The silver knight slowly exhaled while staring at the battlefield around him.
His entire squad had been defeated within minutes.
After years spent fighting across countless battlefields—
he immediately understood one thing.
The true monster here…
…was the man standing before him.
"…No."
"I know I can't beat you."
For the first time—
the hostility in his voice disappeared.
Slowly—
I lowered Nocturne Veil.
"Remove your helmet."
The knight remained silent briefly before eventually obeying.
CLANK—
The silver helmet came off.
Black hair fell slightly over his face while several old scars stretched across his skin.
A veteran.
Not some arrogant young noble.
"…What's your name?"
"Cedric."
"Your affiliation?"
"The Silver Vanguard."
I slowly closed my eyes for a moment.
"…Who do you serve?"
"Count Veritas."
A count huh.
Interesting.
Honestly—
I still had many questions regarding Astryx.
But before I could continue—
I suddenly noticed Jack frantically whispering from nearby.
I glanced toward him briefly before silently grabbing several chains and sealing Cedric's hands tightly.
"Follow me."
Soon—
I led them away from the main harbor.
We moved quietly through the dark corridors and narrow pathways between the docks before eventually arriving at a hidden storage area where the escaped slaves had gathered.
The moment they saw me—
their expressions changed instantly.
Awe.
Relief.
Fear.
Especially fear.
Because after witnessing what happened aboard the ship—
they no longer viewed me as simply human.
Meanwhile—
I turned toward Jack.
"Is there a way for these people to return to Verilian?"
Jack hesitated briefly before nodding.
"W-Well yes…"
"I do have another ship."
"A personal one."
"But…"
His expression darkened afterward.
"For us to even reach it is almost impossible."
"There are hundreds of guards throughout the harbor right now."
"I see."
I quietly glanced toward the harbor lights visible in the distance.
Then—
a small smile appeared on my face.
"So basically…"
"…you need a distraction."
Jack immediately nodded.
"Yes!"
At that moment—
I slowly turned toward Cedric before knocking him unconscious instantly.
THUD.
"Keep him here."
Then—
I glanced back toward the others.
"Listen carefully."
"The moment you hear a loud sound…"
"…run immediately toward the ship."
Jack blinked in confusion.
"W-What are you going to do?"
Silence filled the room briefly.
Then—
I slowly began walking back toward the harbor alone.
And without even turning around—
I smiled faintly.
"…I'm taking the entire harbor down."
...
I sighed softly as I slowly stepped back onto the harbor docks.
Cold ocean winds brushed against my face while alarms already echoed throughout the port.
Honestly—
I had wanted to avoid making too much noise after entering Astryx.
Keep my disguise.
Move quietly.
Gather information first.
But at this point?
…That was clearly impossible now.
"Tch."
I slowly raised Nocturne Veil toward the skies.
The movement alone immediately drew attention.
Soldiers across the harbor froze.
Warriors atop nearby towers narrowed their eyes toward me.
Even merchants and civilians in the distance stopped moving.
Then—
with a grin—
I shouted loudly across the entire harbor.
"Hey you dumbasses!"
The entire port instantly went silent.
"My name is Noctis!"
"I'm a spy from the Verilian Empire!"
"…?!"
Everyone's expressions immediately changed.
"You bastard!"
"VERILIAN?!"
"CAPTURE HIM!"
I grinned even wider seeing their reactions.
Honestly—
this was pretty fun.
Then slowly—
mana began gathering around Nocturne Veil.
Golden light spiraled across the black blade while sharp pressure spread throughout the docks.
I glanced toward the soldiers rushing toward me.
Then smiled.
"…Dodge this if you can."
"Heavenfall Execution—"
"First Form: Judgement Descent."
SHIIIIIIIIING!!!
I swung my sword downward.
The next moment—
a gigantic arc of compressed golden mana descended from above like a falling execution blade.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The attack crashed directly into the center of the harbor.
The docks exploded violently.
Wood and stone shattered everywhere while several watchtowers collapsed from the impact.
A huge shockwave swept across the port as soldiers were thrown backward across the ground.
