The first wave of jellyfish surged toward them, a mass of glowing, translucent bodies weaving through the Riftflow like spectral predators. Chiara adjusted her stance, sending out subtle, disruptive EM pulses through the air. The ripples distorted the swarm's formation, forcing several jellyfish to falter in their trajectory.

"Arjun, three incoming from the left."

"On it," he replied instantly.

The snap of his sling echoed as a stone zipped through the air, striking the nearest jellyfish. Its glow dimmed, the core shattered, and its body crumpled into the Riftflow.

Lukas's voice followed, calm and steady. "Two more above. Closing fast, eight meters."

Chiara looked up, spotting the creatures descending toward them like floating phantoms. She channeled her EM waves, creating a sudden burst of interference. The distortion disrupted their patterns, scattering them momentarily.

"Imani, Wang, sweep left and hold the line," she directed, moving to the right to maintain their spacing.

Imani spun his sling, releasing a stone that struck cleanly through a jellyfish's core. Another rushed toward him, but Wang stepped in, deflecting it with a controlled burst from his gauntlets, propelling him just enough to dodge and strike in the same motion.

Chiara kept moving, her focus sharp. She magnetized her gauntlets briefly, using the push to shift her position faster. Another pulse from her waves sent a cluster of jellyfish veering off course. It wouldn't last long, but it bought them time to press forward.

"Hold formation," she sent to the team. "Lukas, keep an eye on the right flank."

"Yes, boss," he replied with a smirk, releasing a sling shot that tore through another target.

The swarm pressed closer, but the group maintained their coordination. Chiara's gaze flicked toward the massive boss looming in the distance, its towering form surrounded by the smaller jellyfish. Each step brought them closer to its reach, and she knew they couldn't afford to waste their javelins yet.

"Focus on conserving ammo." she sent, her tone unwavering.

Another jellyfish darted toward her, its tentacles flaring out. She ducked low, magnetized her gauntlets to push herself sideways, and released a perfectly aimed stone mid-move. The core shattered, and the creature collapsed.

"Arjun, watch your left!" she sent sharply as two more jellyfish veered toward him.

"Got it!" he responded, spinning his sling in one hand while deflecting a stray tentacle with the other.

Chiara exhaled, steadying herself as they pushed closer to the boss's domain. The pressure mounted with every step, but the team held their ground. They didn't have the luxury of mistakes—not this time.

"Start moving onward, and keep a safe distance," she sent through a long-range transmission to the ballista team.

Her waves locked onto Alonso. He was already engaging the boss. They had to move faster.

Chiara pushed forward, cutting down as many jellyfish as she could, but there were far too many.

"Two more coming from behind," Chiara sent out.

"Got them," Arjun shot back, spinning low under a tentacle swipe and releasing a perfectly aimed stone. The jellyfish crumpled in a cascade of faint light.

Wang, meanwhile, surged forward. His blade gleamed as it carved cleanly through the tendrils of an incoming jellyfish. He leapt sideways, using the momentum to dodge another swipe before severing its core with a single fluid motion.

"Two above, ten meters," Lukas's calm voice came through. He raised his sling and let loose a stone, striking one jellyfish's core dead-on. Without hesitation, he reloaded and aimed again, the second shot splitting the next one's core with impeccable precision.

Chiara clenched her jaw. Her waves rippled outward again, scattering a cluster of jellyfish converging on their position. She layered her pulses this time, adjusting the interference field to briefly confuse their movement patterns.

"Imani, hold right," she directed.

Imani nodded sharply, deflecting a tentacle with his gauntlets. He swung his sling and released a shot that cracked through another core. "Clear."

The ground beneath them rumbled faintly as they drew closer to the boss. The massive jellyfish floated ominously ahead, its tendrils swaying like colossal whips. Each slam into the ground sent shockwaves rippling outward, and the sound was deafening—a boom that echoed like thunder.

Chiara cursed under her breath as she felt the pressure of the creature's presence. Her eyes locked onto its massive form, its translucent body pulsing faintly, the glowing orbs within shifting like distant stars. But something was off.

