Ting. Ting.
The synchronized strikes against a towering beast, standing at four meters tall, its two tails resembling those of a fox, were executed flawlessly. Its body ablaze with flames, it deflected the attack of the two fighters who then leaped back, creating some distance between them, exchanging a knowing glance, understanding their next move.
In the sky, clouds began to form, covering over fifty meters of land, as lightning and thunder cracked above, capturing everyone's attention. From a distance, Julia was poised, her body enveloped in bursts of purple lightning as she moved swiftly, passing by the two combatants.
The beast braced itself for another attack, but to its surprise, Julia ascended into the sky, darting into a cloud. The two boys comprehended her intentions and followed suit with remarkable agility.
With the monster momentarily distracted, Elijah's body emanated a silver aura as a silver lotus appeared behind him, while Kai's form was clad in his dark element samurai armor. Both surged forward with incredible speed, reaching the beast within seconds.
Though it noticed their approach, it was too late. It stood frozen in shock and panic as Elijah's aura enveloped only his legs in a brilliant silver glow, and Kai's weapon became shrouded in a dark aura. With a slash and a kick, they launched the beast into the air.
BBBAAAMMM.
Though the slash didn't breach its defenses entirely, the beast suffered significant injuries from the impact. The kick inflicted even more damage. However, the thirst for revenge soon manifested above as the dark clouds began to radiate a purple glow amid the roar of lightning and thunder.
Coughing up blood, the beast knew its time was limited. It unleashed a deafening roar, sending a beam of flames skyward.
BOOOOMMM
A thunderous lightning strike intercepted the flames before they could reach their target, causing the beast to scream in agony before crashing to the ground.
"Damn, I just wish she didn't completely obliterate the beast. It would be a waste not to sell it, along with the Beast Core," sighed one of the fighters, surveying the destruction left behind.
Meanwhile, Elijah wore an expression of excitement, akin to a child who had discovered a new toy. As a black figure descended from the sky, a graceful girl landed amidst the devastation. Elijah rushed towards her, exclaiming, "That was amazing, Julia! Good job."
"Thank you," she replied, her smile concealed behind a mask, her gaze shifting to Kai, who appeared bored and indifferent. "Are you already that tired?" she teased.
Ignoring her question, Kai remarked, "We've slain over five E-ranked beasts this month. That should fetch around 50,000 Yon. What do you think?"
"We could buy tons of food with that," Elijah remarked, kneeling beside the beast's body.
"Most likely," Kai agreed, as Elijah proceeded to examine the creature's remains.
Julia, feeling overlooked, interjected after a moment of silence, "What about me?" Both Elijah and Kai regarded her with puzzled expressions. "My share, or are you planning to shortchange me?"
Still perplexed, Elijah turned to Kai, who simply chuckled and remarked, "I think you need to explain to her how your mind works, Elijah," a smile playing on his lips.
"Ah, right," Elijah acknowledged, turning back to Julia. "When I say 'we,' I mean all of us. You're part of our team now."
"When did I agree to that?" Julia questioned, baffled.
Kai laughed, replying, "The moment Elijah took an interest in you," further confusing her.
As Elijah stored the beast's core in his ring, he added, "Aren't we friends? But if you're not interested, you're free to leave." He smiled warmly, locking eyes with Julia.
"Will I get my share?" she persisted.
"Yeah," Elijah confirmed.
After a brief pause, as Elijah stored the remains in his ring and declared, "Let's go to town; I'm already hungry."
"What? You just ate three hours ago," Kai pointed out, to which Elijah laughed.
"That wasn't nearly enough to fill my stomach," Elijah explained, while Kai wore a bemused expression. Elijah glanced back and asked, "Are you coming?"
Julia regarded them with a mix of confusion and amusement before sighing, "I'm coming. Besides, you owe me dinner, so I'll take my share."
"Wait, wasn't that your way of showing kindness or something?" Kai inquired.
"Nope, just remember telling you guys that you're going to pay for this, right?" Julia retorted, her eyes flashing with determination.
"You greedy son of..." before Kai finished his head hit the ground.
"Treat a lady with respect," Julia admonished.
"Fine," Kai grumbled, as Elijah chuckled and turned to Julia, "Do you know any place that serves Tier 5 food?"
Upon hearing this, Kai sprang to his feet, protesting, "No, not Tier 5! You already blew all our money on that last time!"
"We'll just earn more, right?" Elijah reasoned.
"No, we have a match in a week. We need to train, not indulge in extravagance," Kai insisted.
"But this is also training, so why not?" Elijah countered, his expression resolute.
Sensing Elijah's determination, Kai relented, resigned to their fate. "Either way, I suppose we'll manage."
"And how do you know that?" Julia inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"Not entirely sure, but call it a gut feeling. Anyway, you should come and watch our match; we'll be facing some formidable opponents. It'll be a lot of fun," Elijah invited, his excitement palpable.
"Don't treat this like a game; they're ranked in the top 510. It'll be a tough match," Kai cautioned, masking his anticipation for the challenge that lay ahead.
"You seem more excited than me," Elijah observed, amused.