It appeared.
No sound.
No warning.
It simply—existed.
In the middle of the forest.
Standing upright.
Motionless.
Not a beast.
Not like anything they had seen before.
It didn't attack immediately.
Didn't roar.
It observed.
Then—
it chose.
Velkar.
There was no visible movement.
Just a shift—
BOOM.
The ground caved in.
Velkar blocked.
The force traveled through her arms, spreading evenly across her entire body.
Stabilized.
For a moment.
Then—
blood rose to her throat.
She didn't step back.
But inside—
something had already broken.
Her internal organs trembled violently.
Kraith was already there.
No delay.
A straight charge.
A kick—
CRACK.
The creature's head tilted.
A scratch.
That was all.
No reaction.
No retreat.
Nyxara didn't move.
She stayed back.
Watching.
Levi glanced at her.
"Why aren't you going in?"
Without turning—
"You can't even do anything."
A brief pause.
"Don't talk."
BOOMM.
Kraith was thrown away.
He crashed right beside Levi.
Levi didn't need to look.
He understood.
This was wrong.
This thing—
wasn't meant to be fought normally.
Levi stepped back.
Fast.
Without looking behind.
The creature moved forward.
Not rushed.
But the distance—
vanished.
A punch aimed at Nyxara.
Stopped.
The space around its arm distorted.
Nyxara had locked it.
No hesitation.
She counterattacked.
Relentlessly.
Targeting the head.
The creature jerked.
Unable to break free.
One second.
Two seconds.
Advantage.
Then—
it stopped resisting.
Not because it was weak.
But because—
it understood.
It turned.
Grabbed Nyxara.
Too fast.
They were dragged toward a nearby lake.
ẦM.
Water exploded outward.
Nyxara was forced under.
Her distortion field—
collapsed.
Completely locked.
She struggled.
Gasping.
Losing rhythm.
Then—
consciousness.
Gone.
Levi saw it.
No thinking.
He grabbed a rock.
Threw it.
CRACK.
The creature turned.
Nyxara was tossed aside.
Levi was already running.
No plan.
Just—
not stopping.
"Maybe…"
"…this is the end."
But he kept running.
The creature followed.
Faster.
The distance—
meant nothing.
Levi dropped low.
Slipped into a narrow rock crevice.
The creature stopped.
It couldn't reach him.
But—
it didn't leave.
It stood there.
Waiting.
Levi breathed heavily.
Looked at his hand.
The last piece.
No hesitation.
He swallowed it.
Sweet.
Then—
pressure surged.
Not heat.
Something—
flowing through his blood.
His body tensed.
Out of control.
Levi clenched his hand.
He didn't try to create.
He just—
held.
Something—
was trying to form.
Distorted.
Wrong.
The rock wall cracked.
BOOM.
The creature broke through.
Rushed in.
Levi raised his arm.
Instinctively.
Something rose.
Not metal.
Not wood.
Stone.
Rough.
Cracked.
Unstable.
Two jagged masses crossed—
forming an X.
CRASH.
The punch was blocked.
The structure trembled violently.
Cracks spread instantly.
It was about to break.
The creature stepped back.
For the first time.
Levi stared at his hand.
Not what he had seen before.
Not the correct form.
Just—
a reaction.
Wrong.
But—
it existed.
Levi swung his arm.
The ground responded.
Fragments of stone erupted.
No clear shape.
No precision.
But enough—
to force it to move.
The creature stepped into open ground.
Kraith was already there.
A fast intercept.
Knocking it off balance.
Nyxara stood up.
Not fully stable.
But enough.
She locked it again.
Velkar moved forward.
Holding the force.
Holding position.
Levi stepped out.
No longer staying behind.
No longer observing.
Four of them.
At one point.
A moment—
of connection.
The creature stopped.
No resistance.
No counterattack.
It looked at Levi.
For the first time—
truly.
Then—
its body dissolved.
The space shattered.
White light.
Silence.
They were back.
The training zone.
As if nothing had happened.
An Axian stood above.
"It seems your team finished the fastest."
"Prepare a room for them."
"This is only the beginning."
"More trials await you."
Kraith stepped forward.
"Seems I was wrong about you."
Levi didn't respond.
He only smiled faintly.
They were led away.
Injection.
Recovery.
Their bodies restored.
Then—
a door opened.
The space ahead—
wide.
Empty.
An arena.
Levi stopped.
A strange feeling.
Not the system.
Not the trial.
Something else.
Something—
had awakened.