The group was astounded by the sheer power and skill of the stranger. According to Sameer, she was, at the very least, at the Savant sub-stage of the Advanced stage of magic cultivation.

  This was the first of its kind. Usually, the Champion System only provided the classification of beasts , no description, no commentary.

  But for the wyvern, the system went out of its way to give a brief summary of its backstory and even included its name instead of the general species title.

  It spoke volumes about how powerful the wyvern was. Yet the woman was going toe-to-toe with it. Not even they were sure they could keep up with such a powerful beast, even with their abilities.

  However, despite her impressive display of magic, they could see that the longer the battle dragged on, the more overwhelmed she became. Her mana was draining rapidly while the beast still had far more to reveal.

  Wolfton’s blood pumped fiercely. He felt compelled to assist her or at least pull her away from the overwhelming monster. It might appear that they were evenly matched, but it was only a fa?ade.

  His teeth ground together. His fists clenched. His body grew impatient.

  Just as he prepared to move, Lysandra called everyone’s attention.

  “Guys, look, it’s James.”

  She pointed toward the mouth of another tunnel opening into the chamber below theirs.

  “It is James… but what is he doing?”

  There he stood.

  Silent. Observing. Aloof. Disinterested.

  It seemed he had arrived before them, yet all he did was watch the destructive battle unfold.

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  Wolfton could not believe what he was seeing. How could he watch someone fight tooth and nail for their life and remain unmoved?

  He was a Being of Old, the strongest among them. Why was he so indifferent?

  Rage boiled within Wolfton.

  The others, however, had a vague idea of what was happening. James detested animal cruelty and avoided fighting beasts whenever possible, threatening or not.

  Even Sergeant Lupin had once said that James viewed his fellow stickmen as animals and preferred not to fight at all.

  Aurelia explained this quietly, which made Wolfton recall the first time he and Raven encountered him. James had refused to fight until Sergeant Lupin forced the issue by assigning them the task of protecting baby chicks from him.

  Still, it did not excuse simply watching while someone’s life was in danger.

  As anger simmered within Wolfton, another thought surfaced.

  The stranger felt familiar.

  Her magic. Her staff. Even her skin tone.

  They reminded him strongly of Helga, one of his cohort alongside Raven. He could not be certain because her face was obscured by the chaos of battle, but he hoped it was not her.

  On the other side, while James appeared cold and aloof, his icy blue eyes fixed on the battle, he was actually attempting to communicate with the great beast.

  After countless failed attempts, he finally succeeded.

  “Yo, big guy,” James said inside Deinofrigus’s mind.

  The wyvern recoiled slightly, turning its head toward him.

  Blood trickled from James’s nose as he gritted his teeth.

  'This is why I hate using telepathy on powerful beings'.

  Helga noticed the distraction and hurled a turbulent whirlwind toward the wyvern’s face.

  A massive wall of ice rose instantly from the ground, blocking the attack as shards scattered from the impact.

  “A mortal manages to speak to me… and within my mind, no less.”

  The wyvern did not move its mouth, nor did it respond telepathically, yet everyone heard the voice clearly.

  “My word,” Sameer said, mesmerized. “It used mana as intent to convey its thoughts!”

  Everyone was stunned.

  It was common knowledge that Mystic Beasts possessed unique mana signatures just like people. For wyverns and dragons, this was known as Draconic Energy, each individual possessing specialized abilities.

  What shocked them was how it was being used.

  Deinofrigus released his energy as pure intent, allowing his thoughts to be understood by all.

  Realization dawned.

  None of them could speak into the voracious beast’s mind.

  No one except...

  The five students turned toward James, whose nose continued bleeding.

  They had never seen him display such an ability before. His true powers remained unknown; many assumed his monstrous strength, speed, and vitality were his only gifts.

  James gritted his teeth and continued.

  “Please, stop this meaningless fight. I don’t know what business you have with her, but is fighting really the answer? We can settle this peacefully—”

  “Foolish mortal!” Deinofrigus interrupted.

  “For too long have your kind trespassed upon his royal residence. You looted, stole, killed, and committed countless atrocities.”

  “But my master overlooked it all. Despite your greed, he showed mercy.”

  “Still, you desired more. You mistook mercy for weakness and attacked him directly!”

  The wyvern’s voice rose with fury.

  “You will rue this day! Death to you all, you who have defiled the sanctification of his sacred domain!”

  “Die!”

  Blood burst from James’s mouth. Coughing violently, he collapsed to his knees, breathing raggedly.

  Blue light surged through Deinofrigus’s eyes and throat, gathering into a blinding core before erupting outward in a torrent of freezing radiance that devoured everything in its path.

  It was aimed directly at James..