The Guardian gods

Chapter 353: 353

"Maybe I did let my guard down," Aduke replied, her voice hoarse but steady. "But you and your team are relentless. It’s... impressive."

Okon gave her a nod, a glimmer of respect in her eyes. "It’s been a while since anyone’s made us push ourselves this hard," she admitted.

"But you don’t just need strength and tactics; you need to read each other’s intentions and fill in the gaps without needing to think about it." Okon said as the apelings students had a lot of call out before they could respond.

Aduke felt a pang of frustration but nodded in acknowledgment. The cursed Apelings had adapted to every tactic they threw at them, reacting faster and staying one step ahead in a way that felt almost instinctive.

Garrock, his expression softer now that the battle was over, joined Okon. He looked at Aduke with a small, rare smile. "You’ve got grit, kid. But grit alone won’t cut it. Learn to look past your opponent’s next move. When you can do that, we’ll welcome a rematch."

As Aduke listened, Torrent approached, wincing as he held his injured shoulder. "Looks like we’ve got a lot more training ahead of us," he muttered, managing a rueful grin. "Thought we had ’em there for a second."

Ndidi, still catching his breath, shook his head with a smirk. "Guess we need more than fancy tricks and brute strength to take them down."

The crowd’s cheers echoed around them, celebrating the victory of the cursed clan, but Aduke could see in the faces of her teammates the same determination she felt. This wasn’t an ending; it was a challenge—a new goal that would push them to grow.

Okon extended a hand to Aduke, helping her to her feet. "When you’re ready, come back," she said, her voice softer. "We’ll be waiting."

As the students were escorted out of the arena, the adrenaline fading, Aduke glanced back one last time at the cursed Apelings, the image of their unbreakable unity etched in her mind. This defeat was bitter, but it was also a lesson—one she intended to learn well.

Garrock’s grin faded as he glanced over the arena, catching sight of the various onlookers. The mermen stood clustered together, their shimmering scales catching the light, while the harpies with their wings tucked in has their sharp eyes scanning every detail. The werewolves, too, watched intently, their expressions unreadable but unmistakably focused. They hadn’t missed a single move.

Kuro’s gaze darted over the crowd, his voice low as he murmured, "Feels like everyone’s trying to dissect us now. They’re hoping we’d give away more than we did."

Garrock nodded. "The spell and druid system’s integration was working too well for the students," he said thoughtfully. "If Aduke and her team pushed us any longer, and they would’ve forced us to use movements we can’t let slip yet."

Okon sighed, crossing her arms as she gave a subtle, wary glance toward the mermen, who were now muttering among themselves. "They’re all studying us, trying to figure out our strategy—hoping we’ll let our guard down if we’re careless in the next match. But we’ll keep things unpredictable," she smirked, her tone confident. "They’ll find themselves up against the unknown."

Kuro’s lips quirked into a sly grin. "I wouldn’t mind throwing them off with a little misdirection. They’re expecting brute force or our elements to overpower them, but we could shift things up. Maybe let them think they’ve figured us out."

The apelings students walked off as the announcer began calling out the next team of competitors "Next we have the Mermen vs the Harpies"

The announcer’s voice boomed through the arena, filled with excitement as the crowd’s cheers echoed back. "Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves! Coming to the stage now, we have the fierce competitors from the depths of the sea and the skies above! In this corner, representing the Mermen, we have the formidable trio: Kaimana the Sharkman, Moanae the Enchanting Mermaid, and Rumblefin the Relentless Murloc!"

The crowd erupted as the three mermen strode forward, their presence unmistakably commanding. Kaimana’s powerful, sleek frame and muscular frame got a lot of ladies screaming out loudly drowning out the men’s voice, his sharp-toothed grin daring anyone to challenge him. Moanae moved with an ethereal grace, her scaled legs glimpsing lightly from the battle skirt she wore, her eyes calm yet piercing. Rumblefin let out a guttural growl, hopping side to side, his gaze sweeping the harpy team with a gleam of excitement.

