Chapter 403: Manticores [3] Indeed, the young catboy had apparently decided to stop holding back. He began shaping wind into persistent pressure zones that restricted the Manticores’ movement rather than just defending himself. The invisible barriers forced the creatures into predictable paths where Alissa could exploit openings. "Much better," Lola approved. "He’s using terrain control to multiply his sister’s effectiveness. That’s proper team coordination." Elara switched to smaller, more efficient spells—ice shards and fire bolts that conserved mana while maintaining steady damage output. She was learning to pace herself, rapidly adapting to the situation at hand. "They’re going to win this," Valeria predicted with confidence. "It won’t be clean or easy, but they’re adapting faster than the Manticores can adjust tactics." "That’s the difference between intelligence and instinct," Noah agreed. "The Manticores are fighting perfectly according to their nature, but they are learning and evolving mid-battle. Humans will always have that advantage. We think, we adapt, we overcome." The battle continued with desperate intensity, blood and magic painting the forest clearing as three adept-rank practitioners fought for their lives against four master-rank apex predators. The battle raged for several more minutes, exhaustion beginning to show on all three fighters. Kipp’s wind barriers were growing weaker as his mana depleted. Alissa had taken several glancing blows that left bloody gashes across her arms and shoulders. Elara’s breathing was ragged from magical exhaustion. They had managed to seriously wound two of the Manticores and keep the others at bay through sheer determination and teamwork. But four master-rank creatures were simply too much sustained pressure. The turning point came when Elara’s concentration slipped for just a fraction of a second. She had been maintaining three simultaneous barrier layers while also launching powerful offensive spells—an incredibly demanding magical task that was draining her reserves to critical levels. One of the Manticores recognised her vulnerability. It feinted toward Kipp, drawing Alissa’s attention, then suddenly pivoted with explosive speed and launched itself directly at the princess. The creature covered the distance in a heartbeat, its massive jaws opening wide and claws extended to tear through her weakened barriers and rend flesh beneath. Elara saw it coming but was too exhausted to react quickly enough. Her eyes widened with terror as death approached faster than she could raise new defences. Alissa and Kipp were both busy, leaving her alone in the face of the incoming threat, with no support Luckily, Noah moved in time to intercept the critical attack. His wind element increased his speed to levels that made him appear to teleport the short distance. One moment, he was standing beside Lola and Valeria in observation—the next, he materialised directly in front of the lunging Manticore, positioning himself between the creature and Elara. The Manticore’s momentum carried it straight into Noah’s waiting hands. He caught the beast by its upper and lower jaw mid-lunge, his fingers sinking into flesh with ease that demonstrated the catastrophic power difference between them. The Manticore’s eyes showed confusion, then fear as it realised it couldn’t move, couldn’t escape the iron grip holding it suspended in mid-air. Noah’s expression remained calm, almost bored, as he pulled his hands apart. The sound was horrific, sending shivers down the other manticores’ spines. The tearing flesh, shattering bone, ripping sinew. The Manticore’s head split completely in half from jaw to skull, its body going limp instantly as catastrophic trauma killed it before pain could even register. Noah tossed the corpse aside like discarded trash, blood dripping from his hands as he turned to check on Elara. "You alright?" he asked casually, as if he’d just swatted a fly rather than ripping apart a master-rank apex predator with his bare hands. Elara stared at him in shock, her brain struggling to process what she’d just witnessed. "I... yes... thank you..." The three remaining Manticores had watched their pack leader die with such effortless brutality that pure terror overwhelmed their instincts. These weren’t mindless beasts—they were intelligent enough to recognize an existence far beyond their ability to challenge. All three immediately broke formation and attempted to flee, abandoning the battle entirely in desperate self-preservation. But Kipp, Alissa, and Elara weren’t about to let them escape after everything they’d endured. "Oh no, you don’t!" Kipp shouted, rage and adrenaline giving him a second wind. He shaped wind into massive barriers that cut off the Manticores’ escape routes, forcing them back toward the clearing. Alissa sprinted to intercept the closest fleeing creature, her sword flashing as she hamstrung it and sent it crashing to the ground. "We finish this! No running!" Elara gathered the last reserves of her mana for binding spells that wrapped around another Manticore’s legs, tripping it and holding it in place long enough for Kipp to deliver a killing strike. The three terrified Manticores found themselves trapped between Noah’s overwhelming presence behind them and three wounded but determined opponents blocking their escape. They were forced to fight despite every instinct screaming to run. Now it was three versus three, and with their leader dead and their morale shattered, the Manticores fought with desperation rather than coordination. Kipp focused his remaining mana into devastating wind blades that finally penetrated deep enough to cause mortal wounds. His opponent collapsed with its throat opened, blood fountaining across the grass. Alissa engaged her Manticore, her exhaustion forgotten in the rush of impending victory. Her sword found vital points—severed tendons, pierced lungs, opened arteries. The creature fought back desperately, its claws opening deep wounds across her side, but she refused to stop. Finally, her blade found the heart, and the Manticore crashed down dead. Elara’s final opponent was the most wounded of the survivors, already bleeding from multiple injuries sustained earlier. She finished it with two concentrated fire lances that punched through its skull and ended its suffering instantly. Silence fell over the clearing as the last Manticore’s body hit the ground. All three fighters stood there breathing heavily, covered in blood, both their own and their enemies’, bodies trembling from exhaustion and adrenaline crash. Then Kipp let out a whoop of triumph. "We did it! We actually killed master-rank Manticores!" Alissa collapsed to her knees, too tired to remain standing but smiling despite her wounds. "Barely... we barely did it..." Elara sat down heavily, her legs simply giving out as magical exhaustion overwhelmed her. "If Noah hadn’t intervened...I would have been severely injured, thank you. " Noah walked over to them, pulling bread from his storage ring. "You all fought exceptionally well. Four was too many—but it provided you insight. Three versus three? You handled that perfectly. You should be proud." He began distributing healing items, tending to their wounds. Lola and Valeria approached as well, with Valeria looking at them with a grin on her face. "It seems like my teaching didn’t go for nought. Not bad, not bad." "That was impressive," Lola said genuinely. "All three of you pushed past your limits and survived an encounter that should have killed you. You’re well accustomed to real combat." The victory was hard-won, bloody, and had required Noah’s intervention to prevent tragedy. But it was still a victory, and one that had taught his companions invaluable lessons about teamwork, adaptation, and fighting opponents stronger than themselves. They had grown stronger today.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​