Ch. 41..45: Interstellar_ Return of the Villain Chapter 41-45

Chapter 41: Purpgecko

Mandy woke up early to find a small fire under a tree, with the aroma of roasting bird meat wafting through the air. Beside it, fresh fruits were laid out on big leaves on the ground.

"Come on, grab a bite now that you’re up," Lyra said, tearing off a piece of the bird and handing it to her on a clean leaf. "It might be a bit greasy for breakfast, but we need the energy."

Mandy ran her fingers through her messy hair, her freckled face flushing even redder. "I’m sorry for making you handle all this alone. Did you get enough rest?"

Lyra, sensing Mandy’s unease, looked away. "I’m fine. We’re a team; no need to feel bad."

Mandy, who had a knack for reading expressions, noticed that Lyra seemed genuinely fine, which eased her worries about being a burden.

The roasted meat, though not the most flavorful, did wonders for their weary bodies.

After a quick meal, they set off along their planned route. Not long into their journey, Lyra suddenly stopped and crouched down to inspect some footprints on the ground.

"What..." Mandy started to ask, lowering her voice. "Is something wrong?"

Lyra picked up a scale with purple patterns from the fallen leaves and frowned. "We might run into a group of Purpgeckos up ahead."

"But didn’t we plan to avoid the beasts?" Mandy asked. She then quickly adding a wave of her hand to show she wasn’t doubting Lyra’s judgment. "Just curious."

Lyra, not having time to worry about Mandy’s feelings, quietly explained, "Maybe something on the island has caused them to move."

Purpgeckos are low-level creatures that travel in groups, typically growing up to 1.2 meters, though some can reach 2 meters. Most are level one or two, with their leaders reaching level three, and in large groups, some might even reach level four.

"So, should we go around them?" Mandy suggested.

"We can’t," Lyra replied.

To the east, there was a group of hot springs likely occupied by level five beasts or higher; to the west, a poisonous fog and mountain range, possibly harboring enemy camps.

After all, they were being hunted, with the hunters searching for prey like them everywhere.

Lyra looked through the dense forest. "Let’s keep moving; we can’t afford to lose time."

"...Oh, okay," Mandy agreed.

As they walked, Mandy quietly observed Lyra, thinking how well she seemed to blend into the jungle, calm and composed like a tall tree reaching for sunlight.

The ground grew softer, thick with decaying leaves, making each step squish underfoot. Progress became harder as they moved further in.

Insects grew more numerous, filling the air with a grayish haze. As they noticed the intruders, the bugs swarmed; some of them were bloodsuckers, and their buzzing made Mandy’s skin crawl.

This posed a real threat to Lyra, whose hair had just started to grow back as short black strands.

Mandy frantically tried to swat them away.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning zipped through the insects. Mandy was startled; she instinctively launched an air blade to defend herself.

The crackling sounds were relentless, and insects dropped to the ground, electrocuted.

The smell of burnt bugs made Mandy nearly gag. Then, from all directions, came the sound of more electric buzzing, like distant thunder.

They were surrounded by Purpgeckos.

Just then, a green barrier made of hexagons appeared, blocking all the electric attacks.

"Mandy, blow these bugs away!" Lyra commanded calmly.

Mandy did as she was told, sending the dense swarm of insects flying into the air, where they gathered like a dark cloud. Then, Lyra grabbed her around the waist. "Don’t stop; we need to move."

Lyra launched a light band, and they swung through the forest. Mandy, facing backward, saw the purple lizards clinging to the trees like strange, elongated fruits. There were so many of them.

The leader, a massive one with a body length of nearly ten feet, had purple crystal horns. It was a level-four beast!

It hissed, and all the lizards rushed towards them like lightning.

"They’re catching up!" Mandy shouted.

Lyra didn’t look back. "Leave the back to you; I’m speeding up."

’Can I handle this?’ Mandy thought briefly but replied, "Okay!"

In moments of danger, there was no time for doubt.

