Boom!


    A kaleidoscope of magical energies flooded the tunnel, pulverizing the Beastman hideout.


    An invisible shield shimmered around Alex, deflecting dust and debris. A gust of wind followed, clearing the air.


    Bang!


    Windrider emerged from the rubble, disheveled butrgely unharmed. Alex''s attack had been a mere probe.


    It unfurled its wings and shot into the sky.


    Its sharp eyes locked onto Alex below. It recognized a powerful human mage when it saw one. In an instant, possibilities raced through its mind.


    Why was a human mage here?


    Had something happened to the Alpha?


    But there was no time to ponder. Alex''s next attack was already upon it. Windrider snarled, pping its wings furiously. Feathers shot out, transforming into razor-sharp darts that intercepted Alex''s magic.


    At the same time, Windrider''s body contracted,unching itself at Alex like an arrow loosed from a bow.


    It knew human mages were physically frail. If it could get close, victory would be swift.


    The darts shattered Alex''s spells, then continued their deadly trajectory.


    But as they were about to pierce her flesh, they stopped abruptly, half a meter from her body, held at bay by an unseen force.


    An invisible barrier surrounded Alex, deflecting all of Windrider''s attacks. The strange magic seemed familiar, but Windrider couldn''t quite ce it.


    As Windrider dove, Alex vanished. Its eyes narrowed. It adjusted its course mid-flight, soaring back into the sky and circling, searching for its elusive opponent.


    But no matter how hard it looked, it couldn''t find any trace of Alex, not even a hint of her aura.


    Windrider hovered, pping its wings, its expression grim.


    Had she retreated, fearing closebat or doubting her ability to defeat it?


    Then, a jolt of realization.


    No, that girl hade here with the intention to kill. She wouldn''t run.


    And if she wasn''t running, there was only one exnation.


    An ambush!


    But it was toote. A white light shed above Windrider, severing its left wing.


    If it hadn''t shifted slightly at thest moment, it would have been cleaved in two.


    As the white light dissipated, searing pain brought a wave of icy rity. Windrider finally recognized the familiar magic.


    Spatial magic!


    It tried to put distance between them, but Alex was nowhere to be seen. Then it remembered. She possessed an invisibility ability that even it couldn''t detect.


    Despite losing a wing, Windrider could still fly, but its advantage in the sky was gone.


    It had underestimated its opponent, assuming that all mages were physically weak and specialized in only one type of magic. It had believed that closebat guaranteed victory.


    In reality, many mages were dual or even triple-elemental specialists. Some could even wield four elements. These mages had few weaknesses, and with the right equipment and spells, they could be formidable in closebat.


    "Father warned me not to underestimate mages..."


    But the realization came toote. Without its wing, escape was unlikely.


    Windrider activated its domain. A raging gale erupted, whipping the air into a frenzy. Its pupils narrowed to slits, senses on high alert, scanning its surroundings.


    It would use the wind to pinpoint Alex''s location. Only then could it counterattack.


    Sensing Windrider''s n, Alex deactivated her invisibility.


    Their eyes met.


    "Perhaps we cane to an understanding. I believe there might be a misunderstanding between us and the Mages'' Association."


    Windrider hoped this was just a warning from the humans, who had discovered their activities and sent a mage to destroy their outpost.


    But Alex ignored its plea. She raised her hand, summoning a giant purple magic circle. Lightning crackled, gathering power for a high-level spell.


    Alex didn''t know if the Beastman Empire''s Alpha would discover this ce. To be safe, she stuck to elemental magic, not even using her scythe.


    She had to maintain the identity of a mage. Otherwise, she would have summoned her Reaper Guards to eliminate this Beastman long ago.


    Alex didn''t speak. A giant purple lightning dragon, crackling with energy, was her only response.


    Windrider''s expression darkened. This mage refused tomunicate. It had its own concerns.


    As a descendant of one of the five Alphas of the Beastman Empire, its actions represented the entire empire.


    Killing a human mage here would give the Mages'' Association a legitimate reason to dere war.


    Seeing Alex''s resolve, Windrider decided to stop holding back. Its initial hesitation, stemming from its respect for the Mages'' Association and its underestimation of Alex, had cost it dearly.


    Or so it thought.


    The purple dot in Windrider''s vision expanded rapidly. The lightning dragon struck, sending jolts of electricity through its body, paralyzing its movements.


    But at that moment, a blood-red giant eagle materialized behind Windrider, enveloping it in a crimson sphere.


    The sphere exploded, transforming Windrider into a monstrous chimera.


    Six wings, covered in ck feathers, sprouted from its back. Three heads, each with piercing eagle eyes, snapped and snarled. Its talons morphed into wicked hooks, and three long tailsshed out wildly.


    It was as if three eagles had been fused into one terrifying creature.


    Screech!


    It roared, its talons contracting. It shot towards Alex, its massive body angled for a deadly strike. Its tails, extending like ils, whipped out, aiming to bind her.


    Alex showed no fear. Her right eye glowed red, activating her magic enhancement.


    With a flick of her wrist, she froze Windrider mid-air. A cracking sound echoed as space itself fractured.


    Hundreds of cuts appeared on Windrider''s body as spatial des materialized around it, slicing through flesh and bone.


    Countless miniature magic circles, glowing green like a field of stars, surrounded them.


    Then, vines, as thick as a man''s finger, shot out, piercing Windrider''s flesh.


