Rory had just stepped out of the shower when a thunderous crash echoed from outside, followed by the unmistakable sounds of violent combat.
"What happened?"
She hurriedly pulled on her clothes and rushed out.
Xarion and Nix were already standing at the entrance of the rest cabin.
The mont she appeared, Nix said urgently, "Rory, Xarion says a Rank Ten beast has appeared in this forest."
Rory’s gaze shot toward the direction he pointed. "That’s the way Jasper went."
Her heart lurched.
Could Jasper have run into it?
She turned imdiately to Xarion. "Go check on him. Don’t let anything happen to Jasper."
Xarion hesitated.
"Vincent told not to leave your side."
"Nix can guard ," Rory insisted. "He brought a Rank Eleven ch."
"Yes!" Nix nodded confidently. "I can protect Rory. Xarion, go help Jasper!"
A Rank Ten beast was no joke.
"...All right."
Xarion agreed at last and shot toward the battlefield like a streak of white light. His speed was so fast Rory barely caught a glimpse before he vanished.
"Let’s go too," she said.
Nix imdiately summoned his ch, pulled her inside, and sped after Xarion.
***
In the forest, Jasper was fighting with everything he had.
The Rank Ten beast—enhanced and trained by the Insectoids—was far more vicious than an ordinary one.
Jasper’s massive purple-black serpent form was riddled with wounds. Blood soaked his scales—so his own, so the beast’s.
When Xarion arrived, he saw that the two were already locked in a frenzy.
He observed for a mont.
Jasper wasn’t in imdiate mortal danger.
In fact, there were signs of a breakthrough. So Xarion did not intervene. He simply leaned against a tree and watched.
Hidden high among the branches, Aren saw Xarion’s arrival and quietly drifted down from his perch.
Good. With that one here, he no longer needed to stand guard.
He was about to return to Rory when he saw Nix’s Rank Eleven ch descending—and Rory stepping out.
His Female Master.
He flicked his pink tail and bounced toward her.
Rory had just climbed down when she spotted Cotton Candy at her feet.
"Cotton Candy? Why are you here?"
She scooped him up and lightly tapped his head. "Don’t run around. It’s dangerous here, you know that?"
She had been so worried about Jasper that she’d forgotten the little fluffball entirely.
After scolding him, she hurried toward Xarion, still clutching Cotton Candy.
The mont she saw Jasper below, locked in combat—
"Jas—" She clamped a hand over her mouth, afraid her voice might distract him.
Blood covered his body.
Her heart twisted painfully. "Xarion, help him!" she urged.
Xarion straightened and said calmly, "He’s using this Rank Ten beast to break through. Female Master, this is a rare opportunity. He can still endure. I don’t need to act yet."
Rory swallowed hard.
So that was it.
She stood beside Xarion, clutching Cotton Candy tightly, eyes fixed on Jasper.
His scales were flying loose. His enormous body was torn and battered.
But he kept fighting.
Her fingers tightened in her clothes. Sweat beaded along her forehead.
Xarion glanced at her pale face and gently drew her into his arms. "Don’t be afraid," he murmured. "I won’t let him die."
His voice was deep and steady, grounding.
Rory looked up at him, her racing heart slowly calming.
Then... The beast let out a shrill cry.
Jasper’s massive serpent body coiled around it, tightening. His long venomous fangs pierced deep into the creature’s throat.
The Rank Ten beast thrashed wildly, trying to fling him off.
But the venom spread rapidly.
Its movents slowed.
And finally, with a deafening crash, the giant body collapsed into the valley floor, carving a massive crater into the earth.
"Jasper!" Rory finally shouted his na. She shoved Cotton Candy into Nix’s arms and ran.
Jasper turned toward her voice. His enormous serpent body shimred and shifted back into human form.
"Rory... I did it..."
His aura had changed.
He had broken through.
He lifted a trembling hand toward her... And collapsed.
"Jasper!" Rory reached him just in ti. Tears welled in her eyes at the sight of his blood-soaked body.
She imdiately pulled out one of Yuel’s seven-petaled flowers and fed it to him.
The translucent blossom dissolved against his lips. Before her eyes, his wounds began closing, healing rapidly.
But he didn’t wake.
"Is it not enough?" Panic rising, Rory crushed several of Yuel’s leaves, mixing them with water and feeding them to him.
One leaf.
Two.
Still nothing.
She fed more.
Yuel had plenty of leaves.
But even after more than a dozen, Jasper remained unconscious.
She reached for more, but Xarion finally stopped her.
"Female Master. That’s enough. If you keep feeding him, he’ll burst from over-saturation. He’s not waking because he exhausted himself in the battle. Let him sleep. He’ll recover in a few days."
Rory froze.
"Oh."
Relief flooded her.
"You could have said that sooner!"
"You didn’t ask," Xarion replied blandly.
In truth, if Jasper hadn’t been on the verge of being overfed to death, Xarion wouldn’t have said anything at all.
Rory narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.
But once she was certain Jasper was safe, she relaxed.
"Nix, carry him back."
She instructed Xarion to extract the Rank Ten beast core.
The hide. The bones.
All of it was valuable.
They were bringing everything ho.
***
Back at the rest cabin, Nix carefully laid Jasper down and even changed out his torn, blood-soaked clothes.
"Hurry and wake up," he muttered. "You finally broke through."
Now they could finally bond with Rory. That was the best part.
When Rory entered the room, she looked at the sleeping Jasper and said softly, "I’ll stay with him. You go rest."
Nix nodded. "I’ll be right outside. Call if you need anything."
The mont he stepped out, he eagerly opened his communicator and secretly created a new group chat.
He added Vincent and Yuel.
He nad it, with zero subtlety: "Bonding Strategy Discussion Group."
Vincent and Yuel stared at the group na in silence.
Vincent: [Nix, aren’t you supposed to be on A3 with Rory? What are you doing?]
Nix typed rapidly: [Brothers! Good news!]
[Jasper advanced.]
[We can finally bond with Rory.]
He felt extrely loyal—sharing this monuntal news imdiately.
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