In a muddy cave beneath the swamp, Varek emerged, covered head-to-toe in thick muck, clutching a blue flag in his hand. He stumbled out of the swamp gasping, his voice filled with frustration. "Ugh…don't ever tell me to do something like that again!"
Ryen and Xan looked at him with silent sympathy, remembering the chaotic scene where they'd found the flag hidden in a submerged cave. Earlier, Varek had shoved them aside, declaring, "Out of my way, motherfuckers—I'll do it myself!" But now, as he wiped mud from his face, his irritation only grew.
"Now, as we plan our attack on Team B," he muttered, "we need a real plan. Can any of you actually come in handy, even once? This is supposed to be a team game, and so far, I'm doing everything!"
Ryen and Xan exchanged guilty glances. "But you keep telling us not to help," Ryen said, looking sheepish. "You said you could do it faster than both of us combined."
Varek clenched his fists, clearly annoyed. "Just… forget it." He took a deep breath, trying to rein in his frustration. "Tell me about the second years on their team. How strong are they?"
Xan nodded, thinking it over. "They're…strong. Very strong."
Varek rolled his eyes and raised his voice, practically screaming. "Useful information, please! I know they're strong!"
Xan blinked, confused. "You asked how strong they were."
Varek groaned, his patience wearing thin. "I mean, tell me something we can actually use against them! Don't just stand there like statues!"
Xan finally seemed to get the hint. "Right. We should knock out Nia, the pink-haired one, first. If she activates her skill, it's going to be a pain to deal with. And that yellow-haired guy, Arin… his senses are sharp, and his skills are hard to counter."
Varek's eyes narrowed. "Anything that irritates them or throws them off their game?"
Xan thought for a moment. "Well, Nia's obsessed with staying clean. She hates dirt more than anything. As for Arin…" He trailed off, considering. "He's… easily rattled around girls. Just standing next to one makes him lose confidence."
Ryen, nodding enthusiastically, chimed in, "Elara's pretty fast, but in the swamp, we might be able to counter her speed. Jasper has foresight, but if she uses it once, it'll take her some time to use it again."
Varek grinned, a plan forming in his mind. "Perfect. Here's what we'll do. First, we'll lure out a beast to force Jasper to use her foresight. Then, we'll splash mud around, mess with Nia's obsession for cleanliness, and when she's distracted—"
They nodded along, their faces lighting up with understanding. As the plan wrapped up, Varek crossed his arms, looking at them pointedly. "So, who's going to lure the beast?"
Both Ryen and Xan were about to volunteer, but Varek cut them off. "Forget it. You're both useless—I'll do it myself."
They clenched their fists, veins pulsing with irritation. We were just about to say we'd do it!
The scene snapped back to the present as Ryen launched a fiery punch toward Arin, his fist blazing with blue flames. Arin dodged by shifting back, conjuring a sword made of core energy in his right hand. Across the swamp, Jasper and Mina were relentlessly attacking Xan, who defended himself without much effort, calmly fending off their strikes.
Meanwhile, Elara clenched her fists, electricity sparking around her knuckles, preparing to attack Ryen. In the midst of the chaotic battle, Nia stood smirking, a pink mist swirling around her hands. The mist seemed to thicken, swirling ominously as she glared at her opponents.
From behind her, a shadow emerged from the swamp, silent and deadly. With a faint hiss, two dark purple, snake-like auras coiled up behind her and merged, transforming into particles. Varek materialized from the aura, his hand shrouded in purple smoke, and chopped the back of Nia's neck. Her body went limp as she fell into the swamp with a splash.
In the flashback, Varek explained, "Xan, you'll make a flashy entrance to draw their attention. Ryen, you focus on stopping the two who'll stay in the rear. I'll join the fight as soon as I can."
Back in the fight, Ryen ducked under Arin's blade and slipped past his defenses, moving toward Elara with a sly grin. "You look gorgeous, even in a swamp."
Elara's cheeks flushed. "Th-thank you…"
Ryen suddenly caught her hand mid-punch, spinning her around. "Sorry about this." With a quick twist, he flung her toward Arin. They crashed together, both falling into the swampy mud. Arin lay there, defeated, his expression a perfect replica of his usual undead look. Elara stumbled to her feet, face smeared with mud and fury. "What the fuck was that?!"
Before she could get up, Ryen raised a glowing fist to her face, keeping her from retaliating. Across the way, Jasper and Mina had been fully immobilized, struck down by a heap of thick, sticky mud Xan had conjured to pin them in place. They struggled, their movements restricted, as Xan controlled the mud with his glowing brown eyes.
Varek, having knocked out Nia, transformed into the snake-like aura again and lunged for Arin, restraining him with shadowy vines. Arin didn't resist, too defeated to fight back.
Elara and Nia lay unconscious in the mud, defeated. Xan looked back at them, his voice tense. "Shouldn't we get them out of the swamp? It's probably not safe to leave them lying here."
A muffled voice came from the mud heap where Jasper and Mina were trapped. "Yes! Get us out too!"
Varek ignored them with a smirk. "Yeah, yeah, get them out. It's bad enough they're stuck here. Hey, Xan—can you make that mud heap walk with us?"
Xan nodded. "Yes."
"Then let's get moving. No point stalling here."
As they prepared to leave, Varek tied up Arin with more vines, binding him from head to toe. Arin didn't even struggle, knowing it was futile.