The Wolfsbur resembled any ordinary wolf, only with pale yellow fur and deep crimson eyes. Sparks of lightning were visible as they advanced toward the group.
With devastating speed, Matthew lunged at the first Wolfsbur standing beside the train's locomotive.
The rest of the group followed his lead, surging forward and leaving Kai standing alone at the door they had exited.
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE ABILITY: HELLSPAWN]
Ikenna thrust his right arm forward, releasing a burst of flames that thinned the air and produced smoke from the burning carcass of the drifter.
Shaking off the flames, the drifter charged at him once more with blinding speed. Just like him, it had activated its ability, Lightning Dash.
As the name implied, Lightning Dash granted the user an exceptional burst of speed, rendering its attacks virtually invisible to ordinary eyes.
But if there was one thing Ikenna excelled at, aside from lounging and cooking, it was adaptability.
Just as Kai had earlier, he channeled mana into his legs and dodged left. In the fraction of a second when the drifter was exposed, he turned his hands into pure infernos and launched a searing jab straight at the creature.
The drifter slowly rose to its feet, preparing for another exchange, but Ikenna remained rooted in place, watching it with a nonchalant gaze.
Before the beast could make a move, a single silver bullet, faster than even its heightened reflexes could detect, pierced through its skull.
Junpei raised a hand in a thumbs-up before refocusing on the others.
'When did their teamwork get this good?' Kai couldn't help but wonder as he watched the impending chaos unfold.
Dodging one strike after another, Lilith was more reminiscent of a housefly than a warrior.
She evaded every one of the drifter's attacks before they could even reach her.
Breath of Life, the trait that shook ICUWSA and one of the rare few considered a cheat skill.
Every ability Lilith, or "L," as she was known in the novel, gained with each ascension or rank increase was exponentially stronger than those of her peers. Her first ability from this trait... Rain's Song.
Breath of Life allowed the user to enhance the functionality of a body part by sacrificing its normal usage.
Since life begins and ends with breath, she could metaphorically "restart" herself to repurpose her body.
This meant she could render herself blind in exchange for foresight, or mute in return for heightened hearing.
At that moment, she was using Future Sight.
Dodging a claw swipe by inches, she slipped her sabre into the drifter's abdomen and shoved it into Junpei's line of fire.
In an instant, it was dead.
Junpei glanced toward Matthew, then shook his head. "That monster doesn't need my help," he muttered.
Throughout the fight, Matthew had chosen to counter fire with fire, or in this case, lightning with lightning. Since he didn't need to worry about the drifters' attacks harming him, able to transfer the damage back to the being from whom he borrowed the ability, he took on as many drifters as he could at once.
Shifting Wukong to the left and thrusting it into an oncoming Wolfsbur, Matthew twisted his wrist, surging lightning magic into Wukong, then slammed it into the ground.
In a barely audible voice, he whispered, "Third-Class Apprentice Lightning Magic… Flash Bolt."
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE ABILITY OF: INNER GOD OF JOKES]
Complex magic circles appeared above his head, unleashing brilliant lightning bolts that struck the drifters with blinding force.
Four were obliterated in an instant. Combined with the ones slain by Ikenna, Lilith, and Junpei, only four Wolfsbur remained.
'The main cast really is strong,' Elia thought to herself, a faint smile gracing her lips. 'Good thing I'm one of them.'
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE ABILITY: SWORD SAINTESS]
Spinning her wand in the air, the very fabric of space tore momentarily. Blades of white flame, resembling the sun or an unblemished divine light, formed.
She raised her wand, tightened her grip, and sent the seven formless blades crashing down on two drifters standing several meters ahead.
Dismembered remains were strewn across the blood-soaked ground. The stench of death filled the air, and the once-white stones, now drenched in red, were enough to make anyone nauseous.
But Kai couldn't afford such feelings, not while his team fought.
'How stupid would I look hiding behind them?'
[Extremely stupid… We can't let them hog all the aura now, can we?]
Kai smirked darkly as he stepped forward.
Junpei peered through his sniper scope at the imposing figure, but before he could react, Kai had vanished.
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED: TRANSMISSION]
Drawing Sasuno's sheath, Kai disappeared as though he never existed.
Before the last two Wolfsbur could even react, a figure appeared behind them. With a deft twist of his wrist, he cleanly decapitated both.
They were powerful, but their lightning resistance was no match for a Dread Vesper specialized in thunder and lightning assaults.
Kai wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "That was tough," he murmured.
Kai and his group soon cleared away the corpses after retrieving the cores. As Kai had predicted, the rest of the journey was anything but peaceful.
Strange faces, ones he hadn't even noticed aboard the train, approached the group, or more precisely, Matthew and the others, offering gifts and singing their praises.
[I can't blame them. It's not like they saw you fight or know how strong you are. This is why I keep telling you to show more of your power.]
'Why does it feel like you don't like it when I hide my strength?'
[Because I don't.]
Kai smiled faintly. 'Maybe another time.'
Looking out the window, he immediately noticed the shift in terrain. Soon, massive buildings loomed into view.
'We're finally here. The fortress of the south, Paradis.'