The Primal Blood Demonic Dragon

The afternoon red star filtered lazily through the canopy of the dense forest, slanting golden light across a clearing speckled with moss-covered stones and tangled undergrowth. The air was rich with the scent of pine, earth, and something metallic - the scent of beasts.

At the edge of a small rise, under the wide shade of an ancient maple tree, Lucy lay on her stomach in the grass, chin propped on her hands. Beside her, Alice reclined against the trunk, a book resting on her lap though her eyes weren’t on the pages. Instead, they were fixed on the figures moving through the trees below elegant, deadly, and unbothered.

"They make it look like a dance," Alice murmured, shielding her eyes with a hand.

Lucy grinned. "That’s because for them, it is a dance."

Down below, the clearing had turned into a fluid battlefield.

Saira moved with effortless grace, her azure robe billowing with each step. Her hands traced arcs through the air, and streams of water followed, coiling and snapping with intent. With a flick of her wrist, a lance of high-pressure water shot through the air and impaled a charging boar-beast mid-leap. It shrieked once before dissolving into blue energy, absorbed by the forest floor.

Xingning floated lightly above the ground, the wind playing with her silver-lined green robes and long braid. Each twist of her fingers summoned slicing gusts that carved through trees and flesh alike. A whip-thin beast with mottled fur lunged at her, but she barely turned her head. A lazy motion of her hand sent a miniature cyclone spinning outward, launching the creature high into the trees where it vanished in a flash of dissipating energy.

"They’re not even breaking a sweat," Lucy said, sounding half-impressed, half-earning for not being able to do things like them due to her situation. Yet still she evolved to super rank for some reason surprising everyone, even to herself. She could increase her rank by consuming beast meat and product of greenery, which is pretty common even among other awakeners. There are many who can still level up among fatal injured, handicapped awakeners but their cap would be the ultimate Tier they will be at like Basic Tier, Super Tier or Supreme Tier.

There is no record of someone breaking past the Ultimate Tier. Though that is only publicly and low level awakeners. And they don’t have the sourse right now to investigate the matter.

"That’s what months of hunting in beast territory does to you," Alice replied, finally closing her book. "You either get good or get eaten."

Jean, the wood-element beast, surged from the shadows behind a tree like a force of nature. Her frame was massive, covered in dark green bark that pulsed faintly with inner energy. Vines writhed along his limbs, snapping out like serpents to grab hold of a two-headed panther-beast. The creature snarled and writhed, but the vines tightened, then bloomed violently with spiked blossoms, and the beast was torn apart, its energy spread and absorbed into Jean’s body.

The Lightning Wolf was less subtle.

It appeared in a streak of blinding silver-dark blue light, fangs bared and crackling with lightning. Where it struck, beasts fell in burnt heaps, twitching once before they vanished into ashes. Its fur sparked constantly, each hair bristling with energy. It circled the clearing like a comet with a will of its own, never slowing, never hesitating.

"Are they... farming?" Alice asked, tilting her head.

"Yup," Lucy replied, popping a berry into her mouth. "Beast cores, elemental energy practice. This area’s dense with mid-tier beasts. Perfect for a lazy hunt."

"And here we are. Watching."

"I like watching," Lucy said with a smirk. "Much better than almost dying." But still some sadness hidden which wasn’t perceived by the one beside her.

Alice chuckled but said nothing, eyes returning to the forest scene.

Down below, a low rumble echoed through the clearing. From the thickets emerged a new challenger: a lumbering stone-scaled beast, its eyes glowing a deep amber. Around it, the forest warped roots blackened, trees twisted, and the temperature dropped. A corrupted beast.

Saira and Xingning didn’t even pause.

"I’ll take left," Saira called, her tone casual.

"Then I’ll push from right," Xingning replied, already aloft flowing with winds.

Jean growled lowly, the vines on her arms twitching with anticipation. The Lightning Wolf bared its teeth, sparks dancing between its paws.

The corrupted beast bellowed and slammed a foot down. A shockwave burst outward, cracking stone and uprooting trees. Lucy and Alice winced as the wave reached the base of their hill, rattling the ground.

"Whew. Okay, that one looks a bit more serious," Lucy muttered, finally sitting up.

The corrupted beast lunged.