The massive black ship itself shook violently as one entire side of it was torn apart by the slash.
Ocean waves exploded upward from the force.
Smoke and debris rapidly spread everywhere.
Meanwhile—
I stood calmly at the center of the destruction while the harbor descended into complete chaos.
And somewhere farther away—
Jack and the escaping slaves finally began running toward the hidden ship.
I didn't stop there.
The very moment Judgement Descent crashed into the harbor—
CRACKLE!!!
Lightning exploded around my body.
And I descended alongside the attack itself.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The ground beneath me shattered the instant I landed in the middle of the soldiers.
Panic immediately spread throughout the harbor.
"STOP HIM!"
"KILL THE VERILIAN SPY!"
"DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"
Too slow.
Far too slow.
CRACKLE!!!
My body vanished into streaks of lightning.
Then—
SHIIIIING!!!
"AGHH—!"
A soldier collapsed before he even realized what happened.
Another turned—
only for black steel to flash past his vision.
SHIIIIING!!!
Then another.
And another.
I moved through the battlefield like a storm.
Faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
The harbor became filled with screams and flashes of lightning.
Meanwhile—
cold frost slowly spread across Nocturne Veil.
A grin appeared on my face.
"Frost Severance."
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!
A freezing slash tore through the charging soldiers instantly.
The harbor floor froze solid while multiple armored warriors were blown backward violently.
Some collapsed immediately.
Others desperately tried standing again.
None of it mattered.
Because I was already moving again.
CRACKLE!!!
Lightning burst beneath my feet as I appeared directly behind another group of soldiers.
SHIIIIING!!!
Black steel flashed.
Bodies fell one after another.
The soldiers of Astryx tried fighting back desperately—
but the difference in speed was overwhelming.
Everywhere I moved—
panic followed.
Meanwhile—
high above the harbor—
the remaining Astryx warriors stared down in horror.
Because the black-and-white-haired swordsman below no longer looked human.
He looked like a natural disaster tearing through the port.
...
"MONSTER—!"
One of the Astryx soldiers screamed as I tore through another group of warriors.
CRACKLE!!!
Lightning burst across the harbor repeatedly while frost spread through the shattered docks.
The soldiers were already losing formation.
Fear had begun spreading.
And once fear entered a battlefield—
everything collapsed afterward.
"Surround him!"
"DON'T LET HIM MOVE!"
Several elite warriors suddenly descended from above the harbor towers.
Unlike the normal soldiers—
these ones were stronger.
Much stronger.
Silver mana erupted around their weapons while formation-type sword arts activated together.
Interesting.
The six of them moved simultaneously—
their attacks perfectly synchronized.
SHIIIIING!!!
Three swords descended toward my blind spots while the others sealed off possible escape routes.
For the first time since arriving—
my smile widened slightly.
Now this—
looked more like Astryx.
CLANG!!! CLANG!!! CLANG!!!
I blocked multiple strikes continuously while sliding backward across the harbor floor.
Their swordsmanship truly was refined.
Every movement flowed naturally into the next.
Precise.
Disciplined.
Beautiful even.
Then suddenly—
one of them appeared directly above me.
"Sky Cleaver!"
BOOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic sword strike descended downward violently.
CRACKLE—
Lightning exploded around my body instantly.
I vanished.
The attack crashed into the harbor instead—
creating a massive crater.
Then—
I appeared behind them.
"…Too slow."
SHIIIIIIIIING!!!
Black steel flashed once.
Two elite soldiers collapsed immediately.
The remaining warriors' eyes widened violently.
Before they could recover—
I moved again.
Faster.
The harbor became filled with afterimages of black lightning.
SHIIIIING!!!
Another fell.
Then another.
Within moments—
only the leader remained.
The man breathed heavily while gripping his sword tightly.
Fear finally appeared in his eyes.
Meanwhile—
I calmly walked toward him through the destroyed harbor.
Burning debris surrounded us.
Ships nearby had already begun retreating.
The soldiers watching from afar no longer dared approach recklessly.
Then—
the elite warrior suddenly roared before charging toward me desperately.
