Outside the Flame Storm.
Two raid team members stood with their mouths agape.
They watched the spreading, encroaching fire and could only retreat backward.
Rolling waves of heat blasted their faces. One towering tree after another turned into torches, the blazing flames obscuring the figures of the Tremor Wolf and Tyrant Bear.
"What the hell's going on in there?!"
They couldn't tell.
The younger Deng Zhi looked to the veteran. "Brother Wang, should we summon them back?"
"No."
Wang Dakai, seasoned and experienced, said, "Summoning can recall our spirits, but it'll definitely expose our position.
"We two can hide, but with spirits that big, there's no way to conceal them.
"Besides..."
He gazed at the ever-expanding sea of fire.
"These flames are just ignited by trees and wood-element spiritual energy, not a fire-type spirit's ultimate move. Their lethality isn't strong."
Their spirits were earth-type, naturally adept at defense.
Thick-skinned and tough.
In such a firestorm, holding out for three to five minutes wasn't a problem.
Wang Dakai's expression remained grim. "But the other side must have a reason for doing this. We need to understand the battlefield situation to make the right call."
He pressed two fingers together and muttered low.
"Spirit Art: Visual Share."
One, two, three, four—glowing markers, like clock hands, appeared clockwise around his joined index and middle fingers.
A faint halo wrapped around his fingers as the old veteran brushed them over his eyes.
Instantly,
his vision linked with the Tyrant Bear.
He saw the sky full of flames and, within the fire sea, the three-split, awe-inspiring Ember Crow.
Even through the Tyrant Bear's eyes, he could only catch a red blur!
It was faster than before!
The two spirits were already reacting based on their instincts.
The Tyrant Bear slammed its paw to the ground. Earth and stone flew up as massive, bamboo-shoot-like pillars jutted from beneath, forming a wall around them like a fortress.
Blocking the flames.
Blocking the Ember Crow's line of sight.
But a red streak flashed by, and the giant stone pillars were sliced through like fragile tofu.
The Tremor Wolf, constantly attacking with Sand Blast, couldn't land a hit on the Ember Crow, which moved unseen within the fire sea.
The gravity fields the two spirits deployed couldn't even catch up to its tail flames.
"This won't work. We'll be worn down to death!"
"And escaping the fire zone is impossible too—that Ember Crow's watching... And where's the other spirit?"
Wang Dakai felt increasingly uneasy.
Logically, with two elite-level spirits against two entry-level ones, they should have an overwhelming advantage.
Why had it come to this?
He pondered for less than two seconds before issuing a command to the Tyrant Bear through their bond.
"Stop raising rock pillars. Just coat yourself in rock armor to lure the Ember Crow into attacking, then create a maximum-intensity gravity field covering your surroundings, friend and foe alike."
A long string of instructions, transmitted via the contract, took less than a second to convey the gist to the Tyrant Bear.
Deng Zhi, following Brother Wang's orders, also commanded the Tremor Wolf.
A double gravity field.
Then, use Sand Blast in a similar indiscriminate area attack to ensure accuracy and break the Ember Crow's clones.
Finally, seal off the Ember Crow's true position with falling rocks.
Deliver the killing blow.
Thinking through all this in an instant was thanks to Wang Dakai's rich combat experience.
He'd faced a similar situation before!
Just then,
three red figures hidden in the fire sea emerged.
The Tyrant Bear covered itself in a thick layer of rock armor, while the Tremor Wolf crouched low, hiding at its feet.
Man and spirit.
Stared intently at the approaching flame shadows.
Under duress, their focus had reached a peak.
Suddenly,
the sky darkened.
Darkened to an extreme.
One moment, bright flames were before them; the next, it was pitch black, unable to see a hand in front of their face.
No, it was as black as if they'd gone blind.
Even Wang Dakai, sharing the Tyrant Bear's vision, found it jarring.
And then...
A blinding white light burst forth.
Like a flashlight beam shining directly into their pupils on the darkest night.
"Ah!!!"
Wang Dakai lowered his head, covering his eyes with both hands, tears uncontrollably streaming from the corners.
The "Spirit Art: Visual Share" couldn't hold and broke off.
"Brother Wang, what's..."
Xiao Deng hadn't yet learned the fourth-level Spirit Art "Visual Share" and was completely blind to the battlefield, relying solely on Wang's instructions.
But before he could finish his question, his expression changed.
Through the contract link.
The Tremor Wolf, which had only been in poor condition before, was now severely injured.
Soon, it became barely alive.
Its spirit's self-preservation instinct forced it into unconsciousness.
No matter how Xiao Deng called out, he couldn't figure out what had happened.
Old Wang gasped for breath. "My Tyrant Bear is also... but... luckily, he doesn't seem to have gone for the kill."
Before the mission, Wang Dakai never imagined he'd be spared by an examinee.
His not-so-aged face was full of weariness and bitterness.
...
"Gu-no~!"
"Ca..."
Su Hao welcomed the two spirits back.
Mirage Butterfly was in better shape, while Ember Crow, though not badly hurt, was already exhausted.
"Gu-no~"
Mirage Butterfly flew up, giving up the spot on Aqua Beast's head to Ember Crow.
Go tell it, gu-no~.
Ember Crow hesitated, then landed on Aqua Beast's head, feathers ruffled, and replied to the big sister.
"Ca..."
The Aqua Beast below wanted to tilt its head but dared not.
It's my head, xi-lu~!
"Let's go."
Su Hao waved a hand.
With such a commotion nearby, they couldn't stay any longer.
"I should have passed the assessment, right?"
Su Hao had noticed drones filming from high above earlier.
The examiner team must have seen his fight.
He looked up.
Stared for a long time.
Gradually fell silent.
"Where are the drones?"
...
Around the fire zone, wild spirits watched from afar, hiding.
Suddenly,
they spotted a figure in graffiti combat gear approaching and, like startled animals, darted into bushes or buildings, vanishing without a trace.
Two raid team members cautiously approached with their spirits.
They stared at the fire sea before them, and within the flames, faintly visible pits, trenches, broken pillars, and more, couldn't help but click their tongues.
"Holy crap, what the hell happened here?!"
The rough man was baffled.
Was it necessary to cause such a ruckus?
Were they trying to kill the examinee or beat the wild spirits to death?
"Someone's putting out the fire."
His partner said.
They walked over.
Saw two other raid team members.
A five-to-six-meter-long crocodile was opening its fierce maw, spewing thick water jets onto the burning trees.
The rough man was about to greet them.
When he noticed the two colleagues' faces were off, full of dejection.
He took another look.
In the distance, a Tyrant Bear, covered in wounds, lay on the ground.
A Tremor Wolf, with even more injuries and looking worse, seemed dead.
His mind went blank for a few seconds before he recalled.
It seemed... maybe... perhaps...
That was his two colleagues' spirits.
He was completely stunned.
"What the hell happened here?"