Three months had passed since Shifu's return. The once small aive city had blossomed into a bustling hub of activity. Life iy had grown more structured, with clear roles and responsibilities assigo each group. The elves and Antari worked side by side, their colboration a surprisingly leap in progress.

  In the dense forest oskirts of the city, two elven men and five Antari warriors leaped from tree to tree, their movements swift. The elves, and Rhyder, were agile and graceful, their motions almost blending with the natural rhythm of the forest. The Antari, oher hand, dispyed raw power, though their rger builds made their movements less fluid. Among them were three female Antari, Athra, Kyna, and Melira, and two males, Torran and Vek.

  Their task was simple in theory but near impossible iion, locate and incapacitate Shifu, their mentor.

  “He ’t have gone far,” whispered, his keen eyes sing the shadows below. His long, dark hair was tied back, revealing sharp, angur features that betrayed his iy.

  “Easy for you to say,” Torran muttered, nding heavily on a brand steadying himself. “The man’s a ghost. We’ve been at this for hours, and he’s still toying with us.”

  “Focus,” Athra snapped, her tone sharp but not unkind. She crouched low on a sturdy branch, her antewitg as she tried to pick up any hint of their quarry. “If we ’t even find him, what ce do we have against real enemies?”

  Kyna grinned from a higher perch, her red lined carapace catg the dappled sunlight. “She’s got a point. But holy, this is kinda fun. When was the st time we got to hunt someohis skilled? Hunting with Lady Crimara is fun, but there aren't any strong monsters anymore."

  “Fun until he catches us off guard again,” Rhyder muttered. His lighter hair fell over his face as he swung to a lower branch. “I still haven’t figured out how he moves so quietly.”

  Melira, the quietest of the group, finally spoke, her voice low and thoughtful. “He’s watg us right now. I feel it.”

  Her words sent a ripple of uhrough the group.

  “You’re probably right,” Vek said, his voice edged with frustration. “But what are we supposed to do about it? He’s faster, smarter, and more experiehan all of us bined.”

  Athra tightened her grip on the branch she perched on. "First, we don't whine about it, it's disgraceful. Our queen should never see you like this. Spread out, keep unication to a minimum. He’s likely trag us as a group. If we make him e to us, we might have a ce.”

  The group heir respect for Athra evidee their weariness. One by ohey moved into position, spreading out in a loose formation that covered a wide swath of the forest.

  For several tense mihe forest was silent save for the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant calls of birds. The group remained on high alert, their seraining for any sign of Shifu.

  Then, without warning, Torra out a startled yelp as a blur of red and bck desded upon him. Before he could react, Shifu’s hand shot out, tapping the side of his ne a mock strike that signaled his defeat.

  “Too slow,” Shifu said calmly, his voice carrying just enough of a reprimand to sting. He disappeared into the trees before Torran could recover, leaving the others scrambling to adjust.

  “He’s pig us off!” Kyna hissed, her antenna flig anxiously as she moved to a higher vantage point.

  One by one, Shifu elimihem with ruthless efficy. and Rhyder mao evade him for the lo, their familiarity with the forest trees giving them an edge. But even they were no match for Shifu’s ing.

  By the end of the exercise, the group rawled across the forest floor, bruised and panting but otherwise unharmed. Shifu stood over them, his arms crossed and his expression impassive.

  “You all failed,” he said simply, his voice carrying the weight of his authority. “But you learned something, didn’t you?”

  Athra pushed herself up on one elbow, gring at him through narrowed eyes. “That you’re impossible to catch?”

  A faint smile tugged at Shifu’s lips. “That, and the importance of coordination. You relied too mu your individual skills and not enough on each ainst an oppo like me, or worse, you o work as a unit. Anything less is a death sentence.”

  The group exged weary gnces before Athra pushed herself up, her amber eyes log onto Shifu with a mix of resped frustration. “With all due respect, Teacher,” she began, her voice steady despite her exhaustion, “against an oppo like you, we’d be nothing more than fodder. At best, it’d be an aplishment just to buy time.”

  “Is that what you all believe?” Shifu asked, narrowing his gaze briefly. The expressions on his students’ faces made it clear they did. He hummed thoughtfully before tinuing, “Iing. A, each of you is generally as strong as I am.”