Two more light bands from Lyra stretched out like agile arms, swinging them through the treetops, so close to the blue sky.

The sound of rushing wind and rustling leaves filled the air.

Mandy sent wind blades to knock down the long, slender tongues shooting at them. The view alternated between the blue sky and the green canopy, making her almost want to throw up the roasted meat from breakfast.

Gradually, they outpaced the ordinary Purpgeckos, but the level four one kept chasing, its four legs moving so fast they left afterimages among the trees.

"Why is it still chasing us?" Mandy asked, her face pale.

Lyra glanced at a clearing not far away and swung forcefully. "Because it eats meat."

The giant lizard leaped from a branch, opening its huge mouth and shooting out a tongue lined with sharp teeth.

Mandy’s eyes widened in horror.

As they fell rapidly, Lyra reached out and created a series of green shields like stairs for them to descend.

The moment they landed, she pushed Mandy aside, and several light bands sliced the pink tongue into pieces.

The severed tongue segments twitched among the ferns.

The level four Purpgecko finally realized that one of the humans was a level five Peculiar. It hissed, its eyes swiveling to find a way to escape. But it quickly discovered it had been tricked; the nearest tree was still ten meters away!

They stood off against each other.

In an instant, the purple beast bolted like lightning but crashed into the light shield and was bounced back. Eight light bands wrapped around it like a cocoon and slammed it to the ground.

Lightning flashed as it broke free, determined to fight the humans to the death.

The flash of lightning was visible from the treetops.

A man holding binoculars on the mountaintop immediately turned in their direction, smiling as he spotted the target.

In the clearing, Lyra moved quickly around the Purpgecko, using one hand to shield against its attacks.

They couldn’t afford to fight for long.

Just then, Mandy, regaining her composure, raised her hands, unleashing a flurry of air blades. Even though she was only level three, it was enough to distract the Purpgecko.

As it turned its head, a sharp light spike rose behind Lyra like a scorpion’s tail, aiming for the back of the monster’s neck.

But the spike missed its mark slightly.

HISSSS—

The Purpgecko unleashed a burst of lightning from its body. Lyra, holding up a light shield, charged straight into the crackling electricity. She leaped and drove a dagger deep into the creature’s head.

The giant lizard instantly went silent.

As Lyra dug out the Purpgecko’s beast core, Mandy snapped out of her intense focus.

"Lyra, we did it!"

Lyra handed her the blood-covered beast core. "Want it?"

Mandy quickly stepped back. "N-no, it’s okay. I didn’t really do much."

"You did great."

At least Mandy saved her a lot of time; otherwise, she might have been exhausted on the ground again.

 

Chapter 42: Cooperation

Lyra’s unexpected compliment made Mandy blush. "R-Really?"

"Absolutely."

With practiced hands, Lyra picked up the Purpgecko’s tongue, using the suction cups to remove its sharp horns and back spines. These were the most valuable parts, and she handed them all to Mandy.

"You deserve them."

If they sold these, they’d fetch at least twenty thousand dollars. For Mandy, that was a good fortune. This time, she didn’t refuse. "Thank you."

Lyra raised an eyebrow and smirked. "We need to get moving, fast."

The noise they made might have drawn unwanted attention. Not long after the two left, a man and a woman, both wearing green face masks, arrived at the scene.

The man whistled. "Not bad for newbies, taking down a level-four Purpgecko so quick." He kicked the huge corpse, flipping it over with ease. "The skin’s still good. Want it?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Aren’t you embarrassed, scavenging after students?"

"Why should I be?" The man pulled out a knife and started skinning the Purpgecko. "We can’t even afford a piece of level-four armor on two months’ salary."

He skinned it quickly, then took one of its legs, slinging it over his shoulder. "The meat looks good. Let’s roast it."

His partner sighed, too tired to argue. "Are we still chasing them?"

"Chase? Nah, we’ll catch up with them tomorrow."

