The first three teams were closely chasing each other, with Nero's team still leading at 271 points, Elreth's team in second with 250, and Adam's team trailing in third place with 235.
Flapping his beautiful flame wings, Nero pursued Khione, who was ahead of him, already searching for her next prey.
Suddenly, she felt a wave of intense heat from behind her. Spinning around, she was shocked to see Nero flying right on her tail.
"So fast? I'm called a genius, but this one is a complete monster. Now I understand how those with lower aptitude feel." A bitter feeling threatened to overwhelm her, but she quickly pushed it aside.
"This is getting fun!" she mumbled, genuinely thrilled by the spirit of competition. It was a healthy rivalry, one she wanted nothing more than to win. This was different from her decade-long competition with Elreth, where they had tried to crush each other.
