For a heartbeat, the entire world held its breath.

Then—

The village exploded into chaos.

Growls, roars, and snarls—beasts lunged from all directions, claws scraping dirt, teeth gleaming.

Kael merely stepped back once, hands still tucked into his pockets.

"Girls," he murmured, "begin."

Selene moved first.

Her feathers burst open behind her like steel fans, her golden eyes becoming half-lidded, calm, and serene.

"GRAAA!!"

A massive ape-beast—a B-rank—charged at her the moment he noticed her stepping forward.

Kael also noticed the beast, and he realized that Selene had no advantage stat-wise, except that she had higher mana.

However, that didn't mean he thought she would lose.

No, Selene had an ability that she couldn't use before.

The ability was called Sky Hunter.

With her power increasing, she could use it now, and that ability helped her stats grow the calmer she was and the more enemies she was facing.

Unfortunately for the beast running at her, Selene was always calm.

She exhaled, activating one of her few combat-effective magics—time dilation.

The world around her slowed.

Wind thickened, and dust particles froze mid-air.

The beast's charge turned sluggish, like a creature swimming through syrup.

However, none of that affected Selene, as in that stillness, she stepped forward lightly.

Then crouched.

And the next instant—

SLASH—!

Her claws tore upward in a perfect arc.

Blood fanned out like crimson feathers.

The beast didn't even realize it was dead until she was already behind it, shaking off droplets from her talons like a cat cleaning its paws.

Of course, her speed only seemed so fast because the beast couldn't keep up with it. In Kael's observing eyes, it was merely progress.

Selene's expression, however, never changed.

Because the calmer Selene became…

…The deadlier she was.

Three more beasts—two B-rank, one A-rank—rushed her.

Unperturbed, she leapt.

Wings unfurled.

For a second, she became a streak of silver and gold, soaring through the air.

Then she descended—

Spiraling—

Spinning—

Her claws carving air itself—

THRRRIP—!

They fell into pieces.

Evethra blinked.

"…She is… beautiful…"

Kael chuckled softly.

"Selene fights like an eagle. Elegant. Precise. Calm."

Hearing such praise from Kael's lips for someone other than her, a spark ignited in Evethra's heart, and without realizing it, she stepped forward.

Her eyes glowed deep crimson.

Blood in the air stirred.

The blood in the beasts stirred.

Kael flicked his fingers, and a translucent status window opened before him.

[Name: Evethra Etaraxia.

Race: Ancient Vampire (Demon).

Bloodline: Ancient Vampire.

Stats:

- Strength: S

- Defense: A+

- Agility: S

- Mana: S

Skills:

- Blood Healing (Active—User can burn their blood to heal their wounds.)

- Blood Explosion (Active—Explodes blood by consuming mana.)

- Blood Manipulation (Active – shape, control, harden, and detonate blood.)]

Kael's lips curved with quiet pride.

"She's grown," he murmured. "Beautifully."

Yes, the number of her skills hadn't increased, but that didn't mean she was still using the same abilities she had before.

Kael had taught her how to make better use of her ability, and because of that, Evethra was by far the strongest person in the village after Kael.

Excluding Drvarn, of course.

It was then, as if hearing Kael's words, that Evethra smiled, blurring into a light of black.

Her movement left a red streak behind her as she clashed with the nearest S-rank beast—a towering reptilian monster with obsidian scales and a cobra's hood.

It struck with lightning speed.

She ducked.

The air cracked.

She spun behind it, slicing thin ribbons into the beast's flank with lines of hardened blood.

It roared, tail whipping—

Evethra snapped her fingers.

BOOM—!

The blood seeping out of the beast's wound detonated outward.

A chunk of its side blew apart.

It staggered but didn't fall.

After all, it was an S-rank beast, and these creatures never died that easily.

Evethra, however, smiled darkly, flashing her fangs.

"Good. Be strong," she whispered. "So I can impress my lord."

The beast lunged again.

She didn't back away.

She met it head-on.

The ground shattered beneath them.

The fight escalated—deadly, elegant, and terrifying.

It was then that a new movement was seen. It was an S-rank beast.

Kael was the first to notice it, but he waited, as Selene had also seen the beast.

It was a massive tiger-beast with bone armor and blazing red eyes.

It pounced straight at Evethra's exposed back, as it knew that she was dangerous.

However, before it could reach Evethra, Selene reacted.

Time slowed.

Air thickened.

The tiger's leap dragged like a creature underwater.

She wasn't strong enough to stop an S-rank beast, but she could still delay it by seconds, and in that time, she darted forward, wings folding close.

