Kael, Kyle, and Takeshi stood firm, battered, bleeding, but unbroken.

  Their breaths were ragged. Their stances were unsteady.

  But the fire in their spirits still burned.

  They weren’t fighting for points.

  They weren’t fighting for rank.

  They were fighting to protect their friends.

  Then a new notification erupted inside Kael’s vision, far brighter, far heavier than any he had seen before.

  [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

  ?? CRITICAL OBJECTIVE INITIATED ??

  Target: Mutated Rat-Type Beast Abberant

  Status: Actively Evolving

  Evolution Progress: 42% …and rising.

  OBJECTIVE:

  Defeat the Mutated Rat-Type Beast Aberrant BEFORE it completes its evolution.

  Failure Result:

  ?? A Semi-Human Abberant will emerge, threat level exponentially higher.

  REWARDS (Upon Successful Elimination):

  ? Instant Level Up

  ?? Chosen Core: +1 Rank Increase

  ?? New Technique Unlocked

  (Aligned with Spirit Creature: Kylon, the Dragon of Light, technique will adapt to user’s Spirit Output.)

  DANGER:

  Evolution accelerating each passing second.

  42% → 45% → 47%

  ?? “Strike before the threshold is crossed, before a monster becomes something worse.”

  [ENGAGE TARGET?]

  ? YES | ? WAIT (Not Recommended)

  Kael didn’t hesitate.

  “YES.”

  Energy pulsed in his veins like lightning.

  “Let’s finish this!”

  Takeshi moved first.

  He drew his katana with a fierce sweep, aura lashing outward.

  “ENTRAPMENT WEB!”

  Threads of condensed spirit energy shot across the ground, but the aberrant leaped high, avoiding the trap and landing with a heavy thud.

  Kyle didn’t stop.

  He launched himself from the side, twisting mid-air.

  “DEEP STRIKE!”

  His scythe slammed into the abberant’s flank with a burst of impact

  The creature stumbled, dropping to one knee

  But even that strike barely scratched it.

  Its hide was too tough. Its muscles too dense.

  Yet…

  By falling, it landed directly onto Takeshi’s earlier web, activating it.

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  The glowing spirit threads surged upward, binding its arms and legs.

  Kyle shouted, “KAEL! LOWER ITS DURABILITY!”

  Kael nodded once.

  He centered himself.

  Kylon’s light gathered in his core.

  “Alright… FLASH FIST!”

  VWOOM—

  He vanished.

  The abberant’s head snapped left, right, confused

  Then Kael reappeared directly in front of it, fist already chambered.

  A sonic crack ripped the air as Kael drove his glowing fist into the abberant’s head—

  BAAAAAAAAAAAM!

  The abberant flew backward, smashing into several tree trunks, uprooting one entirely before crashing to the ground.

  Dust exploded around it.

  The thing twitched…

  Then slowly… horribly…

  Stood back up.

  Its body warped further.

  Ribs shifted.

  Spikes pierced through skin.

  Its screech rattled the leaves.

  [SYSTEM ALERT]

  ?? EVOLUTION PROGRESS INCREASING ??

  Target: Mutated Rat-Type Beast Abberant

  Current Evolution: 58% / 100%

  Warning: Transformation accelerating.

  Kyle tightened his grip on his scythe.

  Takeshi grit his teeth.

  Kael’s pulse thundered in his ears.

  The monster wasn’t dying.

  It was evolving.

  And time was running out.

  Meanwhile, Anya’s arrows flew one after another, each shot cutting through the forest like silver streaks. After sending the last one, she sprinted toward Natalia, whose body shivered with pain. Reaching her, Anya pulled a small potion from her belt.

  “Drink this,” she instructed, voice firm. “It won’t fully heal you, but it’ll ease the pain and help you regain energy.”

  Serafina’s tears fell freely, panic clawing at her chest. “What if… what if they—”

  Anya slapped her on the face. “Snap out of it! The boys are risking their lives right now. Focus on helping Natalia!”

  Shaking, Serafina nodded. She closed her eyes and activated Healing Mane. A soft, golden light flowed from her circlet, wrapping Natalia in warmth. Cuts sealed, bruises faded, and energy began to return to the wounded cadet.

  Natalia gasped, inhaling sharply as life returned to her limbs. Serafina’s hands glowed with a fierce determination, her tears now tempered by focus.

  “Keep it steady… I can do this,” she whispered to herself.

  Every heartbeat felt like a countdown. Beyond the trees, Kael, Kyle, and Takeshi continued their battle. Every strike, every movement was a race against time. The Mutated Rat-Type Beast Aberrant’s evolution ticked upward relentlessly, its power growing with every second.

  Kael’s eyes narrowed, Kylon’s presence thrumming in his chest. “We can’t hold back… not now. Focus, flow, strike.”

  The abberant lunged again, claws raking toward the trio. Kael vanished in a Flash-Fist, reappearing at the creature’s side. Kyle followed immediately with a sweeping Deep Strike, while Takeshi’s Entrapment Web pulsed, binding the aberrant’s limbs further.

  The beast screeched, body twisting as its evolution surged, dark energy crackling across its hide.

  [SYSTEM ALERT]

  ?? EVOLUTION PROGRESS INCREASING ??

  Target: Mutated Rat-Type Beast Aberrant

  Current Evolution: 64% / 100%

  Warning: Transformation accelerating.

