Surrounded by Five Beast Lords novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Klier’s crystal curip, ipse pakly, sicarity, ilke a heart restarting aber a faite, and in it analiza

Even stronger. Pren ump solid Han betrie

“No! Castaic’s foot was a jagged mix of lacy and from

How the hell is he doing this? he thought his mind neeling

Every time Elmer took a hit, he healed himself on the spot. Yvery time his cry taleun day ran dry he hoped it riga bua

cracked. His attacks grew sloppy, rushed, and desperate

Cassian’s compost

Elmer, by contrast, had entered a state of hyper-focused clarity he had never reached before.

Instead of trying to overpower Cassian head-on, he wove together defense, ifting, and raped restrpusy was a segel seamless strategy, one that felt almost cheap, yet proved brutally effective,

He used his light shield and agile footwork to deflect most of Cassian’s attacks, and only when he had no other choka k take a hit. Even then, he made sure the damage was as minimal as possible.

The moment he got hurt, his healing ability would kick in and fix him up

The moment his crystal energy dipped to a critical level, he’d pop another dark lump into his mouth

That was how he fought, like a piece of stubborn, unbreakable taffy that could heal itself and recharge on the fly, at Cassian and refusing to let go.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more unsettled and irritated Cassian became.

His prized Level-5 fire ability, each blast of which cost him a massive amount of energy, now felt like punching into a vess cotton. All that explosive power, swallowed up and neutralized by Elmer’s maddeningly defensive tactics.

The crystal-energy food Regina had given him was long gone.

“Damn it! How is this happening?” Cassian swore under his breath.

Sweat beaded on his forehead. His attacks grew sloppy, losing the sharp precision they’d had earlier.

Elmer, by contrast, had been on the back foot the entire time, yet he had not given an inch.

1

His eyes only grew sharper with every passing second, his defense tightened into something methodical and deliberate, af he even started experimenting with reshaping his golden shield into blades for counterattacks

The momentum between them was shifting.

“You coward!” Cassian bellowed, his face drained of color from a mix of crystal energy depletion and sheer rage, the standing out on his forehead. “Fight me like a man instead of scurrying around like a rat

He hurled another cataclysmic blast at Elmer.

And yet Elmer, who should have collapsed long ago, kept dragging himself back to his feet, trembling but oprigt Hewn the blood from the corner of his mouth, the tips of his fingers glowing with Healing Light, while his other and supped something else past his lips.

“No, that’s not possible,” Cassian rasped, his voice cracking as he stared at Elmer, still refusing to fall.

1/4

alt

8:31 am

Chapter 73

McLevel Jability-alat Cassian had always prifted himself on had been ground down treating dated whet ner Level 4 opponent who simply refused to stop

Elmer gave him no ting to recover. He simply tooked at Cassian, calm and ready

In those light brown eyes, the weakness and Pew that had once been there had an entirely Serbian retreated ende unshakable determination of someone about to hang ban a stronger energy and put a fire of quiet ger

In that moment. Elmer saw Cassian for exactly what he was all bluster. He substance

Then it happened. Just as Cassian tried to summon one anal blast, something powerful enough to punch themagh Elandr defenses, a violent emptiness tore through him, followed by a sharp, searing path. His crystal energy was completely drained.

The fire he had been building flickered once, like a candle snuffed out by the wind, and then vanshed into writing bas thin curl of smoke and the ashen, hollow look on Cassian’s face.

Elmer’s eyes blazed. This was the opening he had been waiting for.

The man who had done nothing but defend finally struck first.

The white-gold light around him stopped shaping itself into barriers and instead condensed into a lashing whip of energy cracking through the air as it slammed into Cassian’s chest. His movements became clumsy and slow now that his ener reserves were empty.

Cassian gasped as the impact drove the breath from his lungs. Blood/spilled from his mouth.

He flew backward like a puppet cut from its strings, crashed hard against the energy shield at the edge of the platforme d slid to the ground. He tried to push himself up once, then again, but his body would not obey.

The referee’s whistle cut through the air. Dora’s team had won.

After a brief, deathly silence, the entire arena exploded into gasps and chaotic chatter.

Cassian lay flat on the ground, staring blankly at the glowing panels of the arena ceiling while the referee’s announcement his defeat mixed with the roar of the crowd in his ears.

He was the heir to the Shawn family, a Level-5 fire user. And he had just lost to his younger brother, the worthless failure be had mocked and dismissed his entire life, a boy who had barely clawed his way to Pinnacle Level 4.

‘Dual-type supernatural abilities… healing… those bizarre foods… and that damn unkillable tenacity… His thoughts churned in chaos, and the overwhelming humiliation and disbelief nearly made him pass out right there.

After securing his victory, Elmer swayed on his feet, on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, yet his face broke into smile of profound relief, tinged with a fierce, exhilarated joy.

He had done it. At last, before everyone, he had beaten Cassian squarely and fairly.

Dora walked over to him, gave his shoulder a gentle pat, and handed him a bottle of water. Her eyes were bright with undisguised admiration. “That was brilliant, Elmer,” she said.

