The night passed quickly...
The next morning, the crew returned to the Grand Arena. The air was cool. And a light mist rolled off the nearby lake. Just like yesterday, the stadium was packed.
However, there was a different energy in the air today. A sense of mystery.
In the center of the arena stood a massive stone stele. It was more than ten meters tall. Carved from a single piece of obsidian-like rock. Its surface was perfectly smooth. Etched with runes that emitted a low frequency sounds.
Baroness Artheim pointed to it. "That's the Battle Moon Magic Stele. It monitors the participating teams' achievement within the realm. As soon as we enter, our team names will appear there. The scores will update themselves in real-time."
She looked around and made a quick prediction. "The arena won't be this crowded for long. One or two hours later, most of these spectators will definitely leave this place. They'll return later, just one or two hours before the competition ends."
"Pretty logical." Argust commented. drily "I might leave too. Who wants to watch a stone with words and numbers all day long?"
The arena's steam clock, a massive construction of brass and glass, ticked closer toward the starting time. The sound of its gears was like a heartbeat across the stadium.
At the stroke of nine, the Moonlight Queen appeared. She was dressed in shimmering silver silk gown. One that seemed to catch the morning light and hold it. Her hair was a waterfall of pale platinum. And her eyes, even from a distance, appeared to glow with an inner luminescence.
She descended from the highest spire of the arena, on a levitating platform that was etched with gravity-runes.
In her hands, she carried a crystal ball the size of a human head. One which was swirling with a milky, iridescent mist inside.
She stopped before the stone stele and began to chant. Her voice wasn't loud. But it was carried to every corner of the stadium through some form of sonic magic.
The crystal ball began to glow. The mist inside it turned into a violent vortex. She raised the ball, and a beam of moonlight-colored energy shot into the air. Then it bent downward to strike the ground.
Once the light touch the ground, the space tore open. A swirling portal of silver and violet light formed. A spatial gate. It should be the entrance to the Battle Moon Realm.
"The Gate to the Battle Moon Realm is ready." The Queen announced. "Participants! Enter and claim your glory."
The crowd erupted into a roar. The first few teams, local warriors and mercenaries from other islands, began to walk into the portal. They vanished as soon as they touched the light.
"Come on! Our turn." Jack said.
The 'Ocean Wanderer' team went in first. Baroness Artheim led them with a confident stride. Leon, already clad in his draconic armor, was next. Bell, Moby, and Chloe followed behind him.
Sparkle, Chloe's lightning kirin cub that was disguised by Chloe's [Glamor] spell as a deer cub, pranced nervously before leaping into the vortex. Following its master. They disappeared completely.
Jack looked at his own team. Rune was floating next to his shoulder. Glowing watchful orange.
Reina stood beside him, wearing her new [Leather Armor of the Night]. Ned checked his [Mystic Camouflage Cloak] and steamrune rifle for one last time. Barnaby strummed his lute nervously. And Aella, wearing her new [Cape of Mystery], stood with her hands gripping her voidfire revolver. Looking at the portal with great curiosity.
"Keep your vigilance." Jack ordered. "Reina, cast illusion once we enter. Ned, get ready to scout. Barnaby, stay at the back. Aella, follow your instinct. Let's go."
They walked forward...
Jack felt a sudden pressure as he stepped into the portal. It felt like walking through a wall of cold water. His vision blurred. And for a moment, the world was nothing but a rushing sound in his ears.
Then, the sensation vanished.
Jack landed on solid ground. The air was cold and smelled of damp earth... and strange floral scent.
The sky above was dark grey, dominated by a reddish moon that looked four times larger than normal. The landscape was a forest of red-leaved trees that glowed with a faint luminescence.
He didn't waste time. He looked around...
Reina was a few steps to his left. Her body was already emitting grey, illusory mist. Aella was next to her, already pointing her voidfire revolver at a suspicious crimson bush. Ned and Barnaby were at the very back. Both were also prepared for combat.
There was no sign of any tournament participants who entered the realm before them. Jack wasn't surprised with that. He knew that each team would be teleported randomly across the realm.
"Rune!" Jack whispered.
The fairy appeared. Her body was glowing a bright, warning red. She pointed toward the thicket of red-leafed trees.
A low growl echoed through the woods. The bushes parted. And three creatures stepped out. They looked like bipedal wolves... like werewolves. But their fur was made of jagged crystal shards. And their eyes were glowing pits of silver light.
Jack recalled the information he had on these creatures. They were Moonshard Werewolves. Practically the most basic predators of this realm.
Decisively, Jack moved first. He was the vanguard in the team after all. His steamrune shotgun snapped up. He didn't bother with warning his team mates. Instead, a battle roar tore from his throat.
The first werewolf lunged. Charging directly toward the mercenary.
