Chapter 262: Team Work? Chapter 262: Team Work? While the fragment collided harmlessly against the raptor’s forcefield, the beast slowly turned its head toward the serpent. It was way too weak. Krrk—chhh! Zippp! Electricity rattled violently across the raptor’s leg as it kicked off the ground, its form blurring while it dashed straight toward the serpent. "Gravelflow! Go inside the earth!" Aaron shouted, his pupils constricting sharply as he sensed the danger. But the raptor had already reached it. Chip! Its jaws snapped shut, biting cleanly through the serpent’s rocky hide—right where the core seemed to be visibly swirling beneath the surface. Hiiiizzzz! The serpent hissed sharply, pain rippling through its body as it opened its mouth and twisted its head toward the raptor, earth energy gathering rapidly. "Oh no, you don’t!" Lyra snapped. [Lightning Fall]! The air above the serpent suddenly crackled, static pressure building in an instant. The sky darkened as a bolt of lightning tore straight down. BOOOM! The lightning slammed into the serpent’s head squarely, detonating with a deafening roar before it could release its attack. The next moment, its form vanished completely. But then— Swwosh! A sword came swinging down at Lyra. Aaron had somehow closed the distance in an instant. His movement was sharp and decisive, making it clear he had trained his body extensively and boosted his physical stats. Clank! Lyra instantly drew her sword and clashed with his. The impact rang loudly through the arena. The force behind Aaron’s strike was overwhelming—Lyra’s knees bent under the pressure. Thankfully, her sword held firm. She gritted her teeth as electricity began crackling along her blade, blue arcs dancing across the metal. But Aaron wasn’t done. Maintaining pressure with his sword using one hand, he freed the other and swiftly formed a spell. Earth mana condensed rapidly. Tiny rock fragments appeared above his palm, spinning violently as he aimed them at Lyra’s abdomen. Lyra’s pupils contracted. But before Aaron could release them, a terrifying presence closed in on him at blistering speed. The raptor had returned—just as suddenly as it had vanished towards the serpent. Dhum! A slab of earth erupted upward in front of the raptor, slamming into its legs. The beast stumbled hard, skidding across the ground and crashing down right in front of Lyra. By then, Aaron had already leapt backward, retreating smoothly as the warden unleashed a volley of fragments toward both Lyra and the raptor. Fhew! Fhew! Fhew! Lyra raised her palm, and a translucent forcefield flared to life around her and the raptor. But— Phich! The fragments pierced straight through. Lyra’s eyes narrowed sharply. She raised her sword, electricity roaring across the blade as she slashed at the incoming fragments at superfast speed, her movements precise and relentless. Every strike deflected or shattered a projectile, forming an invisible barrier of steel and lightning around her. "OHH!! Look at our 6th-ranked student! Such fast and precise sword technique!" the host exclaimed, his voice echoing through the arena as the crowd erupted. "But I guess beasts don’t have such techniques, do they?" At that moment, everyone saw it. The raptor had been a fraction too late in activating its forcefield. The bullet-like fragments slammed into its body, sparks and stone bursting on impact. And Aaron gave them no breathing room. From the opposite side, he charged and released another wave of fragments, coordinating perfectly with the warden. Lyra drew in a sharp breath. Even her eyes began crackling with electricity as her focus peaked. Her hands blurred, flashing in and out of existence as she parried every fragment aimed at her, her blade singing with each precise movement. Back in the top 10 room, Lily’s eyes shone brightly as she watched. She clenched her fists unconsciously, silently swearing that she would learn that technique someday. Suddenly, even as fragments continued raining down, the warden’s core glowed intensely. Four distinct, lance-like constructs began forming around it. "Look! The Shardfall Warden is making its next move!" the host shouted. Earth energy continuously reinforced the lances, smoothing and compressing them until they became sleek, polished, razor-sharp pins. Dooom! One lance fired straight at the fallen raptor, which had finally reactivated its forcefield. And it seemed that the forcefield generated by Lyra was visibly weaker than Raptor’s, because the raptor’s field easily blocked the fragments unlike Lyra’s But then came the lance. Chip! It pierced straight through the forcefield. Though its momentum slowed, it still punched through the collapsed barrier and lodged into the raptor’s side. Fragments followed immediately, bombarding the wounded beast once again. Lyra’s blade dance never faltered, not allowing a single fragment to cross her self-made defence. Then— Another lance shot toward her. She increased the energy output of her sword, twisting her body gracefully as she slashed across its path. "Ohhh!!! What a precise strike!" the host cried. The lance split cleanly into two. Lyra locked eyes with Aaron, and he met her gaze without blinking. After witnessing her swordplay, it was clear—Aaron no longer wanted to get close. He raised his hand and pointed toward the split lance. Lyra’s eyes widened as the fallen pieces began to tremble... and then rise. Leo leaned forward in his seat. That’s telekinesis... he noted silently. Which meant Aaron’s soul was a high-ranking one. As the two broken lances surged toward Lyra, the warden fired the last two remaining lances. One streaked toward the raptor, the other toward Lyra. This time, without a forcefield, the lance slammed directly into the raptor’s chest, burying nearly a foot deep. The beast screeched helplessly, clawing desperately at the embedded weapon with its short forelimbs. Lyra managed to slash the incoming lance again—but the one controlled by Aaron stabbed into her back. His control was still rough. The force wasn’t perfectly aligned, and the strike only sank 2 to 3 inches before dropping away. But luck favored him. One of the split lances drove straight into her right shoulder socket. Pain exploded through her arm. Her sword swung instantly grew heavier, slower, and far harder to recover—she had no recovery skills to offset the damage. Aaron seized the moment. He rushed in, his sword coated in dense earth element mana, making it brutally heavy as he brought it down in a powerful downward swing. Lyra barely managed to raise her sword to block as the Impact drove her straight to one knee. "Hehe, you are beautiful and skilled," Aaron said, grinning as he loomed over her. "But do you know what I am? I am better." "You—!" Lyra tried to shout. But the ground beneath the knee supporting her weight suddenly dented inward. Her balance collapsed. The sword slipped. It slid cleanly against her neck. Ting! Balance: 1,007,090 [500,000] → 1,257,090 AC Miho smiled faintly and sent a quick thank-you text to Leon—ending it with yet another emoji. --- A/N: I will try to publish the next Chapter quickly.