Using my lightning affinity—
I blazed through the city at high speed.
Blue lightning crackled around my body while the streets of Ashgrave rapidly passed beneath me.
Heading east—
the futuristic skyline slowly began disappearing behind me.
And soon—
I caught sight of the vast ocean stretching endlessly beneath the night sky.
Cold winds carrying the scent of salt brushed against my face.
Then—
I heard it.
The sound of battle.
BOOM!!!
Mana exploded near the harbor.
Without slowing down—
I immediately headed toward the source.
Soon—
I arrived at the scene.
Four people stood near the coastline fighting against several Voidborn beasts.
The first one my eyes landed on—
was a blonde-haired woman with sharp blue eyes.
She carried herself like a noble.
Elegant.
Calm.
Yet every swing of her sword was precise and deadly.
This was probably Nicole.
The other three consisted of a green-haired mage and two swordsmen supporting her from both sides.
Their teamwork honestly wasn't bad.
Meanwhile—
the Voidborn beasts before them looked horrifying.
Their bodies resembled large wolf-like creatures—
yet their flesh constantly shifted unnaturally like liquid darkness.
Purple veins pulsed across their skin while multiple glowing eyes opened and closed randomly throughout their bodies.
Their mouths stretched far too wide for normal creatures while black saliva dripped endlessly onto the ground.
Every movement they made felt wrong.
Distorted.
As though reality itself rejected their existence.
One of the beasts suddenly let out a screech—
revealing rows upon rows of jagged teeth inside its split jaw.
Honestly—
they looked disgusting.
Still—
as I quietly watched the battle from above—
I tilted my head slightly.
"Oh?"
"They're not bad."
The chemistry between them was surprisingly solid.
Nicole especially stood out.
She felt like the type of leader who constantly tried keeping the team together during battle.
Calm.
Sharp.
Experienced.
As for her strength—
I narrowed my eyes slightly while observing her mana flow.
Top of B-Rank…
Maybe even touching A-Rank.
The others seemed weaker in comparison.
The mage and one of the swordsmen were probably around low B-Rank.
While the youngest swordsman felt closer to C+ Rank.
Still—
for a small guild like Cross—
this honestly wasn't bad at all.
Nicole gritted her teeth as another Voidborn wolf slammed against her blade.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The impact alone cracked the harbor floor beneath her feet.
"These things just keep coming!"
On the backline—
the green-haired mage raised both her hands.
"Nerith! Keep them off me for three seconds!"
Blue wind mana instantly spiraled around her body.
The air itself began distorting violently.
Meanwhile—
Kael Draven, the older swordsman, immediately stepped in front of her.
His massive greatsword crashed into one of the charging wolves head-on.
CLANG!!!
The Voidborn screeched as Kael forced it backward through sheer strength alone.
"You heard the lady!"
"You ugly bastards aren't getting through!"
On the other side—
Ren moved rapidly between the beasts using both twin blades.
SHIIIIING!!!
One of the wolves lost its arm instantly.
Yet black flesh immediately began writhing unnaturally as the limb started regenerating.
"Tch…"
Ren clicked his tongue.
"These things are disgusting."
Then suddenly—
SCREEEEEEEEEECH!!!
The largest Voidborn opened its split jaw completely.
Purple energy gathered deep within its throat.
Nicole's eyes widened instantly.
"Everyone move!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A beam of corrupted Void energy exploded across the harbor.
Entire sections of the ground melted instantly.
Kael barely blocked the attack using his sword while Ren was thrown several meters backward from the shockwave.
Meanwhile—
Nerith finally completed her spell.
Her green hair floated wildly as mana spiraled around her.
"Grand Wind Art—"
"Storm Collapse!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic vortex of compressed wind descended from the skies directly onto the Voidborn pack.
The harbor exploded violently.
Several wolves were instantly shredded apart by the pressure.
Even the ocean waves nearby rose from the impact.
"Oh?"
Watching from above—
I tilted my head slightly.
"That spell wasn't bad."
For a small guild—
Cross honestly had decent talent.
Still—
my eyes slowly narrowed afterward.
Because from the darkness near the harbor—
something much larger began emerging.
CRACK… CRACK… CRACK…
The remaining Voidborn wolves suddenly stopped moving.
Then slowly—
they began backing away.
Nicole's expression immediately changed.
"…No way."
Even Kael's face paled slightly.
From the shadows near the ocean—
a massive figure slowly emerged.
A humanoid Voidborn nearly three meters tall stepped onto the harbor.
Its body was covered in black armor-like flesh while countless glowing purple eyes opened across its chest.
Void energy distorted the air around it violently.
And unlike the wolves—
this thing felt intelligent.
...
My eyes narrowed slightly as the massive Voidborn stepped forward from the darkness.
An A-Rank Voidborn?
Inside the harbor?
That alone made no sense.
But what bothered me more—
was how intelligent it seemed.
Its glowing purple eyes carefully watched Nicole's team while slowly circling them.