Taking the bottle, he looked at her and finally allowed himself a full, radiant smile, relieved, strong, and unterly scene. “Dora, I actually did it!”

Others soon joined in, closing in around Elmer and pulling him into a collective embrace, all of them genuinely thrilled by the sheer difficulty of the victory he had managed to secure.

3:31 am P

Chapter 73

1 1

2 Y

3 r

pg dn

enter

the stands, Regina had gone deathly pale, every trace of color drained from her face

She gripped the armrest of her seat so tight; that her fingernails looked ready to gouge into the fuel materia

Watching Elmer standing tall on the field as the retinants of his radiat triumph Mowly cubcoded, and then higher re to Cassian, who stood slumped and hollow-eyed in defeat, she felt the world lurch beneath her as a dull ringing her ears.

The son she had raised with relentless devotion and placed all her hopes in had been vanquished by the very never bothered to acknowledge, the one she had all but written off as a blemish on the family name

All around her, the matriarchs of other houses, allies and rivals alike, were watching with expressions that no longer bothered to conceal their shock, their amused curiosity, and above all, their biting mockery

in

The rustle of whispers and the murmur of those stepping forward to offer hollow congratulations pierced her eardens Se sharp needles.

“Well, well, Regina. Your youngest son is quite something, isn’t he? Keeping him hidden like that.”

“That’s right. A dual-type supernatural ability and a healing-type, no less. He’s hardly inferior to Cassian.”

“Madam Shawn, you’ve been awfully secretive. Is your youngest your secret weapon?”

“I heard you kicked him out of the house. Cut all ties with him. Is that true?”

“Cut ties? With a son this exceptional? How could you possibly have the heart?”

“It can’t be true, Regina. It just can’t.”

“Well, second place for Cassian is nothing to scoff at either…”

“You’re truly blessed, Regina, to have two such remarkable sons.”

“Madam Shawn, this must be your finest hour. The first and second place both belong to your family.

Each word that drifted from the crowd landed like a sharp, stinging slap across Regina’s face.

For a woman of such towering pride, one who had painstakingly molded Cassian into what she believed was the perfect her second place was never an honor to be celebrated, but rather a thoroughgoing failure and a public disgrace.

And the ones who had brought her to this humiliating pass were none other than Dora, the adopted daughter of the Southwell family whom Regina had always looked down upon, and her own youngest son, the child he had never deigned to acknowledge and cast aside like a piece of refuse.

The crushing irony of it was almost more than she could bear.

hapter 74

ne Bonderous charts profually wihauded the final in such had reached its

di kala inved quickly to arrange a omple yet sole mm Wank, ceremony.

Capormous vidury podium row at the center of the arcua, bathed in a blaze of spotlights that made the we bearably brigh

#

led her entire team to the highest position of all, the champion’s stand.

ood tall and graceful, her smile luminous, her eyes clear and filled with quiet strength. Doder the glare of the h bone so brilliantly that it was hard for anyone to look away.

7 member of the team radiated a fierce, joyful pride, and though their rabat suits still boor the marks of battle, those seemed less like damage and more like medals of honor.

de Dora stood Kimer, the flush of his grueling fight still warming his cheeks, his face glowing with the thrill of victory bus eyes brighter and more self-assured than they had ever been.

meanwhile, wore his usual calm expression, yet the quiet, unshakable composure of a true winner radiated stakably from his every movement.

och perched himself in front of Dora, looking as aloof and prickly as ever, refusing to let his pride show too openly,

for Mindy and her mates, they too were all smiles, their faces alight with immense pride and joy at having the chance to and alongside Dora’s team on that champions’ podium.

The scene on the runners-up platform told a completely different story.

assian was nowhere to be seen.

The once-arrogant heir of the Shawn family, crushed under the triple blow of his public defeat at Elmer’s hands, his rejected marriage proposal, and the shattering of all his family’s highest hopes, had completely lost his spirit.

He had shut himself away in the locker room and refused to come out.

Only Iris and a handful of other team members took their places on the second-place stand, their emotions a complicatel mix that nonetheless leaned toward quiet satisfaction.

For them, finishing as runners-up in a tournament of this caliber was already a result that far surpassed anything they had ever expected, and it was all they could do to keep the pleasure from showing too plainly on their faces.

Iris stood at the very edge of the platform, her gaze drifting repeatedly toward the dazzling figure on the champions stunt and her eyes betrayed a tangled knot of feelings-disappointment, envy, and just a trace of something that looked almost like acceptance.

the crowd waited for the award presenters to appear, Dora’s attention was suddenly caught by a small group einer broam the VIP passageway,

The man leading them carried himself with an impeccable posture, dressed in a dark gray suit cut to perfection, and behicl Tis gold rimined glasses, his gaze was both calm and deeply penetrating.