  “What? No way!”

  “As if! We ’t even nd a hit on you!”

  “I’ll have to beat you first before you say that!”

  “That’s not funny, teacher.”

  A chorus of disagreemeed from the group, each voice yering over the . Shifu, however, only chuckled in response, his expression unbothered by their protests.

  "I’m not lying, though," Shifu said calmly. "Most of the informatio over my head, but from what Lady Kaede expihe Antari are currently all Rank A majin—just like me, a Rank A."

  Shifu was right. With Artificia’s return, she analyzed all the events that had transpired, revealing an ued discovery. Naming the queen of an ant y doesn’t just empower the queen, it strehe entire y. When Kaede he Antari’s queen, it triggered a casg effect: the queen evolved from Rank B+ to Rank A, and her y followed suit, with the ants advang from Rank C to Rank B.

  However, Kaede didn’t stop there. She went a step further, personally naming ead every member of the y. This extraordinary act elevated them from Rank B to Rank A-, while the queen herself surged even higher, reag Rank A+. The result was a massive leap iari’s collective strength, far surpassing initial expectations.

  “Again,” Shifu ordered.

  Despite their exhaustion, the group climbed to their feet, ready to try once more. Kaede’s vision for her city was built orength of its people, and Shifu was determio ehey lived up to her expectations.

  ////

  Dwargon, the Dwarven Kingdom, y led deep within the vast mountain rao the west of the Great Forest of Jura. Renowned for its imperable defenses and masterful craftsmanship, the kingdom stood as a testament to dwarven iy and resilies location, carved into the heart of the t peaks, made it a natural fortress, nearly impossible to besiege.

  The dwarves of Dwargon were a proud and industrious people, celebrated for their exceptional skill in bcksmithing, alchemy, and stru. Their robust physiques and long lifespans made them natural borers and craftsmen, tirelessly perfeg their art with a precision unmatched by other races. At the helm of this thriving nation was the Hero King, Gazel Dwargo, a legendary warrior whose wisdom and strength anded unwavering loyalty.

  Deep within the heart of this kingdom, in the dwarven cil chamber, a meeting was taking pce.

  At the head of the round table within the chamber, Gazel, a behemoth of a man, also known as the hero king. spoke to the kneeling figure a few feet away. "Report."

  The kneeling figure was a slim woman dressed entirely in bck, her face cealed behind a mask. "The human has departed with his pany, headi towards the Great Forest of Jura," she reported calmly.

  King Gazel's expression remained impassive. "And they caused no issues? Nothing at all?"

  "None, my lord," she replied. "During his time here, Edward ducted himself with caution and respect, though his ente drew signifit attention. The Ants dispyed no signs of aggression and followed his ands without question. However, their mere presensettled the citizens, given the... reputation of their kind."

  She hesitated briefly before tinuing, as if carefully weighing her words. "His purpose here appeared to be primarily mertile. He sought rare metals and ented tools, iating directly with uilds and craftsmee the unease his presence caused, no is were reported. Edward maintained an air of professionalism and avoided unnecessary iions."

  A grim look crossed Gazel's face. "I don't want to believe it, but... to think those monsters have evolved to su extent."

  He recalled passing by Edward's group during one of their outings, discreetly assessing their strength. The power he sensed from the Ants had been undeniable. "They were all Rank A monsters," he muttered to himself.

  Turning his attention back to the spy, his tone hardened. "Deploy ents. Keep a stant wat that group of monsters. Do not let them out of yht! EVER!!!"

  His voice, usually posed and measured, rose with a rare iy, filling the chamber with a palpable weight. The gathered officials stiffened, fully grasping the gravity of his and.

  "Even at the cost of our lives!" The spy aowledged without hesitation before vanishing into the shadows.

  Gazel leaned ba his chair, deep in thought. "It appears that Chibari left with them, intending to teach the Ants our craft, and even took her family along." He sighed, rubbing his temple. "Ohe spies locate their y, it shouldn't be an issue if I decide to pay an old friend a visit... I wonder if she foresaw this."

  SaberGlory