NOVPUB
Chapter 335: 335
A massive boulder came hurtling down the mountainside, nearly striking the raven out of the sky. The ground beneath them shook as one of the subterranean creatures from below had surfaced, roaring in fury at being disturbed. The beast was enormous, a towering stone-shelled monstrosity with glowing eyes. It had erupted from the earth and was now wreaking havoc on the mountain, sending competitors scattering in every direction.
The Terra Clan, regaining their footing, controlled the earth around them to form a huge pike which was thrown at the huge creature. The Zephyr Clan was forced to retreat temporarily, caught between the raging storm and the monstrous creature. The harpies, already struggling against the wind, found themselves knocked from the sky by flying debris, and the Apeling students darted for cover.
But despite the chaos, the raven wasn’t deterred. Its eyes locked on the flag, now just within reach. In a last-ditch effort, it dove straight for the summit. Just as it was about to grasp the flag, a lightning bolt from one of the harpy students shot out, narrowly missing the raven but causing the entire peak to shake violently.
Everyone held their breath, watching as the raven extended its wings, just inches away from the flag...
And then, everything stopped.
A loud, mechanical click echoed across the zone, and the ground beneath everyone’s feet shuddered. The storm began to fade, the monstrous creature retreated into the earth, and the rain ceased. For a moment, everything was silent.
Suddenly, the mountain began to dissolve. The entire landscape shifted as the ground morphed into soft clouds and the rocky cliffs faded into mist. The contestants were no longer climbing the mountain—they were floating. The Earth Zone had transitioned into the Sky Zone.
With no solid ground beneath them and no one able to fly, all the clans found themselves suspended in mid-air, desperately trying to regain their bearings as they plummeted toward the clouds below.
Back a few moments ago when those in the water zone were brought to the sky. As the competitors in the Water Zone found themselves hurtling through the sky, the sudden shift to the Wind Zone caught everyone off guard. The werewolves, with their heavy, icy armor, struggled to adjust mid-air. The Ripple Clan, nestled within their protective water sphere, tumbled, the force of gravity beginning to break apart the ball. The mermen clung to the giant octopus they had summoned, which stretched out its watery tentacles in a desperate attempt to slow their descent.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the flamboyant announcer’s voice echoed, "It seems our water-based competitors are free-falling into the Wind Zone! And none of them can fly—what a twist! Who will adapt first?"
The audience gasped as the Ripple Clan leader acted quickly, directing their gathered water to form thin jets aimed downward. The jets sprayed out like rockets, slowing their fall, but it was far from enough to bring them to a full stop. They tumbled toward the floating islands below, bracing themselves for impact.
On the other side of the zone, the mermen’s octopus elemental lashed out its tentacles, grabbing onto an island’s ledge. It swung the mermen onto solid ground just in time, before dissolving back into water. "And the mermen land gracefully, saving themselves from what could’ve been a disastrous drop! But look at those werewolves—they’ve got something else in mind!"
The werewolves, still armored in their icy frost, plummeted fast, but instead of panicking, they embraced the descent. Their leader let out a deep, echoing howl that resonated through the Wind Zone. His teammates doing the same as a moon phanthom appeared behind them followed by the darkening of the sky where the outline of stars appeared.
Light from the stars fell, forming a starlight path that was flickering weakly, the werewolves knowing they didn’t have much time hastened as they ran towards a floating island close to them.
The werewolves, now running along the fragile starlight path, barely maintained their footing as they bounded toward the nearest island. Their leader’s howl continued to echo, each reverberation causing the stars to flicker, but the path was unstable, fading behind them as they sprinted. The leader barked orders, urging his pack to leap to safety as the island loomed ahead. With a final burst of speed, they jumped just as the last remnants of the path vanished, landing on the solid ground of the floating island with a thunderous impact.
"And the werewolves make it! Barely holding onto that shimmering starlight, they’ve managed to land safely—but for how long?" the announcer’s voice boomed.