On the road, Lyra had no clue they were being followed. They lost time with the Purpgecko, and now they couldn’t stop for lunch. They pushed on, gritting their teeth.

When they couldn’t go any further, they paused to rest.

"Lyra, are you okay?" Mandy asked, leaning against a rock and panting, using her cane for support.

Lyra took a sip of water, her lips turning purple from lack of oxygen. "I can keep going."

As long as they used minimal energy, they could recover while moving.

Mandy wanted to say something but stopped. Looking at Lyra’s pale, tired face, she seemed like she might faint at any moment. Mandy couldn’t bring herself to ask the question she’d been hiding—how could a healer be so strong in battle?

Just now when they were fighting, she was too shocked to think about it, and now when she looked back, it just seemed unbelievable.

’No wondered her superpower scored 18,’ Mandy told herself.

As they neared their goal, more enemies awaited. Several times, they were almost caught, but Lyra’s quick reactions saved them.

By seven in the evening, they took a short break.

They ate a cold meal, not daring to light a fire. As more students gathered near the finish line, the enemy’s circle tightened, increasing the chances of being discovered.

Lyra climbed to a high spot.

Hoverboards and helicopters flew overhead, gathering near the finish line like bears waiting for fish to swim by, ready to pounce.

"I always heard our school don’t fair games," Mandy said, unable to fully express her anger but feeling it deeply.

Lyra swallowed some dry biscuits. "The rules don’t restrict them."

"What should we do?"

"In times like this, we can’t think like prey." She quickly packed her bag and closed her eyes to rest. "We’ll rest for an hour. Tonight, we keep moving."

Since the school allowed loose rules, they might as well take advantage of them.

Mandy didn’t quite grasp what Lyra meant by "not being prey," and before she could figure it out, they already started moving again, tired and exhausted.

Lyra led the way with a stick, and they used the faint glow from the Purpgecko horn for light.

"Lyra, why are we traveling now?" Mandy asked, panting.

"It’s the only way to survive."

Just then, a soft laugh echoed through the trees. "I thought I might run into like-minded people, but I didn’t expect it to be you."

The rustling of leaves made Mandy tense up. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened.

"The head student... What’s his name again...?"

It was Thierry and his teammate, Taryn.

Taryn frowned when she saw them and turned to Thierry. "I don’t think they’ll make good partners."

Mandy looked at Lyra, puzzled. ’What does that mean?’

"Taryn, you have to trust that any team that’s made it this far is worth working with." Thierry didn’t care if his teammate disagreed. He pushed aside some palm leaves and stared at Lyra. "What do you think?"

"Working with the head student? My honor," Lyra replied.

It was already 4 a.m. on the third day of pre-training. They agreed it was time to rest and climbed a tree to sleep.

Taryn seemed upset but didn’t dare oppose Thierry’s decision. She had seen his strength and admired him.

"The pre-training ends at 5 p.m. I think we should set out at noon," Thierry said.

"That sounds about right, but we need to consider the other teams’ speeds," Lyra added.

Mandy asked, "Why does it matter how fast the other teams are?"

Taryn rolled her eyes. "Don’t you get it? We need other teams to act as decoys to distract the instructors."

Seeing Mandy’s embarrassed face, Taryn realized she had been too harsh. "If you didn’t understand that, why are you traveling at night?"

"We wanted to get a head start and find allies before the instructors set up," Mandy said, twisting her fingers nervously. "I just follow Lyra’s lead."

"Lyra? The healer?" Taryn’s surprised tone made the other two people turn.

Mandy, now a devoted fan of Lyra, insisted, "Hey... she is amazing, alright?"

"That’s because you’re too weak, making her seem strong," Taryn retorted. She was increasingly doubtful about this partnership.

Thierry frowned. "Taryn, your comments are rude. Do you have a problem with my decision?"

"I...," Taryn felt hurt. After three days together, she thought Taryn would value her more than a healer.