Saira stepped forward, element on her hands swirling. Water coalesced around her, forming a shimmering shield. The beast struck it then recoiled as if burned, steam hissing where the water met its twisted flesh. With a follow-up flick, Saira sent spears of ice cascading from the air, pinning one of its limbs to the ground.

At the same time, Xingning dropped from the sky like a falcon, her arms extended. Wind exploded beneath her, slamming the beast’s head into the dirt with a thunderous crack. Jean moved in without hesitation, vines bursting from the ground to wrap around the pinned beast’s limbs, rooting it in place. The Lightning Wolf struck last, a bolt of pure electricity streaking from its body into the creature’s core. The smell of burning corruption filled the air.

With a groan, the beast fell still, then cracked apart, its dark energy dispersing into mist.

A brief silence followed. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Lucy let out a low whistle. "Okay, that was satisfying."

Alice clapped slowly. "Honestly, I wish we could record that."

Below, the fighters regrouped in the center of the clearing. Saira bent slightly, collecting a glowing shard of elemental crystal from the beast’s remains. She turned it over in her hand, then tossed it to Xingning.

"For your wind skills," she said simply.

Xingning caught it, offered a two-fingered salute, and tucked it into her pouch.

Jean rumbled contentedly, kneeling to inspect the ground where roots had withered. She pressed a claw to the earth, and from it sprang a patch of moss and blooming clover, restoring the forest. The Lightning Wolf sniffed the air once, then padded over to Lucy and Alice’s perch.

It sat on its haunches like a well-behaved dog, sparks crackling harmlessly around its fur.

Lucy reached out and patted its head. "You know, you might be the best wolf in the world."

It licked her hand, the tongue warm and tingling with static.

The group reconvened a few minutes later beneath the maple.

"Anything left out there?" Lucy asked, stretching.

Saira sat down beside her, shaking her head. "Nothing strong enough to bother with. That corrupted one was the biggest threat in the area."

Xingning landed lightly beside Jean, brushing twigs from her robe. "I was hoping for more. Honestly, we could’ve done that with one hand tied behind our backs."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Want me to tie your hands next time?"

"I’d still win."

They all laughed.

The sun was dipping now, turning the sky soft orange, dappling the forest with gold and amber light. The beasts had stopped coming. The forest, once tense and twitching with danger, seemed to sigh in relief.

Jean leaned against a tree, silent as always, the vines along her arms retreating back into her bark-skin, structure changing to the form of a lizard like creature with moderate wings on her back. The Lightning Wolf curled up near Lucy, tail flicking contentedly.

"You all made that look easy," Alice said after a moment.

Saira smiled faintly. "That’s the point. If we’re struggling out here, something’s gone wrong."

Lucy tossed a berry into the air and caught it. "So what now? Camp here?"

"Probably," Xingning said. "We’re close to the edge of the next hunting zone, but it’s better to rest and hit it fresh in the morning."

Alice opened her book again, flipping through pages absentmindedly. "Fine by me. Just as long as no one expects me to wake up early."

Saira stood, moving toward the treeline. "I’ll get water for the camp. The stream’s nearby."

"I’ll help set up the wards," Jean said in a very sweet voice like silent leaves, moving deeper into the trees.

Xingning stretched, then floated lazily toward a cluster of stones to start setting up the fire ring with a gentle breeze to clear debris.

Lucy leaned back, hands behind her head. "Not a bad day."

Alice smiled without looking up. "Not bad at all."

And so the forest settled again.

The fire crackled to life under Xingning’s careful guidance. Saira returned with fresh water, her arms wet from the cold stream. Jean’s wards pulsed faintly at the edge of the clearing, a soft green light that repelled lesser beasts. The Lightning Wolf stood sentinel, its eyes glowing faintly in the dusk.

Dinner was simple dried meat, some root fruits that they found on their way and a few foraged herbs. But with the stars beginning to peek through the treetops, the sound of bugs rising around them, and the warm fire between them, it felt like a feast.

They didn’t need to speak. They just sat there, together, breathing in the peace they had carved out of wildness.

Tomorrow would bring more fights, more danger, deeper forest paths and perhaps beasts far more deadly. But for tonight, beneath the ancient maple tree, they were safe. Together.

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To Be Continued.