The Primal Blood Demonic Dragon

Ray of light filtered through the dense canopy of the ancient forest, painting the underbrush with scattered flecks of gold. The sounds of rustling leaves, chirping birds, and the occasional roar of distant beasts echoed through the trees, a constant reminder that this was still untamed land. But amidst this chaotic harmony, a battle was unfolding elegant, controlled, and almost... serene.

Saira stood ankle-deep in a crystal-clear stream that wove through the forest floor, her long aquamarine robes rippling softly with the current. Water spiraled around her in thin ribbons, dancing between her fingers like obedient serpents. Her expression was calm, almost bored, as she gestured with a flick of her hand. A spear of pressurized water burst from the stream and pierced a charging, boar-like beast in the chest, sending it sprawling backward with a wet thud.

To her right, Xingning moved with a grace that defied the chaos around her. Her flowing pale-green attire fluttered as if carried by an unseen breeze. And in a way, it was winds encircled her form like a protective barrier. With a swift step forward, she spun in place, her leg sweeping through the air. A gust of slicing wind followed the motion, severing the wings of a harpy-beast as it dove toward her. It crashed into the ground at her feet, writhing briefly before going still.

"Two o’clock, behind the brush," Xingning called lazily, barely raising her voice.

"Got it," Saira replied smoothly.

From the shadows of a thicket, another beast—a lizard with crystalline scales sprang forth with a screech. But before it could land its attack, Jean erupted from the forest floor like a sudden tree blooming into existence. Vines shot out from her bark-covered body, ensnaring the beast mid-leap and slamming it into the trunk of a nearby tree. The creature didn’t rise again.

Jean stood tall and stoic, her wooden limbs covered in moss and leaves. She resembled a humanoid tree, her glowing green eyes scanning the clearing with a guardian’s vigilance. Without a word, she raised an arm and sent a flurry of razor-sharp leaves toward a hidden predator lurking in the branches. A yelp confirmed the hit.

Suddenly, a crackle lit the air like static before a storm. The Lightning Wolf, a majestic beast with silver-blue fur and streaks of electric-blue lightning coursing along its sides, darted from one side of the battlefield to the other. Each pawstep discharged a shockwave, stunning or electrocuting any beast foolish enough to come near. It leapt high into the air, somersaulted mid-flight, and landed on the back of a massive bear-beast, sending a surge of lightning through it. The beast roared once and collapsed.

Underneath the shade of an old, wide-branched tree on a small hill overlooking the fight, Lucy and Alice sat comfortably on a soft patch of moss. A small picnic had been set between them slices of elemental fruit, a pot of soul calming tea, and a half-finished peice of roasted meat. Alice leaned back against the tree trunk, idly chewing a piece of sliced meat, her eyes only occasionally flicking toward the battle below.

"You think they’ll be done soon?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Through the years even she changed quite a lot to behave like a normally person does, credited to other ladies along with Lucy.

Lucy, her legs crossed and her lap full of open sketchbooks, didn’t even look up. She was busy sketching the scene, capturing the trail of sparks in delicate charcoal lines.

"Hmm? Oh, probably. They’re barely breaking a sweat. Saira hasn’t even pulled out her ocean queen-form," Lucy murmured.

"True. Xingning looks like she’s at a dance recital."

A distant explosion of wind and leaves made them glance up briefly. A beast the size of a house had appeared from the treeline horned, bellowing, and covered in bark-like armor. It roared, shaking the forest, and charged toward Jean.

Jean didn’t move. She simply turned hes gaze toward the charging beast, and the ground answered for her. Roots surged from the earth, wrapping around the creature’s legs and yanking it down with a thunderous crash. Saira stepped forward this time, her arms raised. Water from the stream began to rise, forming a spiraling column.

"Think she’s using it now?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope. Just the normal torrent form," Lucy replied without missing a stroke.

The column burst apart into several high-pressure whips that battered the downed beast from multiple angles, each hit leaving deep gouges in its armor. Xingning darted in like a gust, slicing through the gaps with blades of wind that bled the creature dry. Within moments, it was motionless.

The group barely paused.

"They’re... too coordinated," Alice muttered. "It’s not even a fight."

"Nope. It’s farming," Lucy said with a smile.

Another pack of smaller beasts darted out, dog-sized creatures with chitinous bodies and multiple glowing eyes. The Lightning Wolf barreled into them, its body crackling like a summer storm. One by one, the creatures popped with bursts of static energy, their twitching forms scattered across the clearing.

Jean raised an arm and created a wall of thick vines to block another incoming group. Saira gestured again, and a wave rose from the stream and crashed over them, pinning them to the forest floor. Xingning twirled through the mist, blades of air spinning around her like dancers. In seconds, it was over.

Lucy finally closed her sketchbook.

"I think that’s it," she said, brushing off her hands.

"Good. I was about to take a nap."

As if on cue, Saira walked up the hill, droplets clinging to her robes before falling off like pearls. She didn’t seem tired.

"That should be enough for the cores and meat," she said. "Any more and we’d have to stay overnight to process them."

Xingning floated up next to her, literally carried by a gentle breeze. "That bear-beast had good essence. Might be useful for augmenting Jean’s second bloodline."

Jean simply nodded, her bark-covered head tilting slightly in acknowledgment.

The Lightning Wolf trotted over to Lucy and Alice, its fur still sparking faintly. It sniffed at the meat before plopping down and resting its head on Alice’s lap. She chuckled and petted its snout.

"Tired now, huh? You make it look easy."

The wolf gave a huff that sounded suspiciously like amusement.

"Let’s pack up," Saira said, glancing at the sinking sun. "We’ll return before nightfall."

As the team regrouped, Lucy rolled up her sketch and glanced once more at the battlefield. It looked like a storm had passed, bodies of beasts strewn across the clearing, trees swaying gently, and steam rising from the moisture in the air.

But no one on their team bore a scratch.

"Yeah," she muttered to herself, "not even a warm-up."

They disappeared into the trees, the forest already beginning to reclaim what was lost.

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To Be Continued.