The colossal fleet of thousands of spaceships carried millions of hunters gathered from across the galaxy. Their mission was critical to the safety of their home galaxy—a dangerous task many might not survive, but one that had to be done.
Inside the ships, the atmosphere was tense. Hunters steeled themselves for the upcoming battle, their hearts and minds weighed down by the enormity of the challenge ahead. Relaxation was a luxury none could afford.
Even with such a vast force mobilized, thousands of hunters had been left behind as a safeguard.
After all, what if a veil tear suddenly opened in the heart of their homes, unleashing a horde of void creatures too powerful for weaker hunters to handle? The thought lingered, and all they could do was hope it never happened.
On the main ship, where two Class S heroes led the charge, James stood alongside his master, Lucas Knight—Julia's father.
As a man on the precipice of the S-Tier, he led his own team. Unfortunately, his daughter wanted to be with her friends and with James by her side, he reluctantly accepted.
"We should reach the location in about thirty minutes," James informed the two S-tier hunters on the observation deck.
He couldn't help but notice the unease in their expressions. It was clear they had little confidence in their odds against the monstrosity leading the void creatures.
Evelyn, in particular, had firsthand experience of the devastating power such creatures wielded. But no one could hide from this threat forever. It had to be confronted head-on.
"Thank you, James," Lucas replied, his voice steady while the others simply nodded in acknowledgement. "What's the situation with the hunters?"
"As expected, sir. Most are anxious about facing so many void creatures, even with our numbers and advanced weaponry," James admitted with a sigh.
The void creatures were no longer the mindless beasts they had once been. They had adapted, moving in coordinated units.
The weaker ones would swarm together, using their size and combined attacks to overwhelm hunters. Meanwhile, others stayed at the rear, unleashing devastating strikes from a distance.
Many hunters had already fallen this way, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time or simply too slow to avoid the deadly assaults.
"This isn't good," Lucas muttered, his brow furrowing. "If we don't boost morale, we might as well hand ourselves over to be slaughtered."
He glanced at Charlotte, who responded with a nonchalant shrug. Evelyn didn't even look his way.
Their roles were clear—they were warriors, not motivators. With the immense pressure they faced, inspiring others was the least of their concerns.
Lucas let out a heavy sigh. 'This might have been the wrong move. But what other choice do we have?'
Meeting James's gaze, Lucas gave a firm instruction, "Do what you can to encourage them. Even a few words might help."
"Yes, sir," James replied, nodding before leaving to carry out Lucas's instructions. It was the least they could do given the dire circumstances.
As time passed, the massive fleet reached its destination, emerging from the hyperspace tunnel. But the scene that greeted them was far from what they expected.
"What the hell happened here?" Lucas voiced what everyone was thinking, his eyes wide with shock.
Stretching out millions of kilometres ahead was a vast graveyard—a sea of void creatures floating lifelessly in space.
Each one had been impaled with multiple spikes, their enormous forms eerily still.
Not a single creature remained alive.
Evelyn and Charlotte exchanged a brief glance before making a silent decision. Without a word, they vanished from the ship, their curiosity overriding their earlier fears.
Whatever had annihilated the creatures was no longer present, and they couldn't resist investigating.
"James, we're going," Lucas said, his voice firm as he moved swiftly toward the exit bay. James and several Class A hunters followed close behind, ready to uncover the truth behind the grim spectacle.
The hunters aboard the other ships were equally intrigued, but without orders from their leaders, venturing out was a risky move.
All they could do was watch as a handful of hunters ventured toward the graveyard, speculating on what might have caused such a massacre.
The two S-Class hunters were the first to reach the site, with the others joining them a few minutes later. As they surveyed the scene, their expressions ranged from shock to awe and finally, fear.
The blood of the void creatures floated freely in the void, leaking from the gaping wounds left by the massive spikes. Charlotte drifted closer to one of the creatures, which radiated the aura of a Class A.
It had perished just like the rest, as if it were no stronger than its weaker kin. Extending her senses, Charlotte probed the creature and quickly noticed something—it still had its core. In fact, all of them did.
"They still have their cores," she murmured, her voice tinged with confusion. Her observation pulled the others out of their stunned silence, and they began to check the other creatures, confirming the same thing.
"W-who could have done this?" James stammered, voicing the question on everyone's mind. It was evident that this massacre was the work of a human.
However, the fact that the cores had been left behind was perplexing. Such resources were incredibly valuable, especially in these trying times, and would only be abandoned if there had been no other choice.
Their thoughts were interrupted as a sudden surge of power erupted from the direction of the veil tears and raging celestial storms in the distance.
Though faint at first and millions of kilometres away, the aura was unmistakable—an overwhelming presence none of them could ignore.
But the intensity didn't stop there. It grew stronger and stronger with each passing second, forcing the hunters to retreat, their faces etched with terror.
The aura was beyond horrifying, its sheer force bearing down on them like a crushing weight.
'Please don't let it be what I think it is,' Charlotte thought, swallowing hard as dread crept into her being.
She wasn't alone in her fear. The Class A hunters struggled to even move under the oppressive aura, their bodies frozen by the overwhelming force bearing down on them.
Then it happened.
*BOOOOOM!*
"Ahh!"
A collective cry rang out from the hunters as a massive explosion of power erupted from the raging storms. The very fabric of space in that area shattered, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
The force scattered the floating corpses and threw the hunters backwards, leaving them struggling to regain their footing.
As they steadied themselves, all eyes turned toward the source of the chaos. Emerging from the heart of the storm was a figure, his mere presence causing the space around him to tremble violently.
In his right hand, he held the mangled corpse of a void creature, its limbs missing and its body drenched in blood.
The hunters quickly realized that the overwhelming aura they had felt earlier was emanating from this being.
But what left them utterly stunned wasn't just the sheer power—it was the face staring back at them.
"A-Alex…?" James stammered, his voice filled with disbelief as he recognized the figure before them.