Far behind her, Cassian and Benedict exchanged glances. They had seen her strike down the first two monsters with skill and confidence they hadn’t expected.
"She’s holding her own," Benedict muttered, his tone thoughtful.
Cassian didn’t respond, his gaze fixed on Adeline’s retreating figure. As proud as he was, he was still worried. These monsters... This was not like any other fight.
The corrupted hyenas snarled and lunged at Adeline, their glowing red eyes filled with malice. Their grotesque forms—jagged bones protruding unnaturally from their flesh—made them look more like nightmares than living creatures.
Adeline stood her ground, her chest heaving with exertion as her lightning crackled in the air around her.
She had already taken down several of the monsters, but the fight wasn’t over. Another group prowled closer, circling her with predatory intent.
Adeline didn’t flinch.
This was what she had prepared for. Taking a deep breath she tried to think how to strike them and what techniques she wished to use.
Summoning her power, she unleashed a bolt of lightning at the closest beast. The electricity struck its weak point, leaving the hyena writhing on the ground before it fell silent. She took a moment to catch her breath, but it wasn’t long before another monster lunged at her.
This time, she was ready. She sidestepped its attack with precision, pivoting on her heel and slamming her palm into its side, sending a surge of electricity directly into its body. The creature yelped and collapsed, twitching before it went still.
Cassian watched from a distance, his arms crossed over his chest. He was ready to strike if need be.
"Shouldn’t we kill a few ourselves?" Benedict asked, motioning to the pack of monsters nearby. "It’s our last hunt, after all."
Cassian shook his head.
"I don’t need to hunt," he replied, his tone dismissive. "And I have no interest in the prize."
Benedict raised an eyebrow, curious about Cassian’s motivations. "Then why are you even here?"
Cassian’s gaze shifted to Adeline, who was still fighting off the corrupted hyenas with determination. His lips curved into a faint smile.
"Because she wants it," he said simply. "She wants that prize. And I can lend a hand."
Benedict narrowed his eyes, sensing there was more to Cassian’s plan.
Even though they had known each other since they were children, they had never been close, they did not know each other that well.
"Lend a hand, huh?" Benedict repeated skeptically.
Cassian turned to him, his expression now serious.
"Round up some of the monsters," he ordered. "Weaken them and lead them to her."
Benedict blinked in surprise. It wasn’t the suggestion he had been expecting. "You want her to fight more of them?"
Cassian nodded.
"She needs the experience," he explained. "But I don’t want to take any unnecessary chances. We’ll weaken the beasts first."
Benedict didn’t think of doing that but once he heard Cassian, he agreed. That would be the best way to ensure her safety. They may disagree or be at odds, but when it was about Adeline they agreed easily.
He moved swiftly, his sword glinting in the dappled sunlight as he approached a group of monsters lurking nearby. Benedict was no stranger to combat, and his strikes were swift and efficient. He didn’t kill the creatures outright, instead focusing on wounding them enough to slow them down.
Cassian observed from his vantage point, his sharp eyes tracking both Benedict’s movements and Adeline’s progress. She was holding her own, but he knew the hunt would only grow more dangerous as it progressed.
Adeline’s powers were impressive, but Cassian wasn’t willing to gamble with her safety.
By the time Benedict returned, a group of weakened monsters trailed behind him, snarling and limping. Cassian gave him a curt nod of approval.
"Lead them to her," Cassian instructed.
Benedict hesitated, his brows furrowing.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "She’s doing fine on her own. Throwing more monsters her way—"
"She can handle it." Cassian lifted his head with confidence. He was sure that she could, he had confidence in her.
Benedict exhaled sharply but didn’t argue further.
he directed the monsters toward Adeline.
Adeline heard the commotion before she saw it. Her head snapped up, her eyes narrowing as she spotted the approaching beasts. Her heart skipped a beat when she realised there were more of them than she had anticipated, but she quickly steeled herself.
"More?" she muttered under her breath, summoning her lightning once again.
The first monster lunged at her, and she sidestepped its attack with practised ease. She struck it down with a well-placed bolt of electricity, but the next one was already upon her.
Adeline’s movements were swift and precise, and her training was evident in the way she handled herself. She used her surroundings to her advantage, dodging and striking with calculated efficiency.
From a distance, Cassian watched intently, his gaze unwavering.
The academy had given them a device that could record the number of kills. Adeline reached twenty easily because of their help, but it was far from enough.
She checked the winning amount for last year’s hunt, Cassian won for three years straight. Unlike her, he skipped the first year.
She had to cross three hundred for her to be sure that she would win. That was the record that Cassian set after all.
"She’s stronger than she looks," Cassian replied, though his expression remained serious.
Adeline, meanwhile, was too focused on the fight to notice her spectators. Her muscles burned with exertion, and her breathing was laboured, but she refused to back down.
With each strike, she felt a surge of confidence. This was what she had trained for—this was her moment to prove herself.
When the last of the monsters fell, Adeline stood amidst the carnage, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. She wiped a streak of dirt from her cheek and looked around, her lightning still crackling faintly in the air around her.
"Not bad," Benedict muttered, though his voice was low enough that only Cassian could hear.