Chapter 249: Love Rival

A giant fiery-red bird suddenly swooped down from the sky, its enormous wings spreading across the air as it snatched Sora away.

The entire movement happened so quickly that Sora barely had time to react.

One moment, she had been standing safely inside the Salt Well Cave.

The next, she was already suspended high above the ground, firmly held by the bird’s powerful golden claws.

Sora’s first instinct was to struggle.

However, the moment she looked down and saw the enormous distance between herself and the ground, she immediately abandoned that idea.

Her hand instinctively moved toward her slightly protruding belly.

If she fell from this height, she might not merely be injured or crippled.

The little cub inside her belly could be lost instantly.

Sora’s expression became serious.

Although her Water Elemental Ability had already reached a considerable level, she still didn’t have enough confidence to jump from such a height.

After all, she cultivated the Water Elemental Ability.

She wasn’t a Beastman with Wind Elemental Ability who could simply control the air and slow her descent.

The fiery-red bird flew extremely fast.

The surrounding scenery blurred as they moved farther and farther away from the Salt Well Cave.

Yet strangely, the bird didn’t tighten its claws around Sora’s body.

It didn’t seem to be trying to kill her immediately.

Sora’s eyes narrowed.

That meant there was still room to figure out what was happening.

If the bird had wanted to kill her, it could have done so already.

Instead, it had abducted her and was carrying her somewhere.

Since she didn’t know its purpose, struggling blindly would only put herself and the little cub at greater risk.

Staying calm and waiting for the right moment was the best option.

After thinking it through, Sora slowly curled herself up, making herself as stable as possible within the bird’s grasp.

For now, she would wait and see what this strange creature wanted.

Back at the Salt Well Cave, Xavier had been fighting Ben.

He never expected that a fiery bird would suddenly descend from the sky and abduct Sora.

By the time he realized what had happened, the bird was already far away.

It was Damien who noticed it first.

His black eyes narrowed sharply.

"Kaelira!"

Unfortunately, his warning came too late.

Sora had already been carried away.

Damien’s expression instantly became cold.

Without hesitation, he unleashed a powerful blast of wind.

The force swept violently through the cave.

Several Fire Jackals blocking his path were sent tumbling backward.

Damien didn’t even stop to look at them.

He immediately chased after the fiery bird.

Ace, Lucas, Xavier, Lukan, and Ryan all noticed Sora’s disappearance.

Their expressions changed drastically.

Nick Wilde’s face also darkened.

He inwardly cursed Xavier.

Useless.

Xavier had pulled Sora behind him to protect her, yet he had still failed to prevent someone from abducting her.

Nick Wilde’s killing intent surged.

He increased the intensity of his attacks and began tearing through the Beastmen standing in his way.

The others reacted similarly.

They no longer held back.

Xavier’s eyes narrowed.

His body suddenly shook.

His purple scales shot outward like countless sharp blades.

The scales filled the air like a violent rainstorm, rushing toward the Fire Jackals surrounding him.

Ben’s expression changed.

He immediately retreated several steps.

A blazing Fire Palm appeared in his hand.

With a roar, he struck it directly toward Xavier.

At the same time, Lukan’s eyes flashed with cold killing intent.

His sharp fingertips transformed into blades.

He lunged toward the Rank Five Jackal Beastman in front of him.

His claws struck with terrifying speed.

Lucas and Ace also increased the intensity of their attacks.

Neither of them was willing to waste another second.

Ryan remained responsible for part of the rear, dealing with several weaker Jackals who were trying to surround them from behind.

The entire battle became chaotic.

Everyone was desperate to reach Sora.

Meanwhile, the fiery bird continued flying.

After carrying Sora for some distance, it finally began descending.

But it didn’t land gently.

Instead—

It released Sora from a considerable height above the ground.

Sora’s eyes widened.

"This—!"

She immediately reacted.

Her Water Elemental Ability surged.

Vines shot outward and wrapped tightly around a nearby tree trunk.

The force of the vines slowed her descent.

Sora swung around the trunk before finally landing safely on the ground.

She quickly steadied herself.

Before she could fully recover, the fiery-red bird landed nearby.

In the next moment, its enormous body transformed.

The bird became a Female Beastman.

She wore fiery-red feathered clothing that was dazzling and flamboyant, resembling brilliant equinox flowers.

Her appearance was striking.

However, her expression was anything but friendly.

She looked Sora up and down with undisguised contempt.

"Are you the one called Kaelira?"

Sora was baffled.

She had never seen this person before.

Yet from the moment she appeared, this Female had behaved as though she already hated her.

Sora calmly brushed the leaves and dirt from her clothing.

"I am Kaelira."

She looked at the stranger.

"What do you want?"

The Female sneered.

"Your personality doesn’t seem gentle at all."

Her gaze traveled slowly over Sora’s body.

"And your appearance is more ordinary than ordinary."

The contempt in her voice became even stronger.

"How could Lucas take a liking to a Female like you?"

She examined Sora as though she were evaluating an object.

From beginning to end, she showed no respect for Sora.

Then her eyes suddenly fell upon Sora’s slightly bulging belly.

The expression in her eyes changed instantly.

The arrogance disappeared.

It was replaced by something much darker.

"You’re actually pregnant with his little cub."

Before Sora could understand what she meant, the Female suddenly lunged forward.

