"I can't believe you guys are stopping me from pummeling all these beasts around us! This is our only chance to fight them. Once we're back at Lincad Ark, it's back to normal classes—and that's the most boring thing ever. So why not use this chance to gain some combat experience and kick some beast ass?"
Suina and Ayato both shook their heads as they dragged Amika along, listening to the smaller girl complain.
After they escorted Yaw-yan back to his home, the trio of friends expected they would fight their way back to the Ark just like they did when escorting him. The three of them were more than ready for more beast combat action.
However, their excitement was quickly cut short when Minona reminded them that there was no time for extracurricular activities—they had to return to Lincad Ark immediately.
For that reason, the trio ended up trailing behind their senior sister toward Lincad Ark, begrudgingly ignoring all the beasts running past them. Any that dared to attack were quickly burned to ashes by Minona's blue flames.
The blue-haired girl didn't even bother fighting. She simply waved her arm at the attacking beasts, reducing them to ash before continuing to walk like nothing had happened.
Ayato sighed and glanced at Amika. "Ms. Minona was right. We need to head back to Lincad Ark—and fast. We can't afford to waste time fighting those beasts, or we'll get in trouble if we end up late."
"But Ayato, if we're really in a hurry, then why did we spend the whole morning escorting Yaw-Yan?" Amika pointed an accusatory finger at Minona. "She didn't say or do anything back then while we were fighting those beasts. She just stayed behind and talked to Yaw-yan the entire time." The smaller girl crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance. "But now, all of a sudden, we need to rush back to the Ark? I think she's just pissed because Yaw-yan didn't give her a goodbye smooch."
The moment Amika said it, the air around them grew hot. The temperature rose so suddenly, it felt like their lips were about to dry out.
Seeing Minona suddenly halt her footsteps, the trio nervously gulped and quickly tried to de-escalate the situation before they themselves became a charred trio.
"M-Miss M-Minona, please don't get offended by what Amika said! She's stupid and has a muscle brain, so she always spouts nonsense! P-Please forgive her—she's Yaw-yan's friend, a-and he'd get sad if s-something bad were to happen to her!" Suina was quick to apologize for her smaller friend's careless remark, hoping Amika hadn't just started a fight with their upperclassman. Because honestly, she didn't think she or her friends stood a chance against Minona of all people—even Vice Principal Oscord had said she was one of Lincad Academy's top talents.
She even shamelessly brought up Yaw-yan's close relationship with the three of them just to appease the girl. Surely, she wouldn't turn her boyfriend's best friends into charred meat… right? Right!?
She was about to say something more when Minona suddenly summoned her gauntlet and lowered herself into a fighting stance.
"You three—quickly summon your Core Weapons. We have enemies in front of us. Whoever can run faster, go and rush to Lincad Ark and inform everyone that we've encountered Heretics on our way home."
Amika, Suina, and Ayato exchanged confused looks at first, but after hearing Minona's command, the trio immediately summoned their Core Weapons and pointed them at the figures ahead.
"Ruges!" Minona muttered through gritted teeth. The events of last night were still fresh in her mind, and just looking at the face of the Heretic in front of her made her blood boil with anger.
"W-Where's the other one? Where is that guy? I need to kill that bastard for w-what he did to me!" Minona furrowed her brows, too angry to notice Ruges's condition.
He was missing his right arm, while his left hung mangled at an awkward angle. He was covered in blood—some dried, some freshly oozing from his wounds. His entire body was riddled with bruises and cuts, clear evidence of what he had endured at the hands of the Blood Collectors.
"I said, where is the other one? I need to kill him—make him suffer for what he's done to me! If it weren't for that Local, I wouldn't have ended up like this! I need to kill him!"
The moment he said the word Local, Minona and the others instantly summoned their God Blessings, their bodies glowing with divine energy.
It was clear who Ruges was talking about—and they'd be damned if they let him lay a single hand on their friend.
Minona unleashed a blast of blue flame in Ruges's direction, fully intending to finish him off. But the fire was blocked—his Core Weapon morphed into armor just in time, shielding him from the deadly blaze.
A volley of gunfire followed, Suina aiming for Ruges's legs. But the bullets, too, were stopped by the same armored defense.
"This is his fault!" Ruges spat each word with venomous fury, his voice cracking like a whip. His eyes blazed with barely contained rage. Every syllable dripped with hatred so thick, it made the very air feel heavier—as if the sheer weight of his fury could set the world ablaze
"If he hadn't shown up and kicked me in the nuts, those beasts wouldn't have even touched me—with my power," Ruges spat a mouthful of blood, his fury worsening his already critical condition. "But he did… and he ruined everything for me. All I've done to achieve this power—it was all wasted because of him!"
Ruges's entire body trembled with rage.
"And now I'm dying. Everything… just gone to waste because of him. What was the point of it all? What was the point of killing my parents to prove my loyalty? What was the point of sacrificing my little sister for her power—all for nothing—because some random local boy decided to come back and save a stupid girl!"
Amika, Suina, and Ayato looked at Minona's back. They'd all heard the story—how their friend risked his life to save the very girl standing before them.
"And now… now—GAAHHHHH! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!, I'M NOT GOING TO DIE ALONE—NO! I'LL BRING EVERYONE WITH ME! HA HA HA! LET'S ALL DIE TOGETHER!"
Minona and the trio tensed up as Ruges descended into madness, screaming incoherently and laughing like a crazed beast. The sound sent a chill down their spines, a creeping unease clawing at them.