    Ice spread across Windrider, encasing it in a solid block of ice.


    The spatial and frost magic held Windrider in an unbreakable grip. It could only watch helplessly as the vines burrowed into its flesh, drawing out a strange red energy.


    The tips of the vines had turned crimson, snaking towards the source of the magic circle. But as they pulsed with green energy, the red energy dissipated, neutralized.


    Windrider''s strength waned with each passing moment. Its struggles were futile. It could only watch as the green energy purged the red, leaving it weaker than before.


    As time passed, Windrider grew weaker, the red energy draining away. Finally, it reverted to its original form.


    "Spare... me... We can... talk..."


    Windrider pleaded, its eyes filled with fear and desperation. It knew humans valued profit above all else.


    But Alex remained unmoved. Besides, she wasn''t a human mage.


    A de of lightning pierced Windrider''s chest. The restraints vanished, and its body plummeted towards the ground.


    Alex pped her hands. Done!


    Three high-level spells to deal with a single, ordinary King level. What a waste.


    But while this method was effortless, it consumed a significant amount of mana.


    "Still, my undead magic is the most cost-effective."


    Alex descended slowly, casting a high-level summoning spell. Windrider''s soul was extracted, forming a swirling ball of energy in her palm.


    She then flicked a spark of fire, igniting Windrider''s body. She controlled the mes, ensuring they would incinerate the corpse withoutpletely destroying it, leaving enough evidence while concealing any trace of her summoning magic.


    With that done, Alex held the soul in her hand and summoned a spatial magic circle beneath her feet.


    She had marked Maulw''s room earlier. With a thought, she could teleport back instantly.


    A white light engulfed her, and she vanished.


    In the Far North, Maulw, Shadowfang, and the tiger guard waited anxiously.


    Maulw paced back and forth, worry etched on its face. Shadowfang, on the other hand, was practically vibrating with excitement, as if it had personally in the Beastmen. The tiger guard trembled, intimidated by the presence of the two elders.


    "She''s too reckless. How could she just kill them?"


    Maulw fretted. It was worried about Alex''s safety and the possibility of the Beastman Empire retaliating against the Arctic Tigerfolk.


    "Good riddance! Those cowardly bullies had iting."


    Shadowfang scoffed, unconcerned. That Beastman was, at best, equal in strength to itself. It never doubted Alex''s ability to handle the situation.


    Crash!


    The door burst open, and a burly Arctic Tigerfolk stumbled in, its face pale with panic.


    "Elders! We''ve found those traitors!"


    Maulw and Shadowfang turned to the tiger being, who continued without hesitation,


    "The other elders found them. They captured some sea folk at the coast and learned of their whereabouts."


    "Sea Folk? What are sea folk doing here?"


    Maulw sighed. It didn''t know that Ruby was still in the Far North, hiding along the northwestern coastline. Ruby had chosen her hiding spot well, but her starving subordinates had been forced to hunt, attracting the attention of the sea folk.


    These sea folk were scouts, mere cannon fodder. They were no match for Ruby and her group. Unable toplete their mission or return home, they fled westward along the coastline, only to encounter the Arctic Tigerfolk searching for Ruby at the source of the Subcial River.


    The sea folk, facing so many Monarch levels, were easily captured.


    Under interrogation, they revealed everything, including their encounter with a group of Arctic Tigerfolk on the northwestern coastline.


    The Monarchs were ecstatic. The western coast was on the fringes of the Far North, outside their search radius. The Arctic Tigerfolk they encountered there could only be Ruby and her group.


    They immediately reported their findings to the four elders. Without alerting the rest of the tribe, two elders had already set out.


    This exined why Maulw hadn''t noticed anything unusual. The other elders suspected that Ruby had inside help, allowing her to escape time and time again.


    And Maulw was their prime suspect.


    Ruby, still recovering from her injuries, had wanted to conserve her mana. She hadn''t anticipated that those sea folk would inadvertently expose her location.


    She also hadn''t expected the remnants of the sea folk to travel further ind instead of returning to the ocean.


    Maulw dismissed the messenger, its expression grave. It turned to Shadowfang, deep in thought.


    It didn''t fully trust Shadowfang yet and couldn''t risk bringing it along.


    But leaving it here wasn''t an option either. Maulw couldn''t be sure that Shadowfang wouldn''t betray their n.


    "We must act quickly. Let''s go now. We have a better chance of rescuing Ruby before Bravetail and the others arrive."


    Shadowfang urged. Time was of the essence. They couldn''t wait for Alex. Two against two, they had a good chance of sess.


    Clearly, Shadowfang was unaware of Maulw''s concerns, but it understood the urgency.


    "I''m afraid Bravetail has already sent someone to watch us. If we leave now, we''ll be intercepted."


    Maulw sighed. It knew Bravetail would be wary of it.


    "Are you going to wait until they bring Ruby back before you act?"


    Shadowfang was getting impatient. Maulw was too cautious. If it were up to Shadowfang, they would have left already.


    "Do you really think we should wait for her return? By then, Ruby would be imprisoned by Bravetail and the others."


    Maulw considered this. Shadowfang was right. It decided to trust Shadowfang this once and take a gamble.


    This was their best chance to rescue Ruby. Once she was taken back to the tribe''s territory, it would be much more difficult.


    Maulw turned to the tiger guard.


    "Stay here. We''ll go ahead. When Alex returns, tell her we''ve gone to rescue Ruby."