Kira’s group approached the Gem-studded Armourdillos cautiously, their weapons holstered for now and empty hands raised to show that they meant no harm. When the smaller Soul Beasts noticed them getting closer, they skittered back towards their larger fellows, who observed Kira’s group calmly.

As they were about to reach the largest Armourdillo, their path was blocked by two others who were about half its height. They keened at Kira’s group in what was clearly a warning to keep their distance. Kira, who was leading the group this time, respectfully dropped to one knee and the rest followed suit.

“Apologies for the disturbance. May we speak with your leader?”

Kira wasn’t sure if they understood until one stepped back without turning away from Kira's group and keened towards the largest Armourdillo who made a deep sound back and began to approach, its every step causing the entire cavern to tremble. When it reached Kira, it grunted at her. When it took no further action, Kira saw this as an invitation to speak.

“Honourable Elder, this little one humbly greets and thanks you for allowing us to take shelter here. You have our sincerest gratitude.”

Kira defaulted to her formal register as this occasion was one that called for it. The Elder Armourdillo grunted in acknowledgement. Kira continued,

“However, our original intention in coming here was to find Aquamarine Crystal. I was wondering if you could permit us to leave with a small shard?”

What Kira hadn’t explicitly said but that was understood by both parties, was if one of the Armourdillos was willing to part with a shard of said crystal. The Elder Armourdillo was silent for a long time as it stared at Kira with its craggy eyes.

"Kroooa."

A higher-pitched croon sounded from behind the huge Armourdillo who shuffled sideways carefully, revealing a young boy, who looked to be about the same age as Kira, if not older. He had bright teal hair and eyes. His simple clothing looked to be made from Soul Beast pelts. His most striking feature, however were the glimmering crystals that appeared to be growing out of his skin. Before Kira could say anything, the boy placed his index on his lips, indicating to her to remain silent.

“I know what you’re thinking. What would a human like me be doing here and why do I have these crystals on my skin?"

He spoke directly and without introduction.

"The answer to the first question would be that this is my home. The second answer would be that these Soul Beasts are like family and have taught me their cultivation method hence these crystals of mine. If you think that I'm being rude, you should look at yourselves first. If you've done any research about them, you'd know that your request is one that we would have immediately kicked you out of here to be killed by that eagle for."

The boy continued, his eyes glaring at them accusingly. After a few seconds of looking at Kira's group on their knees, he relented.

"It seems that you really don't know. The crystals of a Gem-Studded Armourdillo don’t grow on us, they grow from us. To take our crystals is the same as physically stealing our cultivation."

He paused, letting the statement sink in.

"Then again, kids like you probably wouldn’t have come here for our crystals if you'd known that and had any shame. I don't have time to judge your character so I'll simply give you a chance to get the crystal from me personally. I have certain conditions, though.”

He paused, waiting for Kira to reply. Kira wasn't about to point out that he seemed to be the same age as her yet called them "kids". She was also aware that he seemed to have some level of authority among the Armourdillos for reasons she couldn't begin to fathom. Also, despite his brash manner of speaking, Kira sensed a hidden intelligence behind his words that made her wary.

“If it is within our ability, then we shall do so gladly.”

The boy gave a sly smile.

“You have a way with words. As Core-ranked cultivators, you should just be able to meet my conditions. No need to look so surprised. No parents would allow their kids into the Ring Forest, let alone be able to get past the gate unsupervised unless they were from that academy. So, do we have an agreement?”

“Seeing as you believe we have the ability to fulfil your conditions, I believe we should know what the conditions are beforehand.”

“Of course, of course. The first one is simple: Kill that Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle.”

Nanase attempted to get up to protest but Kira stopped her with a hand.

“We accept. However, what makes you think that we can defeat it? It’s a Soul Spirit-ranked Soul Beast, after all.”