Her hand clamped around Sora’s throat.

Sora’s breathing immediately became difficult.

She struggled against the grip.

"Who are you talking about?"

Her voice was strained.

"I don’t understand a single word you’re saying."

The Female sneered.

"Humph."

"You don’t need to understand."

Her fingers tightened around Sora’s throat.

"Today is the day you die."

Sora’s expression became cold.

She quickly realized that trying to reason with this woman was useless.

The woman was clearly acting irrationally.

So Sora didn’t waste another second arguing.

Water Elemental Ability surged through her body.

A column of water instantly formed in her palm.

She slammed it directly into the woman’s face.

Splash!

The sudden attack caught the Female completely off guard.

Water covered her face.

Her eyes immediately closed.

Unable to see, her grip loosened.

Sora seized the opportunity.

She twisted her body and broke free from the woman’s grasp.

Then she quickly retreated several steps.

The Female wiped the water from her face.

"Want to leave?"

Her voice was filled with anger.

"It’s not that easy!"

She tilted her head backward.

A strand of red flame suddenly ignited around her golden fingertips.

The flame grew brighter.

Then she attacked Sora.

Sora immediately reacted.

The water column in her palm expanded.

It transformed into a large water ball that flew directly toward the incoming flames.

The transparent water ball collided with the fiery attack.

For a brief moment, water and fire struggled against each other.

Then—

Boom!

The water ball exploded in midair.

Steam spread through the surrounding space.

The Female took a step backward.

Her expression became malicious.

She immediately formed a hand seal.

"Phoenix Token."

Her voice rang through the forest.

"Fire Release—Activate!"

The moment her words fell, the surrounding air seemed to tremble.

Fiery golden flames appeared in the air.

Then those flames began changing shape.

One after another, they transformed into fiery golden tokens.

Hundreds of them appeared overhead.

Then they began raining down toward Sora.

Sora’s scalp tingled.

The attack was terrifying.

She immediately called out to the system.

"System! Save me!"

Her voice was urgent.

"What is this thing? It’s terrifying!"

But—

Silence.

Sora waited.

Nothing happened.

Her expression darkened.

No way.

Even at a critical moment, the system was still this unreliable?

If the system didn’t help her now, she was finished.

"System!"

She gritted her teeth.

"System, where are you? Is there a protective shield?"

Still nothing.

The fiery golden tokens continued falling.

Sora had no choice.

She summoned another water column and prepared to use it as a shield.

She clenched her teeth.

Then she prepared to close her eyes and endure the attack.

Suddenly—

A mass of black beast fur drifted down from the sky.

The fur spread outward.

In an instant, it transformed into a completely airtight barrier surrounding Sora.

The golden fiery tokens struck the barrier.

Boom!

A powerful explosion echoed through the air.

Sora looked up in surprise.

Damien descended from the sky.

He stood between Sora and the enemy like a deity descending from above.

His black beast fur moved around him.

Under his control, the fur suddenly transformed.

Thousands of sharp fur needles shot outward.

They collided with the fiery golden tokens.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The tokens exploded one after another.

The black fur needles spread through the air, transforming into enormous black fur lotuses.

The entire sky seemed to be filled with black petals.

The Female’s expression changed.

Her brows furrowed tightly.

She immediately retreated several steps.

Then—

A mouthful of blood escaped her lips.

She stared at Damien in disbelief.

"Who are you?"

Her voice was filled with shock.

"You actually broke the Phoenix Token."

Damien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

A lazy chuckle escaped him.

"You talk about these few broken tokens as though they’re something impressive."

His gaze became cold.

"I advise you to stop now."

He paused.

"Otherwise, don’t blame me for being merciless."

But before Damien could finish speaking, the sound of approaching footsteps suddenly came from nearby.

The Female immediately glanced toward the direction of the sound.

Her expression changed.

She instantly disappeared into hiding.

From the air, she saw Sora standing behind Damien.

Although she had been injured, she was unwilling to give up.

A fiery ball formed in her hand.

She suddenly threw it downward.

Damien noticed the attack.

He was about to raise his arm and block it.

But then he saw the worried expression on Sora’s face.

His movement changed.

Instead of defending himself, he pulled Sora into his arms.

The fireball struck his back directly.

Boom!

Damien’s entire body was knocked downward.

Sora immediately reached out and supported him.

"Damien!"

Her voice was filled with alarm.

"How are you?"

"Damien!"

Damien shook his head.

"I’m fine, Kaelira ..."

But Sora could clearly see the blood at the corners of his mouth.

His usually bright, shimmering eyes had also become dull.

The light in them was much weaker than before.

Sora’s heart tightened.

Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

She couldn’t understand why seeing Damien injured affected her so strongly.

Usually, she found him troublesome.

She didn’t always know how to deal with him.

Yet the moment she saw him bleeding because he had protected her, anxiety flooded her chest.

"Don’t move."

Sora immediately extended her Vines.

The green vines wrapped carefully around Damien’s body.

Her Wood Ability flowed through them as she began treating his external injuries.

Fortunately, the wounds appeared to be external.

There didn’t seem to be any immediately obvious internal injury.

Sora finally breathed a little easier.

At least...

It wasn’t worse than that.

She looked at Damien’s pale expression, and her heart remained tense.

Whatever happened next, she couldn’t let him suffer a more serious injury because of her.