CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER 62 : STUDENTS VS TEACHER [1]

Morgana stepped into the clearing, her heels clicking against stone. Three beasts beside her,

Jax’s interface flickered.

[Aether Viper - S-Rank / Mythic (Air-Lightning)]

[Ability: Volt Lash - Channels electric currents through wind streams.]

[Sandshear Scorpion - A-Rank / Primal-Earth]

[Ability: Burrow Ambush - Creates underground tremors and surprise attacks.]

[Beast of Wrath - S-Rank / Emotive (Rage)]

[Ability: Fury Link - Doubles power when master’s HP drops below 50%.]

Jax’s throat tightened. ’Two S-Ranks and an A-Rank. And I’m at thirty-three percent HP with two beasts.’

Azara stepped beside him, her own beasts moving into formation. The Steel Mantis’s blades gleamed. The Nightmoth Drake’s wings spread, shadows pooling beneath it. The Aurora Serpent coiled, light refracting through its scales.

Morgana smiled faintly. "I expected to find students scattered and desperate. Instead, I find two of my most interesting pupils standing together. How convenient."

Jax’s eyes narrowed. "Professor. This doesn’t have to be a fight."

"Doesn’t it?" Morgana tilted her head. "Last person standing wins. You both understand the rules right?"

Azara’s voice was steady. "We can negotiate. Form a temporary alliance."

"Alliance?" Morgana chuckled. "Against whom? Everyone has their own team. No, I think I’ll eliminate both of you now. Efficiently."

Jax glanced at Azara. She met his eyes briefly.

’We need to work together. No other choice.’

Morgana raised her hand. "Begin."

The Aether Viper struck first.

It shot forward, body blurring into wind currents. Lightning crackled along its length, arcing toward Jax.

"Fox! Illusions!"

The Verity Fox scattered into four copies, each darting in different directions.

The Viper’s electric lash split, targeting three illusions simultaneously. They vanished on contact.

But the real Fox had already moved, circling behind.

"Mantis! Counter!"

Azara’s Steel Mantis lunged, blades crossing to intercept the Viper’s tail.

Clang!

Sparks flew. The Mantis’s Reflex Counter activated, doubling the force and sending the Viper reeling backward.

But the Sandshear Scorpion was already moving.

It burrowed instantly, disappearing into the ground.

Jax’s eyes widened. "Bear! Water barrier!"

The Hydroglider Bear slammed its paws down, water surging upward to form a protective dome.

The ground beneath them erupted.

Stone claws tore through the water, shattering the barrier. The Scorpion burst upward, pincers snapping toward the Bear’s flank.

"Drake! Blink Strike!"

The Nightmoth Drake teleported mid-air, appearing behind the Scorpion. Its claws raked across the beast’s armored back.

Sparks flew, but the armor held.

The Scorpion spun, tail whipping. The Drake vanished again before impact.

Morgana’s voice cut through the chaos. "Predictable. You’re reacting, not planning."

The Beast of Wrath roared, a guttural sound that shook the air.

Jax felt pressure slam into his chest. Not physical. Emotional.

Rage flooded his senses, hot and overwhelming. His vision tinged red.

’What the hell—’

Azara gasped beside him. "It’s affecting us. The Emotive type. It’s projecting rage."

Jax gritted his teeth. ’Fight it. Focus.’

But his beasts were affected too. The Fox snarled, charging recklessly at the Viper. The Bear roared, abandoning defense to attack the Scorpion.

"No! Hold formation!"

Too late.

The Aether Viper dodged the Fox easily, then struck. Volt Lash whipped forward, electricity arcing through the Fox’s body.

The Fox yelped, HP dropping sharply.

[Verity Fox - HP: 42%]

The Sandshear Scorpion caught the Bear mid-charge, pincers clamping around its leg. It yanked, slamming the Bear into the ground.

Dust exploded. The Bear struggled, water armor flickering weakly.

Jax cursed. ’We’re losing control. She’s baiting us into mistakes.’

Azara’s voice was tight. "Jax. We need strategy. Now."

"I know!" His mind raced. ’The Beast of Wrath is the key. It’s disrupting our coordination. Take it out and we will regain control.’

"Serpent! Prism Beam on the Wrath!"

Azara’s Aurora Serpent coiled, light gathering at its throat. A concentrated beam of fused light and ice fired toward the Beast of Wrath.

But Morgana had anticipated it.

"Viper. Intercept."

The Aether Viper blurred forward, positioning itself between the beam and the Wrath. The Volt Lash crackled, electricity meeting light.

The beam refracted wildly, scattering into harmless fragments.

Morgana smiled. "You telegraph your moves, Azara. Every command. Every thought. I think academy taught you better than this."

Jax’s jaw clenched. ’She’s reading us. Predicting our strategies before we execute them.’

He shifted tactics. "Bear! Mist cover!"

The Hydroglider Bear released a thick fog of water vapor, blanketing the battlefield.

Visibility dropped to near zero.

Morgana’s voice echoed. "Clever. But insufficient."

The Sandshear Scorpion burrowed again. Tremors rippled through the ground, tracking movement through vibrations.

Jax whispered to Azara. "Split up. Confuse the tracking. Your Drake teleports, my Fox creates illusions. Force her to divide attention."

Azara nodded. "On three."

"One. Two. Three."

They scattered.

