[Beast continent]
Staying in place even as the arch that was left in the way of her attack crumbled and pieces of the wall rained down on her, Jennia let her gaze wander across the nine beastn facing her. Only briefly glancing at the three early fourth ranks, her attention soon fell on the two peak fourth ranks.
Frowning in response to the confidence with which they faced her, Jennia kept two of her heads turned toward them as the other four continued inspecting the defenders. Chuckling slightly when she noticed the awkward look the lone second order aura user gave her, she otherwise didn't react to them.
As her gaze wandered over them, the seven weaker beastn managed to shake off the suffocating feeling that Jennia's presence brought. Raising their weapons, they let their mana sense wash over her, sighing in relief when they found that she was only at the peak of the fourth rank.
Emboldened by this, they spread out and started encircling her.
Watching this with caution, Jennia raised one of her heads up to look back and see how far Darganth was still away. When she saw that he was just around a kiloter from reaching her, she strode forward to et the advancing beastn.
Startled by this reaction as even with beasts generally being stronger than humanoids in the sa rank, each advanced stage individual should still match her, the group's steps started faltering. Turning to the third order aura user walking at the center of their formation, they watched for his reaction.
Growling in disappointnt when he noticed this, the man in question nonetheless picked up his pace. Breaking out into a sprint, he let his aura flare to life around him as he brandished the massive mace he carried.
eting his charge with an ear-shattering roar, Jennia leaped forward. Reaching him with a single jump, her claw ca crashing down onto the lone beastman.
Swinging his mace in response, the weapon collided with and batted her forearm to the side. Using her surprise at being overpowered this easily, the beastman jumped for one of her heads while preparing for another swing.
Hastily jumping back and barely dodging the strike, two of Jennia's heads struck out against the man before he could get ground back under his feet. The first of these crashed directly into him, catapulting him back and nearly out of range for the second one.
In the fraction of a second it took until this head struck, the beastman managed to regain his bearing enough to react to her attack. Gritting his teeth in pain as he was caught in Jennia's jaws, he brought the mace down on the side of her head.
Using his other hand to delay her teeth from sinking into his skin by as much as possible, he kept blindly swinging his mace.
Ignoring these attacks and focusing all her strength on tearing the man apart, Jennia couldn't overpower him even as she mobilized her own mana into a red aura. Thus their struggle continued for a couple of seconds, with the other aura users just watching from the side, frozen in shock.
Using the opportunity while Jennia was distracted, the third order mage stealthily prepared to intervene. Presenting a cowardly front for the one head that still kept its eyes focused on him, he managed to keep her distracted for long enough.
Once he finally did attack, it took her by surprise. Focused on the aura user she had caught, she only sensed a sudden spike in mana from the mage before a piercing pain struck the neck that had caught the other beastman.
Roaring in pain, Jennia tried to jump back but it was already too late. Within a mont another dozen or so icicles had rained down from the magic circle hanging tens of ters above her, causing her head to slam to the ground at the sa ti as she moved back.
Growling at the mage with her five remaining heads, Jennia raised her vigilance.
“What a strange creature, I'm starting to doubt if we're even fighting a hydra.” The mage mused as he flew closer to the aura users.
“Thanks for the help.” The aura user replied after freeing himself from Jennia's cut-off head.
“Always.”
Giving a quick answer to his colleague, the mage motioned for the six other aura users to continue with their original objective.
“Jaron, help them and try to capture that creature if you can. It may not be a hydra, but they seem related so its blood should still work for regeneration potions. And we'll need them should we survive.” The third order mage ordered his fellow.
“Understood.”
Replying without hesitation or complaint, the mage moved closer to the six aura users. anwhile, the two third order beastn remained standing a few dozen ters away from her and kept watch over the situation.
“What do you think their chances are?” The mage asked as the six aura users closed in.
“Hard to say but I wouldn't bet too much on them. Lesser dragons are always nasty opponents and we still don't know multiple of its elents. So depending on how well Jaron does in the magical exchange, we may not have to intervene, but physically it is sowhat stronger than an advanced aura master's avatar so I doubt they could take it down if it can direct so of its magical potential against them.” The aura user predicted.
“Or they do recognize that its unnatural strength partially cos from aura usage?” The mage asked, making the aura user nod in acknowledgnt.
“Not that I look down on them, but even I barely noticed that it used aura for a mont so unless the beast makes a mistake I doubt they will. And without that knowledge, it would only be a waste of mana to use one's domain against a beast.”
Making no effort to warn their allies despite those words, the two n kept their distance even as the waves of power from clashing mana users started appearing in more and more spots in and around the camp.
“Ugh, why can't they learn restrain? Our job is to delay, not waste all our mana in the first couple of minutes.” The mage complained as he felt the wave of mana washing over him.
“There's a reason why he entrusted us with stopping his fellow dragon. And it's not like it can't help, the fewer enemies we third orders have to deal with the better.” The aura user answered with a shrug.
“We'll see.”
Bringing their conversation to an end as the advancing group had gotten into position, they watched closely as Jaron shot his first spell at Jennia.
