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Standing in front of a large, red-scaled Mid-Stage Rank 8 Fire Drake, Nova looked up at it with her brows furrowed and couldn't help but curse.
"Dammit! I thought she was joking when she said to go kill a few dragons!"
*BOOM!*
The Fire Drake roared and slammed its thick, fiery tail onto her position. Parrying it with her spear, Nova dashed to the side, dodging it before counterattacking.
*Clink!*
Her spear bounced off its scales, only leaving behind a thin white line, but it did no real damage to the beast. Jumping backward to reposition, Nova took her time to assess the situation before she went back in.
In fact, she hardly knew what she was getting into. All Mira gave her was a rough map of the Ancient Beast Mountain Range and told her to go to all the circled locations, and she'd find the beasts she'd have to kill.
Of course, she didn't believe she'd actually be killing Dragons like Mira said, but…
"ROAR!!"
Drakes are basically Dragons without wings, right?
Nova dashed around the Fire Drake, the flames around its body illuminating her with an ominous red glow. Her heart raced in her chest, a bead of sweat trailing down the side of her face as she took in the formidable creature standing in front of her.
Despite the daunting task, she knew she couldn't back down now. Clutching her spear tighter, Nova moved.
She thrust her spear forward, the head of her weapon igniting as she activated her [Sunfire Sphere Spear Shot]. A ball of searing sunfire engulfed the tip of her spear and launched at the Fire Drake, but the beast didn't flinch. The Sunfire exploded upon contact, causing a small scorch mark on the Fire Drake's scales, but it hardly seemed phased.
Nova gritted her teeth. Her fire attacks would be less effective against a beast of the same element. She had to be strategic and aim for its weak spots.
With a swift leap, she propelled herself into the air above the beast. Activating [Heavenly Sunfire Descension], she channeled her fire energy through the spear, creating a blinding sunfire aura that enveloped her. Like a descending star, she plummeted towards the Fire Drake's head.
The Drake roared, the heat from its body intensifying. It was as if it was trying to repel her with its heat alone, but Nova was undeterred. She continued her downward strike, aiming directly between the creature's eyes.
Unfortunately, the beast was quicker than it seemed. It swung its head, and Nova's attack landed on its hard scales, merely bouncing off, making her lose her footing and fall back.
Then, with a swift turn, it smashed its tail into her abdomen, cracking her ribs and sending her flying.
Nova twisted in mid-air, landing with a roll and swiftly regaining her stance. She could feel the pain coursing through her from the impact, but she ignored it, focusing on the creature's movements.
She needed a plan. So far, she had been acting on instinct, and it was clear that it wasn't working. She needed to be smart about this. Observing the Fire Drake, she looked for any signs of weakness.
A sudden flash of insight hit her. The Drake's underside! That was the least protected part of its body. But how was she going to reach it?
As she was deep in thought, the Fire Drake attacked. It reared on its hind legs before slamming its front claws down toward her. Nova barely managed to jump out of the way in time.
Realizing the risk, she made a quick decision. Nova steeled herself and thrust her spear forward once again, activating [Sunfire Sphere Spear Shockwave]. The spearhead radiated an intense light and shot forward, creating a massive shockwave of Sunfire.
As the wave of heat and light hit the Fire Drake, it was enough to disorient it, making the beast stagger back a step. Taking the opportunity, Nova quickly dashed forward and slid beneath the Drake's belly.
She summoned a final surge of energy. A variation of her ultimate technique - [Sunfire Starfall] - sprang to life. Sunfire converged onto her spear. It transformed into a mini-sun, a brilliant, radiant source of light. It blinded the entire battlefield.
With a battle cry, she drove her spear upward, aiming for the Fire Drake's belly. The spearhead burst into a Starfall of searing sunfire upon impact, effectively burning through the beast's scales and causing it to roar in pain.
Searing pain echoed through Nova's body as the Fire Drake thrashed, her attack causing it to buck wildly. She managed to roll out from under the beast just in time as it crashed onto the ground, shaking the earth beneath them.
