The Greatest Fight [progression cultivation isekai]

The Thief and the Beast

The next morning, Rosso finally had enough of the abuse. While he was about to finally head out, the master walked by with his usual nonchalant demeanor.

"Alright—I have to go to the market. The oasis is under your supervision until I get back. Don't let anyone in!" he said as he left.

Roa tried to reason with his friend, but no matter how hard he pressed, nothing seemed to shift Rosso's stubborn resolve. He was leaving. The boy sat in the garden staring at the ground, trying to come up with some way to convince him. His mind wandered in circles, when a sharp, panicked scream pierced the air, shattering his thoughts. Heart racing, Roa jumped to his feet and darted toward the tool shed. Throwing the door open, he saw Rosso, frantic and wild-eyed, tearing through the cluttered shelves.

"Someone took my notebook! It's not here anymore," the red-cloaked man said in a panic.

The boy glanced around, then his eyes shot open as well.

"My seed pouch—it's gone too!" Roa said, joining his friend in the desperate search.

The two rushed outside, looking for the culprit.

"I bet it was that old idiot trying to keep us from leaving—so that we can keep doing his chores," yelled Rosso, slamming his fist against the wood as his face turned bright red.

"Wait, look..."

Someone was inside the chicken coop. They exchanged a glance, tensing as they carefully crept forward. The door groaned as it opened, its creak breaking the stillness of the morning air. The stranger, startled by the noise, swiftly turned toward them. She was short like a child and looked like a wizard, except that she wore a reflective, neon orange tunic, and an orange traffic cone on her head. In her left hand, she clutched a red stop sign, its white letters boldly reading 'GO.' Shock flashed in her wide, unblinking eyes as she stood there frozen with a couple of eggs in her other hand.

"Hey! Give us back our stuff, thief!"

The stranger blew a whistle. The noise vibrated in their heads and the two fell to their knees, allowing her to escape.

"What the—"

"Get her!"

They raced through the food forest, determined to get their precious belongings back. The devious figure darted through the trees. Roa, focused and quick, activated the Gift of Haste. In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of the thief, his arms wide and ready to trap her. However, as he lunged forward, he lost his footing, crashing face-first into the soft soil, only catching a gust of air where she had just stood.

Rosso wasn't far behind. With a swift movement, he grabbed hold of the thief's cloak, yanking her back, but before he could pull her in, she blew the whistle again. The sound cut through the air, freezing him in place, giving her the chance to slip away, her mocking giggles echoing behind her as she ran. Undeterred, they dashed from tree to tree, hiding behind trunks, leaping from above with barely a sound.

"You are cornered. Leave our stuff and we won't hurt you," said Roa, pointing his index finger at her.

Her back was against the huge, stone wall of the oasis. She reached into her pockets and dangled the notebook and the pouch, snickering mischievously. The Jumpers blasted forward in unison, but just as their hands were about to grab her, the thief leapt up into the sky. After a graceful backflip, she took to the skies in flight, riding her stop sign away from them, her laughter growing faint as she left the oasis behind.

"No—come back," Rosso screamed, stomping his feet.

The Sunflower's eyes darted around. Rushing into the tool shed, he came out holding something—the iron the master had given them.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, man. That notebook had my father's notes," said Rosso defeated.

"Shut up and hold on!" Roa grabbed his friend's hands and placed them on his jacket.

He pressed the 'mist' button on the iron—nothing happened. His friend shot him an annoyed glance as the boy pressed the button repeatedly. Then, without warning, they were yanked aggressively into the air. The wind howled in their ears as they shouted, surpassing the top of the giant tree in a matter of seconds, the oasis shrinking beneath them. Roa's arm was pulled with such might that he felt as if he were holding on to the wing of an airplane. As he pivoted the magical iron, their bodies followed its movement through the sky.

"Watch. Watch, watch, watch!" Rosso pointed at the ceiling of the giant room. "Chandelier!"

They twisted in a corkscrew motion, spinning uncontrollably, narrowly avoiding the ceiling as Roa attempted to regain some sense of control.

"There she is!"

The cone-wearing thief was gliding gracefully below. As soon as she saw them hurtling toward her, she shot forward, her stop sign gleaming as she navigated the air like a witch on a broom. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she plunged through an archway leading into the next vast chamber of the Palace, her laughter echoing behind.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

In front of them stretched an expanse of brilliant sunset hues—fiery oranges and pinks blending into the soft blues of a distant sky. The thief disappeared inside some fluffy clouds.

"Damn it—right when clouds painted on a ceiling would come in handy—we end up in a room with actual clouds," Rosso screamed into his friend's ear as they entered the vapor.

Towns dotted the rolling hills below, as the long rivers of oil spread out like toxic, black veins on gray skin.

"Whale!"

"What whale?"

With another last-second corkscrew maneuver, they managed to evade the giant animal that was peacefully floating among the clouds. As they zipped past, the cetacean's blowhole erupted, spraying them with a misty blast of sticky snot.

"Bless you," Rosso muttered, wiping yellow slime from his lips, while Roa blinked furiously, trying to keep his eyes from sealing shut as they stayed locked on the pursuit.

A floating ship emerged from beneath the clouds, rising to their right. The boy quickly pulled back on the iron, realizing that the motion caused them to slow down.

"Where are you gentlemen headed?" asked a tall, young, black-haired woman wearing a pirate hat.

"Have you seen a wizard on a stop sign wearing a cone on her head?"