It was analyzing their movements.
Their exhaustion.
Their formation.
"…Interesting."
A faint smile appeared on my face afterward.
SHIIIIING—
I slowly pulled Nocturne Veil from behind my back.
The black blade quietly reflected the harbor lights.
Meanwhile—
Nicole's expression darkened seeing the creature.
This mission was only supposed to involve several lower-ranked Voidborn.
No one expected an A-Rank creature to appear.
Especially not one this dangerous.
Even retreating now felt difficult.
Kael was injured.
Ren's breathing had already become uneven.
And Nerith's mana was nearly exhausted from her earlier spell.
Then suddenly—
a figure appeared directly in front of them.
Nicole blinked.
"…Huh?"
Because just moments ago—
nobody had been standing there.
Yet now—
someone stood between them and the Voidborn.
The others looked equally confused.
Slowly—
I removed my hoodie.
My black and white hair fell behind me naturally while cold winds brushed against my clothes.
Then—
my golden eyes calmly landed on the Voidborn ahead.
Faint frost slowly spread across Nocturne Veil.
CRRRRRRRRACK—
Thin layers of ice formed around the blade.
I smiled faintly afterward.
"Frost Severance."
SHIIIIIIIIING!!!
A crescent slash of freezing mana tore across the harbor at terrifying speed.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The A-Rank Voidborn reacted instantly—
crossing both of its massive arms as the attack collided against it violently.
A storm of frost exploded throughout the battlefield.
The creature was blasted backward across the harbor floor while layers of ice rapidly spread across its body.
CRRRRRRRACK—
The ground beneath it froze solid.
Yet—
it survived.
The Voidborn slowly dragged itself through the shattered harbor while distorted screeches echoed from its split jaw.
Its glowing purple eyes flickered violently as unstable Void energy leaked from the cracks in its armor-like flesh.
"Oh~?"
A faint smile appeared on my face seeing that.
"You survived that?"
Behind me—
Nicole and the others stood frozen.
Nerith's mouth had slightly fallen open.
"…W-What the hell…"
Even Kael looked speechless seeing the aftermath of a single attack.
Because the person before them looked around their age.
Yet—
an A-Rank Voidborn was being completely overwhelmed.
Meanwhile—
Ren's eyes widened even more the moment he recognized the black blade in my hand.
"No way…"
"…that sword…"
Nicole slowly stared at my black and white hair before her eyes widened slightly in realization.
"…Noctis?"
The Voidborn suddenly let out another screech while trying to force itself back onto its feet.
SCREEEEEEEEEECH!!!
Then—
I calmly began walking toward it.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Cold winds brushed through my hair quietly while frost formed beneath my footsteps.
The Voidborn desperately lunged toward me.
But before it could even touch me—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
I raised my foot and slammed it directly onto its face.
The harbor floor shattered beneath the impact.
Cracks spread everywhere across the frozen ground while the creature's body was forced deep into the harbor floor.
The Voidborn struggled violently beneath my foot—
yet couldn't move at all.
Behind me—
the members of Cross remained completely silent.
Because none of them could understand how someone their age was overpowering an A-Rank creature this casually.
Then slowly—
I glanced down at the Voidborn beneath me.
And smiled faintly.
"Honestly…"
"…you were weaker than I expected."
SHIIIIING—
With a single motion—
I swung Nocturne Veil.
The black blade flashed once beneath the harbor lights.
And the next moment—
the A-Rank Voidborn's body collapsed motionlessly onto the frozen ground.
Silence filled the harbor afterward.
Cold winds quietly blew past us while frost still covered parts of the battlefield.
Then—
my golden eyes slowly shifted toward the members of Cross.
The moment our gazes met—
all four of them visibly froze.
Even Kael instinctively tightened his grip on his sword.
Ren looked especially nervous now.
Honestly—
their reactions were understandable.
A stranger suddenly appeared—
overpowered an A-Rank Voidborn casually—
then stood there holding a black sword while looking half like a villain.
"…Haha."
I rubbed the back of my head slightly afterward.
"Don't look so scared."
"I'm not here for a fight."
The atmosphere relaxed slightly hearing that.
Then—
my eyes landed on the blonde-haired woman.
"You must be Nicole?"
"The Guild Master of Cross?"
Nicole blinked briefly before straightening herself.
"…Ah, yes."
Without saying much else—
I pulled out the small note Aurelia had given me earlier before tossing it toward her.
Nicole caught it carefully.
Then—
her blue eyes slowly scanned through the contents.
A few seconds later—
she quietly exhaled.
"To think…"
"…you truly are Aurelia's disciple."
The others immediately looked even more shocked hearing that.
Because everyone within Verilian knew who Aurelia was.
The Lady of Space.
Headmistress of Nexus Academy.
One of Verilian's strongest figures.
Nicole slowly folded the note afterward before looking back at me.
"I'm already aware of why you're here."
"You want a way into the Astryx Empire, right?"
A small smile appeared on my face.
"Yes."