Chapter 426: Progress Made

“Hm, you’re right. The way back might be even harder than stealing the fruit of the Golden Lotus,” Ryan muttered while staring at the armies ahead.

Thalion fully agreed. More than an hour had already passed, and they still hadn’t come up with a solid plan to get the fruit—and escape afterward.

“Is there anyone ahead who could actually beat you?” Thalion asked, observing the castles in the distance. It was hard to tell where the strongest fighters were since most stayed inside, but every now and then clashes between the islands broke out. Those moments offered brief glimpses of the top combatants, and all of them packed serious power. In fact, Thalion wasn’t sure he could win a direct fight against any of them. The best he could do was support Ryan’s advance—because as an F-grade, even with all his advantages, he was still outmatched.

“Hm. There are a few who would make things difficult, but none should be my equal,” Ryan said after some thought. “I was also thinking—couldn’t we just dive beneath these massive rocks and emerge right in front of the lotus?”

Thalion had considered that too, which was why he had paid close attention to the airspace below the islands.

“Same idea,” he replied, “but every faction has troops waiting for someone dumb enough to try it. That would force us to fight all of them at once instead of dealing with them piece by piece.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Ryan snapped, killing intent rising. “The lotus won’t take much longer to bloom, and we’re still too far away.”

“I was hoping one of the factions would start a smaller war first—it would make things easier,” Thalion admitted. “But you’re probably right. We’re running out of time. You go for the leaders. I’ll handle the weaker ones. Any objections?”

He stood up, brushing the dirt from his still-good-looking suit. Once he reached two million points, he’d need better equipment for the rest of the trial. Crafting could come later—for now, he needed raw power.

“Fine. Let’s go. I’m itching to finish those lightning bastards,” Ryan hissed, his murderous aura growing stronger with every step toward the next island.

Thalion had to admit, the discussion had been far more productive than expected. Working together with another Chosen—and actually coming up with a reasonable plan—was surprising. Of course, it was also in Ryan’s interest; one million points were on the line. Losing his entire party in the opening minutes probably weighed heavily on his ego as well.

Thalion didn’t share that problem. He was fully focused on the objective and had already accepted that everyone on the mission might die. Betrayals and disasters were far too common in the system for party deaths to shake his resolve anymore. He still remembered his first companions being burned alive on wooden stakes after that damned orc killed them. It would have been different if it were Kaldrek, Jack, Josh, or the others from the tutorial—but these were strangers.

Ryan’s power surged as he closed the distance, then he shot forward, activating his movement skill. The gap between the islands was roughly two hundred meters—trivial by system standards—and he crossed it in a single leap.

Thalion didn’t remain in his human form. He shifted into Eagly and rose into the sky. There was no reason to hide his transformations anymore; that knowledge was already out, and a Chosen like Ryan would discover them sooner or later. Besides, compared to his curse or bloodline, revealing Eagly was harmless.

He immediately activated Skydive for a speed boost and followed it with Tempest Glide, accelerating sharply. As Eagly, lightning users posed far less of a threat, and he didn’t have to fear being instantly killed by a single hit.

The Fulgarin hadn’t been idle during the delay. When Ryan arrived, they were already lined up behind barricades, fully prepared for battle. Unlike the silver-armored soldiers’ camp, this island featured several wooden towers and thick walls over ten meters high.

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Thalion wasn’t sure what kind of wood the wall was made of, but it was clear it wouldn’t be destroyed easily. Frankly, they didn’t really need to destroy it in the first place. A ten-meter-high wall might have worked on old Earth, but in the system it was nothing. The only real advantages it offered were high ground and the ability to wait for the perfect strike when someone tried to jump over it.

That was why Thalion fired a lightning beam from above the moment they reached it, clearing the small wooden wall in a single sweep. The Fulgarin jumped out of the way, clearly unwilling to make contact with the attack, which opened the path for Ryan—who didn’t care at all and simply smashed through the wall as if it weren’t there.

