***
Less than a minute ago, approximately 543m away from the fight.
Having defeated a small group of White Rank Crested Langurs, Adonis' group meticulously searched through the corpses of the monkey-like Magic Beasts, successfully recovering the white magic crystals embedded within their chests.
'Something's off with Vindicta.' Casting a concerned look at the teenager they had officially designated as their leader earlier on. Vera clenched the magic crystal tightly before finally dropping it into the foul-smelling sack she held in her right hand.
"Keep watch..." Raising his head to scrutinize the sky, Adonis narrowed his sharp silver eyes, fixating on something in the distance.
"Hm?" Taking a few moments longer, Jerald also became aware of the sudden disturbance, his frown deepening in response.
Without hesitation, he propelled himself into the air, choosing to forgo using any trees as platforms. He soared high into the sky, relying solely on the power of his legs.
WHOOSH
"Huh?" Contrary to the alarm felt by both Adonis and Jerald in response to the sensed disturbance, Maxwell, like Vera and the seated Veda, wasn't taken aback by the presence but rather astonished by their leader's unexpected movement.
{Oh no, not her again.}
As the wind sharply whistled past his ears, Adonis managed to catch the third Imperial princess who was still soaring through the air.
The force of her flight pushed back even further, leading to a rapid collision with several trees. The branches snapped but failed to penetrate his simple armor, instead, becoming tangled with his breastplate.
SNAP SNAP SNAP
Using one of the tree's thick branches as a foothold, Adonis managed to come to a graceful stop.
He exhaled sharply and turned his attention to Marie Jupiter, noting something deeply concerning: the color had drained from the girl's face, and she was coughing up blood uncontrollably.
{Not a good look for a princess.}
"Agreed..."
"W-who?" As she slowly opened her silver eyes, Marie was stunned to discover whose arms she had found herself in.
"Am I that forgettable?" Adonis let out a sigh before shifting his focus away from the princess, redirecting his attention to his group below.
"Max, catch!" Unceremoniously, he tossed the girl to his comrade and flashed a soft grin before directing his onyx pupils toward a distant scene.
"What!?" In a state of panic, Max abandoned his hammer and leaped onto the branch of a nearby tree.
"Princess?!" He flew through the air, considerably lower than Adonis, and caught the girl, looking at her with a perplexed expression as he recognized the celebrity he now held in his arms.
"Be careful, she's royalty. I'll be back."
"You'll be back?"
"Where are you going?" Screaming at the top of her lungs, Vera looked up at their leader, her once-curious expression now contorted with anger, fueled by jealousy.
'He hugged her.'
"To greet..." Not bothering to glance down at those below, Adonis tensed the muscles in his legs, feet, and toes, causing the soles of his sandals to vibrate violently with the force he gathered.
BOOM
Shattering the wooden surface beneath him, Adonis propelled himself forward, soaring through the air and forcing the air particles to part and make way for his passage.
WHOOSH
***
Present.
With a soft chuckle, Adonis landed gracefully on the ground, his gaze fixed on the Pink Rank Beast that he had just treated like a mere straw doll.
'Koko, a Pink Rank beast on the weaker end... Approximate strength, Tier 8 low tier.'
{I always knew you were a weasel, but you never struck me as a scavenger.}
'I don't care about the points, I just want to test my strength.'
{Whatever...It's injured, so bear that in mind.}
'That would be the case, but the angrier the Koko gets, the faster and stronger it gets.'
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"Huh?!" Stunned by the abrupt arrival of Adonis, Tarzy raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Grape?" Her grin widened as Luna recognized her nap buddy, her eyes reflecting hints of friendship and familiarity.
'It's him...' The image of Adonis folding Maxwell like a pretzel replayed in Lutz's mind.
He tightened his grip on his rapier even further, readying himself to redirect his resentment toward their fellow Rising Star rather than the magic beast.
"Don't even think about trying to steal our kill, this beast is ours."
"Then keep up." Adonis let out a mischievous chuckle as he briefly cast a gaze at his childhood best friend, who failed to recognize him.
With that, he charged forward, his speed surpassing anything the group had demonstrated so far.
"Grrr!" Growling, the Koko scowled at the boy, its menacing fangs practically begging to tear him to shreds.
Confronting the beast head-on, Adonis enveloped both his fists in Earthly Aura. While he had managed to land the first blow, the Koko was equally determined to retaliate.
Instead of waiting for Adonis' second punch, the Koko swung its healthy arm at the boy's head in an attempt to sever it from his head, this effort proving fruitless.