“Although the Elder here appears very strong, Gem-Studded Armourdillo cultivation is very slow. The Elder is at the bottleneck to the Soul Spirit realm but hasn’t managed to break through yet. As you know, the qualitative difference between ranks is enormous, so he can’t hope to compete with that eagle yet. Also, we aren’t known for our speed or attack strength. Against a flying Soul Beast like the Scarlet Violent Eagle we’re nothing more than sitting ducks. As to why you have a good chance of defeating it now, it expended a lot of its Soul Energy on that large-scale attack so now would be the best time to attack it, before it recovers its energy. Do you understand?”

Kira nodded. His words made sense. They hadn’t spent that much energy in their initial clash with the eagle. It was at this point that she turned towards her friends.

“I believe that this is something we can achieve, but only if we co-ordinate with each other. Will you assist me?”

Nanase extended her hand, palm down.

“I cannot allow you to do this alone.”

Senji placed his hand on top of Nanase’s, causing her to blush slightly.

“I gotta show it who really brings the heat around here.”

Usagi slapped her hand on top of Senji’s causing him to let out a yelp.

“Hehe, I’m up for showing that birdie a piece of my mind. Let me hit it this time.”

Akane gently placed her hand atop Usagi’s.

“Of…course.”

Seeing everyone’s hands together, Kira placed hers on top and smiled at them.

“There’s no one else I would rather have watching my back. As for how we'll do it, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle’s greatest strength is in its wings. So, here’s what we’ll do…”

Kira turned to the teal-haired boy.

“I trust that we can rely on your assistance? Defeating the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle is to your benefit as well.”

This was an important point. Kira couldn’t be sure of the others, but she had no experience with marine combat. In the lake, their movement would be greatly restricted as not having solid ground beneath their feet would make it difficult for them to use their full strength.

“Our fighting ability is weak but yes, we can assist you in traversing the lake.”

Kira bowed her thanks. The boy made a few guttural crooning sounds which sounded like tumbling rocks. A few Armourdillos, matching the numbers of Kira’s group, split off from their group and followed Kira, diving into the lake alongside her and her friends.

By now, the water had cooled down substantially with the help of the fresh, cold water pouring in from the waterfall. As the Gem-studded Armourdillos swam ahead of them, Kira marvelled at their speed. With the smallest of motions, they crossed greater distances than she thought possible, a stark contrast to their shuffling gait on land. Kira reached out a hand and grasped onto one of the crystals of the Armourdillo in front of her. The others did the same and gestured to the Armourdillos where they wanted to go.

With its excellent eyesight, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle watched the scene underwater curiously for a few seconds before letting out a piercing screech and diving towards the water. Right before crashing into the surface it unfurled its wings and flapped hard, bringing it to a stop and displacing the water around it, revealing Senji and buffeting him with wave after wave of burning energy.

“Where ya lookin’, ya dumb birdie?”

Usagi taunted from somewhere behind the Eagle. The Eagle didn’t turn and instead pursued Senji whose Armourdillo was retreating and pulling him through the water with it.

“Ignorin’ me, huh? Well, have a taste of this!”

Usagi’s pupils flashed gold as she took up the stance she had before, wispy pink light coating her arms before gauntlets materialised on her forearms as she summoned them from her Storage Crystal. Her feet were wedged between the crystals on the Armourdillo’s back as she stood up straight, showing off her balancing skills while the Armourdillo raced through the water after the Eagle. With her left palm facing forwards, Usagi’s right fist glowed with rosy-pink light. When she was close enough, she punched forward in a huge motion, a torrent of pink rose-coloured energy exploding out of her fist towards the Eagle.

"Rose Musket!"

Usagi yelled out. In its excitement at finally being able to chase its prey who had humiliated it not so long ago, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle had tunnelled on Senji, disregarding Usagi behind it. After all, none of them had proven to be a threat to it earlier.

Thwump!

Usagi’s Skill hit it squarely on the side of its head, actually dazing it for a second. Surprised and angered by the interruption, the eagle gave up on Senji and began to chase after Usagi and her Armourdillo.

“Oops, time to go.”

Usagi crouched down, using the crystals on the Armourdillo’s back for support as it sped away from the eagle. Impatient to take down its prey, the eagle splayed its four wings and let out a cry. The red energy coating its wings glowed with a burning orange light which gathered into several points on them. From these points, the condensed energy formed into arrows of flame that shot continuously towards Usagi.