"It’s all up you, BOSS," Taryn said quietly. She figured that if anything went wrong, Thierry would protect her first. After all, her failure would reflect poorly on his performance too. With that in mind, she felt more at ease. These two might be weak, but she could probably throw them under the bus when necessary.

Lyra didn’t say anything extra, just gave a look. Once things settled down, she put down her backpack. "Let’s get some rest."

"Wait, we need to take turns keeping watch. If the enemy gets close..."

"No need."

Before Taryn could protest, Mandy tugged on her sleeve and explained, "Lyra’s psychokinesis is very strong. We don’t need to keep watch."

Chapter 43: Going To The Base

Mandy’s reminder jolted Taryn’s memory; she realized that Lyra was the one with the strongest psychokinesis among all the fresh man this year.

Taryn felt a bit embarrassed, but she wasn’t ready to acknowledge Lyra’s healing powers. She snorted and looked away. ’What’s the use of being strong in psychokinesis if she can’t fight?’

At 1 PM on the last day, the area near the western mountains of the island got busy. A hundred teams spread across the whole island, making them hard to find.

During the first two days, less than twenty teams had been caught. Now, over eighty teams were gathering within a thirty-kilometer area, making them easier to spot.

As noon approached, more teams grew impatient and rushed towards the mountain where the finish line was. Their goal? To get their documents to the end safely. But they didn’t expect the school to play dirty.

"Sir, weren’t you supposed to be on the east side? Why are you here?" screamed a student.

A man with a green face mask punched the panicked student, then stepped on him and grabbed his documents. He sneered, "You little fool, I’m your enemy. Of course, I’m chasing the prey if he runs."

"You guys are cheating!"

The students walked on foot and almost starved, but these instructors were flying and still smelled like instant noodles.

The masked man hit the student again. He checked the document’s number, and reported to the examiner through his headset, "Class 3, Team 12, failed." Then, he complained to his partner, "If we were real enemies, how many of these kids would survive?"

"Some might make it. Stop talking. Anton from Class 2 has already caught six teams."

"That stingy guy, he’s just fast."

They left. Behind the bushes, four students hiding began to relax.

"Anton is the most dangerous opponent this time. He’s a level six Peculiar," Thierry whispered.

Taryn and Mandy gasped at the mention of level six.

"So, we need to hide the documents well. One encounter, and we could fail," Thierry added.

He glanced at the three girls on his team, thinking that if the single guys saw this, they’d be jealous.

"Don’t worry, the documents are well hidden," Mandy said, getting serious.

"Let’s move then."

Lyra and Thierry nodded and led their teammates in two directions. This way, they wouldn’t all get caught at once and could support each other with their trackers.

It was a solid plan, but Taryn wasn’t happy. She didn’t feel safe with Lyra.

With Thierry gone, Taryn didn’t hide her dislike. "Just so you know, if we meet enemies, I won’t help you."

"I don’t need it," Lyra replied without turning around, leading the way.

Taryn, even more annoyed, stopped and whispered, "Why are we going this way? It’s easier for the instructors to find us."

"First, let’s call them ’enemies’ for now," Lyra said, pausing to avoid separation. "Second, we agreed you’d follow my lead in front of Thierry. You didn’t object then, did you?"

Compared to Taryn, Mandy was way better at cooperation.

Taryn felt a pang of guilt but still didn’t want to admit it. "I’m just giving a suggestion. This path is easier to get spotted."

Lyra was about to say something when her gaze suddenly became sharp like a knife, causing Taryn to take a step back.

It was as if Lyra had transformed from a meek lamb into a fierce beast.

"She’s right. I could see the leaves shaking from a distance," came a voice that sent a chill down Taryn’s spine. ’An instructor... no! An enemy!’

As planned, Taryn turned to run toward Thierry’s direction, but she was caught by a vine around her leg, leaving her hanging upside down.

"Ah!" Taryn cried out in surprise. She reached for her dagger to cut the vine but thought better of it, deciding to act helpless instead. "Help me!" she yelled as her eyes turned to look at somewhere in the darkness.

