NOVPUB
Chapter 334: 334
"Over in the Earth Zone, the Terra Clan and Harpies are locked in a race to the top of the mountain!" the announcer’s voice boomed through the arena. "Who will claim the flag first? The Harpies dominate the sky, but the Terra Clan has the ground on their side!"
The Zephyr Clan, seeing the dense trees, executed their own strategy. They wasted no time, leaping from tree to tree, the wind at their backs speeding their movements. With expert precision, they swung between branches, using the momentum of the wind to boost their speed.
Meanwhile, the Apeling students, realizing the race had begun, immediately shifted into their animal forms. Cheetahs, panthers, eagles, and ravens all emerged from their ranks, each adapting to the terrain. The big cats bounded ahead with incredible speed, while the birds soared above, scanning the landscape and calling out directions to their comrades below.
It wasn’t long before all the clans converged at the base of the towering mountain. The Terra Clan was still pressing with their advanatge as they continued swimming up the mountain undisturbed.
Above, the Harpies screeched in frustration, swooping down toward the Terra Clan as they tried to reclaim the high ground. Suddenly, a blast of wind from a Zephyr Clan member disrupted the harpies’ flight pattern, sending a few of them tumbling through the air before they could regain their balance.
The Apeling students weren’t far behind. Their panther and cheetah forms moved with grace, clawing their way up the mountain with feline agility. Overhead, the eagles and ravens circled, calling out strategies to those still climbing below.
"And now, all the clans are converging at the mountain!" the announcer’s voice rang out again. "It’s anyone’s game at this point, folks! The Zephyr Clan is using the wind to disrupt their competitors, but can they reach the flag before the Terra Clan digs their way to the top? And don’t count out the Apeling students—they’re moving like a well-oiled machine!"
High above, the Harpies, realizing they couldn’t stop the Terra Clan from below, pushed themselves even higher, determined to secure the flag. The leader of the Zephyr Clan, seeing this, frowned. He knew that if the Harpies gained the upper hand now, the flag would be lost to them.
Sensing the shift, the Zephyr Clan leader acted quickly. He stretched his hands skyward, summoning the winds to their full power. "With me!" he commanded, his voice cutting through the roar of the oncoming storm. His clan members followed suit, and the sky above the mountain began to churn. Dark clouds swirled into a vortex, and the winds began to howl with ferocity, bending trees and kicking up debris. The harpies faltered, their flight patterns disrupted by the violent gusts. Several of them tumbled through the air, wings struggling to stay open.
Yet the Terra Clan remained undisturbed, burrowing deeper into the stone beneath their feet, while the Apeling students slowed their progress, having to battle against the powerful winds.
Meanwhile, the Zephyr Clan laughed, the storm their ally. Their bodies became light as feathers, and they rode the winds effortlessly, gliding through the storm toward the summit, passing by their competitors with ease. But they had underestimated the harpies’ resolve.
Anger flashed in the eyes of one of the harpy leaders as she raised her arm toward the swirling clouds. Her wings shimmered and began to transform, turning into clouds themselves. With a single command, she manipulated the weather, bending the storm to her will. It wouldn’t have been possible for her alone but the Zephyr clan already gathered the clouds for her.
Seeing their leader’s intent, two harpy students with wings crackling with electricity soared into the sky. Lightning flickered around them, and with a coordinated strike, they unleashed bolts of lightning directly into the heart of the storm.
There was a moment of eerie silence before the sky erupted in a deafening thunderclap. The heavens opened, and torrential rain began to fall in sheets. The heavy downpour combined with the turbulent winds turned the storm into a living nightmare for the Zephyr Clan. The rain disrupted their flight patterns, making it increasingly difficult for them to maintain control of the wind.
The Terra Clan, hidden beneath the surface, initially thought they were safe from the chaos above, but the soaked ground betrayed them. As the rain soaked into the earth, the once-solid soil turned into mud, making it difficult to move freely. Worse, the Terra Clan’s presence disturbed the underground balance, drawing the attention of subterranean creatures that were native to the Earth Zone. Eyes glowing in the darkness, massive worm-like beasts with armored scales turned their attention to the moving intruders.
