The Ascension Age

'A top-ranked team, huh.' Altina immediately understood that they were entangling with a problematic bunch. That being said, Altina couldn't focus on anything else as she fended off the guy she was fighting against.

Sera couldn't help Kymei either since she wasn't that good at fighting to start with. This was a team ranked higher than their own, so it was obvious that they knew how to fight. In fact, she was put on her back foot from the very start against her opponent, having to do everything just to not be overwhelmed.

On Kymei's side, he tried to get out of the swamp, but his injuries and the pain caused by the injuries made everything more difficult. He wasn't at risk of dying or getting crippled, but that didn't mean the injuries weren't a burden. Not to mention that he could see the enemy's shooter move away from the battlefield, heading to another position to give his team long-range support. 'Fuck!'

Kymei then gritted his teeth before shouting, "Altina, Sera, Aire, get out of here. You can't go down with me. As long as you survive, I'll still get a share in the end." Soon after, Kymei aimed his Stellar Rifle at Sera's opponent, trying to create an opening for Sera to leave. He thought that with Aire and Altina's own abilities, they wouldn't need help to retreat, so he only focused on Sera.

*Bang! Crack!*

*Arrrrrgh!*

However, in the next second, everyone saw something that left their mouths agape. The first person who attacked Aire was sent flying with one punch. Following that, that person's bracelet shone with silver light as the gel enveloped his entire body, protecting it from any further damage. 

One-hit KO! The enemy's shooter didn't even have enough time to retreat before his friend was already defeated!

Soon after, Aire shouted back as he pounced in the shooter's direction, "Fuck you, Kymei! Who the hell is going to let you play the defeated hero? If someone here has to be disqualified first, that one has to be me! I'm the one who wants to head back and lay down in bed, not you! I won't let any of you get any rest on a warm bed before me, you hear?! I'm the lazy one here, not you!"

Kymei, Altina, and Sera didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They understood this part of Aire's personality after being this long together. That being said, they knew he wasn't lying. Aire would totally curse Kymei for three days and three nights if Kymei got to leave the mission before him.

Of course, the enemy team thought they were just joking. Besides, that mattered little at the moment. What they cared about was...how the hell did Aire defeat their team member that easily?!

However, Altina immediately understood why. Simply put, they underestimated Aire due to his Riser Level. Aire was at the Stellar Bones Stage of the Stellar Body Transformation Level. However, after this long, Altina knew that Aire was far above what any Stellar Bones Stage Riser could take on. Even she didn't know if she would be his match at the same level or not. 

When the shooter tried to take distance, he left his friend, who was also in the Stellar Bones Stage, to take care of Aire. They also had Stellar Suit Pieces to use. It's just that other than their leader, the rest of them only had one or two pieces. Aire's opponent was the only one at the Stellar Bones Stage, while the rest was above it. That being said, he was only given a single Stellar Suit Piece, which covered one of his arms like Aire's.

That was their huge mistake. Aire was improving at breakneck speeds. Not to mention the fact that Aire could totally fight any average Riser at the Stellar Organs Stage and possibly win. Naturally, when that guy's friend was distracted for a moment, Aire took this opportunity and dispatched his opponent straight away.

Kymei laughed out loud as he took the chance to come out of the swamp. He was still feeling a lot of pain, but none of that mattered for him at the moment. "Hahaha! Now look who's in a bad position." As he said that, he took position close to a swamp tree and immediately began to fire back.

The enemy's shooter couldn't do anything since Aire was darting in his direction. He was already in the Stellar Paths Stage, but Aire was simply much better than him at moving in this environment. Not to mention that he was specialized in long-range battles, not close-range ones. 

The only reason he participated in that melee ambush earlier was that they found Aire's team out of nowhere. To prevent Aire and the others from noticing their presence, the only option for them was to attack at close range. If the shooter tried to get far away first, Aire and the others would have probably found them.

That being said, Aire's Stellar Bones Stage strength and crazy learning abilities were enough to match a Stellar Paths Stage Riser in close combat. 

*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...*

Kymei shot nonstop, which put Sera's opponent on the defensive instead of the offensive. Of course, things didn't get any better for them. Altina's opponent had three Stellar Suit Pieces. Too bad that his opponent was Crazy Bitch Altina, who could match his combat power with only a single Stellar Suit Arm. Not only that, but the fact that he was using three pieces meant that his Stellar Energy was being drained much faster than Altina's. If things played out like this for longer, he would pass out due to the lack of Stellar Energy consumed to maintain the suit.

The leader of their group understood that the situation was now dire and finally made his decision. "Spread out and run! We will regroup again later!" Of course, he knew that, most likely, another one of his team members would become a sacrifice for the other two to run away. 'That's fine. I have most of the Stellar Bubbles' energy. As long as I survive, we won't leave this place empty-handed. As the mission continues, I might even have a few more chances to fish in troubled waters.'

He had some Stellar Suit Pieces and was a high-level Riser compared to the average students in this mission. He had the right to feel that confident.

Altina saw her opponent turning around to run away, but she didn't try to stop him. The entire battle hadn't lasted more than 20 seconds yet, so she knew the guy still had enough Stellar Energy to use. It would take too long to take him down, and it would possibly attract more opportunists. Instead, she immediately gave up on him and assaulted Sera's opponent.

Naturally, Sera's opponent had no chance when Altina joined the fray before he was put down in a matter of seconds. Altina then turned around and went after Aire's opponent. While all that happened, Kymei continued to shoot his rifle, making sure that neither of them would escape. In the end, the enemy's leader was wrong. Aire was much better at moving in this environment, so his two team members had to become sacrifices for him to run away instead of one.

Altina and the others then quickly collected their Stellar Energy before Sera set up another route. 36 seconds. That was all it took for the entire event to be finished before Aire's team disappeared from the area.