Chapter : 693

Risa stood near the metal ramp of the transport vehicle. The sweet pink-haired healer wore her simple pastel dress. She hugged her stuffed brown teddy bear tightly against her chest. She looked terrified.

Risa stared at the dead, cracked ground. She stared at the toxic yellow mist.

She was a nature mage. Her magic connected deeply with the earth. She felt the life force of plants and trees. But here, there was no life force. The ground screamed with toxic pain. The environment felt hostile. It made her feel sick to her stomach.

Everyone in the unit knew the massive danger. Risa possessed highly unstable magic. Her magic reacted violently to her emotions. If Risa panicked, massive green vines would erupt from her body. The vines would destroy everything.

But the danger here was even worse. If the toxic radiation touched Risa directly, the poison would corrupt her mana core. She would lose control instantly. She would explode into a deadly, radioactive plant monster. It was a terrifying possibility. Everyone was very scared of that outcome.

Sayma walked over to Risa very slowly. She smiled a polite, comforting smile. She held out the glowing white shard.

"Here, Risa," Sayma said softly. "Take this. Hold it very tight."

Risa reached out with a shaking hand. She took the Core of Luminus fragment.

The moment her fingers touched the crystal, a bright white bubble formed around her body. The bubble pushed the toxic yellow mist away. The foul smell of rotten eggs vanished. The air inside the bubble smelled like clean, fresh rain.

The shard radiated a very gentle, soothing warmth. The warmth spread up Risa's arm. It flowed directly into her chest. It wrapped around her erratic mana core. It felt like a warm, comforting blanket.

Risa let out a long, shaky breath. Her shoulders dropped slightly. Her bright green eyes looked a little less panicked.

"It feels very nice," Risa whispered softly. She clutched the shard tightly against her teddy bear. "It keeps the bad air away. It keeps my magic quiet."

"The holy energy will keep your mana stable," Sayma assured her. Sayma pushed her glasses up her nose. She looked directly at the young healer. "I am going to stay right next to you for the entire mission. I will monitor your physical status. I will track your heart rate. You are safe with me."

Risa nodded. She offered a tiny, brave smile. "Thank you, Sayma."

Ken stood a few feet away. He watched the interaction. He smiled a goofy, lazy smile. He reached into his canvas bag. He pulled out a blue gummy worm. He tossed it into his mouth.

"This is like an escort mission," Ken announced cheerfully. He chewed the gummy worm. "Sayma is the dedicated escort character. Risa is the VIP. Sayma has to make sure the VIP does not step in any poison puddles. It requires a lot of pathfinding skill. Sayma is very good at pathfinding."

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Sayma looked at Ken. She gave him a small, appreciative nod. His silly video game comparisons always made the scary situations feel normal.

Princess Iris stepped to the front of the group. She raised her silver rapier. Her violet eyes looked extremely determined. She was ready to lead her team into the unknown.

"Listen to me, 13th Unit," Princess Iris commanded smoothly. Her voice rang clear across the dead wasteland. "We are entering an hostile zone. The radiation is lethal. We do not know what kind of mutated creatures live in this mist. We must stay in formation. We must not separate."

Naomi spun her twin silver daggers. The metal clicked sharply. "I will take the front. I will clear the path."

"I will go with you, Naomi," Luna volunteered. She actually stopped looking sleepy. Her eyes were focused. "My wind magic can blow the toxic mist away from our path. We will have better visibility."

"Excellent," Princess Iris agreed. "Naomi and Luna will take point. Watch for any danger. Zinia and Laxmi, guard the flanks. Sayma, stay in the center with Risa. Ken and Ira will cover the rear. Stay inside your purification bubbles. Do not drop your shards."

The 13th Unit formed their tactical walking formation. They looked like a tight, disciplined military squad. The glowing white bubbles surrounded each of them. They looked like tiny, floating stars in a sea of toxic yellow fog.

Ken walked to the very back of the group. He slumped his posture. He dragged his cheap shoes on the cracked dirt. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff.

Ira walked right beside him. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She held her hands ready to cast high-pressure water magic.

"Statistically speaking," Ira stated flatly. Her robotic voice was very quiet. "The rear position is highly vulnerable to ambush attacks. We must maintain vigilance."

"Vigilance requires too much cardio, Ira," Ken mumbled lazily. He popped another blue gummy worm into his mouth. "I will just let the front line do all the hard work. If a mutant monster sneaks up behind us, I will just throw a gummy worm at its face. Sugar is very distracting. It is a flawless defensive strategy."

Ira blinked her pale blue eyes. She did not argue with his logic. She just kept walking.

The 13th Unit began their long, dangerous march. They stepped away from the armored transport vehicle. They walked directly into the heart of the 5 Wastelands. The yellow-gray mist swallowed them . The sky darkened. The cracked ground crunched loudly beneath their boots. The real mission officially started, and the toxic zone waited to test their limits.

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The 13th Unit walked deeper into the 5 Wastelands. The cracked dirt crunched loudly beneath their boots. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. The sound echoed in the quiet, dead environment.

The yellow-gray mist floated everywhere. It was thick. The mist swirled around their glowing white purification bubbles. The toxic gas hissed softly when it touched the holy energy. It sounded like drops of water hitting a hot frying pan. The Core of Luminus shards worked perfectly. They pushed the deadly poison away. The air inside the bubbles remained clean and fresh.

Naomi and Luna walked at the very front of the formation. They took the point position.

Naomi held her twin silver daggers ready. Her green eyes scanned the thick fog. She looked for any sign of movement. She looked for mutated monsters. She moved with strict, silent military precision. She did not yell. She did not act tough. She was focused on keeping her friends safe.

Luna walked right beside Naomi. The gray-haired girl did not look sleepy anymore. She did not yawn. She held her hands out in front of her. Tiny sparks of yellow lightning danced across her knuckles. She used small bursts of wind magic. She pushed the thick yellow mist away from their immediate path. She created a clear tunnel for the team to walk through.

"The ground is very unstable up ahead," Luna reported quietly. She pointed a finger at a large crater. "There is a massive hole. We need to walk around the left side."