He was speaking to someone beside him as he walked, his manner unhurried and effortlessly graceful, and between him an lur raucous energy of the arena there seemed to exist an invisible impenetrable bamer

enter

Wed in closer and dropped her tower to a

you don’t

peksyder of the Berling Ching tot of the tour ingre

“He’s one of the youngest boness mogulon the expire cellar world will young, and a realy a Level 7 mer

“Andi perepe by fret Fear ground runway deeper than anyone realizes, Connertkoms with the military and high-ranking offer als in parliament the whole package

“Text hebere they got him to hand out the awards tonight. The organizers must have spent a fortuner

Mindy corner carried a distinct note of wwe, along with a trace of curiosity.

Rater So that’s who he is, Dora thought to herself, as a fleeting image of the photograph and brief profile she red gim the previous right on StarNet News flickered through her memory.

und herwilf dealing another glance at him, and just at that moment Pale appeared to have finished his conv turned his head and let his gaze drift toward the podium.

For a single, fleeting instant, their eyes met across the arena floor

Dora offered him a small, polite nod in acknowledgment, and behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze wement to rest of her face for a moment that was barely there.

Then he returned a barely perceptible nod of his own, and the faintest, most clusive hint of a smile tugged at the comer of his lips.

The awards ceremony then got underway.

According to tradition, the event chairman was meant to present the runners-up with their medals first.

But Kafe leaned slightly toward the chairman and murmured something in a voice too low for anyone else to catch

The chairman looked momentarily taken aback, yet after a brief hesitation, he gave a small nod of agreement.

And so it was Kafe who took up the champion’s trophy, along with the prize certificate, a thirty-day access to a Tier-1 Regional Disaster Shield, and walked straight toward the highest platform.

1

Beneath the glare of the spotlights, his stride was unhurried and composed, his face wearing a perfectly measured almost perfunctory smile. Yet his gaze, which carried an almost physical weight, fixed itself on Dora, who stood at the very front of the champion’s stand.

Their eyes met once more.

Dora could feel that his look contained none of the awe or curiosity that filled the eyes of everyone else around her Instead, it was calm and appraising, almost analytical. This was not the way people looked at a young female who hast ve won a competition. This was the way one examined an object worthy of serious, methodical study.

“Congratulations, Captain Dora, and all of you on Dora’s Team,” Rafe said, his voice warm and resonant as it traveled across the arena through the microphone.

2/4

alt

8:31 am

Chapter 24

at handel the hastrophy to Dora and, at the same time, extended his right fond

Dora accepted the trophy and reached out to shake his hand.

His grip was firm and dry, with a faint coolness lingering at his fingertips.

“Thank you,” she replied politely, her tone perfectly esen

Standing close to her now. Rafe studied her openly. Behind his gold-rimraed glasses, his pale blue eyes reflected her lingin unruffled face in clear detail.

He had watched the entire tournament live and had noticed that before every single matcherp. W was Dora standing at the tactical board, quickly sketching out her plans.

Her team always found a way to shift their formation to exploit each opponent’s weaknesses, pulling the best out of every member.

n

Tactical instincts and leadership like that were not something any ordinary sheltered young female could claim.

His interest in her deepened, though not a trace of it showed on his face.

He simply gave a small nod, offered a faint smile, and spoke what sounded like ordinary words of encouragement. “That was an impressive match. I look forward to seeing what you do from here.”

Then he let go of her hand, stepped back, and left the stage to the other presenters.

The ceremony continued with the runners-up.

Cassian’s absence set off a ripple of hushed murmurs through the crowd.

Iris stepped forward to accept the trophy and prize on behalf of the team.

As she took the trophy, a shy smile crossed her face, but her gaze, beyond her control, once again drifted toward the champions’ platform.

Once the ceremony ended, it was time for photographs.

The crowd began to break apart and drift away, while reporters swarmed around the championship team, snapping pictures and firing off questions.

Dora was happily posing with her teammates when she felt a light tug at her sleeve.

1

She turned around and found Iris standing there.

Iris had already changed out of her combat suit and into a simple dress, and her face wore a careful, almost eager smule, the kind that seemed to be asking for permission.

With a timid look at Dora, she spoke in a soft voice. “Dora… would it be okay if I took a picture with you?”

Dora had not expected Iris to approach her like this, not after Elmer had just defeated Cassian so decisively, and esp not with Dora herself standing at the top of the podium.

What caught her even more off guard was the expression in Iris’ eyes.

She studied it closely, bracing herself for the resentment or jealousy she had assumed would be there. But to her she found none of that.

surprise.

–

was swarthing doser to admiration, even adoration, the kind of light find her ang at an idol. And beneath that, almost unexpectedly, was a fait glimmer of rehef

holding her runners op medal in one hand, her careful smile still in place, her gaze as so creuire ante ese vo

Dora frozen in place, Iris took a broub and tried again. “Dora.. do you think I tould take a picture with pick

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads

飲料

Morey he had shrime the endless petry sights and

1

Hana paur, an appointed at the it bendered on reverence, along with a quiler hopeful

2 that bunk kom ut soll make us the land impering sfondow of the gut fris deed roches

#林

alt

enter

8:31 am

Chapter 75