The portal began to fluctuate, expanding and contracting repeatedly until it finally widened, forming a white curtain from which a black leg emerged. Gradually, a vestige—a Grunt, to be precise—revealed itself. It had four legs, and its black skin appeared cracked, oozing a disgusting black liquid. Prominent fangs protruded from its jaw, dripping the same foul fluid.
But it wasn't alone. More of its kind appeared alongside it, as well as meter-tall birds circling above the other Grunts. Their beaks resembled drills, and their wings bristled with feathers primed to fire like deadly projectiles.
—It's starting, get ready!— Immediately, Sein unsheathed his golden sword, Robin raised his weapon to take aim at the crows, and Joy summoned her own weapon—a wooden staff.
—As long as you're with me, you'll never lack courage!— declared the youngest as he raised his golden sword to buff his allies.
—Do you have to say that in every fight?
—Why wouldn't I!?
—Guys, stay still for a moment. I need to concentrate— Joy placed her palm toward the group, channeling spiritual energy to activate her ability. A faint but profound connection formed between the four of them— Do you feel it?
—Yeah... this is weird— Shoun muttered, trying to grasp the connection's scope. But he had no time to dwell—like a bursting bubble, the rift finally released its horde. Vestiges surged toward the apprentices in a frenzied charge— Don't let your guard down!
The young man lunged forward, confidently drawing Iron Fang. A pair of Grunts pounced at him, but a single vertical slash cleaved them apart like butter.
[You have slain "Rotting Canid" , a Grunt. No points awarded.]
[You have slain "Rotting Canid"…]
—(Heh, all that training's finally paying off)— Thanks to his improvements and his higher-rank katana, dispatching a few Grunts was trivial. But that was the problem: it wasn't just two. Five more swarmed him, weaving between attacks to deny him clean angles— (Tch, these things won't give me room to slice... Too bad for them I've got more than one way to fight).
The young man leaped into the air, spinning mid-jump to unleash a devastating electric slash.
Balance Voltage Tornado Kick!
The attack struck part of the horde, instantly obliterating them. He landed smoothly and, in one fluid motion, cut down the remaining vestiges before they could react.
—Fuuh— Catching his breath, he prepared to press forward—when he sensed rapid projectiles homing in on him. He dodged most, but a few grazed his arms. Immediately, a venom-like numbness spread through his limbs. Fortunately, his higher rank lessened the effect to a mild stiffness. He was about to shout for Sein's healing, but the boy was already beside him, golden light sealing the wounds— Thanks... How'd you know I needed help?
—Hmm, I just knew— Without hesitation, the youngest charged toward a group of vestiges. Poison-laced feathers shot toward him, but his heavily fortified shield repelled them effortlessly. While the shield he granted allies acted as damage mitigation, his personal shield was a true barrier—now so powerfully activated that nothing below Rank 2 could penetrate it. Thus, he dove headfirst into the horde. The vestiges clawed at him uselessly until, satisfied, he struck his chest, triggering one of his shield's effects. A golden wave erupted, obliterating most of the swarm.
—Sein, conserve your spiritual energy! Let me handle the rest.
—Got it!— Embarrassed by his overexpenditure, he retreated to recharge his core. Despite his recklessness, he'd already wiped out most ground vestiges, leaving Shoun to clean up the stragglers with ease.
Meanwhile, Robin and Joy dealt with the far from modest flock of flying vestiges. The scientist had crafted two small drones for the occasion, each delivering precise, spirit-energy-powered lacerations. With their drones and firearm, they picked off three birds simultaneously—each felled by a different weapon.
Joy, however, matched their spectacle. Her magic swept through the winged enemies effortlessly.
—&@#_$&— In a tongue incomprehensible to the others, the mage chanted. Her staff flared, fueled by her spiritual energy, as her spellbook's pages flipped autonomously to the correct incantation. Crimson runes shot out, merging with her staff—all executed flawlessly in an instant. The result? A barrage of fireballs annihilated the remaining airborne foes.
In just a couple of minutes, they'd repelled the first wave. Realizing this, everyone hurried to replenish their spiritual energy and prepare—like Robin, who took the opportunity to craft more drones. Meanwhile, Shoun, exempt from these tasks, scoured the battlefield for any dropped materials.
—(Nothing... Well, at least we handled this first wave without major issues. The real problem is whether we can endure all the coming ones)— The waves themselves had no predetermined duration; they'd only end once the Alpha was slain. As for when the Alpha would emerge? Impossible to predict—(Seeing how the other three spent their spiritual energy this wave gives me hope—except Sein. That kid's way too careless... Speaking of which, this connection Joy gave us is truly fascinating).
