两男一女的双龙挺进

The orb pulsated with a fierce energy, showing slight cracks as if it contained a power ready to erupt and bring ruin to the world.

As soon as the hulking figure placed the orb, it vanished into thin air, leaving behind an eerie, gleeful laughter that echoed through the empty streets.

---

After Nox\'s demonstration, the Maverick Guild members returned inside the abandoned ship to discuss their next course of action.

"The last time, it was easy for us to track down the Elemental Beast because of the signal," Reyes began, pacing back and forth as the others listened intently. "But for weeks now, there hasn\'t been any signal. This means we have to go about the search the old-fashioned way."

Nox, who had been hearing the term "signal" repeatedly, raised his hand. "What\'s this signal? It\'s the first time I\'m hearing about it."

"Oh, since you\'re new, I guess you wouldn\'t know," Reyes replied before explaining. "A few weeks ago, a blue signal shot up into the sky. Curious citizens and Awakened rushed to the spot, only to find the Elemental Beast we\'re now hunting."

Reyes nodded to Cormach, who took over the explanation. "But before any group could take down the beast, it escaped. We\'ve been expecting another signal ever since, but nothing has appeared for weeks."

"Who shot the signal?" Nox asked, his curiosity piqued.

"We don\'t know," Cormach replied with a shrug. "But we suspect it\'s a distress signal for help... Honestly, we\'re not sure, but all we know is that the beast was spotted—"

Suddenly, a loud sound reverberated throughout Coastal City, cutting Cormach off mid-sentence. The group rushed to the windows of the abandoned ship to see a blue beam shooting up into the air from the western side of the city.

Clueless citizens stared at the beam, some recalling a similar event a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, figures with purpose in their eyes began rushing towards the west.

"The beast has made its appearance again!" Reyes shouted. "Everyone, rush to the west! No matter what, we must be the first to get that beast!"

Nox was confused by the sudden turn of events. They had just been talking about the signal, and now, here it was. Pushing the thought aside, he joined the members of the Maverick Guild. They leaped out of the abandoned ship and dashed towards the west with astonishing speed, cracks forming beneath their feet with every step.

The perplexed citizens only caught glimpses of their afterimages, accompanied by gusts of dust.

That day, the citizens of Coastal City noticed groups of people rushing towards the west, wondering what was happening. However, their curiosity wasn\'t strong enough to compel them to check it out; after all, it could very well be another portal break.

"Faster, you weaklings!" Ren shouted at the top of his voice. Behind him were the rest of the students from Vermilion Kingdom. The only person keeping pace with him was Wendy, third to Maya.

\'Tsk, even though she\'s not a real noble, this girl is strong. And she\'s actually catching up to me, a full-blooded noble?\' Ren clicked his tongue and suddenly dashed forward, leaving everyone else in the dust.

As a noble, the silver-haired boy couldn\'t bear the thought of losing to a \'fake noble.\' Nobles believed that commoners were beneath them, meant to serve rather than stand on equal footing. This belief fueled Ren\'s competitive nature, even in such a critical situation.

Wendy noticed his increased speed and frowned. She wasn\'t competing with anyone; she just wanted to reach the beast before the others. But it seemed the annoying silver-haired boy had misunderstood her intentions.

\'Hope you get killed,\' she sneered in her mind, picking up her pace.

---

Outside the walls of Snowhelm, a soldier reported to a middle-aged bald man with an eyepatch, "Captain, the signal has been shot again!"

"Quickly, dispatch the squad! I\'ll go first!" the man known as Captain Bofan ordered. He jumped out of the window of a towering building, his actions looking like an attempt at suicide. However, before he could hit the ground, his body rose into the air, and he zoomed towards the west at supersonic speed!

\'This is the second time the beam has been shot. I hope I get there faster this time. No matter what, the crystal must belong to our great military!\' Captain Bofan thought, his eyes flashing with determination as he sped towards the west.

---

"Dammit! Dammit!" Jack cursed as he rushed towards the west. "Why does this beast have to show up when I\'m injured?!"

Without his guards, Jack knew his chances of obtaining the Elemental Crystal were slim. It wasn\'t guaranteed even with them, given how many powerful individuals were after the same thing.

[You know you still have a chance if you do what is necessary,] a devilish voice whispered in his mind.

---

"Hurry up! This is for Bladesong Academy!" a muscular boy shouted to a group of teenagers behind him. Like the Vermilion Royal Academy, Bladesong Academy also sought the Elemental Crystal. However, unlike Vermilion, they didn\'t need it to pass an exam; it was a special request from their principal.

---

On a distant watchtower...

"So many Awakened. I can feel the power in the air. Sister, why don\'t we join the fun as well?" one girl asked the red-skinned woman, whose gaze was fixed on the rushing Awakened. Only one word left her mouth:

"Fools."

---

\'It seems that beam is some kind of signal to alert everyone,\' Nox noted, lagging behind the group. His face contorted into a frown. \'But who gave the signal? Why alert everyone when they could just get the crystal for themselves?\'

Something was wrong, but Nox couldn\'t understand what.

Soon, they arrived at the scene.

***

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