Nova, with his flanks, Adam and Elesch, took the advance, as the Nigerians were nowhere in sight. They controlled the middle, with Adam staying in a tall tree to inspect the entire battlefield.

Nova took the center, as Elesch took his left, camouflaging herself, trying to act like a trump card in case Nova wasn't able to handle himself. She wanted to be the surprise card.

Nova crouched low, his shoes slightly sinking into the mossy soil. From above, Adam crouched on a thick branch, eyes narrowing as his pupils reflected his red hues, scanning the distortion of mana across the jungle.

Every flicker of movement he saw, could be a trap, or a ghost, or something in between. Elesch blended into the foliage, her body bending into nature, her presence almostly erased by the jungle.

Then Nova saw it, a faint movement. A ripple in the atmosphere, barely perceptible, across the treeline opposite to them. The vines shuddered as if disturbed by wind, though the air was still.

Nova raised his hand immediately, forming precise signals: Two targets. Flanking left. One rear scout.

Elesch froze, her eyes narrowing to the targets. Adam leaned slighlghty forward, his claws digging into the bark of the trees, confirming with a short nod.

Nova continued the sequence, his fingers moving in fluent hand gestures: Hold ground. Observe pattern. Prepare counter.

Elesch shifted, her outline flickering into bare invisibility. faint shimmer rippled where she once stood as she ghosted through the brush, silent as mist. Adam adjusted his position above, muscles coiled, ready to strike from above like a Peregrine Falcon.

Through the gaps in the trees, Nova caught another glimpse of movement, dark armor marked with crimson streaks, with heart waves distorting the space around them. TH eNigerian Guild was advancing in formation, their leader in front, with a massive glaive slung across his back.

Each step they took ignited the ground beneath them, embers scattering in their wake. Their strength buff was visible now, not just physical, but elemental.

Nova pressed two fingers to the ground, channeling a faint pulse of mana through the soil. The energy echoed back instantly, revealing five heat signatures, three advancing, two circling wide.

"Five total," he whispered, barely audible, though he knew his team could hear him through their shared comm-link. "Elesch, left flank. Adam, mark the rear scout. I'll take point."

"Remember," Nova added, voice calm but razor-sharp. "No abilities. We fight smart, not strong."

From the moment Nova spoke, the air shifted, tension coming into motion. The Nigerians were already on them. Through the underbrush came two figures, fast, disciplined, radiating heat and aggression.

The first was a heavy striker wielding twin short spears crackling with molten energy, his movements fluid yet thunderous. The second was lighter, dual-wielding machetes, his armor tuned for agility and precision.

Nova raised a hand again and went: Go silent. The moment the two enemies breached the clearing, he was already moving.

The first strike came low and fast. The spear-wielder lunged, igniting the air with a burning arc. Nova twisted, letting the weapon graze past his arm before countering with a sharp slash of his dagger.

Metal clashed, sparks flew, but the force behind the Nigerian's blow was immense. Nova was forced a step back, boots digging furrows in the earth.

Above, Adam dropped from the canopy like a meteor. The rear scout, the agile one, barely had time to react. Adam's claws, reinforced by mana but not unleashed fully, caught the man's blade mid-swing.

He twisted his body mid-air, flipping, using his opponent's momentum to throw him hard against a tree trunk. The impact echoed through the forest.

Elesch, unseen, maneuvered through the haze, her movements ghostlike. As the first Nigerian advanced on Nova again, she emerged behind him, her dagger glinting for only a fraction of a second before it plunged toward the gap in his armor.

The man spun, fast. Too fast. He blocked with the butt of his spear and shoved her backward, flames licking around his weapon as his strength buff flared.

Nova seized that opening. Sliding under the enemy's guard, he slashed twice, quick and surgical. One cut across the thigh, one across the ribs. The man grunted, retaliating with a wild horizontal swing that forced Nova to duck low.

Meanwhile, Adam and his opponent were locked in brutal close-quarters combat. The Nigerian scout's machetes whirled like propellers, every hit leaving shallow scorch marks where they passed.

Adam grinned, low, uncontrolled, animalistic to the core, and parried with his forearms, sparks bursting where metal met his hardened skin. He caught one blade, wrenched it free, and headbutted the scout so hard that the man stumbled, dazed.

"Nova!" Adam barked.

Nova caught the call just as the first Nigerian roared, plunging both his flaming spears into the ground. The impact unleashed a shockwave of molten energy. The earth cracked, geysers of heat and light erupting outward.

Nova barely rolled aside, the blast scorching the hem of his jacket. Elesch vanished again, her camouflage flickering under the strain, and reappeared behind the Nigerian with a clean, precise strike to his exposed back.

This time, the dagger hit precisely. The spear-wielder froze for half a second, staggered, then swung blindly in rage. Elesch sidestepped effortlessly, her cloak blending her into shadow once more.

Nova didn't waste it. He charged forward, slammed both daggers into the man's chestplate, and kicked him back, sending the Nigerian crashing to the ground, gasping as his armor's glow dimmed.

Across the clearing, Adam slammed his knee into the scout's abdomen, finishing with an open-handed strike that sent him sprawling into the underbrush.

The jungle went still again, save for the faint hiss of burning soil.

Elesch emerged beside Nova, breathing steady, eyes sharp. "Two down. Three to go."

Nova nodded, scanning the treeline as faint heat signatures began to shift in response. "They know where we are now," he said, wiping the ash from his cheek. "And their leader's moving."

Adam dropped back to ground level, his crimson eyes glinting through the steam. "Then let them come," he said with a grin, cracking his neck. "Round two's on us."

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