As the mage had explained, her ability's link grew stronger the closer the bonded parties were. Since Shoun had just met Joy, their connection was shallow, providing only superficial feedback. In contrast, his bond with Sein ran so deep that the boy had sensed even the faintest venom in Shoun's system. His link with Robin, however, was middling—not deep, but not shallow either.
—(Guess this ability perfectly mirrors how I feel about Robin. Unfortunately)— Dismissing thoughts of their weak connection, Shoun watched as a new wave of vestiges emerged. Most were Grunts again, but this time, a troubling number of Wretches lurked at the rear— Shit! Clear the Grunts fast so they don't interfere with the Wretches!
With time against them, everyone hurried to eliminate the Grunts. Moments later, Shoun yanked Iron Fang from the corpse of a particularly troublesome one—but thanks to Joy's ability, he sensed something wrong with Sein. Without hesitation, he activated Balance Voltage Impulse to close the distance. His companion was surrounded not just by Grunts, but two Wretches. On arrival, Shoun carved a path through the lesser foes with a single slash, freeing Sein.
—Tch… These things are a pain to kill with a sword. You handle the Grunts—I'll take these— he ordered, sheathing Iron Fang— Cover me if you can.
—You got it!— With the path now clear, the boy charged toward the remaining Grunts. Meanwhile, Shoun faced the two Wretches—boar-like creatures encased in iron armor, their tusks jutting like blades from their jaws.
—Compared to a certain tiger, you're nothing— Taunting them, Shoun launched himself forward with Balance Voltage Impulse. The beasts lunged too, aiming to bisect him mid-air. But he'd anticipated this—deliberately holding back full speed to pivot at the last second, soaring over them. As he descended onto one boar's back, he channeled every ounce of his being into a Balance Voltage Strike directly into its skull. The metallic cranium shattered under the force.
[You have slain "Steel Beast", a Wretch]
The remaining Steel Beast gave him no time to breathe, charging at Shoun as he still stood atop its dead companion's corpse.
—Don't think I forgot about you!— Before it could pounce, Shoun struck first with an electric discharge, paralyzing it just long enough to finish it with another Balance Voltage Strike.
[You have slain the "Steel Beast", a Wretch]
Despite single-handedly killing two Wretches, he couldn't stop yet. He knew he remained their group's best counter to the armored boars—a fact proven by the wave's final tally: Robin and Joy had each killed one boar, Sein two, while Shoun had slain seven.
This pattern repeated through the next two waves, with progressively fewer Grunts and more Wretches demanding Shoun's attention. Beyond the Steel Beasts, Putrid Canids (now in their Wretched forms) joined the fray. Fortunately for the four apprentices, no advanced versions of the flying vestiges appeared.
During one clash, Shoun killed two Wretches simultaneously with a Balance Voltage Strike—only for a Putrid Canid to emerge from his blind spot. With no time to react, he braced to minimize damage... when a green laser pierced the vestige's skull, killing it instantly before the attack could land.
—Huh?— The young man turned to see the scientist wink at him before resuming fire on other targets—(Guess our bond's strong enough for this kind of save)— he briefly mused, already darting toward the next Wretches.
By the wave's end, they'd prevailed—but unlike earlier rounds, exhaustion weighed visibly on everyone except Shoun, whose fatigue was purely physical. He could fight indefinitely; his companions couldn't.
—Shoun... haaah... Could you not hoard all the ambient spiritual energy? You're absorbing so much my spells keep defaulting to my core reserves— the mage gasped between attempts to recharge faster.
—Oh... right. Sorry— He glanced at his team's state: all drained, drenched in purple blood, even the usually energetic Sein now contemplative as he meditated—(This needs to end soon. I could shoulder more... No, that'd just worsen Joy's energy drought. Kaze's lurking nearby though—if things go south, he'll intervene)— Absorbing light energy crossed his mind, but converting dual energy types was untested and risky—(If only I knew Joy better, this'd be easy)— The waves had proven her ability's brilliance. Deep bonds like his with Sein granted perfect tactical sync—every attack, block, and injury sensed instantly. Even his moderate link with Robin had provided lifesaving intel (evidenced by that laser rescue). But shallow connections? Nearly useless—(Still... having Joy here's been invaluable. Too good).
Her incredible utility, not just from her ability, but also her versatile magic—even made him consider inviting the elf to the Mirror World once this was over. But before he could dwell on the idea, a new wave began. Everyone braced themselves, only to immediately realize something was different.
—It's the final wave...— Only Wretches emerged from the rift this time, and among them, the final boss: the Alpha.