The Nightmoth Drake blinked across the field, appearing and vanishing in rapid succession. The Verity Fox split into multiple copies again, darting through the mist.

The Scorpion’s tremors faltered, unable to lock onto a single target.

’Now.’

"Bear! Aegis Stream on the Wrath!"

The Hydroglider Bear charged through the mist, water forming liquid armor around its body. It slammed into the Beast of Wrath with full force.

The Wrath stumbled, roaring in fury.

[Beast of Wrath - HP: 81%]

But Morgana’s voice stayed calm. "Wrath. Fury Link."

The Beast of Wrath’s eyes glowed red. Its aura exploded outward, power doubling instantly.

It swung a massive claw, catching the Bear mid-charge. The impact sent the Bear flying backward, crashing through debris.

[Hydroglider Bear - HP: 23%]

Jax’s chest tightened. ’Damn it. Even injured, it’s stronger.’

Azara’s Serpent fired another Prism Beam, this time targeting the Viper.

The beam struck true.

The Aether Viper screeched, electricity flickering as ice spread across its scales.

[Aether Viper - HP: 64%]

But the Scorpion burst from the ground beneath the Serpent, pincers clamping around its tail.

The Serpent thrashed, light flaring wildly.

"Mantis! Reflex Counter!"

The Steel Mantis darted forward, blades intercepting the Scorpion’s next strike.

Clang!

The counter-force sent the Scorpion reeling, but not before it dragged the Serpent down with it.

Both beasts crashed into the dirt, grappling violently.

Jax’s Fox lunged at the Viper, claws extended.

But the Viper was faster. Volt Lash whipped upward, electricity coursing through the Fox’s body.

The Fox convulsed, then collapsed.

[Verity Fox - HP: 0%]

[Verity Fox - Dead]

Jax’s first beast vanished into light particles.

’No!’

The Bear tried to rise, but the Beast of Wrath was already there. A massive claw slammed down, pinning it to the ground.

Another strike.

[Hydroglider Bear - HP: 0%]

[Hydroglider Bear - Dead]

Jax stood alone, no beasts left.

[HP: 33%]

Azara’s beasts were still fighting, but barely.

The Nightmoth Drake teleported desperately, trying to evade the Viper’s relentless pursuit. Each blink cost energy, each dodge slower than the last.

The Steel Mantis blocked strike after strike from the Scorpion, but its blades were chipping, movements sluggish.

The Aurora Serpent fired one last Prism Beam at the Beast of Wrath.

The Wrath roared, charging through the beam. Ice formed across its body, but it didn’t stop.

It slammed into the Serpent with brutal force.

[Aurora Serpent - HP: 0%]

[Aurora Serpent - Eliminated]

Azara’s strongest beast vanished.

Morgana’s voice was almost sympathetic. "You fought well. Both of you. But this ends now."

The Beast of Wrath turned toward Jax, eyes glowing red.

It charged.

Jax’s mind went blank. ’I’m done. No beasts. Low HP. This is it.’

But Azara’s voice cut through.

"Mantis! Drake! Protect him!"

Both her remaining beasts shifted instantly, positioning themselves between Jax and the Wrath.

The Mantis’s blades crossed, bracing for impact.

The Drake’s wings spread wide, shadows thickening into a barrier.

The Wrath struck.

The Mantis shattered on impact, metal fragments scattering.

[Steel Mantis - Dead]

The Drake took the next blow, wings crumpling.

[Nightmoth Drake - Dead]

But they’d bought seconds.

Azara didn’t waste them.

She charged forward, throwing herself between Jax and Morgana’s beasts.

Her HP was already low from the Emotive aura’s drain.

[Azara - HP: 18%]

The Aether Viper struck first, Volt Lash whipping across her chest.

[HP: 18% → 9%]

The Sandshear Scorpion followed, tail slashing her side.

[HP: 9% → 2%]

Azara collapsed to her knees, breathing hard.

She looked back at Jax, her voice barely a whisper.

"Don’t let her win."

The Beast of Wrath’s final strike hit.

[HP: 2% → 0%]

[Azara - Eliminated]

Her body dissolved into light.

Jax stood frozen, staring at the empty space where she’d been.

Morgana stepped forward, her beasts flanking her. "My, my, Jax. You won’t let your professor win? How touching. But sentiment won’t save you now."

Jax’s fists clenched. ’Azara didn’t mean her. She meant Emma.’

But he was defeated. No beasts. Low HP. No strategy left.

Morgana raised her hand. "Wrath. Finish him."

The Beast of Wrath stepped forward, claws raised.

Then the sky darkened.

Not gradually. Instantly.

Clouds formed above, different from the ambient weather. These were separate, swirling, charged with energy.

Wind picked up violently, whipping debris into the air.

Morgana paused, looking up. "What—"

A notification appeared in Jax’s vision.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

[A Beast has taken interest in Player: Jax Rayne]

[Tempest Sovereign - SS-Rank / Mythic (Storm Incarnate)]

[Ability: Skybreaker Wrath - Commands all weather phenomena within range.]

[Ability: Eternal Gale - Generates perpetual wind barriers that deflect attacks.]

[Ability: Thunderheart Resonance - Synchronizes with user’s emotions to amplify power.]

[This Beast wishes to form a bond.]

[Do you accept? YES / NO]

Jax stared at the message.

Then he smiled.

A slow, genuine smile.

"Yes."