CHAPTER 242: CHAPTER 241 - THE THIRD PHASE 2.

Arietta stretched like a lazy cat in Raven’s lap, letting out a quiet yawn. "Alright, Magnetic Blunt Girl, are you ready?"

Jessy cracked her knuckles, stood up, and rolled her shoulders.

"I’m going to punch something really hard now," she said flatly, descending the steps.

Selena leaned in toward Raven, smirking. "I like when she gets serious."

"She’s always serious," Clara added with a calm sip of tea conjured from nowhere.

Siris muttered, "If she bleeds, it’ll be metal. I approve."

Nibbles raised a sign: "Mood: 100% iron violence."

Arietta flicked her wrist, and the platform glowed again.

"Simulation loaded: Level Nine Beast—The Megamoo."

The lights flickered.

Then a thundering MOOOOOOOOOOO shook the arena.

A massive cow-shaped monster the size of a two-story building descended from the sky like a divine punishment for lactose intolerance.

It had armor-plated udders, glowing red eyes, and two oversized horns spiraling like drill bits. On its back was a tiny barn.

Yes, a barn.

Which mooed.

Clara blinked. "...The barn is mooing."

"I don’t like it," Siris said, gripping her daggers.

Raven, staring at that, couldn’t help but ask Arietta. "How did you imagine those things?"

Arietta shrugged lazily. "I didn’t. It was a monkey who did it. I merely provided the power, so I know that no matter how dumb it might look, it is strong."

"Wait, a monkey?" Clara raised a brow. "You have a monkey?"

"No," Arietta replied, sitting on Raven’s lap. "I picked it up for that purpose, and once its work was done, I dropped it back to where it belonged."

Everyone deadpanned before they shook their heads.

Jessy, on the other hand, stood across from the bovine titan with a blank stare. "That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen."

"MOOO!!!" The Megamoo roared, steam jetting from its nostrils.

"Correction," Jessy said, metal plates spinning around her like orbiting blades. "It’s the second dumbest."

With a snap of her fingers, spikes of iron launched upward, piercing the Megamoo’s legs. It stumbled, one udder swaying threateningly.

Then Jessy clapped her hands.

CLANG!

A wall of metal slammed upward behind her, and she launched it forward like a battering ram, smashing into the beast’s face.

It mooed in protest, flailing.

Jessy flew forward, her body wrapped in shifting steel plates and forming sharp gauntlets and boots.

BOOM!

SMACK!

CLANG!

She punched her way up the monster like an ascending freight train.

Selena whispered, "The creature probably thinks that she’s scary."

"She’s efficient," Clara replied. "That’s scarier."

"Still doesn’t have Cryovoid, though," Siris said smugly.

Back on the field, the Megamoo suddenly inhaled.

Its barn glowed.

It stood on its hind legs, and then—UDDER BEAM!

A blinding stream of white-hot milk magic blasted toward Jessy.

Raven raised a brow. "...What the hell?"

Jessy’s eyes twitched. "Okay. No."

She slammed her fists together, and all the metal in the area spiraled toward her, forming five massive rotating plates.

Magnetic fields pulsed, the ground trembling as blue lightning crackled.

Then—

"EMP CANNON."

The plates spun violently, compressing an electromagnetic charge the size of a small star.

With a roar, Jessy punched forward.

A beam of pure electromagnetic fury exploded from the plates, ripping through the udder beam and blasting the Megamoo’s head off in a glorious explosion of steak-scented light.

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

Ash rained gently from the air.

Jessy landed with a thunk, brushing soot from her arms. "Done."

Nibbles raised a sign: "Iron Maiden, Moo Slayer."

Alex, still wiping lava from his boots, muttered, "...I hate how cool that was."

Blargh added, "I would’ve eaten it."

Selena clapped once. "Beautifully brutal."

"Efficient," Clara added again.

"I still win in stabbing," Siris concluded.

However, no matter what everyone said, they all knew that Jessy was now in a class of her own.

Before, she could only make metal float using her magnetic powers; now, she could generate electricity.

It was something unprecedented, as she had gained a new element because of her talent.

It was then that Arietta let out a quiet snore. She’d apparently fallen asleep in Raven’s lap halfway through.

Raven looked down at her and sighed. "Guess I’m the pillow now."

.............................

A while later, when Arietta woke up.

She stretched in Raven’s lap again, now more cat than goddess, letting out a lazy yawn. "Ughh... next. Flowery Plant Girl, it’s your turn."

Lia stood up stiffly like she’d been called out in class, cheeks already faintly pink. "Y-You don’t have to call me that..."

Siris, who had been behind Raven since the start, gently twisted his short hair between her fingers. Again. "Hmm... not enough hair. I’ll need magic."

Clara chuckled. "Just don’t braid his soul."