"Yeah, she just passed by, laughing. That way—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the Jumpers began to free fall. Their eyes widened in terror as they screamed, plummeting through the sky. Roa frantically twisted the iron, shaking it, hitting it—nothing worked. They continued their descent through the clouds, their lives flashing before their eyes. To their surprise, they landed with a soft thud on a bouncy surface—a hot air balloon.

"Help me!" Rosso yelled; his arm stretched out as he slid off. Roa's eyes darted to the magic iron, desperately pressing the steam button over and over. Finally, with a sharp hiss, the strange item came back to life, blasting forward in a surge of steam. With no time to lose, he dove after his friend, plummeting straight down at full speed. His heart raced as the wind whipped past, his eyes locked on Rosso's flailing arms. Below, standing on the deck of the hot air balloon, a group of penguins watched the chaos unfold, their eyes following the bizarre scene down.

"How rude," they said with a tone of annoyance.

"I got you," screamed the Sunflower as his fingers finally grasped his friend's cloak.

Rosso's hands gripped onto Roa's jacket, holding on with all his strength. With a sharp yank, the two shot upward just in time, narrowly avoiding the ground below. They soared through the crisp air, letting out a laugh for having escaped death. A medieval town sprawled beneath them, its cobblestone streets twisting like tentacles through clusters of stone houses and bustling market squares. He leaned forward, his white hair tousling in the wind, as he scanned the rooftops for the thief.

"There!" he barked, spotting the wizard's orange cone among the clothing lines. They caught up to her, their speed closing the distance as they soared toward the top of a towering castle. With a swift motion, Rosso reached out, his fingers closing around her cone. They tumbled through the air as Roa lost control, crashing atop the dome with a resounding thud. The thief landed gracefully beside them, her feet barely making a sound.

"I landed on my broken finger—of course," Rosso stood, his eyes closed shut from the piercing pain.

"Give us back our stuff, and you can have your hat in return," Roa screamed, holding the cone up.

She smiled, then let out a giggle. Two large hands grabbed onto the ledge behind her, pulling up a large, muscular body. Two horns curved and swayed, as the nose of a bull blew air out like a steam train. It was a minotaur, half man, half bull, towering in front, separating them from their possessions, and the thief that took them. She laughed and blew her whistle, sending the creature into a rage.

The air was electric, charged with the auras of the fighters. The students attacked the enemy with precision, synchronized. The minotaur snorted, its massive frame radiating raw power as it stomped, sending tremors across the crumbling stone. Roa darted forward, activating Haste, his aura crackling as his body blurred. He struck with a flurry of precise punches and kicks, aiming for the beast's joints. The beast was no weakling, however—it countered with a wide swing of its axe, forcing the Sunflower to skid back.

"Keep him off balance!" Rosso called, summoning Scutum just in time to block a follow-up blow. The translucent shield flickered under the impact, but it held, giving his friend an opening to strike. With another burst of Haste, Roa darted low and delivered a spinning kick, his martial arts training evident in the arc of his movement.

The minotaur roared, staggering, as its fury grew, its horns aimed directly at the red-cloaked man. Roa shouted, leaping into action, but the beast anticipated him, swinging the flat part of its weapon with bone-rattling force to push the boy out of the way. The blow connected, sending him hurtling off the dome's edge. For a moment, time seemed to stop, as he felt the floor beneath his feet disappear.

His panting breath suddenly paused when he realized that he was not falling. He was stuck there, in midair. He had managed to stop himself using Pan's Gift, giving Rosso just enough time to pull him back to safety. The beast howled. Roa, seizing the moment, ignited his fist with aura, striking the opponent in the rib cage. With a massive thud, the minotaur fell back, incapacitated—the enemy was defeated.

The thief's blond hair flowed in the breeze as her eyes opened wide, her head tilting to the side. She reached into her pockets and threw their belongings their way, gesturing with her hands for the cone. They threw it at her, standing tall and victorious. She placed it on her head and giggled, walking backwards and waving goodbye until she fell off the castle wall. She flew away in the distance, riding her stop sign as she did somersaults in the sky.

Content with having reclaimed their prized possessions, the two travelers made their way back to the oasis a day later. They spent the night in the nearby town, where they drank ale and mingled with the odd locals, exchanging tales and laughter under the dim glow of lanterns. They even met the penguins from the hot air balloon, whom they befriended after apologizing for crash-landing on their aircraft.

"Hey, thanks for saving me back there," said Rosso, patting the boy on the back.

"No problem. I'm sure you would have done the same."

"Well, you boys are back. Where have you been?" asked Master Vesper, lying on a hammock reading a magazine titled 'Fertilizer Weekly.'

When they recounted the tale of the thief, the teacher said; "those damn traffic wizards. They are sly, mischievous little beings who enjoy causing trouble for people—like provoking light malfunctions to create train delays, breaking pipes to cause road work, and scaring forest creatures to cross the road to cause accidents."

"There she is again—with that bull man!" Rosso screamed when he spotted the two enemies in the oasis.

"Wait a minute..." said Roa with a confused look on his face.

He stared at them sitting calmly at the long, wooden table under the giant tree, smiling and chatting with other guests as food came out. The old man smiled.

"So—I guess we passed the final test?" asked Rosso as he sat between what, just yesterday, he thought were his enemies.

"Yeah, sure," nodded Vesper as he passed the food around, the aromas filling the warm breeze of the evening.