Jack didn't dodge. He met it head-on. The shotgun boomed. Not at the thick, crystal-furred upper body. But at the creature's legs.
BOOM! A burst of steamrune shrapnel erupted. Destabilizing the creature's charge.
As it stumbled forward, Jack stepped in and jumped. Bringing his knee up. Slamming it against the werewolf's jaw.
Crystal teeth grated. The creature's head snapped back in pain. Its silver eyes flared viciously.
Jack grinned. Showing a predatory flash. His left arm, encased in the heavy, iron-linked [Chains of Vengeance] bracer, shot out. Blazing chains appeared and slithered like serpents. Wrapping around the werewolf's neck with brutal speed.
Jack twisted his body. Pulling the creature off balance. Then he spun. Throwing the werewolf into one of its companions with bone-cracking force.
This was Savage Rampage in action. Unpredictable, brutal, and utterly effective. He didn't fight elegantly. He fought like an unpredictable hurricane.
Reina was also already in action. She used her [Absolute Blink]. One moment, she was beside Jack. The next, she was behind the remaining two crashing werewolves.
Her dual handguns spat fire. BANG! BANG! Twin gunshots cracked through the air.
The first shot was a clean, precise strike. Piercing one werewolf in the nape. Severing its spine with a flash of mystic energy. The creature twitched. Its crystal fur instantly lost its luminescence. It fell.
The second shot was equally accurate. It struck the other werewolf in the exactly the same place. A killing shot.
Aella, meanwhile, mirrored Reina. He turned into a smaller, darker blur. Her [Voidfire Blink] was less about distance and more about instant tactical repositioning. She appeared beside the last werewolf.
Her small voidfire revolver already raised. The barrel glowed with an internal, hungry purple light. She fired. BANG! BANG! BANG! Not once, but three times in rapid succession.
Each voidfire bullet tore through the air with a hungry sizzle. Punching holes through the werewolf's chest, stomach, and head.
The crystal fur crackled. Dissolving into nothingness where the voidfire touched it. The creature shrieked once. A sound of agony amidst its disintegration. The shriek was cut midway. It collapsed into a pile of smoking, rapidly decaying crystal shards.
The entire engagement lasted less than ten seconds. Three Moonshard Werewolves, eradicated.
Barnaby stood frozen. His lute was still clutched in his hands. He hadn't even plucked a single string. His mouth hung slightly open, a silent "Oh!"
Ned, on the other hand, had already vanished. He didn't pay much attention to the combat. He was the scout in the team. His task was to find undetected threat, not facing the threat directly.
The instant the battle ended, he was already halfway up the tallest nearby tree. His quick, yet silent movements barely rustled a single branch. The [Mystic Camouflage Cloak] he wore made him indistinguishable from the glowing red leaves around them.
Rune, the tiny fairy guide, hovered near Jack's shoulder. Her soft glow had shifted back to a calm azure color.
Barnaby kicked at the nearest werewolf carcass that slowly disappeared. "Nothing in them." He grunted.
It confirmed Baroness Artheim's investigation and Jack's own observation. No loot. No valuable components. Just dead monsters.
"As expected. Everything valuable is extracted by the kingdom." Jack said. His voice was calm now that the immediate threat was gone.
Reina simply nodded. Holstering her handguns with practiced ease.
Aella blew the muzzle of her revolver. Cooling it while looking pleased with herself. A faint, wispy voidfire smell was still clinging to her small form.
"Let's move. Ned, keep us informed." Jack ordered. Glancing up at Ned. Giving a silent acknowledgment of the scout's efficiency.
Ned's voice reached them from above. "Clear for now, Captain. Let's head northeast. Looks like a small clearing up ahead."
The team pushed through the luminous red-leaved forest. The air remained cold, damp, and smelled of the peculiar floral scent. An aroma unique to this realm. The reddish moon, impossibly large, still dominated the dark grey sky.
Jack led the way. His shotgun was held ready. His senses were overlaid by his filtered [Eyes of Judgement].
Reina walked beside him. Her black hair was tied in a simple ponytail. And her hands were never far from her holstered guns.
Aella bounced slightly behind them, while holding her gun tightly. Her mixed feeling of curiosity and vigilance was quite evident.
They hadn't traveled far when Ned's whisper came again. Sharper this time. "Captain. Northeast clearing. We have company. Many of them." His tone held a hint of urgency. "At least... thirty. Maybe more."
Jack stopped. "Werewolves?"
"Affirmative." Ned confirmed. "A big pack of Moonshard Werewolves. Clustered around something in the center of the clearing. Looks like a den."
Jack's lips curved into a thin smile. "Excellent, then! More points for us."
He looked back at Reina and Aella. "Love, Aella... ready yourselves. Barnaby... get up high. Ned... maintain your position. Assist whenever possible."