CHAPTER 238: THE ATTACK 3

The howling of the wind turned shrill as the next wave descended upon them...this time, not the weak or mindless kind, but predators of real menace. From the ridges above, beasts with thicker hides and sharper auras emerged, their eyes glowing brighter in the silver hue of control. The very ground trembled as massive paws and claws pressed into the frozen earth. These were not mere Initiate or Adept-ranked creatures. The aura they exuded was heavier... sharper... unmistakably belonging to the Expert and Master ranks.

Lira’s eyes widened slightly as she sensed the shift. "They’re stronger," she muttered, drawing in another breath of cold air, her arms trembling from the strain of constant battle. "Much stronger."

Selene wiped the frost from her lips, her voice steady despite the exhaustion in her tone. "It’s fine. We just need to adjust..."

But before she could finish, a massive mountain lion leapt from the cliff, its body almost twice the size of a horse, white fur streaked with faint silver veins pulsing beneath its skin. It landed with a thunderous impact, the shockwave nearly sending Mirielle off her feet.

"Stay close!" Nyx shouted as she slammed her palms together, an arc of frost bursting outward, slowing the beast’s advance. But even as it froze mid-leap, the lion shattered the ice apart with a roar, shards scattering like glass.

Lira darted forward with a gust of wind propelling her steps, slicing across the beast’s side. The attack connected...but barely. Its fur absorbed most of the damage, leaving only a faint mark.

"Tch," she hissed, leaping back, eyes narrowing. "They’re not just bigger... their Qi density is ridiculous!"

The battlefield was chaos once more, but this time, it was different. Every strike, every movement from the girls came at a cost. The enemies didn’t crumble instantly; they fought back with fury and cunning.

Nyx’s ice walls shattered under the brute strength of a snow gorilla, its fists pounding against the frozen barrier like war drums. Selene and Lira tried to counter with gusts of wind, creating slicing vortexes to drive it back, but the creature’s hide seemed to shrug off most of the damage.

Mirielle, meanwhile, found herself facing two wolves that moved with terrifying coordination. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to focus. "I can’t fall back now," she muttered under her breath, summoning a spiral of frost around her. The wolves lunged at her simultaneously...but her spear met them halfway, its tip glowing faintly blue. With a yell, she unleashed a burst of Qi that froze both wolves midair before they could touch her.

Still, her breathing grew ragged. Her hands were shaking.

From behind, the old guide clenched his fists. "They’re reaching their limits," he warned, his voice rough with concern. "If this continues, the beasts will overwhelm them. We should...."

Lucas raised his hand, cutting him off sharply without even glancing back. "No," he said quietly, his tone calm but firm. "Not yet."

The old man frowned, taken aback. "You would have them die here just to test them?"

Lucas’s eyes flickered briefly, catching the moonlight as he spoke. "No," he replied, voice steady as steel. "I would have them grow here."

The Empress, still standing beside her two Divas, turned her gaze toward Lucas, her expression unreadable. "You’re letting them fight beyond their limit," she observed. "Why?"

Lucas’s lips curved faintly, though his tone carried no arrogance. "Because real strength isn’t cultivated in peace, Your Majesty," he said. "It’s forged in chaos, when one’s body screams to give up, and yet they don’t. If they can’t hold their ground here...."

He glanced back at the battlefield, where Lira barely managed to deflect the swipe of a Master-ranked beast.

"then they’ll never survive what’s waiting beyond this mountain....I’m sure Your Majesty understands."

The Empress studied him for a long moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then she said softly, almost as if to herself, "You sound like someone who’s seen too many battles to still believe in safety."

Lucas didn’t respond. His gaze never left the fight. He could feel it...their exhaustion, their fear, and yet their determination. The bond he shared with them carried every flicker of emotion, every surge of will. And through it all, he continued to channel Qi into them silently, replenishing their cores whenever they wavered. They didn’t even notice it happening; they only felt the faint reassurance that their energy wasn’t fading as fast as it should have.

Lira was bleeding from her arm now, but she kept fighting, pushing her wind blades faster and sharper. Selene fought beside her, her movements fluid and fierce, coordinating each strike with Lira’s rhythm. Nyx and Mirielle guarded the rear, combining frost and wind to keep enemies at bay. The harmony between them remained, even under overwhelming pressure.

"Hold your formation!" Nyx shouted as another beast broke through. "Don’t scatter!"

