Sebastian's combat aura erupted like volcanic ash as sixty armored mercenaries tightened their formation. Kael noted their disciplined movements - every member radiated fourth-level energy or higher, dwarfing Samuel's Blue Roses in both numbers and quality.
"Typical human cowardice." The lion king's rumbling voice shook leaves from nearby oaks. "Does the pup fear to bite without his pack?"
Sebastian's laughter carried dark amusement. "Only fools charge tigers barehanded, Majesty." His smile didn't reach eyes glinting with ruthless calculation.
At his signal, the swarm descended.
"Perish!" The lion's roar crystallized into visible golden ripples. Kael staggered as metallic vibrations clawed at his concentration - weaker mercenaries crumpled vomiting blood. Amelia grimaced, fingers whitening around her staff.
"Impressive." Sebastian acknowledged through gritted teeth, earth-toned aura flaring across his armor. "But insufficient!"
The beast's paw swept sideways, conjuring a debris-laden tornado. Uprooted saplings and boulders became projectiles in the howling vortex racing toward the mercenary leader.
Sebastian's boots sank into bedrock. Amber energy cascaded from his core through trembling arms, coalescing into stone-like gauntlets around his fists. "Stoneburst!"
The collision detonated like mountains colliding. Shockwaves flattened surrounding brush as earthen fist met elemental tempest. For an instant, daylight itself seemed to fracture where forces warred - golden whirlwind against tectonic might.
Dust clouds revealed Sebastian skidding backward, boots carving trenches through soil. The mercenaries' formation held, though blood now streaked several helms. The lion king's scales gleamed unmarred, contempt burning in its smoldering gaze.
The collision's thunderous echo faded, leaving Sebastian and the lion king locked in wary stalemate. Both combatants retreated several paces, tension crackling between them. Sebastian's clenched jaw betrayed newfound respect for his opponent's might - this hunt had escalated beyond initial projections.
"His combat foundations are solid," Amelia observed from their vantage point.
Kael tilted his head. "Your odds against him?"
"Nine in ten." Her eyes glinted with moonlit certainty, lips curving in rare amusement.
Kael's brows shot upward. Though aware of Amelia's prowess, the casual confidence against a sixth-level warrior five years her senior still startled.
Reading his surprise, she elaborated, "Earth-aligned aura's predictable. My arcane methods counter it cleanly." Her gaze shifted to the golden beast. "The lion's different. Its power surpasses Sebastian's."
Kael nodded agreement. Below them, the lion's enraged roar sent tremors through the forest floor. Lesser creatures cowered in underbrush as monarchal fury radiated across the hierarchy-bound wilderness.
"Perish, insects!" The beast's spiked tail snapped sideways like divine punishment. Two mercenaries became broken ragdolls, armor crumpling under impact as they sailed through saplings.
The lion's namesake horn began pulsing emerald - energy coalescing into lethal luminescence. Sebastian's throat worked as oppressive aura pressed down like collapsing sky.
"Aura Burst!" The mercenary leader's roar split the tension. Amber energy erupted from his pores, condensing into concentric shockwaves rippling outward. This fundamental warrior technique multiplied power through layered energy compression - its effectiveness depending wholly on the user's cultivation depth.
The ground buckled beneath Sebastian's boots as stacked energy waves clashed against gathering viridian light. Trees within twenty paces shed bark like terrified serpents abandoning skin.
"Sixfold Aura Burst!" Kael's eyes narrowed at the amber energy rippling through six distinct layers - a testament to Sebastian's exceptional cultivation. This technique's significance paralleled celestial runes for mages, marking the mercenary leader as formidable among his peers.
"Refined power," the lion king rumbled as its horn blazed like captured sunlight. "But inadequate for regicide!"
"Gale Execution!"
Air itself screamed into motion. The tornado dwarfed its predecessor, devouring trees and boulders with apocalyptic hunger. Sebastian's layered aura shot forth like divine artillery, meeting the spiraling devastation head-on.
Detonation shockwaves flattened a thirty-meter radius.
When debris settled, Sebastian lay slumped against a shattered oak, blood streaking his chin. The lion king staggered back with scales torn across its flank, crimson rivulets staining golden armor.
"Pup..." the beast panted through fanged grin, though its tail lashed unevenly.
"Shield the heir!" Surviving mercenaries reformed their battered ranks with commendable discipline, drawing Kael's silent approval. Three major guilds indeed.
A new voice cut through the carnage's aftermath. "My gratitude for softening the prey, Sebastian."
Yuri emerged like frost given form, glacial staff pulsing with cerulean light. Water particles crystallized in his wake, frosting nearby foliage.
"Vulture's timing remains impeccable." Sebastian spat bloodied phlegm, though his grip tightened on a fallen comrade's sword. The battlefield's energy shifted palpably - hunter becoming hunted beneath the newcomer's arctic gaze.