The Ascension Age

Surprisingly, what appeared behind Kymei was a black panther. Of course, compared to before the Ascension Age and the appearance of Stellar Energy, this panther was much faster and bigger. Obviously, it was also more powerful.

Kymei quickly turned around and aimed at the panther, trying to shoot it. Unfortunately, the panther's appearance was too sudden, so the Stellar Riffle could only hit the side of the beast, making it impossible to aim at it. At the same time his rifle hit the panther, the animal's jaw was already closing onto his throat. 

Obviously, his bracelet also began to activate, ready to save Kymei's life, when suddenly...

*Bang!*

A foot appeared by the side of the panther's mouth before kicking it into the swamp. Kymei couldn't help but let out cold sweat as he looked at the one who saved him. "A-Aire...since when were you this reliable?"

Aire's mouth twitched in response after hearing that. "Fuck you! I just saved your ass, idiot. Do you really think I'll continue to be surprised by these sudden events? By the fucking way, how can you fall for an ambush two times in the same mission? You're useless."

Kymei didn't mind Aire's words at all, laughing as he responded, "Hahaha! It's fine. I have you here to save me, don't I?"

As those two pulled each other's leg, Altina couldn't help but think about how fast Aire reacted. It was even faster than her this time. 'How can he improve so much within just three days? If he continues to improve like this, would I even be his match by the end of the year? This guy couldn't even move in front of danger at the beginning of the mission.'

On the other hand, Sera sighed in relief before shouting, "It's not over yet, idiots. Look, there are more Stellar Beasts coming." Soon after, she darted in the direction of the crowd as she commanded her team, "Follow me."

Aire, Kymei, and Altina immediately understood what she was trying to do. For Sera to react like that, it was obvious that the Stellar Beasts were much more of a threat than the other Risers. 

"How the hell did a Stellar Black Panther appear in Samuria Swamp? This shouldn't be their territory," Kymei could not help but ask as he followed the others.

Sera immediately answered, "Isn't that obvious? It was the teachers who released these Stellar Beasts."

Out of nowhere, Altina grabbed Sera and jumped to the side.

*Shua!*

Another Stellar Beast jumped out of the swamp this time, just like the alligator who attacked Aire. It's just that this one wasn't an alligator but some kind of gigantic crawfish. Its size was at least twice Sera's.

It saw how it missed the target and tried to go after them. Unfortunately for this Stellar Beast, it wasn't nearly as fast enough to catch them now that it missed its ambush.

*Arrrgh!*

It didn't take more than a few seconds before the first Riser was caught by a Stellar Beast. His defensive bracelet activated, covering him in gel just before the jaws of what seemed to be a hyena could clamp down. Once again, it was another Stellar Beast that one wouldn't find in this area.

That Riser signaled the beginning of a chain reaction. One after another, the Riser students were being caught by Stellar Beasts, only to be saved by their bracelets. Of course, those weren't the only enemies. All the Risers in the area who didn't have Stellar Energy Bubbles simply ignored the beasts and attacked those who did. They understood that this was their only chance, even if it meant risking their lives from being caught by the beasts.

Juana, Wallace, and Zhang's groups had good tacticians like Aire's. With that said, they did the same thing as Sera and ordered their teams to mix in with the crowd. Of course, it didn't take long before they became targets of other Risers.

Just like that, chaos reigned once more. Little by little, the Stellar Beasts began to obtain the advantage as more and more of them kept appearing from everywhere. It wasn't only the people in this place that were suffering. Stellar Beasts had appeared in the entire area of the mission. Even those trying to hide were having a hard time.

Aire's group dodged the Stellar Beasts and Risers the best they could. Fortunately, the same thing happened again. Because their Stellar Energy Bubbles were shared equally between their group, they weren't so tasty as a target compared to the other groups. After all, the others focused their Stellar Energy Bubbles on a single member.

Surprisingly, Aire saw that one of the fat sheep ran to his side while running from a Stellar Beast and an opportunistic Riser. With that, he thought, 'Well, since you appeared...'

Altina only heard how Aire's footsteps became lighter before he suddenly shot in another direction. Only then did she notice the event that was about to happen. That made her angry for a moment. After all, they were having a hard time defending themselves. Why would he decide to attack without saying anything?

However, Sera touched her shoulders as she shook her head. From the looks of it, Sera approved Aire's move.

Only then did Altina notice that Aire didn't move on impulse. The moment he stepped out was also a moment where a short time for respite appeared for their team. Sera then followed Aire, bringing Kymei and Altina with her.

The Riser heading their way used his higher level to fend off against both the beast and the other Riser. However, it was at this moment that Aire pounced behind his back. Aire's arm shone with silver light as the Stellar Suit piece appeared on it.

*Bang!*

It was perfect. The time spent between the moment Aire left his team to the moment he attacked didn't take any more than three seconds. The Riser simply didn't have time to look at the map to see if someone else was coming. He might be at a higher level than Aire, but a point-blank attack like that would have dispatched even a Stellar Manipulation Level Riser like him.

Of course, it wasn't over. It was one thing to force the enemy's bracelet to activate. It was another to take the Stellar Bubble Energy from him while the beasts and other Risers were around. Especially the two who were there already.

Fortunately for Aire, he knew that Sera would understand what he tried to do. Sure enough, Altina began to fight the other Riser just as Aire concluded his ambush while Kymei and Sera attacked the Stellar Beast. For a few seconds, Aire, Altina, Kymei, and Sera alternated between defending and absorbing the fat sheep's Stellar Energy. Of course, they did that so that they could keep their Stellar Energy evenly shared between all members.