Northern continued to glance back even as he helped the people and guided them towards the rift. All of the abominations, the damned Destroyers stood motionless in a single place, as though rooted to the ground with no interest to move.
The only part of their bodies that struggled to break free from the Inertia was their heads, which shifted left and right like corrupted data, glitching between reality and destruction.
No matter how close he ventured to them, they remained frozen, defiant statues in a battlefield of destruction.
And Burning Storm lurked among them, picking them off one by one, unleashing terrible devastation upon each Destroyer.
Northern watched as Burning Storm's fists blurred with power, leaving craters of destruction in their wake. The air itself seemed to tremble with each impact.
There were probably over thirty of these Charred creatures, yet Burning Storm took his time, methodically moving from one to another. His bare fists punched through their hardened exteriors while his control of their stationary force kept them pinned. They could neither flee nor retaliate against him.
He had frozen the entire battlefield and commanded absolute control over it!
Northern could have slaughtered a bunch of Destroyers without breaking a sweat, especially counting his clones.
He could also have obliterated all of them with a single strike if he decided to use Sun's Legacy. But memories of the aftermath the last time he used that talent made him hesitate, caution dripping from his thoughts like cold water. Lithia would never survive such power unleashed.
Paragon Raizel's method, although painstakingly slow, worked with brutal efficiency.
Moreover, time wasn't even a concern. While Burning Storm dealt with the Charred Destroyers, the other Drifters, led by Northern and Ascendant Zion, coordinated the civilians toward the gate to the Illusionary Haven.
Still, Northern couldn't help but marvel at the terrifying power the man displayed. The air around Burning Storm shimmered with barely contained energy, like heat waves rising from scorched earth.
What made it more unsettling was that he wasn't even showing his full strength.
Since his slots was full, he didn't get notifications to copy talents anymore, so Northern couldn't determine if this was explicitly Essence Manifestation or if Burning Storm was using his talent, but he sensed that the concept of Burning Storm's Essence Manifestation was somehow woven into his Inertia Trapping.
And the man showed no signs of fatigue!
Several queues formed from different areas in the city, civilians with hopeless, terrified expressions marching toward the Illusionary Haven. Their footsteps created a rhythm of desperation against the broken ground.
Many glanced at Burning Storm with bewildered expressions, sparks of hope igniting in some eyes.
But this did little to dispel the somber wind that whispered through the night air. Who could blame them for their hopelessness and dejection?
A Leviathan still loomed overhead.
Thanks to its massive size, the creature struggled to reach them, and the rift itself seemed to have stretched to its limit. The beast's enormous shadow blanketed them in darkness, constantly reminding them of the danger above.
And the abyssal eyes of the creature that stared down at them from the Veil of the rift weren't those of a being willing to retreat and try another day.
There was a stubbornness in those unreadable, lightless eyes. A determination that made Northern avoid looking upward, because whenever he did, it felt as though the sky itself might crash down upon them at any moment, crushing their fragile hopes beneath cosmic weight.
Still, the evacuation progressed, although Northern felt uneasy moving so many people beneath the lightless gaze of a colossal Leviathan. But they had no choice—the evacuation had to continue.
Ascendant Zion glanced at him, his brown eyes studying Northern's expression.
"You seem a little tense..."
Northern frowned at the man instantly.
"And you're not? Wait, what am I even saying? Weren't you the one quivering like you had frostbite a moment ago?"
The Ascendant's lips curved into a smile.
"Well, your earlier calm demeanor helped me settle a bit. And the Paragon coming to take care of things personally is very reassuring."
Northern shifted his gaze to Burning Storm, who stood at some distance, gripping another Charred Destroyer by the shoulder as he repeatedly pummeled its stomach. Each blow sent shockwaves through the air.
"You must have a lot of faith in him."
The handsome Ascendant raised a brow, somehow making his visage even more striking.
"Of course I do. Everyone here does. He is Burning Storm."
Northern squinted, tilting his head in silent contemplation of Ascendant Zion's words.
After a beat of silence, he asked.
"That's the thing... why? Because he's a Paragon?"
Ascendant Zion chuckled, shaking his head.
"What? No! Not because he's a Paragon, but because he's Burning Storm."
Northern stared at him, his expression blank, uncomprehending.
Ascendant Zion studied Northern for a moment, his brown eyes gleaming with respect as he explained.
"Look, I've been in many fights with Paragon Raizel before, and I've never seen him get tired."
Northern folded his arms, tilting his head back at the Ascendant.
"You mean figuratively or literally?"
"I'm talking literally, brother. I have never seen Paragon Raizel tire during or after a fight. He never rests."
Ascendant Zion shifted his gaze to the Paragon, who had moved onto another abomination and was repeatedly smashing its featureless face with his knee. The creature's form shuddered with each impact, yet remained suspended in place by invisible forces.
The same energy that Burning Storm started with still radiated from him—if anything, he seemed even more invigorated.
And the truth was... even Northern himself had observed it. The Paragon showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.
Northern focused more intently on Paragon Raizel, watching how he grabbed one limb with one hand, another with his other hand, and forcibly twisted both in opposite directions simultaneously. It took a while, but both eventually snapped off the Charred Destroyer, leaving it armless yet still immobile, like a grotesque statue in a museum of horrors.
The Paragon unleashed a powerful forward kick, his foot crashing into the chest of the abomination with devastating force, momentarily granting it freedom to soar through the air before it became stationary mid-flight, frozen in time and space.
Then the Paragon vanished from his position again, a blur of movement too fast to track.
Ascendant Zion continued.
"Do you see it? Paragon Raizel never tires, and this isn't about being hardworking or having a resilient spirit. No doubt, those qualities contribute to the formidable man he is today. But this is about his talent more than anything, I guess."
Northern's eyes gleamed with desperate longing as he watched the Paragon and absorbed Ascendant Zion's explanation. His fingers clenched unconsciously at his sides.
He wanted it.
He wanted that talent with a hunger that gnawed at his core!
He had never coveted a talent more than this one!
Simultaneously, another wave of rain threatened to begin. This one made the night ripple with a hollow sound, something that resembled the cry of a demented whale—a sound that burrowed into the marrow of their bones and made even the bravest among them shiver involuntarily.