There they were, Lyra and Mandy. As Taryn looked over, her eyes met Lyra’s, and suddenly, she felt like Lyra had seen her little trick through.

Several vines shot towards Lyra like snakes. She dropped her backpack and dodged with incredible speed. As she landed, she heard the wind behind her and bent to avoid a sweeping strike.

The "enemy" was surprised. "Quick reflexes."

Lyra used the momentum to kick backward, her leg meeting his block, but the force temporarily numbed his hand.

The man’s expression changed. He knew he had to take this seriously.

In the next moment, his punch came with a fierce wind, forcing Lyra to step back, her shoes scraping a long mark in the decayed soil.

Lyra redirected his arm downward. Then, she took advantage of his loss of balance; she pulled him in and kneed him hard.

Though he blocked with his hand, he was still pushed back a few steps.

"What strength!" he muttered, rubbing his chest. If Lyra had been a bit stronger, his ribs might have cracked.

Taryn, still hanging upside down, was completely stunned. ’Is this the same healer who always came last in running and scored a four in physical fitness?’

The enemy attacked again, and Lyra used her agility to dodge.

Vines shot from the ground trying to bind her legs. She flipped backward twice, grabbed a trekking pole next to her backpack, and hurled it in a direction with all her might.

It struck a piece of wood with a loud clang.

A woman who had been using her superpowers in secret stepped out and mocked her teammate, "You can’t even catch a student? How can you INSTRUCT them then?"

Her thicker arms transformed into numerous wooden vines, attacking Lyra relentlessly.

Lyra kept a serious expression and quickly retreated, but a thick arm swung in front of her. Instinctively, she raised her arm to block, but the impact sent her flying into a tree.

The strength was overwhelming!

At some point, the man had started using his superpower. His limbs became thick like a trunk, and his large body bounced lightly.

"Cough, cough, cough," Lyra climbed up, enduring the pain. Green light surrounded her body, and her injuries began to heal visibly.

"You’re the healer?" The woman didn’t give her a chance to catch her breath, sending a barrage of vines her way.

Just as Taryn hesitated about helping, swift wind blades shot at the enemy from behind.

"Who is that?" The woman asked as she turned her head.

Taking advantage of the window, Lyra grabbed one of the woman’s vines and used it to hurl her away.

In the next moment, the woman hit the ground heavily and sank into it like a stone.

"Power of gravity?" The two "enemies" quickly realized they were surrounded.

Thierry shot in like an arrow, kicking the men away and then grabbing his arm, pinning him face-down to the ground.

Mandy immediately rushed up and confiscated their communication devices. "Take... take us to your base!"

They actually captured and threatened the instructors.

 

Chapter 44: Strong Enemy

In the command room, a hush fell as a red dot blinked out on the screen.

An operator glanced at the head instructor, a smile playing on his lips, and he said, "R-report, our tenth outpost has been wiped out by the enemy."

Not too long ago, the head instructor had teased the new students for their supposed lack of skill. Now, it seemed the joke was on him.

"Bam! In your face!" The burly man chuckled, waving his hand. "Bring up the surveillance footage."

The screen flickered, showing four young people. The head instructor leaned in, pointing at a young woman with black hair. "Does she look familiar?"

The information officer’s mouth twitched. "The young woman who fought in the dark on the first night."

"Oh, I remember now, the healer," the head instructor said, then sneered. "On the day of the superpower test, I said to give her full marks. Those old fools argued a healer couldn’t get full marks. They were worried about the school’s reputation. Old-fashioned thinking."

Everyone listened to his rant, eyes downcast, silently agreeing. He was the boss, after all.

But giving a healer full marks in a superpower test was unheard of. Since the academy’s establishment, perfect scores were rare.

"Should we inform the others?"

"Inform them of what? That would make us look like bullies." The head instructor shook his head. "Just tell Anton to handle these kids. They’re quite bold."