Manifesting a couple of ters in front of him, the spell circle hung in the air for a brief mont before a dense, dark red fog erupted from it. Flying as a concentrated beam toward Jennia, it was t by a beam of flas that she breathed out from her fire aligned head.
At the sa ti, a sword wielding aura user rushed ahead to take advantage of the mont. Rising into the air as a nearly fifteen-ter-tall aura avatar shimred to life around her, the beastwoman aid her weapon at Jennia's extended head.
Dashing forward, she appeared next to Jennia in the blink of an eye. Holding her sword raised high, she brought it down from high above her head.
Recoiling out of the way, Jennia's other four heads congregated on the beastwoman. Tearing at both of her arms, her throat as well as the torso simultaneously, she rcilessly ripped into the aura avatar.
Reacting swiftly, the woman swung her sword upward to get so space. Recoiling with so of her heads in response to avoid losing more, Jennia didn't let go that easily and let those heads snap back forward before the swing even ended.
And this ti the rest of her body followed close behind, with her full weight pushing against the considerably smaller aura avatar.
Struggling to move the arms of her avatar due to the heads grabbing them, the beastwoman could only brace by moving one leg back. A mont later Jennia already slamd into her, with her claws ripping out large chunks of the avatar's mass as it started stumbling under the weight.
Luckily for the woman, one of her allies arrived before she completely lost her footing. Slashing one of his two daggers across the side of Jennia's body, he ducked under the retaliatory strike from her tail before opening another wound on her hind leg.
Growling as the daggers tore through her skin, Jennia pushed the beastwoman back and spun around in rage. Sweeping across the ground with her claw, she struck the beastman with the back of her hand and sent him flying into the wall.
Jumping after him with her claws drawn back, she was just about to impale him when an impact struck her square on the back.
Barely missing the beastman as a result, her claw tore a gaping hole into the wall right above him instead. Using the mont that she was disoriented to push himself out of the wall, he barely managed to dodge her other arm that descended onto his position a mont later.
Dashing away from her before she could try a third ti, he passed three of his allies who were approaching Jennia in their aura avatars. Catching his breath behind the safety of their advance, he watched as the others kept the pressure up.
Under the cover of the archer's arrow fire, the other two quickly closed in on Jennia. But as soon as they reached the range in which her heads could move, all five struck out and descended onto them.
Sward by three of them, the beastwoman wielding only a single sword quickly beca overwheld. As the woman was only a first order aura master, Jennia maneuvered her necks around her swings without much trouble. And each ti a swing missed its target, all three heads would strike out and tear into the aura avatar.
The shield and spear wielding man that attacked together with her had anwhile far fewer problems. Blocking the two heads that attacked him with the enormous shield he carried, he held steadfast even as Jennia's heads bit down onto its edges and tried to pull him closer.
When it started to look like he would lose the contest of strength, his spear shot forward with pinpoint accuracy, its tip aid at one of her necks. Recoiling and letting it pass through the air harmlessly, she nonetheless had to give up the advantage she gained.
Sending a breath of darkness his way to keep him occupied, the other head that had previously attacked the shield wielder also attacked the beastwoman. Snapping forward while she still wasn't keeping an eye out for it, Jennia's teeth grabbed a hold of the avatar's knee.
Freezing in shock as it pulled back and tore one of her avatar's legs apart, the woman shouted in alarm as she lost her footing. Acting decisively, Jennia dashed after her even as the archer found a clear shot and managed to lodge an arrow into her side. In a panic, the mage also ramped up his efforts, trying to overwhelm Jennia who neutralized his previous efforts by countering each of his spells with her elental controll.
Digging both her claws into the energy construct's torso in an attempt to reach the aura user inside, Jennia barely failed as the woman managed to move her real body just in ti and brought up her sword defensively. Diverting the claw that would otherwise have struck her, she nonetheless lost a good chunk of her aura avatar.
Already swinging her claws in a second attempt, Jennia noticed the short sword wielding aura user rapidly closing in on her. Shifting her attention over to him as the woman wasn't an imdiate danger anymore, she already turned to the left while still mid-swing when another presence appeared to her right.
Widening her eyes in shock, she reacted quickly and called upon the space elent to protect her. In an instant, the shortsword wielder seed to jump back dozens of ters as the space around her bent according to her will.
A mont later she felt a searing pain on her right side as the other aura user's attack nonetheless struck her. Ignoring this and only turning one head to him which allowed her to notice him already fading as his darkness aura obscured him again, she put her focus on the still-approaching aura user.
Wrapping her claw in a silvery space attribute aura, she swung it through the air before her.
At the sa mont, the man's eyes went wide from shock. Jumping slightly and twisting his body in the air, he dodged the cuts from Jennia's claw that seed to ignore distance.
Acting decisively, the aura flowing around Jennia shifted color and turned into a deep green. Aiding herself further by accelerating her own ti, she abruptly disappeared from her position as she dashed forward.
Before anyone, even the two third orders could react, she appeared next to the ti aura user. Striking out with her claw, she drove it through his back without resistance as his passive domain may have warned him just like before, but her speed simply left no ti to react.
Under the shocked and furious eyes of the eight other rebels, his limp body slid from her claw and dropped to the ground.
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