WHOOSH
Calmly allowing the beast's arm to pass harmlessly above his head, Adonis wore a frown that reflected his unimpressed state as he awaited the beast's next move.
The beast's next attack was equally as swift, yet it still lacked the intelligent martial technique possessed by the magic knight.
Using its arm that was now severed from its hand, the beast brought down its hairy limb like a formidable meteor, trying to crush the boy as if he were a mere bug.
WHOOSH
Stepping to the side once more to deftly evade the impending blow, Adonis made up his mind to deliver another strike, aiming to further test his physical strength against the Pink Rank Punching Bag.
Broadening the influence of his Earthly Aura to his right elbow, Adonis landed a powerful blow squarely on the beast's sturdy abdomen. The impact forced the ape-like creature to involuntarily fold in response to the immense force.
BANG
"ARGH!"
Continuing his relentless onslaught, Adonis wasted no time in taking action.
With his enhanced fist, he unleashed a terrifying left hook squarely at the beast's jaw, causing a few of the creature's fangs to be knocked out from the sheer force of the blow.
BAM
'How disappointing.'
"I won't let you land the finishing blow!" Concealing her astonishment at Adonis's impressive performance, Luna swiftly dashed forward, imbuing her blade with a dazzling, fiery aura using her Flame Magic.
"That's one thing we can agree on!" Following closely behind the Second Rising Star, Tarzy charged forward, his transformed arms' thorns eager to dig into some flesh.
"..." Utilizing a cyan magic circle to propel himself forward, Lutz surged ahead of both the first and second Rising Stars, his expression marked by determination.
"I thought you died!" Luna chuckled.
"Funny..."
{No need to race, this pussy won't kill it...}
'How supportive.' Adonis sighed in exasperation as he unleashed a sharp, Earthly Aura-enhanced uppercut to the beast's chin, prompting a gush of blood to spill from the Koko's pink lips.
BAM
'This should be enough...' Adonis' final attack was strategically designed to knock the beast onto its back, presenting an opportunity for the other squad to deliver the killing blow, a mental hurdle he had yet to overcome.
Launching himself upwards, Adonis bent his right knee, unleashing a flying knee that connected perfectly with the beast's nose.
BAM
Rendered utterly helpless by Adonis' relentless combo, the Koko could do nothing but allow its skull to be cracked and be sent sprawling onto its back.
Although he was physically outclassed by the beast in every aspect, Adonis was able to deal with the beast rather effortlessly, due to one significant factor: intelligence.
Adonis' intellect was hundreds of times greater than that of the beast, and he skillfully used this advantage to gain the upper hand.
While it may have appeared that the boy was easily surpassing the beast in speed, what Adonis was doing was rather simple. He meticulously analyzed every twitch and subtle movement in the beast's muscles, utilizing these small indicators and facts to accurately predict the creature's actions and intentions.
"Wha-" As he continued to absorb Adonis's attacks and actions, something in Tarzy's thick skull finally clicked. He realized that Adonis was undeniably more powerful than him, and not by a small margin.
"Hehe." Identifying Adonis as the new man to beat, Luna couldn't help but grin as she lost all interest in Tarzy Goliath, the magic knight she had once considered her rival.
Creating a large platinum magic circle above her head, Luna pressed onward, her gladius still decorated by the lingering Flame magic she had yet to extinguish.
"Something's off with him." With her abdomen burning from both the pain of her fractured sternum and an uncomfortable churning in her stomach, Amber whispered, wincing as she aimed her magic crystal at the Koko.
"..." Alarmed by Adonis' display of strength, Lutz pressed on, resolute in his determination to deliver the final blow to the beast. He paid no heed to the pain coursing through his now-blow arms as he summoned mana in his right hand and conjured a cyan magic circle.
"Transformation Magic: Abominable Quills!"
"Star Magic: Cosmic Sphere!"
"Light Magic: Pure Howitzer!"
"Gale Magic: Terrifying Tempest!'
***
Extra Information:
First-Year Rising Stars' Magic Affinities:
Tarzy Goliath: Transformation magic, Special Affinity
Luna Tricksta: Star magic, Tertiary Affinity (Wind, Earth and Flame)
Amber Shine: Light magic, Special Affinity
Lutz van Alexia: Gale magic, Secondary Affinity
Jerald Cecil: Flame magic, Primary Affinity
Marie Jupiter: Gravity magic, Special Affinity
Adonis P. Vindicta: UNKNOWN
Maxwell Aster: Metal Magic, Secondary Affinity
John van Ani: Nature magic, Tertiary Affinity (Earth, Water and Wind)
Wendy Carter: Nature magic, Tertiary Affinity (Earth, Water and Wind)