"Noted," Siris muttered seriously, conjuring tiny silver threads of cryovoid to help.

Meanwhile, Lia cleared her throat and walked down the steps to the arena with as much grace as a swan with stage fright.

When she reached the center, vines spiraled up her legs like an excited entourage.

Arietta raised a tired hand and lazily twirled a glyph. "Simulation loaded: Level Nine Beast—The Munchbear."

BOOM!

The ground cracked as a hulking, furred creature the size of a small building landed on all fours.

Its stomach was bloated, its claws looked like dinner knives, and it had three mouths—one on its face, one on its belly, and one on its... tail?

It shoved an entire wheel of cheese into its belly-mouth and burped.

"Behold," Arietta mumbled sleepily, "the monster born from snack cravings."

"...Did it just eat its own paw?" Clara asked.

"It grew a new one," Rufus confirmed grimly.

In the center of the arena, Lia raised her arms as glowing pink petals spiraled around her. "Alright... I didn’t want to do this, but..."

WHOOMPF.

A massive green silhouette erupted behind her, vines twisting into limbs, bark forming armor, and glowing petals blooming along its back.

It was a form that towered over ten meters.

"I could go bigger," Lia said as if stating a fact, "but it consumes way more mana, so I decided on this size."

The Munchbear stared blankly... then tried to bite her foot.

"EXCUSE you!" Lia huffed.

Vines lashed out, slamming the bear away like a boot to a squeaky toy.

"I asked nicely!"

The tree form raised one arm.

Flowers the size of carriages blossomed across the battlefield and launched seed pods that exploded in bursts of glittering pollen and vine grenades.

They might not sound that grand, but all of those attacks, powered by Lia’s mana, were enough to make the seeds shoot at a speed faster than anything the bear had seen.

It pierced the bear’s hide.

The Munchbear chomped through one, growled... then chomped the vine.

"Rude." Lia frowned before she inhaled sharply. "Fine. Talk time’s over."

The bark on her form shifted, her voice layering with the whispers of ancient forests. "Rise, my children."

From the ground, trees exploded upward. Each had a different face and attitude.

"HELLO, MOTHER!" Screamed one tree with a smile that was far too excited.

"Devour him," she commanded softly.

The trees screamed with joy and charged like a fan club meeting their least favorite food blogger.

The Munchbear batted a few away, but they reformed like leafy zombies and dragged it down.

It growled, annoyed by the vines.

Then, its throat started to glow red, and steam poured out of its mouth.

Lia didn’t even need anyone to tell her what was about to happen.

"Oh, no. You don’t."

With those words, her ten-meter-long form punched the bear’s head to the ground, making it roar in pain as it bit its tongue.

Then, the bear quickly bit Lia’s arm.

"ROAR!" It bellowed, as if it was saying that it was still chewing.

"Chew this," Lia whispered, extending her other hand.

A single glowing seed floated down.

It struck the bear’s head.

BOOOOOOOM!

A giant flower the size of a whale exploded upward, launching the Munchbear like a kicked volleyball. It crashed into the far barrier with a sound like someone trying to swallow a drum kit.

Silence.

Then Lia shrank back to normal size, the trees coiling around her tiny body going back into the ground as she brushed a stray vine from her hair. "And that’s how we do things politely."

Selena clapped. "That was adorable and terrifying."

Clara smiled. "Graceful. And nuclear."

Siris kept braiding. "Could’ve used more knives."

Nibbles raised a sign: "10/10. Would hug Plantzilla again."

Arietta yawned. "Okay... next..."

She didn’t even notice she was now upside down in Raven’s lap.

Raven blinked. "You’re sliding."

"I live here now," Arietta mumbled.

Jessy nodded toward Lia. "Well done, Flower Power."

Lia, smiling under the compliments, puffed her chest and walked back to her spot beside Selana.

Raven just smiled at her, causing her to lower her head, her cheeks rosy pink.

Lia wasn’t baggage anymore.

When she joined the group, she was the weakest, but now, she was the extra lifeline of the group.

She was a healer who was supposed to lack in the fighting department, but not anymore.

Lia could now become a giant, her strength reaching a new level.

Yes, she still didn’t have a flashy attack like others, as her power was more focused on binding and restricting, but that was more than enough.

Not everyone in a group needs to have strong destructive power.

A balanced group needs someone to have binding powers.

Now, Lia was the most unique member of the group.

The focus, however, soon turned to the next participant, who, by sequence, was supposed to be Jake, but he was pardoned from this trial.

Jake’s powers were self-harming, and the more he was willing to sacrifice, the stronger he would grow, so it wasn’t a power that needed to be tested but conserved.

So, they had decided to skip Jake’s turn and focus on the next challenger, who turned out to be Siris.