“That’s so unfair.”

Usagi complained as she rapped on the Armourdillo’s head with her knuckles to alert it to the danger. The Armourdillo was fairly intelligent for its cultivation and turned towards her to give her a dirty look when it saw the incoming flame arrows. With a grunt, it dove underwater and began swerving side to side to dodge while Usagi struggled to keep hold of the slippery crystals.

Meanwhile, deep in the lake…

‘A target focused on eliminating his enemy will expect a knife in the back but not in the kidney.’

A girl clothed in black sitting cross-legged atop an Armourdillo thought as she shifted into a crouching position. She opened her eyes as the Soul Beast she was riding began to rapidly ascend through the water.

SPLASH!

The water below the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle erupted, the spray evaporating before it could reach its eyes. However, the screen of water still obscured the black-clothed figure holding a dagger, backhand, which glowed dully with a bloody light.

‘Usurping Fang.’

Usurping Fang – an upward, backhand stab that aims for the weak point at the top of the throat and pierces through to the brain. Works well against enemies taller than you or on higher ground than you.

As a Soul Spirit-ranked Soul Beast, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle’s senses were naturally very acute and this included its ability to sense danger. In that moment, it felt a very real threat to its life. Although it was a bird, and had a different body structure to a human, the area around its neck was a still a vulnerable one. It hastily flapped its wings, retreating from the danger but also but also ending its flame arrow attack.

Akane flipped through the air, a hard look in her eyes, before landing on her Armourdillo which began its retreat back into the lake. Recognising Akane as a real threat even with her lower cultivation, the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle chased after her instead.

From her position on the other side of the lake, Kira admired her friends. Not just their individual skill, but their fearlessness in the face of an enemy stronger than them. Kira didn’t know this, but part of the reason they were able to face an enemy of this calibre was because of the trust they placed in each other.

Kira, Nanase and Akane had shared the experience of the uneven duel against the noble boys. Usagi became close friends with Nanase in a short space of time and was a very open person in general. Meanwhile, Akane seemed to have attached herself to Kira whenever they were together almost like a personal bodyguard although it looked more like she was hiding behind the taller girl.

Senji, who was a relatively new addition to their group, acknowledged their ability and considered them friends at the very least. He found Kira's stability and ability to be calm under pressure to be strangely reassuring and made a conscious decision that he would follow her for as long as he agreed with her.

Bit by bit, they drew the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle towards their intended location. Kira took a deep breath. For this next part, everyone was counting on her. While Senji was being chased she met up with Usagi and nodded towards her. Usagi gave a broad smile back.

“Let’s give this birdie the scare of his life.”

Kira observed the situation while waiting for her cue. Just as Senji tagged-out with Akane, the orange-haired girl flipping over the eagle’s head, Kira moved. She leapt off of her Armourdillo and onto Usagi’s slightly toned forearm.

“Let’s goooooooooo!”

Usagi yelled as she threw Kira forward with all of her strength. Even though she didn’t appear to be very strong physically, Usagi's daily blacksmithing work was developing both her muscles and her Life Energy at a faster rate than Kira, who was doing Inscribing, to the point where she’d already surpassed Kira in Life Energy cultivation within this short space of time. The intensity of the Bladeworks Academy’s Discipline programmes was not be underestimated.

As Kira flew through the air, a rumbling sound filled her ears. Ahead of her, the back of the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle grew larger in her vision until she was right before it. She brought out her dragon-motif katana while mid-air and brought it horizontally before her, left palm supporting the blade.

‘Rejection.’

The Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle had noticed that a large projectile was rapidly approaching and turned to face it, but it couldn’t have expected it to be an actual person. By the time it reacted, trying to close its wings, it was already too late.

Kira’s blade hit the partially-closed wings, allowing her to unleash the full power of her Skill. Even though it wasn’t a damaging Skill, Rejection was a defensive Skill whose key trait was its enormous pushing strength. A golden halo of light exploded out from where Kira and the eagle clashed, both parties sent flying away with the halo.

“Upsie. I got ya.”