With a simple, sharp motion—

She slashed her claw on the beast's back, and although it hit, the damage was minimal.

"Grrr..."

It merely growled at her before rushing forward, aiming for Evethra's back.

It was then that Kael decided to step in.

"Not today," he murmured before he lifted one finger.

A breeze stirred.

The tiger-beast slammed into an invisible wall of compressed wind and was flung sideways, tanking into a tree and crushing it.

Kael didn't look impressed.

"Selene," he said calmly, "support Evethra. Do not let two S-ranks converge on her."

Selene nodded.

"Understood."

She soared into the air, claws glowing faintly as time bent around her again.

Meanwhile… the humans panicked.

The slaughter of beasts made them rethink everything.

"Run!"

"Inside—inside!"

"Get in the cages quick!"

Irony had never tasted more bitter.

The only place that felt safe… was the very prison they had lived in.

They scrambled inside, slamming doors shut, hiding behind bars like frightened animals.

They didn't know who Kael and the girls were, but they could see that they were strong, so the humans hoped Kael's group would win.

Then there was Lyratheia, her eyes catching everything as she turned toward Kael.

"Should I go help them?"

Kael glanced at her, his eyes glowing for a second before he shook his head. "No. Let them gain some experience."

Then, with a smile, he added, "Above all, you are a guest. All you need to do is wait till I bring the dire beast to your feet."

Lyratheia smiled, raising her brow. "Aren't you curious about how strong I am?"

"Hmmm...." He tilted his head, watching Selene spiral down like a golden blade and Evethra rip blood from the ground to form spears before he glanced deeper into the village.

"You couldn't defeat the dire beast, so if I fight him, I'll know what level you are at."

Lyratheia was left speechless for a second before she shook her head with a helpless smile.

Kael, on the other hand, was focusing back on the fight ongoing before him.

The S-rank reptilian beast roared.

Evethra spun around it, threads of blood snapping like wires, cutting tendons, slicing joints, and draining strength.

However, as an S-rank beast, its vitality was no joke. Even after losing this much blood, it was still standing.

It was then that the second S-rank tiger recovered, eyes glowing with fury.

It pounced—faster than before. This time, its target was Selene.

"Annoying insect," it growled.

Selene, calm under his bloodthirst, moved.

Her speed was fast, maybe enough to compete against A-rank beasts, but unfortunately, her opponent was an S-rank creature.

In a flash, it was right below her as it jumped, roaring into the air as it almost slashed at Selene.

Almost.

Because before it could reach Selen, roots burst from the earth, wrapping around the tiger like serpents, dragging it back.

It was then that Kael's voice echoed, and although it was low, it echoed louder than the tiger's struggling growls.

"Leave this kitty to me, Selene. It is too violent for you to handle."

Selene glanced at the 'kitty,' then at Kael, and seeing him smirk at the tiger like a child trying to test the limits of his toy, she shook her head.

'Poor tiger,' she muttered inwardly before shooting toward the other beasts who were trying to swarm around Evethra, who was fighting the S-rank snake beast.

Evethra, on the other hand, grinned. "Should we end this?"

Before her opponent could even answer, she summoned every drop of spilled blood.

It formed a crimson sphere around her.

Then collapsed inward—

'BLOOD PULSE—CRIMSON OBLITERATION'

A shockwave tore the reptilian S-rank apart from the inside out.

It crashed into the ground, twitching.

Dead.

Selene used the slowed momentum to slice through the beasts in the surroundings, while Kael, who was slowly twisting the body of the tiger using the roots, clicked his tongue.

"That's it?" He muttered, staring at the tiger whose head was snapped sideways.

He was trying to see how much force it could endure, and although it did take some effort for him to snap its head, Kael had thought that it would cost him more mana.

Still, every beast in the surroundings was dead now.

All that remained was silence.

Only the wind whispered.

Only Kael stood still, hands in pockets, golden eyes half-lidded as he surveyed the battlefield.

His girls panted, bloodstained, trembling with adrenaline—but alive.

Kael exhaled softly.

"Good," he said. "That was… entertaining."

Selene dropped lightly beside him, breathing quietly.

Evethra stepped forward, eyes shining like a loyal wolf expecting praise.

Kael smiled at both of them—lazy, warm, and proud.

"We're done here."

It was then that the ground trembled as a roar echoed through the air.

Kael's eyes sharpened as he looked toward the source, and his grin widened.

"And here I was wondering if it was dead or something. At least now I know that's not the case."

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