Inside the monitor room, the tension was palpable.


    "Why would they even leave the base and confront the enemy directly? What''s the point of this contest then?" the Principal mused aloud, a hint of amusement in her voice as she watched the chaos unfolding on the screens.


    "Well...." ric struggled to find the words, his confusion mirrored by another professor who was equally at a loss.


    The current matchups on the battlefield were as follows:


    Aqualina Naiadia Vs Aurelia Scarlet


    Nyx Shadowfall Vs Jack Sparrow


    Helena Sunfire Vs Ashara Nightfire


    Aria Zephyr Vs Kaelen Darkfang


    Thalia Crimsonw Vs Finnian Sunfire


    Leon Dragonheart Vs Kai Frostde


    Raven Noir


    "If they''re going to fight like this, I would have just chosen a straightforward duel," the Principal sighed heavily, her disappointment evident.


    She had hoped to witness disys of cunning strategy, powerful attacks, alliances forming and breaking, even betrayals..... She wanted to see everything. Instead, these students were ying it safe and boring.


    The most frustrating of all was Raven Noir.


    "That girl... what does she even want?" the Principal asked, her finger pointing to Raven Noir, who was perched atop a mountain, sleeping peacefully.


    Yes, she was sleeping, not even the slightest for the contest.


    Everyone around the Principal awkwardly scratched their heads.Even they had a hard time on Raven Noir who had barely spoken a few words like ''Hmm'' or ''Okay''.


    "Arrrh...." the Principal growled in frustration, deciding to leave, but suddenly,


    ''Ssssrrrrrrrrzzzzzz''


    One of the video feeds went nk, the screen flickering into darkness.


    "Who is it?" the Principal asked, her interest suddenly piqued.


    "I-It was the fight between Aria and Kaelen, Principal," a professor replied nervously.


    "Hmm..." the Principal nodded thoughtfully.


    "Should we check that?" Delphine asked, concern etched on her face.


    "No need. It''s not like they will die," the Principal waved her hand dismissively, instructing the team to reconnect the feed, which would take some time.


    ''Looks like at least someone nned everything...'' the Principal thought, a hint of amusement creeping back into her expression as she waited for the signal to return.


    Meanwhile, in the midst of the chaos,


    "It seems like I arrived just in time..." Aether mumbled, hiding a little way from the group. He observed Kaelen''s team, which had already obliterated Aria''s team, and now Kaelen and his other wolf teammates were ring menacingly at Aria.


    "Look at her.... even in this dire situation, she looks strong and shows no hint of fear. I suppose being trapped by a yandere made her forget what fear is..." Aether thought, marvelling at her resilience.


    He was genuinely shocked when he read her report. If he were in her situation, he wasn''t sure how he would keep his sanity for even one day, let alone endure years of istion.


    He knew what he needed to do. ncing at the mission tab that blinked slowly, indicating that she was not in imminent danger, he assessed the situation.


    ''I cannot handle them all at once...'' Aether mumbled, picking up some small stones and carefully aiming towards the wolves'' noses.


    He was about to shoot when,


    "Masssttrrrr~"


    "Hmm? Do you want to have fun too?" Aether asked, noticing Snowke, who was nestled in his pocket, looking at him with sparkling, eager eyes.


    "Masstttrrr~"


    "Okay then!" Aether nodded, a smile tugging at his lips.


    He tossed six stones into the air. In a matter of seconds, Snowke leapt into action. With the agility of a master gymnast and the precision of a seasoned marksman, she used her tail to bat the stones, each one hitting its target with pinpoint uracy.


    "grfff!"


    "ORR!!"


    "FRRRR!!"


    "WOFFF!"


    "Nnnnggg!!!"


    The stones struck the wolves'' noses, making each one tremble in pain. All except Kaelen, who remained unaffected, merely snorting and frowning in Aether''s direction, his eyes filled with cold and rage.


    "Who is it?" Kaelen growled, his expression darkening as he ordered hisckeys to investigate.


    One of the wolves, his face twisted in fury, cautiously approached the bush from which the stone had initially been thrown.


    As he entered the underbrush, he saw... nothing, except for a small snake looking up at him.


    Seeing the seemingly harmless and adorable creature, the wolf sighed in relief,


    "What a cute sna---NOfffff----" His eyes widened in horror as he noticed the golden crystal on the snake''s head. Before he could shout, Snowke transformed, rapidly growing in size and wrapping her tail around him.


    Within seconds, the wolf''s ribs were crushed, almost entirely broken, if not for the crystal badge on his leg that shattered and enveloped him in a protective barrier before disappearing.


    It all happened in the blink of an eye.


    ''Gulp''


    Aether swallowed hard, witnessing Snowke''s terrifying power. He realized he needed to keep up with her growth, or he might find himself crushed under her strength.


    "Did you find anything?" Kaelen shouted, noticing the sudden silence. Frowning, hemanded anotherckey to check.


    Just like before, the bush rustled slightly before falling still again.


    Suspicion grew among the wolves. Kaelen''s expression turned serious as he slowly walked away, instructing the others to keep an eye on Aria, who was still trying to fight back.


    Kaelen and another wolf approached the bush but found no one... not even their fallen teammate.


    "Someone is here," Kaelen mumbled, about to warn the others when...


    "...."


    There was no one!


    Kaelen''s face contorted with rage, "WHO DAREEEEE!! WHOOFFFFFFFFFF!!!" He howled in fury.


    Only he and one other wolf remained.


    Meanwhile,


    "Run, run, run..." Aether mumbled to himself, sprinting as fast as he could with Aria slung over his shoulder.


    Aether nced to his side, seeing Snowke in her small form hurriedly following him after finishing off the remaining wolves. She quickly jumped into his pocket.


    Though he wanted to utilize Snowke''s abilities further, he decided it was better to keep her hidden for now.


    Aria took a moment to react. All she saw was a hooded figure suddenly appearing before her, scooping her up, and fleeing before the other two wolves could react.


    "H-Hey!!" Aria shouted, starting to wriggle free when,


    "It''s me, Aria"


    Recognizing the soft voice she knew so well, she flinched, "A-Aether?"


    "Yep, yours truly," Aether answered at her and continued to run.


    [+400 Affection]


    Seeing him, Aria was even more shocked, "H-How did you even get in?"


    "I just pissed off the Principal, and she threw me in!"


    Hearing that, Aria smiled wryly, about to stop him when,


    "WOOVVVVVVVV!!!!" The howling sound echoed behind them. Aether ran even faster, ''Tsk, I need to move quicker,'' he thought, pushing himself to his limits.


    The two wolves followed the scent of Aria''s blood which was bleeding from her wounds.