BOOOOOOM!!!
Silver mana exploded around his blade.
Honestly—
his determination wasn't bad.
But—
CLANG!!!
I stopped his sword with one hand against the flat of Nocturne Veil.
His eyes widened completely.
Then slowly—
I leaned closer.
And smiled faintly.
"Astryx swordsmanship…"
"…really is amazing."
SHIIIIING!!!
The next slash ended the fight instantly.
Silence slowly began falling across the ruined harbor afterward.
Meanwhile—
far away near the hidden docks—
Jack and the escaped slaves finally managed reaching the smaller ship safely.
And all across the harbor—
one name had already begun spreading in fear.
Noctis.
Soon—
a cold voice echoed throughout the destroyed harbor.
"Move."
The moment those words were spoken—
every Astryx soldier instantly retreated backward.
Fear visibly spread across their faces.
Then—
my instincts screamed.
SHIIIIIIIIING!!!
A crimson slash suddenly appeared directly in front of my face.
My eyes widened.
CRACKLE!!!
Lightning exploded around my body as I barely dodged backward in time.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The slash tore through the harbor behind me—
splitting apart towers and ships effortlessly.
Tch.
I slowly lifted my gaze forward.
And saw him.
A knight clad in dark silver armor stood calmly amidst the chaos.
Unlike the others—
the pressure surrounding this man felt completely different.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
A true monster.
His long crimson blade rested loosely against his shoulder while ocean winds blew against his dark cape.
Then calmly—
he spoke.
"My name is Cassian Nightmere."
"Captain of this port."
His crimson eyes locked onto me afterward.
"State your name, Verilian spy."
A grin slowly appeared on my face.
"…Noctis."
"Hm?"
Cassian slightly narrowed his eyes.
"I think I've heard that name before."
Then—
he slowly raised his sword.
"But it doesn't matter."
CRACKLE!!!
The next moment—
he appeared directly before me.
Fast.
Far too fast.
My eyes widened slightly.
CLANG!!!
His long sword slammed against Nocturne Veil before I was violently blasted backward across the harbor.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
I crashed through multiple shattered buildings before stopping myself.
"…Tch."
This guy—
was strong.
S-Rank at minimum.
And unlike the previous soldiers—
his swordsmanship was absurdly refined.
To beat him…
…I would actually need to go all out.
Honestly—
that sounded annoying.
"…Sigh."
Instead of rushing forward—
I slowly stepped backward.
Cassian narrowed his eyes immediately.
"You seriously think I'm letting you escape?"
A faint smile appeared on my face afterward.
"Bye captain."
CRACKLE—
My body suddenly dissolved into streaks of golden light.
Cassian's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
He immediately glanced toward the soldiers nearby.
"Tch."
"Make sure he doesn't leave the harbor!"
Then—
a calm voice echoed from above.
"…Who said I'm escaping?"
Cassian instantly looked upward.
And froze.
I stood high above the harbor itself—
floating amidst countless traces of black lightning and golden light.
The ocean winds roared violently around me.
Then slowly—
I gazed down toward the harbor below.
"…You seem to treasure this harbor of yours."
I slowly raised Nocturne Veil toward the skies.
The atmosphere instantly changed.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A terrifying pressure engulfed the entire port.
Cassian's expression finally changed.
"…Impossible."
Darkness.
Lightning.
Frost.
Multiple affinities began spiraling violently around my sword simultaneously.
Then—
I spoke calmly.
"Sword Field: Sword Grave of Chaos"
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!
The black blade suddenly expanded into an enormous sword of condensed chaos itself.
It towered above the harbor like divine judgment.
Every soldier below froze completely.
Were there close to a thousand soldiers gathered below?
…It didn't matter anymore.
Far away—
aboard the escaping ship—
Jack and the others stared upward in complete disbelief.
The gigantic blade itself seemed capable of splitting apart the skies.
Then slowly—
I brought it down.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The harbor screamed.
The harbour split apart violently as the colossal sword crashed downward.
Towers collapsed instantly.
The docks shattered.
And the entire harbor itself—
split into two.