The silence broke.

"No way..."

"He jumped... right?"

"That wasn’t flying..."

"Was it?"

Suspicion, disbelief, and denial spread through the crowd because accepting what they just saw was far more terrifying. High above them, Bahamut hovered for a brief moment, his golden wings beating slowly, eyes calm as he looked down at the stunned sea of faces. Then, without a word, he descended carrying his fox, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The turn of events happened so fast that most realized it too late that Bahamut had just run away with Lily in his arms.

Rexi, who had recovered after receiving Bahamut’s beating, rushed after him when he realized what had just happened. This wouldn’t have been a big deal if Lily were without a master. But the case was that Lily had a master. There was no rule for it, but it had become the norm in the sect that if a disciple with a master ascends, it’s either their master or a co-disciple with the same master who has the right to take back their unconscious body. This was the reason why Elder Silvia had been the one to take back Bahamut and Sel’s bodies, and so was it for Gabi. Elder Baset took his body.

But Bahamut had broken that. He had taken Lily’s body, and this could spark a war between Elder Silvia and Elder Derek. In fact, the war had already begun with Rexi’s chase, and the funny thing was, Bahamut had no idea of this.

...

Bahamut was on his way towards Henut’s place with Sel, Alana, and Ren tagging along when something flashed past them. Bahamut had moved to the side sharply, dodging a spear, which had most likely been thrown at him.

"Wha-!"

"Put her down, you thief!" A loud voice entered their ears, causing them to stare at each other in confusion. They had stopped running, so whoever threw the spear was catching up.

"What the hell? I’m just sending her to the Chief Healer!" Bahamut said with building frustration and confusion.

"Her condition after the ascension is not yours to determine." A boy with long dark hair that had been braided on the left side spoke, his green eyes glinting with barely hidden malice.

"I am her mate," Bahamut spoke with a deadpan expression, making the boy halt for a second, but he countered.

"It hasn’t been made official by your families. It doesn’t count!" the boy, who by his uniform turned out to be an inner sect disciple, spoke. Despite the powerful aura radiating from him, his actions seemed girly. In fact, Bahamut and Sel would have mistook him for a girl anytime if they hadn’t noticed his Adam’s apple, which seemed to be there for no apparent reason. The guy talked like a girl.

His hair was styled like a girl’s, he had long eyelashes, his skin was so smooth that it would make a lot of ladies in the sect question the value of their soaps, and the way he walked....

"Who are you? Miss?" Sel asked to be sure of who they were dealing with because he also didn’t get what was going on.

"My name is Ivan. And I am not a girl. I am a beautiful boy. Can’t you see?" Ivan flicked his hair as he spoke, puffing his chest as if expecting them to bounce, and gave a flirtatious smile, which made Ren nauseated, but he held it down. Alana, on the other hand, was trying her very best to hold in her laughter. The expressions of the guys were so comical that it was a surprise and a great miracle that she still had a straight face.

Bahamut looked as if he’d been fed vomit, and Sel looked as if he was ready to die.

"Yeah... beautiful my ass..." Bahamut and Sel said in unison, making Ivan’s expression twist.

"You mean... I... am... ugly..." He spoke as his hair covered his face.

"Why is this fucker so dramatic?" Ren asked when Bahamut turned to him with a grim expression.

"Take Lily to Miss Henut’s place. Alana, go with Ren, and make sure to get Lily there fast. We will take care of Ivy and the others."

"There are more?"

"About fif-"

"Good luck!" Bahamut couldn’t even finish his sentence when Ren transformed into a six-foot-tall bunny, snatched Lily and Alana, threw them on his back, and flashed away.

"You!"

"Sorry, Ivy. I can’t keep Lily here. You are not of the right min-" Sel pushed Bahamut out of the way as a sharp rock appeared in his position.

"What the fuck!"

For the first time, Bahamut’s senses failed him. The rock wasn’t fast, but there was something about Ivan that seemed to block his senses. Before he could even think about the next course of action, Ivan moved again. The ground rippled like the surface of water as he moved. In just a step, he had reached Bahamut and Sel’s position, moving weirdly. His leg shot toward Sel while his hand, reinforced with a rock guantlet, connected with Bahamut’s face.

They managed to block the attacks, but it threw them a good distance away, and if it weren’t for their quick reflexes, they would have found themselves in a building. Thankfully, the place they were fighting wasn’t so populated, so they could go all out.

"Go all out. Don’t hold back. It is a war."

Elder Silvia’s voice sounded in their ears, making their eyes widen to the limit, before they released equal smiles of malice. Ivan halted and stared at them with a bit of apprehension. Their auras had changed...

BOOOOM!

Ivan found himself flying towards a long pole, but before he could reach it, he saw the flat side of a huge sword moving towards his face.

PAH!

All those who had decided to participate couldn’t believe their eyes. In just two moves, the tide of the battle had turned from Ivan dominating to Sel and Bahamut dominating. It happened so fast that they couldn’t react in time, except for one person. Rexi.

Bahamut was checking his sword for any cracks because of the strength he’d put into the bash, when his instincts screamed. He quickly turned and slashed forward. A powerful sword wave hit the fireball that was just a few meters from hitting.

"Rexi!"

The name tore through the air like a warning bell. The fireball split in two under Bahamut’s slash, its flames scattering violently across the ground and igniting patches of stone and dust. Heat surged outward, warping the air for a brief moment. Rexi landed lightly a few meters away, his red hair flickering like living flame, his fox ears twitching sharply as his glowing eyes locked onto Bahamut with undisguised hostility.

Ivan recovered mid-air with unnatural grace, twisting his body and landing beside him, his expression no longer dramatic or playful. It was focused and cold. Behind them, four more inner sect disciples stepped forward, their auras flaring one after the other, each one oppressive.

"So this is how it is," Sel muttered, rolling his shoulders slightly as his gaze swept across them. Bahamut didn’t respond immediately. His grip on his sword tightened. A slow, dangerous smile adorned his face.

"Six, huh?"

Rexi stepped forward, flames licking faintly around his arms.

"Return her... and we walk away."

Bahamut tilted his head slightly.

"And if I don’t?"

Ivan’s eyes narrowed.

"Then we take her."

Bahamut exhaled.

"Sel."

"Yeah."

"Try not to kill them." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"No promises."

BOOOOOOM!