The announcer’s voice grew louder as he turned to the opposite side of the arena. "And in the opposite corner, soaring high with the winds on their side, we have the graceful but deadly Harpies!"

The three Harpies swooped down, their wings spreading wide as they landed with perfect synchronization. Their leader, Lira, stood at the front with fierce, focused eyes, her talons tapping lightly on the ground. Sylas, the smallest of the trio but the fastest, flared her feathers, eyeing the Mermen with thinly veiled disdain. The final harpy, Icaros, was massive and imposing, his wingspan stretching wider than the others, casting a long shadow over the arena floor.

The announcer gestured toward the two teams as the crowd held its breath. "Let the battle begin!"

Kuro watched from the sidelines, his sly grin returning. "Let’s see how the Mermen handle this one. They’re going up against speed and aerial precision. Could get interesting."

Kaimana turned to his teammates, keeping his voice low. "Stick close, let them make the first move. They’ll expect us to attack aggressively. Let’s not give them that."

Rumblefin grunted, his eyes never leaving the Harpies. "Let ’em try. I’ll make a snack outta one of ’em if they get close enough."

The Harpies wasted no time. Sylas shot upward with a powerful thrust of her wings, gaining a high vantage point as Lira darted low, fast as lightning, circling to the side. Icaros, with his powerful wings, stayed grounded for a moment, sizing up Kaimana with a challenging glare, then leapt skyward with a screech that echoed across the arena.

The Mermen moved in sync. Moanae conjured a shimmering barrier of water around her teammates, swirling it like a vortex that obscured their forms. "They’ll have to come in close to attack now," she murmured, her voice calm. Kaimana and Rumblefin positioned themselves within the vortex, their figures hazy through the water, waiting to strike.

Sylas dived first, wings folding close to her body as she shot down toward the vortex with deadly precision. Just as she broke through the barrier, Kaimana lunged with a swift punch, his fist hardened by a coating of jagged scales. Sylas twisted away at the last second, but not before the shockwave Kaimana from his fist sent a spray of torn feathers to the air.

The explosive sound from Kaimana fist took him by surprise and everyone around by surprise as there was no mana in the punch yet it sounded so heavy meeting the air.

Even Ikem and Urusla were taken back by the show of strength. Icaros who took Kaimana as a challenge now had a different look on his face.

Moanae looked at Kaimana who was staring at his fist in excitement "What was that, she asked?"

Kaimana turned his gleaming teeth at her as he said "I never took notice of it but the surface air feels so light, it might have something to do with that"

Moanae’s eyes widened, her voice soft yet filled with curiosity. "The surface air? Are you saying the pressure here is affecting your strength?"

Kaimana clenched his fist again, his grin broadening as he flexed his arm, feeling the raw power coursing through him. "Back in the deep, every move is like a battle against the weight of the ocean. Up here? It’s like I’m swinging through water that’s barely there." He looked at Moanae, eyes gleaming. "And I plan to use it."

The Harpies, hovering at a wary distance, circled them with newfound caution. Sylas, shaken by her close call, kept her distance, her sharp eyes tracking Kaimana’s every move. She called out to her teammates, her voice tense but steady. "Change formation! Keep your distance, and use the air to our advantage. We’re not getting close to him again unless we have to!"

Lira and Icaros adjusted immediately, moving in tighter arcs above the Mermen, preparing to dive in coordinated attacks. Icaros’s face held a flicker of uncertainty as he glanced at Sylas, then back at Kaimana, clearly shaken by the show of strength.

Moanae gave a slight nod to Kaimana. "If they’re staying out of range, we’ll have to flush them out."

With that, she raised her arms, and shimmering tendrils of water began to materialize around her, swirling in elegant arcs that formed whips, ready to strike at any Harpy that dared to come close. The water glinted with a hint of magic, thin yet potent, its weight and speed perfectly tuned to the surface air.