Kira was caught by Usagi who’d raced up on her Armourdillo. The Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky and, before it could right itself, was blasted directly into the gushing waterfall.

KREEEEEEA!

It let out a shriek of surprise as the water cascaded down on it. Although the crushing water itself couldn’t harm it due to its Soul Spirit-ranked strength, the water was filled with natural energy that had taken on the same water attribute. That energy contained in the water collided with the wings that the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle was so proud of, smothering the opposite-attributed flame energy they were producing. No matter how the eagle struggled to maintain this coat of flame, it was already tired after its widespread attack on the lake and couldn’t resist, the pressure of the water shoving it down into the lake.

“Here’s our chance. Be careful.”

Kira called out. The other responded, converging on the eagle’s location, each preparing their respective Skills. However, the Eagle wasn’t intending to just lay down and die. It’s said that an animal is at its most dangerous when it sees Death’s door opening before it.

Usagi punched her one gauntleted fist into the palm of the other, as if about to bow, rose-pink energy swirling around it. She leapt off her Armourdillo and punched down towards the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle which was floundering about in the water.

“Mealtime, birdie! Camellia Rifle!"

The water parted as Usagi’s fist drew near, swirling about in a similar pattern to the energy trailing behind her fist. The eagle, which was too busy trying to extricate itself from the water, didn’t even notice Usagi until she was right above it. However, one of its flailing, metallic wings sliced through the air as well as Usagi, catching her in the side and swatting her several metres away, her body trailing blood. Not only that but, as she landed in the water, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, the result of the energy backlash from having her Skill forcefully interrupted.

“Classmate Usagi!”

“Nanase, focus. You’re with Akane and I. Senji will see to Usagi.”

Akane nodded silently and lightly tapped off her Armourdillo to land at her usual spot at Kira’s back. Their Armourdillo swam forward determinedly but also with some caution. It didn’t want to end up the same way as Usagi.

Nanase, whose heart yearned to tend to Usagi, shook her head to clear her thoughts and finally made her move. From her dance classes when she was younger, her body intelligence and sense of timing were well-developed and she expertly lashed out with her sash, the material slipping neatly between the powerful wings of the eagle and tying around its body. With the flame energy extinguished, the sash didn’t burn up and, with a strong tug and the support of her Armourdillo, Nanase yanked the eagle partially out of the water and straight towards Kira and Akane. The pair moved, Kira leaping forward with her katana at the ready and Akane following closely behind.

‘Phantom Pierce.’

‘Penetrating Fang.’

The two girls released their Skills almost simultaneously, their blades plunging into the Eagle’s feathered breast. While its wings were as strong as steel, if not stronger, the rest of its body wasn’t as sturdy.

KREEEEEA!

The Eagle only had time for one last mournful shriek, regretting its arrogance in messing with these fledglings, before its body stopped moving and simply floated on the surface of the water.

But, any elation they had at taking down this powerful adversary was crushed when they returned to check on Usagi.

“It’s just…a feathercut. Nothing to worry about. Haha…”

Kira knelt down on her Armourdillo’s back to inspect the wound. As expected, Usagi was just acting brave. There was a large gash running from her left hip all the way up to her left breast and it looked quite deep.

“Nanase, we need to stop the bleeding.”

Nanase nodded and withdrew a similar sash to the one she fought with from her Storage Crystal. Since her fight against the noble boys, she realised how fragile the material was even when infused with Soul Energy.

“Is this okay?”

“Yes, that’ll do.”

Kira took the material from her and, after peeling away Usagi’s blood-soaked blouse, she used her katana to cut off a quarter of the sash, crumpling it up and pressing it to the wound. Usagi drew in a sharp breath as she bore the pain. Kira took the remaining part of the sash, which was fairly long, and wound it tightly around the gash before securing it with a knot.

“That should be enough until you get proper treatment.”

Kira learned enough about first aid from her Takanashi Clan Elders to be able to do this much but she was fully aware that she was no physician. She also knew the limits of Life Energy techniques. Usagi couldn’t heal the cut herself because it was too deep. At her rank, the best she would be able to do is stitch up her skin which wasn’t a good idea when there were still internal injuries.