Her heart skipped. "Six cores," she muttered. "One's down?"

She sent a wave to the team. "One orb is already broken. Alonso's making progress. We need to hold the waves here."

"Got it," Lukas replied. His tone carried a rare seriousness as he reloaded his sling. "Let's keep the pressure off them."

Chiara nodded, her resolve hardening. She glanced toward the boss again, catching glimpses of Alonso's rapid movements in the midst of the chaos. Ayu was darting nearby, her agility keeping her just ahead of the massive tentacles. Good. They were holding their own.

"Keep formation," Chiara sent to her group. "Draw the waves to us and focus on containment."

The jellyfish surged again, a relentless tide of glowing bodies. Chiara magnetized her gauntlets briefly, using the force to propel herself to a better position. Her waves rippled outward in rapid succession, scattering another group that veered too close.

Arjun vaulted over a fallen jellyfish, landing with effortless grace as he spun and let loose another sling shot. "Three down on my side," he called.

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"Wang, right flank!" Lukas sent, spotting a cluster moving in.

Wang charged forward, his blade slicing through two tendrils in a single swing. He crouched low, deflecting another tentacle before delivering a final slash to its core.

The ground shook again as the boss's tentacles struck like thunderous whips. Chiara gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowing. They were closing in, but the fight was only just beginning.

But then, a wave hit her from the ballista group.

"We've taken several down, but further progress is impossible. Multiple waves are heading our way—we have to retreat."

Dammit.

She had known getting the ballistas close to the boss was a long shot, but she'd wanted to try. If their group of five could pull the aggro toward themselves, it might have worked. But there were simply too many.

Chiara exhaled sharply, weighing her options. Should she send Arjun and Wang back to assist? No. It wasn't worth splitting their focus now.

"Alright. Keep firing from the edge and stay near the border. Draw as many as you can toward your position. They won't cross the edge. Take down as many as possible and don't let them head in our direction," she sent back.

As the communication ended, something caught her eye. A javelin pierced through the boss's translucent form, shattering another core.

Only five left.

But then the remaining cores began to glow.

What?

She narrowed her focus, scanning the boss. One of its massive tentacles rose higher than the others. A second stage?

Another jellyfish surged toward her. She dodged the sweeping tentacle and released a sling shot in one smooth motion, shattering its core. Yet, her attention never left the boss.

The elevated tentacle remained still, but three others moved toward Alonso while two targeted Ayu.

The creature's attack pattern shifted.

Its strikes weren't faster, but they were more frequent. No. That wasn't it either. It was the number of tentacles. Before, it had only used three. Now, it was using five.

This didn't look good.

Was there anything she could do to help?

Her eyes darted to Alonso and Ayu. They were retreating, converging toward each other. But… why wasn't Alonso attacking?

"Chiara, to your left!" Wang sent a wave.

Chiara reacted instantly, diving to the side. She unleashed an EM pulse, disorienting the approaching jellyfish before finishing it with a clean javelin throw. She had no time to reload her sling.

Her gaze snapped back to the boss. The glowing orbs dimmed.

Seven seconds? Seven seconds after a core was destroyed?

She caught sight of Alonso gripping a javelin, his body moving with precision. He hurled it toward one of the dimmed orbs, but the raised tentacle lashed out with blinding speed, deflecting the shot.

So, that tentacle is for defense.

And Alonso didn't attack while the orbs were glowing. Was there a reason for that?

"Everyone, the boss is moving, and more waves of Glow-Lurkers are converging. We need to split up and form a circle around it, keeping any incoming wave distracted from reaching Ayu and Alonso. Each of us will cover a 72-degree arc at a range of 150 to 300 meters from the boss's position. Track your area carefully. Focus on evasion and distraction—don't take unnecessary risks. Now… go!" she transmitted to the others.

It was the most she could do for now.

The team quickly moved into position.

Chiara reloaded her sling, taking down another jellyfish while dodging a tentacle. She edged slightly closer to the boss, her eyes fixed on the ongoing battle. Her waves remained locked onto the enemies around her, sending out intermittent disruptive patterns to throw them off course.