  Kael clenched his fists, aura flaring. “We can’t let it evolve. One more coordinated strike, we end this, or it becomes something worse.”

  Kyle’s grip tightened on his scythe. “I’ve got your back, Kael. Let’s corner it!”

  Takeshi readied his katana, the scarred blade gleaming with spirit energy. “No mistakes. Every strike counts.”

  Above the chaos, the forest seemed to hold its breath. The countdown continued, every heartbeat a warning. Every second, the line between survival and catastrophe blurred.

  This fight was no longer just about hunting.

  This was about stopping evolution… before it was too late.

  The abberant’s eyes glinted with cunning, it knew it was outnumbered, and it refused to be taken down easily. With a sudden lash of its massive tail, it struck at Takeshi.

  Takeshi braced with his katana, but the sheer force sent him flying through the air, slamming into the trees. He groaned, limbs twitching, and then went still. Unconscious.

  Kyle’s eyes widened in shock and rage. “You bastard!” he roared, charging forward with all his strength.

  The rat-type abberant twisted, using its tail like a whip, and sent Kyle hurtling backward as well, crashing into a thick tree trunk. Gasping for breath, he staggered to his feet, glaring at the creature.

  “Kael… finish this… before it—”

  But before he could continue, the force of the impact finally overwhelmed him. Kyle collapsed, unconscious beside the shattered tree.

  Kael’s heart raced. The forest fell eerily silent, save for the heavy breathing and guttural snarls of the abberant. It was now a one-on-one fight, a desperate, high-stakes duel between him and the evolving monstrosity.

  The creature lashed again with its tail. Kael rolled, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow. His fists glowed faintly, aura surging.

  “Flash Fist!” he shouted, vanishing in a blur and striking at the abberant’s side.

  For a moment, it seemed he had the advantage, but the rat had learned. It anticipated his movement, snapping its head toward the spot Kael appeared, striking him mid-attack. Kael was hurled staright towards the cave, skidding along jagged stone before coming to a painful stop.

  The abberant followed, eyes blazing, it noticed kael was slowly standing up, its tail swinging relentlessly to keep him down. Kael struggled to rise, bruised and battered, but his spirit would not yield.

  Every swing of the tail, every calculated strike of the abberant, pushed Kael to the edge. Yet even as the pain tore through him, his resolve hardened.

  He would not fail. Not now. Not ever.

  The fight was far from over, and the abberant was showing no mercy.

  Kael staggered backward, his body aching from the relentless assault of the mutated rat-type abberant. Tail strikes, vicious swipes, and crushing blows kept him on the defensive. Each breath felt heavier, each movement slower.

  But then his mind flashed with the faces of his friends, Takeshi, Kyle, Natalia, Serafina, Anya. He thought of the sacrifices, the bonds forged in battle. And he remembered his parents, who had fallen fighting abberants when he was just a child.

  “Is this it?” Kael whispered to himself, blood and sweat blurring his vision. “Is this where I… die?”

  A sharp voice cut through his despair.

  “HOLDER! Keep fighting! No matter what! You have people to protect, people to save! I would not have recognized you as my master if you didn’t have that light in your heart!”

  Kylon’s words ignited something deep within Kael. His spirit surged, growing in intensity, pushing past exhaustion and pain. Then a familiar chimed inside Kael’s mind.

  [SYSTEM ALERT — SPIRIT OVERFLOW]

  ?? UNSTABLE SPIRIT SURGE DETECTED ??

  Emotional trigger identified.

  Spirit Energy output rising far beyond projected range…

  SPIRIT ENERGY STATUS:

  Limit: 100 → SURPASSED

  Current Output: Overflow Level

  Effect: Spirit capacity forcibly extended. Veins resonating with uncontrolled light.

  WARNING:

  Spirit flow exceeding safe thresholds. Risk of backlash, overload, or temporary loss of control.

  RESULT:

  Kael’s Spirit Energy has broken past its limit, extending limit to accommodate excess spirit energy.

  With a surge of newfound power, he caught the abberant’s tail with ease, pulling it toward him.

  A blast of aura erupted from Kael, a fiery light, but not white like Kylon’s. It was red, molten and searing, crackling with raw power.

  From his belt pocket, a spirit card floated up, hovering before him. Its aura radiated heat and power.

  “Hello, holder,” a deep, commanding voice spoke from the card. “I am Kawa, the Feathered Dragon of Fire, the Prime Spirit of Fire. I have sensed the unwavering fire in your soul, and I now recognize you as my holder.”

  Kael’s eyes widened in shock and elation. He quickly returned Kylon’s card to his belt pocket, holding Kawa’s card tightly.

  “Spirit Drive!” Kael shouted.

  Red aura erupted from his body, engulfing him in a blazing inferno. The spirit card dissolved into his body, fusing with his essence. His armor, once white with blue accents, shimmered and shifted into red with glowing orange highlights. His gauntlets transformed as well, it turned into a double edge sword with fiery highlights.

  Kael tighten his grip on the sword, a fierce smile spreading across his face. He assumed his fighting stance, his body pulsing with the rhythm of burning spirit energy.

  The mutated rat-type abberant froze, sensing the surge of power. Its screech ripped through the forest, a chilling mixture of fear and rage.

  Kael’s eyes blazed. The fight was far from over, but now, the scales had tipped.