The operators rolled their eyes. ’And that’s not bullying?’

Meanwhile, the team they were looking at was fracturing.

"I think we shouldn’t work together anymore," Lyra said, her arms glowing with healing power, her eyes cold. "If someone had helped earlier, I wouldn’t be this injured, and I wouldn’t have wasted my superpower."

Taryn, feeling guilty, stammered, "I was tied up. If you hadn’t insisted on going that way, this wouldn’t have happened..."

"Enough!" Thierry, anger flashing in his eyes, cut her off. "Those were just regular vines. Don’t tell me you couldn’t cut through them with the dagger still in your boot!"

"Taryn, as your teammate, I am deeply ashamed," he said coldly, making her feel wronged.

Taryn argued, "It was her fault for getting exposed! Why blame me? I don’t want to work with a useless healer!" She felt a surge of anger. She was a top talent too— Why should she take orders from a healer?

But she realized she had thoroughly angered Thierry.

Thierry snorted, "We’ve agreed to hunt the enemy. You agreed and participated, so you shouldn’t betray your teammates at the crucial moment. You’re the one dragging us down, aren’t you?"

Their plan had been solid, but Taryn nearly got Lyra eliminated. If that happened, Thierry would have faced the two instructors alone.

Knowing she was wrong, Taryn kept her pride but said nothing more.

At that moment, Lyra glanced toward a direction in the forest. Then she looked at her teammates, a smile spreading across her face. "Forget it, just don’t let it happen again."

Her smile, though faint, was captivating, like a ray of sunshine melting away the ice.

Thierry was captivated for a moment before saying, "I’ll keep a close watch on her from now on."

He then looked at Taryn, who still seemed upset. "Taryn, do you understand?" he asked, his meaning clear.

Taryn crossed her arms and turned away. "Next time, I’ll try my best."

She finished with a dismissive sneer. It was obvious she thought they were just trying to use Thierry’s power while acting all high and mighty about it.

Mandy, the most uncomfortable with the tension, finally relaxed and let go of her sweaty hands. "Let’s hurry. It’s already two o’clock."

Thierry was about to nod when he suddenly shoved Taryn aside.

Lyra also pulled Mandy back.

A woman appeared out of nowhere, swinging a nunchaku, its sharp sound piercing the air.

Thierry tensed up.

A light laugh echoed a meter away, "That’s fast."

With a swift kick, the woman broke Thierry’s arm in an instant.

"Thierry!" Taryn caught him, and they both flew backward, landing in front of Lyra.

Lyra’s healing power fell on Thierry.

Thierry climbed up from the excruciating pain, surprised by how fast he healed.

While holding her healing power in her palm, Lyra said calmly, "I just had a fight and can only assist now. There are two of them, so it shouldn’t be too hard."

Thierry gave her a strange look. "I think we’re facing a big problem."

These two were close enough to be a threat before he even noticed them. Their skill was evident.

But Taryn, surprisingly, agreed with Lyra. "There are four of us. That’s enough!"

If Lyra could handle two, these ’enemies’ weren’t as tough as they seemed.

Besides, they had Thierry.

"I’ll take on the woman with Mandy. The man is for Thierry." With that, Taryn charged. Mandy felt something was off but followed.

Had she looked closer, she would have seen the ridicule in the enemies’ eyes.

Before they could see how the woman moved her nunchaku, Taryn and Mandy were already sent flying, their chests burning with pain.

Lyra’s healing power fell on them again.

"Keep going," Lyra encouraged softly.

"Humph!" Taryn hit the ground and got up, charging at the woman again.

Thierry couldn’t understand Lyra’s strategy, yet he had no choice but to fight. He manipulated gravity to become lighter and lunged at the man.

With reduced gravity, he could reach the speed of sound and then increase gravity to strengthen his attacks.

This was one of the most powerful superpowers in the Alliance.

But before Thierry could react, the man appeared behind him, using his momentum to slam him into the ground!

