The skies above the ocean churned with storm clouds, thunder crackling with every beat of my heart.
I floated mid-air, facing down two colossal threats:
The Spiky Tortoise, 20 meters long, churning the ocean with every movement.
The Golden Eagle, wingspan of 30 meters, glowing with primal energy and ferocity.
Their pressure combined would have crushed any normal awakened being—but not me.
> This is the true battlefield. No civilians. No distractions. Just monsters.
The eagle let out a piercing shriek and dived at me, talons glowing gold. I dodged mid-air and responded with a burst of lightning—
> CRACKK!
A lightning spear formed in my hand and launched toward its eye.
But it spun with unnatural agility, avoiding the strike and blasting a sonic screech that rattled my eardrums.
Below, the tortoise opened its jaws wide and shot out a beam of compressed water, cutting through the ocean and heading for me like a cannon.
I clenched my fists.
> "Let's see how you handle this…"
Lightning surged through my body. My eyes glowed electric blue.
> "Thunderstorm Drive: Phase One."
The skies answered. Storm clouds thickened. Rain poured. My body flickered—no, disappeared—and reappeared in front of the eagle.
BOOM!
A direct punch to its face sent it spiraling back, crashing into the sea.
Before the tortoise could react, I blitzed down, charging up both fists.
> "Lightning Fist Barrage!"
I landed on the tortoise's shell and struck it over and over—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—the force sending shockwaves through the ocean.
Its shell cracked slightly—but it was like punching a mountain.
It roared and spun in the water, trying to slam its spiked back into me. I jumped, dodging mid-air—
> "I need more firepower…"
I raised both hands to the storm.
> "Thunderstorm Drive: Phase Two—Heaven's Lance!"
A massive bolt of lightning, wider than a tree trunk, descended from the sky, crashing down and piercing into the tortoise's body.
It screamed, flailing violently—but it wasn't dead yet.
That's when I felt it.
The golden eagle—no, the real threat—was behind me again. Fast. Furious.
It wasn't just a Rank 3 Peak. It had intelligence in its eyes.
> It's watching. Learning.
It zipped through the sky like a comet and finally struck me.
CRASH!
We collided mid-air, sent flying across the sky and crashing into a distant island.
Dust and fire exploded on impact.
---
Meanwhile, back at the academy base—
Haritha gave rapid instructions. Her ability let her sense movement within a kilometer, and she had mentally mapped the chaos.
> "Team Alpha, a monster group is moving from the west! At least 12! Rank 1 and 2 mix!"
> "Sneha, two incoming injured—bring only critical healing!"
> "Junior group! Reinforce the energy shield on the back wall, a flying beast is approaching!"
Mohan and his team carried two students out of the collapsed dorm block.
Sathish hovered using telekinesis, lifting large debris while Gowtham, in his half-bull form, slammed away rubble.
Lavanya burned through fallen walls with precision fire blasts, clearing paths.
Meanwhile, Rohith summoned whirlwinds to slice through snake-like beasts while Dhaya raised earthen pillars to defend.
Praveen, in shadow-wolf form, leapt and shredded enemies in rapid bursts of movement.
And Bhuvanesh, with his laser eyes glowing, aimed high and took down flying creatures one by one.
> "We got this!" Rohith shouted. "As long as Akash is buying time—we'll hold the line!"
---
Back on the ocean battlefield—
I stood from the crater, wiping blood from my mouth and slight injuries on my body, but my eyes burned brighter as my injuries healed immediately.
The eagle landed, massive wings folding slightly as it let out a low, intelligent screech.
> "So… you're different too, huh?"
My lightning danced in the air.
> "Then let's finish this properly."