[Chapter 156. The End of Training and a Successful Test]

The barrier around Lana's shield flickered under another barrage of crimson beams, the shimmering surface wavering as she fought for each centimeter of footing. The relentless fire from Searanox's drones pushed her back, her boots scraping against the polished floor in a slow, inexorable retreat.

Searanox remained fixated on Lana, his attention unwavering. This single-minded focus granted Vanessa precious moments. Her hands moved with increasing confidence, spell matrices coalescing in the air around her. Each arcane bolt that struck the defensive drones barriers spawned another matrix, layering her potential firepower with accelerating intensity.

Sarah, however, found her assault equally futile. Each riftstep brought her daggers against the faint blue hexagonal barriers; her blows struck with the same force as Vanessa's magic—enough to make the shields flicker, but never enough to break them.

The shimmer around Lana's shield finally faded, blinking out with a soft hiss.

A heartbeat later, two crimson beams cut through the chamber, slamming against the bare wooden shield. The impact splintered the wood, fragments flying in every direction. The blackened shield groaned under the pressure, its structure failing until it broke apart completely.

With Lana's shield destroyed, Searanox's gaze shifted to Vanessa, the focus that had held his attention finally broken.

Another volley of arcane beams shot forth, dissolving harmlessly against the drones barriers as his gaze fixed on her. Lana leaped forward, attempting to intercept with the broken remnants of her shield. The wood shattered completely, the two halves clattering against the polished floor as a pulse of golden light faded, replaced by a flash of crimson.

Vanessa grunted in pain, collapsing to the floor. Her accumulated spell matrices rippled and vanished, the intricate patterns of light dissolving as pain robbed her of concentration.

Sarah's daggers flared with a faint light of their own, each strike against the drones barriers sending visible ripples across the hexagonal shields. The impacts grew more pronounced, the once-steady flicker now wavering with each blow. But her assault had been anticipated.

Before she could break through, two basic air drones swiveled toward her. Crimson beams lanced through the chamber, striking her thigh and shoulder. She collapsed to the polished floor with a strangled cry, the system-issued armor offering no more resistance than wet paper. Dark stains spread rapidly across her clothing.

Carmen's gaze darted between her teammates, her hands glowing with healing magic as she hesitated. Lana stood unsteadily, blood pooling beneath her feet from multiple shallow wounds. Vanessa lay still where she had fallen, her own spreading crimson mingling with Sarah's on the polished floor.

A soft huff escaped Searanox's lips, followed by an almost inaudible snicker. The offensive drones vanished in a flash of blue light, replaced by two silver octahedrons that pulsed with green energy. They positioned themselves above the wounded women, the green light washing over them as their wounds began to close.

"Your teamwork is lacking," Searanox said, his voice calm. "The raw power is there, but you don't know how to use it." He paused as the green light continued its work. "Did you even notice that I was constantly shifting the barriers? Spreading your attacks across all of them?"

Lana's eyes widened as the flesh on Vanessa and Sarah knitted itself back together. She had seen the shields flicker under Sarah's blows but had dismissed it as damage, never realizing it was a deliberate tactic. Carmen's hands, still glowing with her own weaker healing magic, dropped to her sides as Searanox's superior magic completed the work.

"I never expected you to break one of the barriers," he said, his voice soft but carrying the weight of a lecture. "They can withstand force far greater than what you can currently generate."

The green light faded, leaving the three women healed but visibly shaken, their faces pale in the rhythmic golden pulse of the chamber. Sarah, now sitting up, examined her newly healed body, her expression a mix of relief and resentment. Vanessa pushed herself to her feet, her jaw tight, her green eyes burning with a cold fury she carefully concealed behind a mask of impassivity. Lana remained standing, her gaze fixed on the empty space where her shield had been destroyed—the loss a tangible reminder of their failure.

"That said, Vanessa," he continued, "your Starfall Matrix was a real threat to them. Given more time to accumulate power, their barriers would have cracked under constant bombardment." He gestured toward Lana. "You protected them well, but you should have utilized the healing Carmen provided. Taking one hit with your body instead of your shield would have preserved its integrity longer."

His attention shifted to Carmen. "You were healing the right person, but Lana should have been your priority. She is the only one who can take direct hits from my drones."

Finally, he looked at Sarah. "Your damage output is surprisingly high, but you need to be more tactical. Don't just attack blindly."

He paused, letting the weight of his assessment settle over them, the silence stretching until it was broken only by the rhythmic pulse of the golden veins in the walls. A five-sided black crystal materialized in his hands; golden runes etched along its sides glowed with the same rhythmic light as the chamber itself. It seemed forged from the same material, pulsing with unknown power.

"One of you will place the Lodestone on the center stone of the node," he said, extending the crystal toward them.

Carmen approached slowly, taking the stone in her hands. It was warm to the touch and lighter than it appeared. At the same time, Searanox retrieved the still-embedded core from the Magitech Golem's chest. The construct fell inert the moment the core left its housing; the glow of the striped body dimmed before cutting off fully, leaving the etched runes as a mere lifeless husk. It vanished into one of the cargo drones that flew to his side.

Carmen moved toward the chamber's center, her steps deliberate on the polished floor where a circular platform rose from the obsidian stone. The Lodestone pulsed in her hands, its golden runes matching the rhythmic light in the walls. She placed the crystal on the platform.

Golden energy erupted, washing over the chamber with blinding intensity. The golden veins in the walls flared, their rhythmic pulse accelerating until it became a steady, brilliant glow. The sterile air crackled with unseen power, the metallic scent thickening around them.

The golden light faded, the sterile air replaced by the scent of pine and damp earth. Trees materialized around them, the setting sun casting long shadows across the clearing. The women stumbled as the forest floor replaced the polished obsidian beneath their feet. Searanox remained steady, his posture unchanged as his gaze swept across the distant tree line. The Lodestone spun slowly above the center stone, its golden runes dimming with each rotation.

He checked his vision, noting the absence of a timer. He suspected only the person who claimed the node would have received the notification for the forty-eight-hour claiming period.

"If you want to rest," he said, his voice flat, "do it at the next node."

His four cargo drones sped off in the direction of the Tower the moment they were back inside the forest. Three travel drones materialized beside them. He mounted his without waiting, his posture expectant. The others followed, their movements hesitant as the drones lifted into the darkening sky, leaving the claimed node behind.

When they arrived at the next node, his boots touched down on the ground within reach of the summoning stone itself. The four women approached without command, their hands finding purchase on his coat as they had at the first node.

"Lana, not you," he said. "Stay close, but don't touch me."

Lana withdrew her hand, taking a half-step back with a soft nod. Her expression held confusion and something else—hurt? Before anyone could speak, Searanox placed his hand on the stone.

The shift was as violent as it was quick. This chamber was a perfect replica of the previous one—golden veins pulsing in dark, glossy obsidian. With one exception: there were only four of them instead of five. Their hands fell away from his coat as his gaze moved from Vanessa to Sarah, then to Lana, who stood half a meter away.

Carmen, however, was absent.

"It appears you don't need to touch me to enter," he said, his gaze sweeping over them. "Just be inside the circle when it's activated."

He made no mention of the experiment's success, though the result was undeniable.