The Yellow Ocean (2)

The tension peaked as they found themselves encircled by transformed Aqua Variant Genea. Their slick, shimmering bodies dripped with water, and their glowing yellow eyes.

Deep growls mixed with the splashes of water, echoing ominously from the fearsome creatures. It was a chilling prelude, a promise of the chaos to come.

Grido fixed his glasses, looking serious.

He looked at what was happening, his clever mind figuring out what to do next.

"Alright, listen up!"

He yelled then, his voice breaking the strained atmosphere.

"Newbie, you and Anna are the close combat experts you two stick together."

"Your task is to keep them distacted and give opportunities for us throw at them what you can but never enter the waters"

Akira scowled.

"Ok."

He nodded toward Anna, who was already stooping and ready, daggers glistening in the early sun.

Grido faced Victor and said firmly,

"Victor, I have just one thing to say , go wild and kill as many as you can."

Victor smirked, cracking his neck.

"Now you're speaking my language."

Akira couldn't help but be puzzled by his question, thinking,

"Wait, isn't Victor, too, a close combat Star??"

"What can he do from afar?"

Anna laid her hand on Akira's shoulder; her hand was firm yet reassuring.

"Don't worry,"

She said playfully, smiling.

"Just wait and see.

Victor stepped forward, his large broadsword already poised for battle. A palpable shift occurred as his energy surged, his presence enveloped in an electrifying aura.

He activated his skill: Battle Zone.

A soft glow enveloped Victor as he raised his hand toward one of the Werehyena *Aqua Variant Genea*, pointing one finger at him.

And with that, Victor and the targeted monster vanished in the blink of an eye.

"What the—where did they go?"

Akira exclaimed, looking all over as if searching for Victor.

Anna giggled.

"Victor's Battle Zone is a special skill," - She said.

"It creates a white, closed area where he and his chosen opponent fight one-on-one."

"The skill continues until one of them dies.".

Akira blinked as he processed the explanation.

"A skill like that exists?"

"Really?"

Anna shrugged.

"Akira, in the current world, almost anything can happen."

"But…"

An air of seriousness clotted her face.

"It's a very hazardous choice."

"Each time, Victor could die using it."

Before Akira could say a word, there was a deafening screech everywhere, with a big shadow flying above.

Akira's eyes widened as a great beast came into view: a great, bird-like creature that didn't make a bit of sense. Its face was the face of an eagle its sharp eyes traveled across the battlefield. From its muscular legs, it had big, long talons, while its mouth, full of jagged teeth that could easily crush bone, was that of a tiger its ears were like a wolf's, which at each and every sound moved. And behind all that, a long tail, whip-like, cut the air.

"Geez, what in the world is that?."

Akira's crazy tone rose.

"What do you thing about my familiar??" Grido asked Akira while riding the Beast

The creature that emerged was none other than the small bird that had always perched on Grido's shoulder. Now, it had transformed into its true, majestic form.

"It fits you" - Akira said 

"Hahhhah isn't that right newbie" - Grido replied

In a wild scream it dived, its great talons snagging a Werehyena. The beast struggled and scratched but could not break free. There was a terrible crunch as the Werehyena was torn to pieces, and then the dead body dropped to the ocean.

"Don't worry,"

Grido said confidently.

"Victor never loses a fight in such a situation."

"Not on this level."

To prove he right, in a while, Victor returned. Out of the wavering air of the Battle Zone, his form emerged. His broadsword all bloody had the fresh blood of the defeated enemy on it. Behind him appeared the falling to the yellow ocean the dead body of the Werehyena his eyes shone because of his victory, and he smiled more when he viewed the group.

"One down,"

"Who is next at the line"

Victor said, careless, now swinging his blade and casting the blood off of it.

Akira could not hide how much he liked.

A slow smile spread across his face, and his dark eyes sparkled with excitement.

"That was amazing," - he said, his voice full of real wonder.

"Fucking amazing."

As the other Werehyenas saw their kind completely lifeless and dead they started to scream in rage and agony.

The air was full of the stench of blood and carnage.

The once calm and bright ocean had turned into a grim battlefield, bodies of Werehyenas were floating at the ocean lifeless.

Suddenly, came a horrifying roar of fury from one of them as more Werehyenas appeared, their cries filled with grief and rage, echoing like monstrous howls.

Then their number doubled and tribled, as reinforcements arrived, their misshapen forms.

"More of them?!!"

Anna breathed deeply, her trembling hand gripping the daggers. Her movements, once fluid, now faltered as her body grew heavier with each passing second.

The answering attack of the Werehyenas was streaks of water hurled in jagged spears, with inhuman precision.

Anna was dodging the long spears from the Werehyenas as well as she was able, her agility salvaging, but she knew she was going to get tired way faster than the enemy

Victor staggered back into the group, his armor battered and marred, the broadsword trailing heavily behind him.

Blood smeared across his face, a gruesome blend of his enemies' and his own.

His energy flickered like a dying ember, perilously close to extinguishing.

"I've taken out six more,"

He gasped, sweat streaming down his brow.

"But I'm done."

"I'm tapped out—barely any mana left, and my body's giving in."

Grido crashed to a stop beside them, the deafening creak of wings echoing as his massive beast wheezed, talons cracked and feathers slick with gore.

Normally calculating, stoic Grido-looked worn and grim.

Wiping the gore from his face, his voice trembled with disbelief.

"How… how is this possible?"

"It's been a long time and they just keep coming!"

"Where are they all coming from?!"

Victor leaned against his broadsword, the smile now replaced by a deep frustration.

"If these were normal Aqua Genoa i could've killed twice as many as i have , and we would have been done with this long ago."

"But this-"

He weakly gestured toward the oncoming horde, his fingers trembling.

"This is not normal."

"They're all so strong, and capable of long-ranged attack, and there are just so many of them."

"There's simply no escaping this."

White-knuckled, clamping down on her daggers, despair chewed away at Anna's resolve.

"What is left to do now?" - It finally broke into her voice.

"Grido-san, what to do?!"

Where once a fierce spirit smoldered, shaking uncertainty had taken hold of her frame-like one shaking on the verge of despair.

Grido said nothing.

His face was set, fists clenched, as his beast let out a weak, labored screech, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Silent Akira had stood a little away from the others through it all, his face masklike, tanned features unreadable, and black eyes riveted intently on the storming horde of twisted, snarling beasts.

"Tch,"

He growled, clicking his tongue in impatience.

For a moment his eyes flickered to his team Anna was reaching her breaking point Victor, who had used up every single ounce of energy in this battle and was almost empty. Grido, whose one moment of surging power had been spent. The Stars were all seasoned, stubborn veterans of the impossible struggle that had kept going-but Akira saw it:.

"This is all they could do, it's true at the start of the raid i doubted their ability and why was this kind of team appointed for this type of dungeon but they proved me wrong they are...Strong, indubitably strong but against this horde, this type of enemy."

"They said this is one of the easiset C-Rank dungeons because the monsters can't attack us on the island and that gives those who raid it a huge advantage..."

Akira's face was wooden; a thin-lipped smile played on his lips while his fists were clenched as if the air itself hummed with promising anticipation, swelling from him in one huge, terrible tremor.

"Funny how 'easiest' turned into 'deadliest' real quick...but I have seen enough."

Low in tone, almost a whisper, yet it cuts through the chaos of noises, like a knife.