Chapter 69: Cht 69: Relax Grinding
Ray of light filtered through the dense canopy of the ancient forest, painting the underbrush with scattered flecks of gold. The sounds of rustling leaves, chirping birds, and the occasional roar of distant beasts echoed through the trees, a constant reminder that this was still untamed land. But amidst this chaotic harmony, a battle was unfolding elegant, controlled, and almost... serene.
Saira stood ankle-deep in a crystal-clear stream that wove through the forest floor, her long aquamarine robes rippling softly with the current. Water spiraled around her in thin ribbons, dancing between her fingers like obedient serpents. Her expression was calm, almost bored, as she gestured with a flick of her hand. A spear of pressurized water burst from the stream and pierced a charging, boar-like beast in the chest, sending it sprawling backward with a wet thud.
To her right, Xingning moved with a grace that defied the chaos around her. Her flowing pale-green attire fluttered as if carried by an unseen breeze. And in a way, it was winds encircled her form like a protective barrier. With a swift step forward, she spun in place, her leg sweeping through the air. A gust of slicing wind followed the motion, severing the wings of a harpy-beast as it dove toward her. It crashed into the ground at her feet, writhing briefly before going still.
"Two o’clock, behind the brush," Xingning called lazily, barely raising her voice.
"Got it," Saira replied smoothly.
From the shadows of a thicket, another beast—a lizard with crystalline scales sprang forth with a screech. But before it could land its attack, Jean erupted from the forest floor like a sudden tree blooming into existence. Vines shot out from her bark-covered body, ensnaring the beast mid-leap and slamming it into the trunk of a nearby tree. The creature didn’t rise again.
Jean stood tall and stoic, her wooden limbs covered in moss and leaves. She resembled a humanoid tree, her glowing green eyes scanning the clearing with a guardian’s vigilance. Without a word, she raised an arm and sent a flurry of razor-sharp leaves toward a hidden predator lurking in the branches. A yelp confirmed the hit.
Suddenly, a crackle lit the air like static before a storm. The Lightning Wolf, a majestic beast with silver-blue fur and streaks of electric-blue lightning coursing along its sides, darted from one side of the battlefield to the other. Each pawstep discharged a shockwave, stunning or electrocuting any beast foolish enough to come near. It leapt high into the air, somersaulted mid-flight, and landed on the back of a massive bear-beast, sending a surge of lightning through it. The beast roared once and collapsed.
Underneath the shade of an old, wide-branched tree on a small hill overlooking the fight, Lucy and Alice sat comfortably on a soft patch of moss. A small picnic had been set between them slices of elemental fruit, a pot of soul calming tea, and a half-finished peice of roasted meat. Alice leaned back against the tree trunk, idly chewing a piece of sliced meat, her eyes only occasionally flicking toward the battle below.