Meanwhile, the Ripple Clan, still plummeting, deployed their watery jets in a desperate effort to slow down. Their leader, eyes focused and calm, manipulated the water currents expertly, directing his clanmates to aim for an island beneath them. The impact was rough, but they managed to land in a shallow pool formed by their water, minimizing the damage.
"They’ve done it! Ripple Clan has slowed their fall with precision, though their water reserves are dwindling fast! Let’s see how they fare now that they’re grounded."
Not long after they landed, those on the earth stone were brought to the sky zone too, The harpies and Zephyr clan had no problem adjusting quickly as this Zone was meant for them.
The only that seemed to have a problem were the Terra clan and apeling student, but soon that changed as the Terra clan became the only one struggling.
The apelings students, those that could turn into birds, helped the other students as they flew towards an Island.
The Terra Clan members began to plummet through the clouds, struggling to regain control. Their leader, Garrock, grunted in frustration, feeling the pull of gravity taking them farther from the mountain and closer to the abyss below.
"Hold on to each other!" Garrock roared. His voice cut through the chaos as his clanmates reached for one another, forming a chain as they fell. Without earth to ground them, they were dangerously vulnerable.
Just then, one of the Zephyr Clan members, soaring overhead, let out a mocking laugh. "What’s the matter, earth-dwellers? Having trouble in the skies?" The Zephyr Clan had the clear advantage here, gliding effortlessly through the winds, their light bodies floating like feathers on the breeze.
The Terra Clan had no time for taunts. Garrock’s mind raced as he tried to think of a solution. He knew they couldn’t manipulate the air or the clouds like the other clans, but they had one thing no one else had: resilience.
"We can’t fall to our deaths," Garrock growled. "We’ve got to find something solid!"
Suddenly, Garrock spotted floating islands in the distance. They were small, rock-like platforms hanging in the sky—a rare source of solid ground in the Sky Zone. Though the distance was vast, it was their only hope.
"There! Head for those islands!" Garrock bellowed.
The Terra Clan, relying purely on their physical strength, swung their chained bodies, trying to alter their trajectory toward the islands. They had no control over the wind, but they used the momentum from their fall and their brute force to steer themselves closer. It was a harrowing task, with gusts of wind buffeting them from every angle.
A screech cut through the air as one of the sky beasts—a massive, bird-like creature with razor-sharp talons—dove toward them. Garrock reacted instantly. He swung his body like a pendulum, using the weight of his stone-covered arms to collide with the creature. His punch landed squarely on its side, knocking the beast off course, but not without the bird slashing one of his clanmates with its talons.
"Stay focused!" Garrock barked, as the Terra Clan pressed on through the chaotic sky. The injured clanmate gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the talon slash, but they all knew they couldn’t afford to stop—not here, where gravity and the wind had turned against them.
The floating islands that Garrock had spotted were still distant, but they were inching closer with every swing of their bodies. Each member in the chain used the force of their heavy armor and natural strength to sway back and forth, trying to fight against the gusts of wind that threatened to scatter them. It was a slow, grueling process, but the Terra Clan was nothing if not persistent.
Above them, the Zephyr Clan danced effortlessly through the sky, light as air. The mocking grin of the Zephyr leader lingered in Garrock’s mind as they spiraled gracefully toward the flag, their ease in this environment a stark contrast to the Terra Clan’s struggle.
But Garrock didn’t let the frustration of their disadvantage distract him. His eyes were fixed on their goal—the islands, solid ground, something that could give them a fighting chance.
"We’re almost there!" shouted one of his clanmates, straining with the effort of keeping the chain intact.
Suddenly, another powerful gust of wind slammed into them. The chain wobbled dangerously, and one of the Terra Clan members at the end of the line lost his grip.
"No!" Garrock shouted, lunging to catch him, but the wind snatched him away too fast. The fallen clan member spiraled downward, disappearing into the thick clouds below.
