewhere...
Another group of three students had also formed a temporary alliance.
Together, they ventured confidently into the dense forest.
At first...
Everything went smoothly.
They defeated several E-Rank monsters with ease.
Their confidence steadily grew.
Then...
They encountered a B-Rank monster.
Silence filled the forest.
The creature slowly emerged from the shadows.
Towering over them.
Its overwhelming aura instantly crushed every trace of confidence they had possessed.
The battle that followed was brutal.
Spells exploded.
Steel clashed.
Desperate screams echoed beneath the ancient trees.
Despite fighting with everything they had...
Despite coordinating every attack...
The difference in strength was simply too great.
One by one...
They fell.
Moments later...
Three beams of light shot into the sky.
The eliminated students vanished from the simulation.
The forest returned to silence.
The B-Rank monster slowly disappeared back into the darkness, searching for its next prey.
---
Elsewhere...
Steel clashed against steel.
Sparks erupted as two students exchanged desperate blows.
One finally stumbled backward.
Blood ran freely down his arm.
His sword slipped from his trembling fingers.
"P-Please..."
"I don’t have many points."
"You’ll gain almost nothing by eliminating me."
The other student looked at him coldly.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of sympathy in his eyes.
"You’re wrong."
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"Every student who disappears..."
"...is one less rival standing between me and Class A."
The injured student’s face turned pale.
"W-Wait—"
A silver flash cut through the air.
The plea ended before it could be finished.
Moments later...
His body dissolved into countless particles of light.
Only silence remained.
The victorious student slowly lowered his sword.
Without another glance, he disappeared into the forest.