“That was very well done. For a moment there I thought you wouldn’t be able to finish it off.”

The voice was one that Kira and the others had heard not too long ago. As they turned around to face the teal-haired boy, they noticed that he appeared to be standing on the water. No, that wasn’t correct, he was standing atop one of the huge Armourdillo Elders. At that moment, Kira wasn’t in the mood to see him but they’d made a deal and she was responsible for making sure he upheld it.

“We’ve killed the eagle. Now it’s time for you to give us the crystal so that we may be on our way.”

“Ah, it seems that there’s been a misunderstanding. I said that I’d relinquish the crystal under certain conditions. Killing the eagle was only the first one.”

Kira’s eyes hardened and she began circulating her Twin Energies. Her friend was seriously injured due to this boy’s demand and he still dared to make more? Who cared if there was a whole clan of Soul Beasts behind him? Kira was even prepared to use the power she feared most if he continued trying to exploit her. Akane sensed Kira’s killing intent and soundlessly stood against Kira’s back. Kira was surprised to find her presence there comforting and it allowed her to calm down enough to ask,

“What are the others?”

“Oh no, there’s but one more. Seeing as you all had the strength to beat up that Soul Beast, you’re definitely going to become even stronger in the future. I only ask that you owe me a favour. When the time comes, I’ll claim it. Consider the crystal my investment in you. You may even have the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle’s body.”

Kira didn’t like owing people anything but the reason they were there in the first place was for the crystal. She didn’t want Usagi being injured to be for nought. The offer was also fairly generous which is why she said,

“I accept. Only, it is I, alone, who owe you a favour.”

“That’s fine by me, you showed excellent leadership ability.”

With that, he rolled up the sleeve of his makeshift shirt and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were glowing the same teal as his hair. Slowly and deliberately, he raised his hand to his exposed upper arm. With a grasping motion, he slowly pulled his hand away, a look of pain crossing his otherwise smooth features. The colour in his eyes dimmed and he presented his hand to Kira, palm open. On it laid a small crystal that glowed gently with a blue light.

Kira took the crystal, wondering whether they’d been had, but before she could question the size of the crystal, the boy and the other Armourdillos had already left. The ones carrying Kira and her friends swam towards the shore. After lifting Usagi off the back of the last Armourdillo, the group of Armourdillos swam off into the lake.

Not long after they Armourdillos left, there was a crashing sound from the forest close to them. Kira, Akane and Senji quickly rose from their sitting positions to face the incoming threat while Nanase stayed back to protect Usagi who was beginning to look pale and was breathing slowly.

When the figures emerged from the forest, Kira and the others let out a sigh of relief. It was a squad of soldiers like the ones that were guarding the perimeter gate. In fact, the one leading the group was the same Captain who oversaw their entrance earlier that day.

“Oh, it’s you all. Thank goodness you’re okay. Have you seen the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle? We heard its cry from this direction not too long ago.”

“Captain, thank you for your concern but there is no longer any danger.”

“Oh, so you saw it return to the Middle Ring?”

“No, Captain, we’re the ones that killed it.”

“By that you mean…”

The Captain was silent for a while and the squad members behind him looked towards Kira with blank stares. Just what did she mean, ‘killed it’? Kira turned to Nanase whose Storage Crystal glowed softly and the corpse of the Scarlet Valkyrie Eagle, which she had stored earlier, appeared on the ground in front of her.

“By ‘killed’, I mean that the five of us defeated it on our own. Now, if you are done asking pointless questions, my friend requires immediate medical attention.”

Kira still wasn’t in a good mood after the talk with the teal-haired boy and was now taking out her frustration on the unfortunate guard captain who only now came back to his senses.

“Yes, of course. Men, assist the injured girl and lead the others back to the gate. Also call back the other squads and tell them that the threat has been neutralised.”

“Yes, sir.”

As he watched Kira’s back, he just realised that he’d been reprimanded by a girl who was likely a quarter of his age. But, from the look in her green eyes, he felt as if it was from someone far older.

“Monsters, all of them.”

He muttered under his breath before following the rest of his squad.