"Gravity manipulation is strong, but you’re only at level four. Besides, I’m a space manipulator."

A space manipulator!

Another feared superpower. In his space, he was invincible.

Thierry’s face changed. "You’re the instructor of Class 2?"

This was the ’enemy’ that new students were warned to be wary of. His partner was Alaria, the instructor known for the strongest martial skills.

Taryn had heard of them too, and her fighting spirit immediately died down. ’They are both level-six! How are we supposed to beat them?’

Seeing Thierry completely overpowered, Taryn felt a sense of impending doom. If this continued, they would be captured. She shouted, "Lyra, come help!"

She expected to be refused, but to her surprise, the frail young woman coughed twice and joined the fight.

Lyra’s swift movements and strong attacks shocked Alaria, who immediately swung her nunchaku to fight her.

The battle between the two was so intense that Mandy almost got injured and had to retreat further away. She felt a wave of helplessness; she was too weak.

It seemed there was no way out today.

Meanwhile, Taryn fought while gradually retreating. Suddenly, she turned and ran into the depths of the forest.

If they got caught, it would be over. But if she could find others and destroy more outposts, she might still earn some points back!

 

Chapter 45: Capture The Instructor

Mandy stared at the shaking jungle, completely stunned. ’Did she really run off from her friends again?’

While she stood there in shock, Lyra yelled toward where Taryn had bolted, "Run as we planned! I’ll keep her busy."

Then she attacked Alaria even more fiercely.

Mandy was totally confused, ’Wait, what? When did them come up with this plan? And why am I clueless?’

Anton frowned and said, "Alaria, the document should be with that girl. Go after her."

"Got it," Alaria replied.

She swung her nunchaku to block Lyra, who quickly chased after her. That made Alaria even more determined not to let Taryn escape.

He dodged Lyra’s punches and took off after Taryn. The remaining four paused briefly in the forest.

Anton’s eyes darted between Thierry and Lyra. Then he sneered, "Looks like we can’t waste any more time."

Lyra laughed, picked up a hiking stick from the ground, and spun it behind her like a baton. "You’re right, we need to finish this before your friends get back."

She glanced at Thierry, whose arm was broken again, and said, "I’ll. You watch my back."

Then she shot towards her opponent like an arrow, kicking up fallen leaves as she moved.

The veins on her slender hand bulged, and the five-foot-long stick spun like a high-speed fan, making a loud whooshing sound as it struck her opponent.

Anton smirked and teleported away. As soon as he landed, a green ribbon shot from Lyra’s back.

Anton was forced to keep retreating, his hands overlapping to tear the space and twist the ribbon away.

But the Lyra’s attacks were relentless. In no time, she was swinging the stick at his side again.

The whooshing sound made Anton’s scalp tingle. ’Wow, she’s the real threat.’

He had to use his superpower to dodge again, but the green ribbon seemed to have eyes and came straight at him.

Every time, it locked precisely onto where he appeared.

Anton knew there was only one possibility behind that—Lyra’s psychokinesis was stronger than his.

"Hmph." He flipped lightly to avoid the ribbon, then brought his hands together to try to trap her in space.

But then the ground beneath him gave way, and he fell.

He had forgotten there was also a gravity user.

Just as he braced his hand on the ground to adjust, the young woman’s stick struck him, sending him crashing into a tree.

Lyra had the upper hand now.

Thierry knew this was a rare chance. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he shouted to the confused Mandy, "Do what you need to do!"

In a flash, he turned into smoke and attacked.

’What should I do?’ Mandy pondered for a second. Then, she stomped her feet, opened her hands, and blew countless leaves at Anton to block his view.

Anton grinned and teleported away, but the whooshing sound behind him forced him to duck. Lyra spun on her stick and kicked him, sending him flying.

CRACK! His rib broke.

"Don’t push me!" Anton yelled, enraged. The superpower particles in the air suddenly went wild, causing panic in the command room.

"Anton, don’t be reckless!"

