Vol.01: Ch.14: Scorched Raven General - The Ultimate Challenge

Darell studied the creature carefully, and a thought struck him, 'A Scorched Raven General!'

Atop the huge tree, the formidable Scorched Raven General sat. A towering beast, this rank 06 creature dwarfed even the mightiest of horses. Its dark red beak and imposing wingspan were a sight to behold, while the entire body was sheathed in a similar hue. The creature's armor-like appearance sent shivers down the spine of any who dared cross its path.

With a piercing gaze, the Raven General fixed its attention on Darell and his companions. Its massive wings unfurled, stretching out to their full span. As if on cue, every Scorched Raven perched in the tree took flight, soaring high into the sky before diving towards the group in a synchronized display of precision and power.

Darell's heart sank as he used his skill Sense to determine the number of Scorched Ravens coming towards them. The grim expression on his face was mirrored by Ariel, who also realized the gravity of the situation. She could use her Sound ability to detect the number of approaching ravens with ease.

"Looks like we have to fight a million Ravens this time," Darell said in a resigned tone.

Eric attempted to lighten the mood with a joke, "Well, the taste of meat is certainly going to change for me." However, their forced smiles betrayed their unease.

Darell shifted his gaze to the Raven General and spoke with a firmness in his voice, "All of these Ravens are being commanded by the Scorched Raven General. We either have to quickly take him out or we have to fight our way through the Ravens."

Ariel interjected, "The Raven General knows our only option is to take him out first. If we fight our way through the Ravens, we will be extremely worn out, and then he can easily kill us."

Everyone nodded in agreement, understanding the stakes of the upcoming battle.

Lilith's voice carried a sense of resignation, "We have no choice but to take this seriously, even though we are in the training hall." Her words hung in the air, a reminder that their training had become all too real.

Lilith stood firm, closed her eyes, and summoned her Mist skill with a fierce determination.

"Ice Tornado!" she shouted.

In an instant, a whirlwind of ice erupted before her and barreled towards the swarm of Ravens. The tornado shredded some of the birds to pieces, while others were frozen solid and shattered upon impact.

With her sword at the ready, Lilith charged into the fray. As she advanced, she unleashed a series of quick, precise strikes with her self-taught sword technique, the 'Sword Dance of the Mist Empress.' The Ravens fell in droves, their bodies sliced apart with graceful ease.

Her movements were so fluid and precise that it seemed as though she were dancing with her sword. The other members of the group watched in awe and felt their own spirits lifted by Lilith's courage and skill in battle.

Eric's eyes blazed with fury as he clenched his gauntlets and charged towards the oncoming Ravens. He focused his energy and summoned his skill.

"Earth Armour!"

The ground beneath him trembled as a dark brown rock armour covered his body, boosting his defense, agility, and strength. The gauntlets on his hands glowed with a fierce brown hue as he unleashed his next skill, causing spikes to erupt from the ground and impale the horde of Ravens in front of him.

With a swift leap, he jumped onto the back of a Raven and twisted its head, using its lifeless body as a platform to launch himself onto another bird. The Ravens swarmed around him, but Eric only grinned wickedly as he pummeled, kicked, and tore apart their bodies with brutal efficiency. The sound of their bones crunching beneath his gauntlets echoed through the training hall as he fought on with reckless abandon.

Emma's grip tightened around the twin daggers as she called out her skill, "Blind!" In one swift motion, she leaped towards the flock of Scorched Ravens, her blades slashing through their bodies. As her weapons made contact with the birds, those that looked upon her were immediately blinded and began flapping around frantically. Emma took advantage of the chaos and slew them with ease.

Next, she called upon her innate ability, "Conjure!" Unlike most skills, innate abilities had no set rank and could be improved through hard work and practice over time. Emma's innate ability allowed her to create a Light ability beast based on the creature she wished to mimic, provided she had enough mana.

With her concentration focused, Emma conjured a Light ability Raven, its body glowing with a blinding aura. The Scorched Raven General trembled at the sight of this abnormal creature and quickly commanded more of his flock to engage Emma and her new ally.