Suddenly, Ruges began channeling his mana surge—his body glowing with unstable energy. But instead of maintaining it, his mana began funneling into something within his chest, as if he were deliberately sending his power to a hidden core deep inside himself
Minona eyed the man carefully, trying to figure out what he was doing… then suddenly, Ruges chuckled and gave her a knowing smirk.
"Remember what I told you I was doing out there, behind that giant beast?"
It only took a couple of breaths before Minona's eyes widened in horror. She immediately kicked off the ground, leaving a small crater from the sheer force of her leap.
The trio was surprised by how fast Minona moved, left behind and confused about what had just happened.
Minona ignited her gauntlet—blue flames engulfing her entire right arm, the intense heat causing the air around her to shimmer. If Ruges was talking about that item—the one they brought to the Silao Forest—then this whole situation just became dire. She had to stop him before he could realize his plan.
She cocked her arm back, blue flames dancing wildly across her gauntlet. The space around her distorted from the sheer heat she was producing—all to make sure her attack would break through Ruges's armor and stop him from detonating the Alcamana bombs he and his lackeys had planted throughout Silao Forest.
With a shout, Minona launched her blue flame-coated gauntlet punch straight at Ruges's smug face.
But before her gauntlet could reach him—
BOOOOMM!
A blinding light and an ear-shattering noise disoriented Minona. She lost sight of her target, and a massive force slammed into her body, launching her several meters from her original position.
When she opened her eyes, she felt someone gently slapping her cheek. Her eyebrows twitched from the contact.
As the ringing in her ears faded, a familiar voice broke through the haze.
"MINONA, WAKE UP! WE NEED TO RUN, QUICK!"
She immediately snapped her eyes open at the sound of Amika's voice. What she saw was Amika's panicked, disheveled face calling out to her desperately. On her back were the unconscious bodies of Suina and Ayato, stacked and clinging tightly as she struggled to stay upright.
"MINONA! MINONA, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, WE NEED TO GO NOW! THE GIANT'S COMING FOR US!"
Hearing the frantic shouting, Minona shakily pushed herself up into a sitting position to assess the situation.
The first thing she noticed was a massive crater where Ruges had been standing. Her eyes widened in realization—he had blown himself up, and she had barely escaped being caught in the blast.
She felt her arm being tugged forcefully. When she turned to look at Amika, her blood ran cold.
Behind Amika loomed what looked like a walking mountain, its peak engulfed in a sea of flame that spread out for hundreds of meters. Black fumes poured into the sky, staining it with darkness.
RAAEEEEEEEEEEEOOONK!
Amika and Minona both covered their ears as the mountain-sized beast let out a furious roar, loud enough to shake the entire land.
"M-Minona, we really need to go now," Amika said, her voice trembling with fear.
Minona shook her head and slowly rose from the ground, attempting to help Amika carry one of the unconscious bodies. But Amika quickly shook her head. "I-I can carry them both! We just need to hurry, before the beast catches us!"
Without another word, Minona and Amika ran toward the direction of Lincad Academy, carrying the unconscious forms of Suina and Ayato. Behind them, the furious roar of the Silao Grande echoed through the forest.
Yaw-Yan watched in horror as the Silao Grande stirred once more—this time not to shift its sleeping spot, but to unleash its wrath. Its enraged roar was directed toward the floating ark in the distance. And then, it began moving, massive limbs shaking the land as it marched straight toward the Lincad Ark.
Yaw-Yan's face went pale. He prayed that Minona and the others had reach the academy before the explosion hit. The ark was their only way out of Manaland, and if the Silao Grande reached it first, then that floating vessel—and everyone on it—would be destroyed.
"Yawboi, this is not the time to gawk at the Silao Grande," the old chief said sternly. "We need to secure everyone and prepare our supplies, in case we have to migrate again."
Snapped out of his thoughts, Yaw-Yan nodded and sprinted back into the settlement. He joined the others in packing all the essential supplies they could carry. As he worked, he mentally cursed the people who had planted the AlcaMana bomb on the back of the Silao Grande—and prayed for Minona and the others' safety.
"Start the core furnace. We're leaving this Manaland as soon as I find our students. Do not attack the giant beast or enrage it further. That Silao Grande is no ordinary titan," Vice Principal Oscord ordered, cursing the Heretics under his breath as he leapt from the ark to search for his students before departure.
The beast had been awakened from its deep slumber when a massive explosion rocked its territory—an eruption powerful enough to obliterate everything around its resting place. Jolted awake, the mountain-sized creature rose onto its four legs, enraged, and scanned the land for the one who dared disturb it.
Its massive head slowly turned and locked onto a floating object in the distance—thousands of meters away, the Lincad Ark hovered silently. With a land-shaking roar, the titan began its march, heading directly for the ark with destruction in its sights.
Meanwhile, Minona and Amika were running at full speed toward the ark. Each thunderous step from the Silao Grande brought the mountain-sized beast closer, threatening to trample them underfoot with its enormous legs.
Unbeknownst to everyone involved, this moment would become the catalyst for an ancient power to stir once more—awakened by chaos and desperation, it would return to the Endless Flow. Its rebirth would bring both great fortune and devastating calamity… to those it deemed friends and family, and to those who dared threaten its happiness and freedom.
The world tree god had made its choice.
It had chosen its sapling.
End of Chapter 19