Suddenly, Chiara noticed both Alonso and Ayu step out of the boss's 30-meter strike range. Less than a second later, they rushed forward, with Ayu leading the charge.

Her heart tensed as three tentacles lashed toward her. But they missed, curving away as if avoiding her entirely. Of course… Ayu's near-precognition.

Ayu launched a javelin, but the elevated defensive tentacle intercepted it again. While it was still retracting, Alonso, positioned on the opposite side, dodged another tendril and released his javelin less than half a second after Ayu's. The timing was perfect.

And sure enough, another orb was shattered.

Chiara exhaled sharply. They made it look almost easy, but at the speed those tentacles moved, she knew it was anything but.

Her thoughts drifted briefly. If Ayu and Alonso weren't here, how would they even manage to take the boss down?

She shook the thought off, focusing. Four orbs left.

The orbs began to glow again. Would it be the same every time? Another seven seconds?

Then she noticed another tentacle rise—a second defensive one.

Shit.

And as if that weren't enough, the boss shifted, moving slightly faster than before. A total of seven tentacles now lashed through the air.

What the hell? Already?

A chill ran down her spine. Was this how it worked? Seven stages, each more relentless than the last? But… they weren't even halfway through…

She cursed under her breath. Perhaps they had no choice but to intervene. The risk was immense, but…

No. Not yet. For now, she would analyze how Alonso and Ayu managed against this stage. If it looked like they couldn't push through, she'd send a wave to Alonso to coordinate. But for now… for now, they should manage. The later stages, though…

A tendril swept toward her, and she dodged smoothly, her feet sliding across the uneven ground as she kept moving nonstop, sending out EM waves to draw their attention.

Chiara noticed Ayu and Alonso keeping their distance, engaging just outside the creature's range. Her mind raced. How would they break through those seven tentacles and two defensive ones?

Then she saw Ayu grab two javelins, one in each hand, and start running in a wide arc around the boss. Alonso, meanwhile, maintained a precise distance, his movements deliberate, baiting the creature to focus its attacks on him while Ayu maneuvered around its flank.

Chiara had to admit, Alonso's timing and control of space were impeccable. For a fleeting moment, he even reminded her of Siddharth.

Her gaze shifted as he pulled a javelin from his back. He held his ground just outside the creature's attack range, his focus locked entirely on the massive form before him.

Ayu, after reaching the opposite side, paused for only an instant before sprinting forward. At the same moment, Alonso rushed in from his position, both moving with an almost uncanny synchronization.

Four tentacles lashed toward Alonso while three shot toward Ayu.

Alonso pivoted sharply to his right, sidestepping the first as it slammed into the ground with a force that sent tremors through the earth.

The second whipped toward his midsection. He ducked low, rolling fluidly to the side and springing back to his feet in one seamless motion.

The third came down in a crushing vertical strike. He leapt back just in time, the rush of air from its descent brushing past as it slammed into the ground.

The fourth tentacle swept in a wide horizontal arc. Alonso dropped low, sliding beneath it with barely an inch to spare.

On the other side, Ayu effortlessly zigzagged through the oncoming tentacles. To an outsider, it might seem as though the strikes intentionally missed, but Chiara knew better—Ayu had already moved before the attacks fully began.

Ayu came to a halt, her stance steady, and hurled the javelin in her left hand toward one of the glowing orbs. A defensive tentacle intercepted it in a blur, deflecting it cleanly. Without hesitation, the second javelin left her hand a heartbeat later, exploiting the gap as the tentacle recoiled.

The second javelin streaked through the air toward its target. Another tentacle moved to intercept it, swatting it aside just in time. But as the defensive tentacles focused on Ayu—

Crack.

Chiara's eyes widened as she saw another orb shatter. Alonso's javelin had pierced through, perfectly timed to strike while the second tentacle was still recovering from deflecting Ayu's follow-up.

The fourth core had fallen.

Only three left.

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