But Emma was ready. She urged the Light Raven to blind the incoming Ravens as she mounted it and soared towards the horde. Her daggers glinted in the light as she took out the blinded birds with precision and skill. The Scorched Raven General watched in horror as Emma and her Light Raven cut through his forces with ease.

Ariel faced the oncoming swarm of Ravens with a calm but determined expression on her face. With a fierce shout, she unleashed her skill, "Death's Scream!", causing the Ravens to stop in their tracks and writhe in agony. At that moment, she seized the opportunity and hurled her chakra at them, cleaving through their necks with deadly precision.

Unfazed by the overwhelming numbers of her feathered foes, Ariel continued to use Death's Scream to devastating effect. With each scream, more and more Ravens fell to the ground lifeless, their bodies twisted and contorted in agony.

Darell observed his friends, Emma, Lilith, Eric, and Ariel, as they fought against the swarming Ravens with all their might. Despite their formidable opponents, they were not backing down, and their determination inspired Darell.

As he gazed at the Raven General, Darell felt a strange sensation stir within him. Instead of feeling powerless, he felt a newfound sense of strength that coursed through his veins. It was as if his body was yearning for a new challenge, and the Raven General was the perfect opponent to test his limits.

...

As the combat classes came to an end, students poured out of their training halls and gathered outside. However, five students remained inside one of the halls, engrossed in a fierce battle with the Scorched Raven General and his army.

Word of the intense battle spread like wildfire, and soon all of the students and instructors were gathered outside the hall, transfixed by the dramatic events playing out on a large projection screen.

When one of Abel's subordinates saw the projection of Darell and his friends fighting the Ravens, he hurriedly ran off to find his lord.

A little further away, Abel was busy berating and physically assaulting another one of his subordinates.

He shouted, "How could you fail to defeat the Ice Serpent? It was just a rank 02 beast. You boasted about being able to take on a rank 03 beast. How dare you lie to me! I'll have your sister thrown to the Dark Wolves' lair. Then, we'll see how courageous you are in lying to me."

Abel glared at the trembling subordinate, who gazed back with tearful and pitiful eyes. He sneered and said, "You lied to me, so you must pay the price with your tongue." 

With a dagger in hand, Abel grabbed the subordinate's mouth. The subordinate begged for mercy, "Please, Lord Abel! Forgive me! I was just scared."

But Abel's ears were deaf to his pleas. Without any mercy, he cut off the subordinate's tongue, and the latter shrieked and screamed in pain. Abel reveled in his power, taking pleasure in watching others squirm and plead for his forgiveness.

When the subordinate arrived to report to Abel, he was taken aback by the gruesome sight before him, but he forced himself to compose and relay the message. "Lord Abel! Eric and his group are still in the training hall."

Abel wiped the blood off his dagger and nonchalantly stowed it away. "Oh, well then, lead the way. I want to see what's taking them so long," he responded.

Upon arriving at the scene, Abel observed the chaos and commotion outside the training hall. His eyes flicked to the projection, revealing Eric and his group locked in combat against a formidable rank 06 beast.

A wicked smile crept onto his face. "If they can't defeat it and are seriously injured, they will be humiliated. And that's when I can take advantage of the situation."

Meanwhile,

Athena, Lin, and Walter shared a sense of concern for Darell and his friends in the training hall as they watched the projection. Walter was particularly anxious, urging his colleagues to act quickly if anything serious happened.

"We don't want them getting hurt on the first day," he said, his voice low and urgent.

Athena and Lin exchanged a glance, sharing Walter's concern. But Lin had faith in the young warriors in the hall.

"I have watched these kids grow up," she said with a small smile. "I am sure they will defeat the General."

Athena nodded in agreement, but voiced her own doubts. "The main problem is how they will defeat it," she said, her brow furrowed in thought.

As they continued to watch, Athena murmured to herself, "This is shaping up to be a real boss battle."

=================

Check out my Patr-éon for getting access to artwork, illustrations, and extra chapters.

www.patr-éon.com/aidenusmani