The Terra Clan leader, sensing the danger, swallowed hard. "To the surface—immediately!" he barked, but it was too late. The creatures lunged at them, forcing the Terra warriors to hastily retreat to the surface, abandoning their stealthy underground advantage.
Above, the Apeling students remained steady, even as the storm grew more violent. Though slowed by the weather, their teamwork remained flawless. The panther led the way, creating a path with sharpened rocks, allowing the others to follow closely behind. The cheetah’s speed allowed them to scout ahead, while the eagle and raven transformed back into their humanoid Apeling forms, finding that flight had become a liability in the storm.
Despite the odds, the Apelings adapted to every challenge thrown their way. As they continued their ascent, the other clans found themselves locked in their own struggles. The harpies, though partially controlling the storm, were hindered by the sheer power of the rain and lightning they had summoned. The Zephyr Clan, once dominant in the air, now found themselves grounded by the storm they had called forth. And the Terra Clan, once sure of their mastery over the earth, now had to contend with the vicious creatures beneath the surface.
The race was far from over. Each clan fought not only against each other but also against the mountain itself, with its harsh weather, treacherous terrain, and deadly creatures.
"And now, it’s anyone’s game!" the announcer’s voice boomed, barely audible over the chaos. "The Apelings are pushing through, the Terra Clan is forced back to the surface, the harpies are struggling to maintain their control, and the Zephyr Clan is grounded by their own storm! Who will take the flag?!"
The Terra Clan had just resurfaced from the underground, narrowly avoiding the monstrous creatures lurking beneath. Their stone-covered bodies were drenched, and the wet, slippery rocks hindered their climbing abilities. But their leader, a towering figure of granite, would not be deterred. "Form the pillar!" he bellowed. The Terra warriors immediately sank their fists into the ground, pulling up chunks of rock to create a massive stone pillar that shot up toward the peak. They were going to launch themselves to the summit in one last attempt to grab the flag.
But the Apeling students were already ahead, their animal forms giving them the agility needed to scale the increasingly treacherous terrain. The panther, leading the charge, suddenly stopped. Its eyes glowed with sharp intelligence as it observed the Terra Clan’s stone pillar rising from below. Without wasting a second, the Apelings shifted strategy. The panther roared to alert the others, and in an instant, the cheetah leaped ahead, its form blurring as it dashed up the side of the mountain with uncanny speed. The Apelings were aiming to intercept the Terra Clan at the summit.
Meanwhile, the harpies were battling against the storm they had partially summoned. Rain lashed against their wings, making flight almost impossible, but the lightning-wielding harpies were not done yet. "The flag is ours!" screeched their leader. She flapped her wings once, sending a burst of energy toward the mountain. Lightning crackled and struck the stone pillar the Terra Clan had created, shattering it halfway up, sending massive chunks of rock plummeting down the mountainside. The Terra Clan members, mid-ascent, were thrown into disarray, losing their grip as the mountain itself crumbled beneath them.
The Zephyr Clan, on the other hand, had adapted to the sudden downpour. Their mastery over wind allowed them to glide, even in the worst of conditions. "Push forward!" their leader yelled, his body floating with the swirling gusts. He extended his hand, and his clan followed his lead, riding the wind currents in a last-ditch effort to reach the top. But the turbulent winds became unstable as the rain intensified, making every gust unpredictable.
In a shocking twist, one of the Apeling students—a raven who had shifted back to their humanoid form—saw an opportunity. With the harpies distracted by their own storm and the Zephyr Clan struggling in the wind, the raven called out, "Now’s our chance!" In a blur, they transformed into a snake, coiling tightly around a nearby boulder. In one swift movement, the raven-turned-snake whipped its body and launched itself into the air, shifting back into a raven mid-flight to catch the wind current.
The raven soared higher and higher, aiming straight for the flag at the summit. The Terra Clan was in chaos below, and the Zephyr Clan, though fast, was battling the storm. For a moment, it seemed like the raven might be the one to grab the flag, but then...
