**** North's PoV:
My ears rang with a chorus of screeches: sharp, ugly sounds that crawled under my skin. The Nocturne Crawlers never stopped moving, never stopped making noise.
I took a breath, aimed, and let loose another arrow.
Whoosh.
It flew straight and fast, embedding itself deep into the crawler's eye. It was a Level 24, fast but not smart. The arrow punched clean through its head and out the other side. It twitched, staggered, then collapsed in the dirt.
I moved to a new position, my boots crunching softly over cracked stone.
Another crawler caught my eye, this one a Level 26, thicker armor, quicker legs.
I narrowed my eyes and activated my skill.
[Explosive Shot]
I pulled the string back harder than usual, feeling the build-up of force. Then I released.
The arrow surged forward, packed with energy, and slammed into the crawler's chest. The impact blew a chunk of its body apart, and it dropped, twitching once before going still.
Sweat dripped down the side of my face. I wiped it away quickly and shifted again, trying to keep some distance between myself and the frontline. I glanced toward the chaos.
Steve moved like wind and lightning, one hand in his pocket, the other guiding his sword through the horde like it was made of paper. He looked like he was dancing, having the time of his life.
Then I saw Sarah.
She was screaming and laughing all at once, her greatsword carving through crawlers like they were weeds. Every swing looked like she was trying to split the world in half. She was raw power, loud, wild, and overwhelming.
I frowned.
My fingers tightened around my bowstring. A knot formed in my chest.
Was I… falling behind?
They made it look easy. Steve had skill and grace. Sarah had brute strength. And me? I was just… shooting. It felt like I wasn't doing enough. Like I wasn't strong enough.
I gritted my teeth and drew another arrow.
I breathed in, trying to calm the storm inside me. As I focused, I felt a breeze stir the air around me.
Wind.
I called on it.
[Augmented Shot]
The arrow shimmered faintly, then twisted slightly in my grip. I let it fly.
It shot forward, steady at first but then, mid-air, it began to spin, gaining momentum and speed. The rotation sharpened the edges, turned it into a drill of wind and steel. It pierced straight through one crawler, a Level 22 then ripped into another right behind it, a Level 23.
Both fell.
A small breath escaped me. A part of me felt proud… but that knot in my chest? It didn't go away.
I wanted to do more. I had to do more. Not just for this fight but for myself.
Suddenly, a loud boom echoed across the battlefield.
My head snapped toward the sound. Something was flying toward the front lines fast, blazing, and completely out of place. I squinted against the light, trying to make out what it was.
Another boom followed, louder than the first, and this time I saw fire roar behind it like an afterburner. Whatever it was, it was tearing through the sky.
Then—
Whoosh.
BOOM.
It crashed into the ground like a meteor. Dust and debris exploded into the air, and a shockwave rippled across the field. I stumbled a step back as it hit me. Wind whipped my hair back, and for a second, everything went still.
I gritted my teeth and notched another arrow, pulling the string tight, ready to fire.
My eyes stayed locked on the growing dust cloud ahead of us, arrow aimed straight. The air shimmered with heat. My heart thumped once, loud and clear in my chest.
The dust started to thin.
And then….I saw him.
He stood tall, facing away from us, a staff planted firmly on the ground in his right hand. His posture was unshakable, like a mountain. His back was broad and steady, his brown hair swaying gently in the wind, like even the breeze didn't dare rush around him.
I didn't need to see his face. I knew.
Billion.
But he felt….different.
My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't explain why. There was something in the air, something that made me feel like I should obey this man.
Ba-dump.
Then I heard it. A deep sound.
Ba-dump.
It was like a war drum, deep and steady. I looked around, thinking maybe someone else had started something, but no. No one moved. Every single person, friend and foe had their eyes fixed on him.
Even the crawlers stopped.
Even they felt it.
I turned back toward him. My hands trembled slightly on the bowstring.
Not out of fear, but something else. A feeling I couldn't name. He stood there, unmoving, like the eye of a storm. Heat shimmered off his body, rising into the air. The temperature around us climbed, but he didn't seem to notice.
Then he moved.
He spun the staff in his hand once, crouched low and jumped.
BOOM!!
A burst of fire shot from his feet, propelling him high into the air. My eyes followed him up, watching as he soared over the battlefield like he had wings made of flame.
At his peak, he raised the staff and suddenly, fire erupted from its tip.
A blazing sphere formed, spinning wildly, growing larger with every second. The heat around me became unbearable. Sweat beaded on my skin, but I couldn't look away.
My mouth hung open slightly.
He was controlling fire like it was a part of him. Fluid. Natural. Absolute.
Compared to that, I felt like I was still learning how to whisper to the wind.
Then he dropped.
Another burst of fire from his feet, and his body dived straight down like a falling star. As he fell, he raised his voice in a raw, fierce roar that echoed across the sky.
"BLITZ HAKAAAAAIII!!!"
He smashed the staff into the ground and the fireball followed.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The ground shattered. Crawlers flew into the air, torn apart by the impact.
Waves of fire burst outward in a blazing arc, rolling across the battlefield like a tide. They devoured the ground, crawlers, and broken terrain alike, scorching everything in their path.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The sound echoed again and again, like distant thunder drums shaking the air. Each pulse came with another surge of heat, rattling through my chest.
The flames roared toward the frontlines… and stopped, just a breath away from us.
Like the fire had a mind of its own. Like it knew exactly who it was meant to spare.
The shockwave tore through the battlefield, ripping up dirt, dust, and ash in a storm that washed over everything.
The ground trembled beneath my feet. Loose rocks and charred debris skittered across the scorched earth. A low, ringing hum echoed in the air, a sharp, metallic whine that made my ears ache.
I raised my arm to shield my face, squinting through the stinging wind.
When the flames finally began to fade, the battlefield was silent for just a moment.
No screeches. No footsteps. No roars.
Only the sound of fire crackling remained, the wind gently carrying the smoke away into the sky.
The battlefield had fallen silent. As far as my eyes could see, there wasn't a single crawler left beyond the front line. The only ones still alive were those trapped within it.
The ground was cracked and charred. There was a big crater.
And in the center of the scorched earth…
He stood.
Billion.
Unmoving.
Staff planted firmly in the ground, back straight, shoulders steady.
I stared at him , at the raw, refined power that seemed to pulse from his very presence.
He was nothing like the boy who used to smile awkwardly and struggle to find words whenever we talked.
Something fluttered in my chest, part admiration, part awe….and just a sliver of fear.
He was changing fast. Faster than any of us. And in ways I couldn't quite grasp.
How far would this path take him?
In that moment, I understood.
He was different from any of us. The sheer destruction he unleashed was equal to, no, greater than—all of us combined.
My eyes stayed fixed on his back as I wondered what the future held for someone like him.