A few weeks later
Alex chose to rather meditate on his techniques rather than go out hunting.
But even without doing so, the new area was crawling with void creatures as from time to time, some would show up and he would deal with them with his eyes closed.
Even amidst the harsh environment he found himself, Alex remained dedicated, conjuring different weapons and practising like he once did when he started the academy.
In his training, he would stick to using mortal level strength where his speed and strength looked like a normal person's.
He even decided to keep his aura inside and not let it out, opting for the harmless, yet dangerous vibe.
Of course, the main reason was to make it an instinctual part of himself so he wouldn't harm anyone with his aura once he returned to the empire.
An added bonus was that he could now choose to blend his aura with his void energy to achieve a far greater effect or simply stick with the mana aura.
As he continued training, Xex would occasionally send out a pulse to detect any communications waves passing by.
And on the 235th attempt in the fifth week he spent on this planet and its surroundings, Xex finally picked up a signal.
[Alex! Someone came!]
Alex abruptly stopped his training, his conjured weapon fading into the passing winds. His chest tightened, a rush of hope surging through him.
"Are you sure?"
After weeks of isolation and battling void creatures till it became second nature to him, the idea that someone actually got his SOS and came over sent his thoughts spiralling.
[Yes, absolutely! The signal is faint but unmistakable. It's coming from that direction.]
A faint projection in a certain direction turned Alex's head around.
He clenched his fists, trying to suppress the tide of emotions flooding him. He felt relief, anxiety and then determination.
'Could it be?'
He hoped it was Hunter Zol and maybe his friends. There was no thought of his rescuers being allies or foes. All that mattered was someone got his SOS and came.
"Finally," he muttered under his breath, donning his armour and taking off explosively, instantly breaking through the atmosphere and arriving in the void of space.
Behind him, the remains of the planet finally gave out from his actions. It had already served its purpose and was finally put to rest.
"Keep tracking the signal as I head in that direction," he instructed and took off once again.
[Got it! But be careful, Alex. We don't know who or what it could be.]
Xex served to remind Alex of the lessons he took back at the academy: not all forces in the universe were one.
"I will, Xex."
Alex said with a smirk. He was no longer the weak little boy he once was. If they had ill intent, he'd show them the way to the afterlife.
Abruptly, he switched to his Manastorm form as his body blazed like a raging comet and in that moment, Alex achieved light-speed flight, blasting through space with no regard for the dangers.
...…..
Jason and his crew had been on the search for a few days after the signal was sent out and there was nothing much they could do.
If they ventured deeper into the galaxy, they risked exposing themselves to danger and while they could evade most of it, cosmic mana waves and spatial storms were the main issue.
'At this rate, we might not find him and those fuckers might appear.' Jason frowned at their inaction. After a few seconds of thought, he made a decision.
"Pass my orders," Jason said with both hands clasped behind him. "All squads are to spread out and cast a wider net."
His words made the men's hearts skip a beat, but they didn't dare refuse. Each landing craft had a Class A at the helm and should be more than enough to traverse the dangers if they manoeuvred carefully, that is.
"Yes, sir!"
Daniel was on Jason's ship, so he did not have to split from the boss. He secretly let out a sigh of relief.
'Some are definitely going to die by the time we're done here.'
Soon, the crafts blasted off in different directions after carefully selecting the direction with less chaos.
Some had to travel through a field of planetary fragments that shot out at insane speeds, powerful enough to destroy their vessels.
Others had to travel past a region with raging cosmic storms and quasars infused with void energy, making travelling through those regions a hellish experience if one were not careful.
And as expected, reports of two vessels being swallowed by cosmic mana waves reached them.
While some of the men abandoned the vessel before it hit, those who failed to outrun them disappeared along with the vessels.
Now trapped in a dangerous region and days away from their motherships, their lives were pretty much forfeited.
"Sir, if this continues, we might lose more than we can take," Daniel swallowed his fears and spoke his mind.
Surprisingly, Jason replied to him.
"I know, but turning back now would just be a waste we can't equally take." Jason was already under a lot of heat from his boss as he received word that Zol and his crew were already en route and could arrive in a few days.
His patience was rewarded when one of the sent of teams sent a transmission.
[Sir Jason? I think we found him?] The voice over the comms sounded shocked and unsure at the same time.
"Alexander?"
Jason furrowed his brows, not failing to notice the change in tone and the trace of fear laced within, despite it being from the comms.
He began giving instructions for the other teams to rendezvous with the team he was currently speaking with. It would take some time, but they should be able to get there if nothing major happens.
[I think so? I'm not entirely sure but the person is in a suit, looks different stature-wise and is standing in the void.]
That part told them the could-be Alex was likely to already be a C-tier hunter or higher.
"What else can you tell me?"
[Well, he just popped out of a raging cosmic storm like it was nothing…]
'It's him!'
Jason realized instantly and his heartbeat sped up. No one else in the universe could do that and remain alive. But then if that was the case, why was his subordinate unsure?
"Why aren't you sure it's him when you know all this?"
His crew members also caught this small detail as they all waited for the reply.
[Sir… it's just… his presence. It's overwhelming. The aura he's emitting—it's like nothing I've ever felt. It doesn't match the Alex we know from our descriptions.
[It's colder… heavier. He's standing there as the void itself bends around him, but he's not attacking, not moving. It's like he's… waiting for us.]
"That's not possible," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He completely ignored the waiting part and focused on what he heard about his aura.
"It has to be him."
And yet, doubt crept in. What had Alex endured to survive the void and what kind of man—or being—had he become in the process?
"Hold your position. Don't engage. I'll be there soon."
[Understood, sir. But… you'd better hurry.]