Now almost the entire island focused on the two of them, with only a handful of fighters keeping the neighboring islands at bay. They had two leaders—two tall, slim females radiating immense power. Lightning danced across their skin in rapid intervals, and Thalion wondered how their long black hair wasn’t standing straight up. Instead, it flowed behind them as if underwater.

Relieved that he didn’t need to deal with them directly, Thalion made a wide arc through the air, accelerating further while channeling another lightning beam. So far, he had only seriously injured two fighters—not nearly enough to ease Ryan’s burden, as the Chosen was already charging straight toward the two leaders.

Lightning arrows, spears, swords, and raw bolts were hurled at Ryan, but every attack shattered against the intense heat domain surrounding his body. Multiple lightning attacks also targeted Thalion, but like Ryan, he could ignore them in his Eagly form. In fact, he could even draw on the lightning to empower his next skills.

The next lightning beam lasted longer, grilling four Fulgarin outright. Even with their high lightning resistance, it wasn’t enough against such a condensed attack. Thalion needed direct hits to kill them; otherwise, they were back on their feet in no time. Because of their strong lightning affinity, he mixed in wind blades as well. Without his bloodline affecting Eagly, those attacks weren’t lethal to mid-E-grade opponents unless he struck the neck—but they were enough to keep enemies off balance while he charged the next lightning beam.

Ryan was fully engaged with the two female leaders, who unleashed terrifying amounts of lightning. Fortunately, his allied Chosen could dodge or simply tank the attacks while roasting the Fulgarin with waves of flame and the overwhelming heat of his aura, which served both offense and defense.

He clearly outmatched them in speed, strength, and durability, leaving them little room to respond. Ryan looked almost berserk—flames erupted from his body in wild, uncontrolled arcs, burning everything they touched. His power continued to rise with every exchange.

The fight progressed smoothly. Thalion streaked across the battlefield in wide arcs, firing at anyone who tried to interfere with the main clash. Several enemies attempted to pin him down, but Eagly was far too fast and mobile—especially with the ability to change direction instantly and the title warning him of incoming attacks.

Even so, Thalion had to admit he trusted the title less than before, ever since that ice girl had sniped him out of the sky. In hindsight, she really was insane. If she ever became some kind of ice dragon, that bloodline would suit her perfectly. Still, he wasn’t cold-blooded enough to rip a bloodline out of a child’s soul—so that was never going to happen. Bloodlines were everywhere anyway; he’d find a good one sooner or later.

Clearing the island turned out to be far easier than expected. Once Ryan killed the two leaders, the remaining Fulgarin fled for their lives. They chased them to the edges, where the survivors jumped off and flew away. The neighboring islands didn’t attack—not out of mercy, but because doing so would leave them exposed to their own neighbors.

Four islands still stood between them and the Golden Lotus, each more fortified than the last.

“Can you keep this up until we reach the lotus?” Thalion asked, landing beside Ryan and shifting back into his human form.

“I can handle three more islands,” Ryan said after a moment. “After that, I’ll need a short break. No reason to waste time—let’s move.”

“Whoa, hold on,” Thalion said, stopping him. Even if they conquered the islands ahead, the fight for the lotus itself would be the most important one. Ryan needed to be at peak strength for that.

“I don’t think we should push all the way immediately. And what if we get attacked after taking the island closest to the lotus? I say we clear one more, then pause. The lotus still needs time to bloom.”

That finally slowed Ryan’s bloodlust.

“This doesn’t look good,” he muttered to himself, “but I’m a Chosen. As long as I reach the fruit in time, no one else will take it.” He nodded. “Alright. One more island, then a break.”

His aura flared again as he shot toward the next island. This one appeared to be controlled by some kind of guild. Unlike the previous enemies, they weren’t even the same race. Lion-headed warriors wielded massive axes and broadswords, while tiny, winged humans—no taller than half a meter—fluttered through the air like butterflies.

The next fight could be much harder. This time, freely flying through the sky as Eagly wouldn’t be an option—not with archers waiting in the back.