The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Each thunderous step of the Silao Grande shook trees from their roots and sent flocks of birds fleeing into the sky. Its roar echoed across the valley like the wrath of a storm god, shaking the hearts of all who heard it. From the shattered forests to the distant peaks, the land itself seemed to mourn the awakening of the sleeping titan.
Minona's lungs burned as she ran, her entire body aching from the injuries she had sustained during her confrontation with Ruges—who had decided to end it all by detonating not only the Alcamana bomb he and his lackey had planted in the forest atop Silao Grande, but also the one hidden in his sleeve, which she had narrowly survived.
"Survive" was a loose term, especially considering that she and Amika were now directly in the path of a mountain-sized beast—and it was still charging toward them with no sign of slowing down.
They scrambled over the shattered terrain, the ground quaking beneath each step of the colossal creature. Dust filled the air, choking their lungs and clouding their vision.
This is bad. The entire valley is in chaos. She hoped that Yaw-Yan and his tribe were safe from all of this.
She bit her lip in frustration. All this destruction was caused by them. Some members of the Heretics had disguised themselves as allies and used the opportunity to hitch a ride on the Lincad Ark to reach Manaland and attempt to slay the mountain-sized beast.
But it seemed they had made a massive miscalculation. Instead of killing the Silao Grande, they had only succeeded in waking the slumbering titan—and enraging it.
With a sea of flame and destruction raging across its back, and an earthshaking roar that split the skies, the Silao Grande marched toward Lincad Academy, trampling everything in its path and leaving only death and ruin in its wake.
"Minona, are you okay? Do you need me to carry you as well? You look worse for wear."
Minona shook her head toward Amika. The poor girl was already carrying two of their friends on her back.
"I'm fine, Amika. You don't have to worry about me—just keep running. I can already see the Ark ahead of us," Minona said, though her voice trembled with exhaustion.
Amika shot her a concerned glance but nodded anyway, tightening her grip on the two people she carried as she continued sprinting toward the Ark.
Both of them were praying they'd make it out of this dire situation alive.
Meanwhile, Vice Principal Oscord flew toward the Yaw-Yan camp to find his students—the ones he had sent to escort the brat back to his tribe's settlement.
He had thought things couldn't get any worse—until the news broke that the academy had been compromised. Heretics had infiltrated, disguising themselves as Lincad students, putting not only the school but also its entire student body in danger.
Those Heretics had blown a hole in the back of the mountain-sized beast—and now they'd enraged it beyond reason.
Worst of all, the beast seemed to believe that the Lincad Ark was responsible for the attack. And now it was marching straight for it, ready to destroy everything.
They needed to leave Manaland now—before they had to face the enraged beast head-on. Oscord was certain they'd be crushed if it came to that.
If it did come to that, he might have no choice but to fight the mountain-sized beast to protect his students. But he knew—it wouldn't be an easy fight.
That thing had survived who-knew-how-many Alcamana bomb explosions to the face, and all they had done was wake it up and make it angry.
Vice Principal Oscord grimaced. If he had taken even one of those blasts, he'd be dead—and there probably wouldn't be a single piece of him left.
So yes, he already knew that fighting the beast was a last resort to save everyone. His two options were either to die along with his students or fight to the end to buy the Ark enough time to escape from Manaland.
His eyes widened when he saw a familiar silhouette in the distance, hauling something toward the vehicle he had donated to the tribe as thanks for the brat. It seemed the Lincad Ark wasn't the only one frantically trying to flee the destruction brought by Silao Grande—even the brat's people were trying to escape the valley.
"They're not here," he muttered, realizing the brat was all alone, with no sign of his students. Vice Principal Oscord clicked his tongue in frustration before turning back and flying toward Silao Grande's path to search for his missing kids.
He didn't notice that Yaw-Yan had seen his fleeting form. The boy furrowed his brows in confusion—until his expression shifted to horror as the realization dawned on him.
Minona and the others hadn't returned to the Lincad Ark. They were still out there—in the direct path of the rampaging Silao Grande.
His body moved on its own. He jumped down to the vehicle where the children and women of the tribe were being loaded, meant to protect them from the approaching beast.
He started walking toward Silao Grande's trail—then quickened his pace. When he heard the old chief calling his name, he broke into a full sprint, worry etched across his face. The only thing on his mind was finding Minona and the others. He had to help them.
