The forest stilled. For a heartbeat, there was nothing but the faint shimmer of Ivy's hidden sigils, Brennar's metallic charges humming beneath the roots, and the occasional snap of Gray's tail as he prowled along the ridge.

Then Mirage's vision swept into Aston's mind like a floodgate opening. He inhaled sharply.

They're here.

More than ten people, grouped tight. Not one team, not even two. Three.

They were moving cautiously, but their caution didn't matter—Mirage's translucent wings caught the faint shift of air currents and the smallest cracks in the canopy. Aston saw them through the owl's eyes: armored silhouettes, beasts pacing at their masters' sides. At least a dozen combatants.

He broke the link and snapped his gaze to the others. "Three teams, inbound. They'll funnel straight into us. Stay low. Brennar—wait for my signal."

Brennar clenched his fist, his construct burrowing deeper into its trenches. "Copy."

Selene steadied her staff, her dove hovering close, feathers glowing faintly in anticipation. Marcellus crouched by his beast, eyes blazing with the same reckless thrill he always carried before a fight. Ivy pressed her palms together, the silver fox weaving faint lines of energy that pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat.

Kai's face was pale, his lips pressed into a thin line, but his eyes were sharp. "They'll test the ground first. The front unit will likely be the heavy hitter, meant to draw fire. Aston, if we wait for the middle rank to commit, the traps will cripple them all at once."

Aston nodded. "Good, we'll wait for them."

Marcellus grinned. "Man, you two sound like you've been plotting wars for years."

"Shut up," Kai muttered, though the corner of his mouth twitched.

The first enemy beast came into view—a horned reptilian, scales shimmering with molten heat. Behind it lumbered a plated rhino, and further back, a serpentine beast coiled around its summoner's shoulders, tongue tasting the air. Their tamers spread out, voices low as they barked quick orders.

"They're about to enter the funnel," Ivy whispered.

"Hold," Aston said. His hand rose slightly, signaling Brennar to wait.

The front line beast—molten-scaled reptile—stomped forward, heat radiating off its body. It passed the first invisible sigil. Then the second. Its tail lashed.

Now.

Aston's hand cut down. "Now!"

The ground erupted. Brennar's buried charges spat arcs of force upward, snapping roots like brittle twigs. Ivy's sigils flared silver, weaving into the explosions and snapping into nets of binding energy.

The first beast shrieked as chains of light cinched around its limbs, slamming it sideways. The plated rhino bellowed as the ground gave way beneath it, Brennar's construct opening a false pit lined with concussive spikes.

The middle ranks had no time to react before Marcellus charged, his beast barreling alongside him. "Move, you bastards!" he roared, his blade flashing essence light as it crashed against an unprepared handler.

The battlefield dissolved into chaos.

Aston felt Gray slip past his side, a whisper of obsidian claws tearing into the shadows. The cat struck like lightning, claws carving surgical incisions across a serpent's scales before the enemy beast even realized it had been cut. Its handler cried out, collapsing as he was teleported out.

Shelldon scuttled to the side, claws clamping shut. At first, it looked unimpressive—tiny compared to the beasts stomping the field. It clicked its pincers in sequence, then sharp vibrations in the ground followed by a single spike of earth beneath an enemy trying to cast a reinforcement spell. He lost his footing, as well as his concentration—the magic fizzled, essence scattering like loose sand.

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"Nice, Shelldon!" Kai muttered, half to himself. "Target those at the back."

"On it," Aston answered.

Mirage swooped low, wings shimmering.

Icy Gale!

Shards of frost tore into the ranks, slowing their movements and freezing chains tighter around their ankles. The air itself seemed to stiffen, every breath biting at exposed flesh.

Selene's dove expanded its aura, soft golden light washing over Aston's group. Their cuts sealed, fatigue bled away. One of the enemy tried to pierce the glow with a dark blast, but the shield absorbed it, scattering the attack like droplets against glass.

A handler screamed as Marcellus's beast sent him tumbling across the ground. Another flare of light—eliminated.

Two more tried to flank, but Ivy snapped her fingers, and her fox's sigils burst from the dirt, spitting force that hurled them into Brennar's waiting trap. Another elimination.

The enemy's serpent lashed wildly, knocking Marcellus back, but Gray leapt. Obsidian claws slashed through the serpent's neck in one motion, precise and final.

A collective gasp echoed from the enemy handlers. "That kitten—!"

They didn't get to finish. One by one, their marks flared and vanished, swallowed by the academy's teleportation.

The clearing fell silent.

Only Aston's group, Kai's team, and the smell of scorched earth remained.

Marcellus spat to the side, chest heaving with adrenaline. "That was beautiful."

Selene's dove dimmed its light, her voice soft but steady. "No casualties. Not even close."

Brennar whistled, his construct crawling back to his side. "And here I thought we'd be the ones getting ganged up on."

But their celebration did not last long. A booming noise resounded in the arena.

"An hour has elapsed since the start of the rumble royale. There is still twenty-seven teams left. There will be a massive shrinkage. Prepare yourselves."

The forest groaned.

It began as a low vibration beneath their feet, like the earth itself was drawing a deep, deliberate breath. Then the pressure slammed down, and the world folded. Trees bent inward, their trunks groaning as the space between them collapsed. Stones cracked, roots ripped free, and the ridgeline that had served as their bastion warped like clay.

"Spread now!" Aston barked, his voice cutting through the thunder.

The ridge was gone in seconds, twisted into jagged rubble. Brennar cursed as his buried traps sparked uselessly, ripped apart before they could detonate. Ivy's fox yelped as her silver sigils snapped like strings under too much strain, vanishing into the ether.

"It's all collapsing!" Ivy shouted.

"Move! Don't get caught in the fold!" Marcellus shoved his beast forward, practically hauling Ivy with him as the terrain crushed inward. Selene's dove spread its wings, a golden shimmer protecting them from falling debris.

Aston linked with Mirage, and his vision stretched skyward. The owl flapped hard, fighting the currents of compressed space, but managed to hold high above. Through Mirage's eyes, Aston saw the battlefield twist like a kaleidoscope: whole forests vanishing, rivers sucked into nothingness, hills pressed flat like paper.

Our ridge… gone.

Aston's jaw tightened. Every advantage they'd carved out with their traps, every funnel and choke point—they were obliterated.

By the time the quake ended, the survivors staggered into a new arena. The forest was no longer sprawling and wild; it was dense, suffocating, a cage of snarled roots and low branches. The air itself pressed tighter, like every breath had to fight for room.

Brennar panted, leaning on his construct. "That's it then. No more traps. The field is too… wrong. Can't bury mines with all the roots."

Ivy bit her lip, eyes wide as she stared at the cramped clearing. "My sigils would collapse the moment they're drawn. The compression… it's shredding the lines."

"Which means," Marcellus growled, slamming his fist into his palm, "no more clever setups. Just all-out fights."

Aston's eyes narrowed. He felt Gray bristle at his side, obsidian claws flexing as though the cub sensed the shift in tempo as clearly as he did. Mirage's vision above painted the truth: groups of spirit beasts colliding already, flashes of power lighting up the canopy.

Kai adjusted his glasses with trembling fingers, his Crabling clicking softly at his feet. His voice was quiet, but sharp. "We'll have to rethink everything. No choke points, no ambushes. If everyone's being forced this close, then… it's less about hiding and more about choosing who we fight before they choose us."

Aston gave a single nod. "Exactly. We pick our battles." His gaze swept his team and Kai's, steady and calm despite the suffocating space. "Stay sharp. Stay tight. The traps are gone, but momentum is still ours."

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