But he didn’t stop. Thierry felt the air around him solidify, making it impossible to move.

A faint tearing sound began. Trees, grass, and even the air were being ripped apart. Space was dividing.

And those in this space were no exception.

Faced with the threat of death, Anton had gathered his superpower and was about to counterattack.

Mandy was out of the torn space. She was shocked and yelled, "Lyra, Thierry!" She sent wind blades into the space without thinking.

At that moment, several green ribbons shot into the space rift, crossing the space rifts and wrapping around their master.

The space rift stopped tearing apart.

The wind blades flew through the space, leaving many cuts, even though they were only level three.

"You win," Anton said, removing his mask and sitting down with a leg bent, breathing heavily.

He waved weakly to Lyra, "Come, young lady, heal me now. You hit pretty hard."

But the "young lady" seemed to be suffering more.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Lyra leaned on her stick, quickly adjusting her breath.

The continuous fighting had exhausted her. Without Thierry’s help, she would have been in serious trouble.

About a minute later, Lyra had her breathing under control and walked towards Anton. He thought she was going to heal him, so he closed his eyes and relaxed.

BANG!

Anton held his jaw in shock, "How dare you beat an instructor so hard?"

"Instructor? You’re a prisoner now," Lyra said, tying him up with parachute cords from her backpack. "Your companions are coming back. Cooperate with us, or else..."

CRACK! She dislocated another of his arms.

Mandy covered her face and peeked through her fingers. ’Will we get punished for this?’

Anton grimaced in pain. ’Really? They’re playing this seriously? I deserve extra compensation for this!’ He didn’t really think about what he had done to the students, though.

When Alaria returned, she saw the messy ground and fresh leaves.

When she found that the eliminated girl didn’t have the documents, she had a bad feeling.

As she was about to leave, Thierry sprang out like a beast. Mandy raised leaves to block her view. This setup should have suppressed her.

Strangely, no matter how Thierry attacked, Alaria could precisely catch his moves and strike his weak spots. She was so fast that Thierry’s superpower couldn’t lock on to her.

Suddenly, green ribbons shot out from the ground at Alaria’s feet. She retreated but hit a light wall. ’Oh no!’

Then, the increased gravity forced her to kneel, and the ribbons wrapped her tightly.

Mandy sat down, gasping. She asked, "Did you feel the superpower particles from Alaria? "cause I didn’t. Is Instructor Alaria’s psychokinesis that strong alone?"

"She used superpower, and it must be prediction," Lyra said, coming out from behind a tree. "But she can only predict what’s coming within a second."

That was why Alaria needed strong martial skills to make up for it. But no matter how strong her physical skills were, there was a limit. If too many attacks came within a second, even if she predicted them, she couldn’t react in time.

Alaria, realizing Lyra had figured it out, nodded. "You’re right. My superpower isn’t even E-level."

She let Thierry tie her up securely.

"Where’s Anton?"

"Here..."

Anton’s weak voice came as he rolled out from behind a tree like a caterpillar.

Alar spat angrily, "You wimp! A level six space manipulator, beaten by your students?"

"Two with superpowers scoring 18, and one with psychokinesis of six 6000 unit. You try it?" Anton accepted his failure with surprising calm. "Besides, even though I’m spatial, I’m only C-level."

His superpower activation speed couldn’t match the two students.

"True," Alaria agreed.

The two instructors gave up together.

In the command room, the head instructor grinned menacingly. "He got injured while working, so I’ll give him a few more days off, making it a full week."

This implied they’d beat him up again.

The information officer nodded, watching Anton cooperate with the students. "Agreed."

The next second, all six disappeared from the screen. Spatial superpower could teleport companions too.

Clearly, Anton was enjoying his role as a prisoner. When he saw the shocked faces of his companions at other outposts, he laughed out loud.

"Outpost Twenty has been taken out."

"Outpost Fifteen has been taken out."

"Outpost Seven has been taken out."

No one in the command room dared look at the head instructor’s grim face anymore.