"We’re not!" Lira gritted out, ducking under a claw and countering with a slicing wind arc that cleaved through the snow. "Just keep your barrier strong!"

Selene’s voice rose above the clash. "Xavier isn’t helping us...he’s watching. That means he trusts we can do this. Don’t let him down!"

Mirielle exhaled shakily but nodded. "Then we won’t!" she cried out, plunging her spear into the ground, releasing a freezing pulse that locked a charging beast’s leg in solid ice.

The guide sighed, shaking his head. "They’ll be exhausted soon," he murmured.

Lucas only smiled faintly. "They’ll break through," he said simply. "They always do."

The Empress’s eyes softened slightly as she looked back toward the four young women still fighting with everything they had, their silhouettes framed by frost, snow, and silver light. There was something undeniably powerful about them...something she couldn’t yet name.

And though the mountain roared with the fury of countless beasts, not one of the girls took a single step back.

They fought on...battered, bleeding, but unyielding...while Lucas stood in quiet watch, his presence a silent pillar behind them, testing not just their strength... but their hearts.

The snowstorm thickened, and the air grew sharper, cutting into their skin like blades. The battlefield had become a blur of white and blood...flashes of Qi light, streaks of wind, and shards of ice. The girls were reaching their limit. Their breath came out in short gasps, their limbs heavy, movements slower now. Each swing, each spell, each defensive move demanded more strength than their bodies could offer.

Lira stumbled backward as a massive snow gorilla slammed its fist into the ground, the shockwave throwing her off balance. Selene immediately tried to pull her up with a gust of wind, but another wolf lunged toward her from the side. Nyx froze the creature midair just in time, but even that small act of defense left her trembling.

Mirielle’s arms quivered as she drove her spear into a mountain lion’s chest. It fell with a snarl, but she was too weak to pull the weapon free afterward. Her Qi flickered like a dying flame.

"Lira!" Selene shouted, deflecting another attack. "We need to regroup!"

Lira’s response was breathless. "I can’t...there’s too many...!"

The beasts pressed in from every direction now. Each one stronger than the last wave. The ice beneath their feet cracked under the weight of the onslaught. Even Lucas, standing a few steps behind with the Empress, could feel the rising pressure. His expression hardened, and his hand twitched slightly, ready to move...but he didn’t. Not yet.

The old guide’s face twisted with frustration as he watched the young women struggle. His heart couldn’t take it any longer. "Enough of this," he growled, stepping forward. "They’ll die if we don’t act now!"

With a deep inhale, the guide slammed his staff into the frozen ground. A pulse of golden Qi rippled outward, bright enough to momentarily banish the storm. The earth cracked, and jagged spears of stone burst upward, impaling two beasts instantly. His aura flared...fierce, ancient, and steady, the mark of an experienced cultivator who’d survived countless wars.

"Get behind me!" he barked, his voice carrying command.

Lira, Selene, Nyx, and Mirielle stumbled backward toward him, gasping for breath. Relief flickered briefly across their faces, though it was mixed with guilt. They knew what their exhaustion meant...they had reached the limit of their endurance.

The old guide swung his staff again, and a roaring wave of Qi surged forward, knocking back an entire line of beasts. The impact sent snow and blood flying into the air.

"Old fool," muttered the Empress quietly, watching him work. Her tone wasn’t scornful...it was almost wistful. "He’s spent too long hiding his strength."

Lucas remained silent, eyes following the man’s movements. The beasts weren’t retreating, not yet, but their aggression had faltered for a moment. The guide’s aura burned like a torch in the blizzard...strong enough to draw the attention of the ascendant-ranked beasts still waiting in the distance.

"Why did you hold back?" the old man snapped at Lucas between attacks, his breath misting in the frozen air. "You could have ended this sooner!"

Lucas’s gaze was calm, his voice level. "If I end every battle for them, they’ll never learn to survive one."

The guide grunted, swinging his staff to block another charging beast. "They’re not soldiers. They’re still children!"

"Children who chose to follow us," Lucas replied evenly. "And on this mountain, choice means responsibility."

Lira, catching her breath beside Selene, looked up at Lucas. His words were cold, but his eyes told another story...he wasn’t indifferent. He was watching every movement, every moment, ready to act the instant death became certain.

Nyx, leaning on her knees, whispered between breaths, "He’s still channeling Qi into us... even now."

Selene nodded faintly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah... he never stopped."