Cassian's team members were all quite accepting of him as their leader. If any had doubts, they vanished the moment he took down a two-star magic beast in an instant. Admiration filled their gazes, including Robert, Lumine, and the three new members.
Among them was the brother-sister duo, Theron and Althea. Theron, the older brother, was a true warrior—forceful, relentless, and powerful in his attacks. Althea, on the other hand, was his graceful opposite, moving with fluid precision. Yet, despite their contrasting styles, their fighting techniques complemented each other perfectly.
The team's co-leader, Wanni, an Emberling, was also a highly skilled mage. However, Cassian had yet to witness her magic in action, as they hadn't encountered injuries or situations requiring healing.
Still, she proved invaluable to the mission, able to keep pace with the team—a rare feat for a mage. Unlike warriors training to become Circle Warriors, who were naturally gifted in physical prowess, most mages relied primarily on their minds rather than their bodies.
As she ran beside Cassian, a gentle green glow surrounded her like a corona. She spoke, "Babet Village is just ahead—only a few minutes away at our current pace."
Cassian nodded. This was one of the villages his team had been assigned to evacuate. Seeing that there weren't many magical beasts blocking their path, he assumed the fighting was still ongoing. That meant rescuing the villagers wouldn't be too difficult.
"Focus on evacuating the civilians. Leave the monsters to me and the twins," he instructed. "Lumine and Robert, help the injured—heal them just enough so they can get out of the danger zone and regroup."
Wanni nodded as they reached the village entrance. Most of the buildings were either engulfed in flames or had already collapsed. Chaos filled the air—villagers ran frantically while mana beasts rampaged, attacking anything in sight.
Cassian, a red blur, surged forward, targeting one of the monstrous spider-like creatures. It was covered in thick fur, resembling an oversized, many-legged beast. With a swift strike, he cut it in half, saving a woman from its deadly fangs. Without pausing, he moved on, silently slaying more of the same creatures, rescuing countless villagers and freeing those still engaged in battle.
Wanni and the others followed closely behind. She immediately began tending to the most severely injured, her hands glowing with healing magic.
"Gather them into groups," she ordered Robert and Lumine. "Evacuate the villagers in organized units. Once outside, they can make their way through the jungle together. Make sure each group has at least ten people, with half of them capable of fighting."
She continued her work, healing only as much as necessary—just enough for the wounded to escape the jungle on their own.
The black-haired twins had already moved ahead, following Cassian's orders. They stopped in the middle of the wide street, where Cassian had already dealt with most of the monsters.
"Clear out the low-ranking monsters," Cassian commanded. "Relieve the Circle Warriors by reducing their numbers and have them assist in evacuating civilians. If any are able-bodied, direct them to join an evacuation group. I'll meet you both in the village plaza in half an hour. Your job is to gather all our teammates there. Understood?"
The duo nodded in unison. "We do."
Cassian gave a firm nod. "Then go."
As they rushed off, Cassian scanned his surroundings. His eyes locked onto a massive boar—twice his size and towering nearly as high as a two-story building. It repeatedly slammed into a makeshift wooden barrier at the village's edge, the structure on the verge of collapsing.
In an instant, Cassian became a red streak, flashing forward. Just before reaching the barrier, he leaped high into the air, soaring above the rooftops. As he descended, a sharp, blurred green glow surrounded his sword.
The boar was mid-charge, moments away from crashing into the barrier—until Cassian's blade sliced clean through it. A surge of green energy split the beast in half. Its front half slammed into the barrier with a heavy thud, while the rest of its body, carried by its own momentum, slid forward before collapsing lifelessly.
By the time the boar's body hit the ground, Cassian had already flashed forward, cutting down smaller threats in his path. He quickly joined the other Circle Warriors, whose numbers were in the single digits—until his arrival nearly doubled them.
Approaching the nearest warrior, he asked, "Need help?"
The man, lanky and wielding a pair of short, curved blades that crackled with arcs of blue electricity, glanced at Cassian. Though momentarily surprised by his arrival, he quickly shook it off and replied, "Not here. Go ahead and help them handle the three-star ones."
Cassian did exactly that, vanishing in a blinding streak of red with a faint green aura flowing around him like a gust of wind. In an instant, he reached two Second-Circle Warriors locked in battle against a dozen three-star monsters.
Three-star beasts were considered as strong as highly experienced First-Circle Warriors—almost comparable to newly awakened Second-Circle Warriors in terms of raw strength and speed. To make matters worse, these multi-racial creatures wielded deadly magic, attacking in unpredictable waves.
Some spat walls of fire, while others launched volleys of explosive bone darts. Lightning arced from the claws of a few, crackling with deadly precision. Among them were wolf-like beasts, massive bears, and a single unnervingly fast serpent that made it nearly impossible for the two warriors to handle the rest of the monsters.
Handling this many three-star monsters was already a serious challenge for any Second-Circle Warrior. Each of the two fighters was fending off six beasts at once, their bodies already covered in wounds—mostly due to the venom-spitting snake, which made the battle even more brutal.
Cassian wasn't entirely confident in taking down any of these monsters outright, but he was certain he could disrupt the fight. Instead of targeting weaker creatures that wouldn't shift the battle much, he locked onto the black-scaled serpent, which had shrouded the battlefield in a thick, toxic green mist.