"Minona, everyone—please be safe."
"There it is, we're almost th—guahh!"
"Amika!" Minona cried out in alarm as she saw the smaller girl stumble and collapse to the ground with a harsh thud.
"Are you okay?!" she asked, quickly crouching beside her. Lying next to Amika were the still-unconscious Suina and Ayato.
"M-My legs... they won't stop shaking. I-I can't stand," Amika whispered, her face pale with fear as the realization sank in. She didn't understand why her legs had suddenly stopped working—especially when they were only a few hundred meters from the Ark.
"I think you're experiencing muscle fatigue," Minona said gently, trying to stay calm. "You've pushed your body too hard—fighting the beast earlier, then carrying both your friends while running such a long distance. Your legs just gave out from the strain."
Amika stared into Minona's anxious face, horror creeping into her eyes. As the truth sank in, she tried to push herself up—desperation fueling her—but her body betrayed her. Her limbs trembled, useless, as if they no longer belonged to her.
"Y-You have to carry them and b-bring them to the Ark, Minona. D-Don't worry about me, I—I'll just wait a bit for the shaking to stop, and I'll follow you after," Amika stammered.
Minona shook her head and stood up, summoning her core weapon as she steadied her breathing. Amika looked up in confusion, unsure of what Minona was planning.
"Let's hope that, other than the giant beast, someone else from the Lincad Ark is able to notice my attack," Minona muttered.
She condensed her blue flame into a small fireball above her clenched fist. Cocking her arm back, she channeled a surge of mana into the attack, increasing the intensity of the flame's heat.
Amika whimpered involuntarily as a wave of heat burst outward, the rising temperature making the air around them shimmer. The sudden shift was enough to make her tremble.
Gritting her teeth, Minona pushed her limits, forming the ball of blue flame into a rapidly spinning sphere atop her gauntlet-covered fist—like she was wielding a piece of the sun itself.
With a sharp exhale, Minona thrust her arm skyward and launched the fireball into the sky.
The air around it distorted from the sheer heat. Upon reaching its peak, the orb exploded in a burst of dazzling light—bright enough to catch the attention of anyone nearby.
"We need to go! I'll carry the three of you," she said urgently.
After sending the flare, hoping someone from the Academy would see the signal for help, Minona crouched down to lift her friends.
But before she could act, a deep, furious roar echoed through the valley.
She turned her head toward the source—and froze in horror.
The Silao Grande had opened its massive jaws. A twisting cluster of wind began to swirl in front of it, rapidly condensing into a colossal sphere of rotating air—like a tornado compressed into a ball, poised to annihilate everything in its path.
And that same orb of wind was aimed directly at them.
Minona quickly stepped in front of Amika and the others. She forced her mana surge to the limit, her entire body glowing with a brilliant blue light. Despite the despair and desperation in her eyes, she refused to run—refused to abandon the people behind her to their fate.
With a thunderous gust, the Silao Grande spat out the orb of violent wind, launching it straight toward them. The deep, ominous howling of the wind echoed across the grassy plains like a warning from the gods themselves.
Seeing the approaching storm, Minona let out a defiant yell. She threw her arms forward, unleashing a torrent of flame—
—unleashing a torrent of flame that roared to life, clashing head-on with the incoming orb of wind.
The moment the two forces collided, the world seemed to stop.
A blinding flash of light exploded at the point of impact, followed by a thunderous shockwave that tore through the land like a wrathful scream. Wind and fire spiraled into a chaotic vortex, scorching the earth and flattening the grass around them. The sheer force of it knocked Amika back onto the ground, and even Minona struggled to stay on her feet, her heels digging deep into the soil.
Her flames pushed back, burning hotter than ever before. But the wind was relentless—wild and violent, like a beast of its own.
"I won't let you take them!" she screamed, tears of strain and fury streaking down her face. Her mana surged again, igniting her arms in pure blue fire, veins glowing beneath her skin like molten energy.
But then, a second gust of pressure slammed into her.
Minona gasped, her knees buckling as the wind tore into her barrier. Her flames began to flicker, the vortex pushing closer and closer with each passing second. The orb hadn't lost its strength—it was gaining it, feeding off the currents of destruction around it.
Just as the final burst of wind looked ready to break through—
—some one shot across the sky.
End of chapter 20