Exhausted and battered, Nova staggered to her feet, her spear still clutched tightly in her hand. The Fire Drake lay defeated, its heavy breaths echoing around them. Nova's heart pounded in her chest, and she knew she had won.
"Haa… Haa… That was… haa… a lot harder than I expected." Nova murmured, leaning on her spear for support.
Although the beast was still technically alive, there wasn't much it could do in its current state.
Walking over to the Drake, Nova raised her spear, ready to pierce its eye socket, in hopes of stabbing its brain, but paused.
"...Wait. Didn't Mira say that it would be better if I could catch them alive?" Nova thought aloud.
Originally, she had forgotten about it, as defeating this thing was hard enough, but now that she remembered, Mira did say something like that.
'But, how the hell am I supposed to capture it? Not to mention, where am I going to keep it? It's not like I can carry it with me while I'm hunting!'
Looking at the size of the defeated Fire Drake sprawled before her, Nova couldn't help but frown. The thought of having to somehow haul this giant creature around was absurd. Not to mention she had no idea how to capture a dragon-like creature alive.
A memory suddenly flashed through her mind, a seemingly inconsequential part of Mira's instructions. A mention of an artifact capable of capturing and storing large beasts. She had dismissed it at the time as irrelevant, but now...
Diving into her Spatial ring, Nova rummaged through her belongings. Among them was a large, ornate bag around the size of a watermelon, encrusted with gold designs that reminded Nova of scales and feathers. This was a Beast Pouch, an artifact Mira had given her. At the time, she hadn't really paid much attention, considering the main point of her journey was to kill powerful beasts, not capture them. But now, she was more than grateful for Mira's foresight.
A slight relief washed over Nova as she held the Beast Pouch in her hand, looking at the subdued Fire Drake in front of her. She was physically drained from the battle, and the idea of dealing a death blow and then figuring out how to transport the beast's carcass was daunting. This was definitely a more convenient solution.
Approaching the Fire Drake cautiously, Nova activated the Beast Pouch. The artifact started to glow, the designs illuminating and swirling around the surface of the pouch. Nova held it up towards the beast, and a beam of crimson light shot out, hitting the Fire Drake. The creature stirred, letting out a weak growl, but it was too worn out to resist.
The Fire Drake started to shrink and dissolve into a form of energy that got sucked into the Beast Pouch. The process only took a couple of minutes, but to Nova, it felt like an eternity. Once it was done, the pouch returned to its usual non-glowing state, now heavier in Nova's hand.
She sighed deeply, stowing the Beast Pouch back in her Spatial ring. She then took a moment to rest, sitting down hard on the ground. Her body ached from the battle, and she was mentally exhausted.
'One beast down… How many more to go?' Nova thought to herself, looking up at the map that Mira had given her. There were a couple more circled locations she needed to visit.
Summoning up her remaining strength, Nova stood up, using her spear for support. There was no time to waste. There were more beasts to be found and defeated, and she was just getting started. With a final look at the empty space where the Fire Drake had been, Nova moved on to the next location, ready for whatever challenges awaited her.
As Nova contemplated her next move, elsewhere, Everly, Eden, and Rayna were embarking on their own missions, given to them by Mira. Seraphine would have joined them, but she was still healing.
However, they weren't the only ones in the Sect who were out on their own missions, searching for beasts they were the most compatible with.
All disciples had a new task at hand - capture a beast and earn a unique Bloodline. The raid from a few days ago was just the beginning.
The Battle Maiden Sect was now buzzing with a new, exciting challenge. Capture beasts, not kill them.
Other Sects took note, but their confusion was palpable.
What was the Battle Maiden Sect up to? Despite the mystery, they decided to follow suit, all in the hope of unlocking the Sect's secret and elevating their own standing.
Who knows, maybe they'll be able to discover what Aelina was trying to do and take their own Sects to new heights!
***
[A/N: I know the Beast Pouch wasn't introduced yet, but I'll get to it later. I'm sure you guys can guess where it came from, anyways. :)]
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