Tenko leaped from Rei's shoulder, instantly growing larger, his Nyx Scepter humming with a soft, ominous glow. Rei, his own Chaos Scepter firmly in hand, watched the colossal Terra Rhino charge. "A Terra Rhino is very dangerous," Rei stated, a bead of sweat trickling down his face despite his calm demeanor. "One or two of us might be able to kill him."
"Then shouldn't we run?" Eugene asked, his voice trembling.
"Showing your back to your enemy is the worst mistake you could do," Rei countered, his voice firm. "This, I think, is going to be your test. Show me your strength, Eugene and Bart."
As the Terra Rhino attacked, Rei shouted, "Now!" Tenko moved with incredible speed, unleashing wind slices. Simultaneously, Rei conjured his sorcery. "Lightning Fury!" Irregular bolts of thunder raged, striking through the gaps of the Rhino's tough hide. Tenko's wind slices found their mark, attacking the Rhino's left eye, blinding it in one eye, while Rei's lightning bolts exploited the gaps in its armor, causing internal bleeding.
Eugene's palm glowed with golden magic. "Holy Magic: Amplify!" he chanted. Bart, Tenko, and Rei were instantly enveloped in holy light, their strength surging to new heights. Bart, empowered, created a curved pillar of earth and used it to jump high into the air. He then punched, summoning two colossal, curved pillars of earth that resembled fists. They slammed into the Terra Rhino's head like a double punch. Bart quickly created another earth pillar beneath his feet, standing on it. "Earth Fall!" he commanded, and massive chunks of earth began to fall from the dungeon ceiling. However, knowing the limits of his power, Bart stopped the attack once the rocks had covered the Terra Rhino.
The Terra Rhino rose, snarling with anger, and charged towards Bart. But then, an intense heat enveloped Bart, Eugene, and the Rhino. A bright light shone from above. They looked up to see a colossal ball of fire descending. Eugene and Bart were shocked by the sheer power Rei was unleashing. Rei, wielding his Chaos Scepter, declared, "Inferno Globe!" As the massive fire ball crashed onto the Terra Rhino, it instantly erupted into searing flames. The Terra Rhino desperately tried to extinguish the fire by rubbing itself on the ground, but nothing worked.
Another ball, this one of wind, was already forming above them, conjured by Tenko using his Nyx Scepter. As the ball of wind descended and struck the burning Terra Rhino, it amplified the flames, burning the beast even more intensely. Yet, the Terra Rhino's armor was incredibly strong, and it somehow managed to survive the inferno.
"Come on, do something, guys!" Rei urged them, snapping Bart and Eugene out of their daze. Eugene's palm glowed again. "Holy Magic: Weakening!" he chanted. The Terra Rhino, still burning, began to visibly weaken under the holy magic's effect.
Rei used his Chaos Scepter, his sorcery flowing. "Stone Chains!" Chains of stone erupted from the earth, wrapping around the Terra Rhino, halting its movements. Similarly, Tenko used his scepter, barking as chains of air bound the Terra Rhino, further restricting its movements. Then, Bart, seeing the opportunity, conjured four huge, pointy stones. "Huge Stone Cannon!" he roared. The four massive stones pierced through the Rhino's now-weakened armor, finally killing the formidable beast.
After killing the Terra Rhino, Bart and Eugene suddenly remembered the immense implications of their feat. Bart, wide-eyed, asked, "I killed a Terra Rhino?" The earth pillar he stood on slowly descended. Eugene, equally astonished, asked, "Wait, I helped in killing the Terra Rhino?"
"You didn't kill it, Bart," Rei corrected him gently. "We killed it."
Bart's face lit up with a broad smile. To Rei's surprise, he didn't laugh, but simply said, "Wait, I've become this strong?" Eugene too, was only smiling, not laughing. "I can't believe it," he said. "Rei, with you, we can defeat anyone!"
Rei observed their false sense of absolute victory. After all, he and Tenko had done most of the heavy lifting. However, he let them believe it for now, understanding that such mindsets, though potentially dangerous, could also make them stronger in the face of future threats. "There are still many beasts and people I still can't beat," Rei cautioned them softly. "But something is wrong with this dungeon. We should go before we encounter any more stronger beasts."
As they made their way out, Bart asked, "Rei, are you not tired or depleted of Qi?"
"No, I am not," Rei replied truthfully. Tenko shook his head, confirming he wasn't tired either.
Bart was bewildered. "After using so many spells, even I am weak. How are you not weak when you used more stronger spells than me?"
"Maybe because the amount of Qi I have is more than you," Rei said, feigning nonchalance. Rei knew he was lying. He had the same amount of Qi as Bart, perhaps even a little less. However, Rei and Tenko were very adept at using their spells, always employing sorcery with the minimum amount of Qi necessary. This efficiency made their Qi reserves appear much larger than they actually were.
As the group emerged from the cave, they saw a bird flying towards Rei. Rei was confused; the revolutionary bird only came once a month to deliver reports. He took the note from the bird's leg and read it:
"Hey Rei, it's Ben. Ever since you put me in charge of the Revolutionaries, my workload has increased way too much. However, it's giving me a feeling of what a task a king would get, so thanks! By the way, in order to recruit the noble of Geno Town during the war, we are sending Arizona, Alya, and Levi. That way, they can also tell you the situation of the Revolutionaries too. Make sure to compliment Levi's new weapons! Bye!"
As Rei finished reading the letter, he realized this was the perfect chance for him to give them some of the Emberasia seeds he had inside his plant and discuss about the plant with them. He had heard that many people used Emberasia for military purposes, though he didn't know how. Since Levi belonged to the military background and was coming with them, he might have that knowledge.