A simple dream--a dream that pushed a hound woman to her limits; fighting against all odds she made it close to what she wanted.
The dream of standing above all else in the universe.
Yet that simple dream was much harder than she expected. With a universe plagued with cosmic death storms, veil tears and monstrosities, the difficulty was beyond measure.
Even with her intelligence and talents, Zara couldn't overcome her obstacles, so she bided her time.
It all but appeared as though her end would be the S-Tier--just like those before her. But she refused to yield. Zara used every resource at her disposal to find a way.
And she did…
Alexander Gray was the answer. The boy who survived a cosmic mana wave. A fantastic development, so she kept a close eye on him.
Unfortunately, the boy had no bad bone in his body, neither did he have any desire for power, yet he was given it all. How could she accept that?!
Still, she tried to recruit the boy and got a no for an answer. Left with no other choice, she took him for herself and finally got her hands on his blood and cells.
Zara was finally on track to achieve her dream, and that dream drew nearer and nearer. But the boy grew too fast and somehow found out what she did.
Left with no choice, she had to push her plans forward and somehow eliminate the boy before he became an even bigger monster.
Yes, he defeated a void creature they had never faced before, but void creatures were mostly dumb, even with the recent signs of intelligence, Zara believed that played a role in his victory.
"Today we show them who the true rulers of this universe are!"
Zara turned around, her haze piercing the numerous walls to settle on the figure floating in the void with a calm demeanour.
She could see him and knew Alexander could too. A small grin graced her darkened features as she and her hunters disappeared, allowing the researchers the respite they desperately sought.
...…
The moment Zara and her goons disappeared, Alex conjured a protective ward over Julia, shielding her from what was to come.
"Mm!" Basso and Jaseph groaned as soon as Zara and her men appeared. They struggled with everything they had just to stand upright in the void.
Unlike when Zara and her hunters came out of their pods, this time, they unleashed the full extent of their aura, and the combined might of it pressed heavily on the shoulders of the two leaders.
'What the hell..?'The aura was unlike anything they had ever faced. 'And it contains void energy!'
With much difficulty, the two men raised their heads only to see Zara, their companion, floating thousands of kilometres away from their position.
But what they saw sent shivers down their spine. 'What did she do?!' Naturally, they knew but it was still had to believe Zara went through with it. 'This is madness…'
Even they could see the power they wielded was unstable. It wasn't meant for them to wield, at least not in the way they were currently doing.
Behind their companion was a little over a dozen S-Tier hunters unaccounted for. They were rogues-- hunters hidden from the empire's database, just like The Order.
On the other hand, Julia was taken aback for a moment when Zara appeared, but she felt no discomfort or pressure bearing down on her.
However, seeing the trembling and shocked states of the leaders, she knew something was happening.
'Alex is protecting me' The thought brought a smile to her face as she turned to look at the imposing figure Alex cut in the void. 'Hehe… he looks so dashing.'
Alex flashed a small smile hearing Julia's thoughts. Since Zara's appearance, Alex hadn't shown any exaggerated reaction. His demeanour was entirely calm and there was no trace of aura around him.
Yet he took the brunt of the suffocating pressure like it was nothing but a simple breeze. He stood there with both hands behind him, gazing at the crazy woman and her squad.
He recognized Jason and then Sawn-- the man who attempted to recruit him sometime back after the first-year competition. 'So he was working under her…' The others, he did not recognize nor did he care.
'These fools have no idea what they've done.' A single glance at them revealed the flaws in their procedure. 'Though very subtle and slow, their soul shield and body is breaking down. The laws aren't harmonized.'
"Zara…" Jaseph called out softly, struggling under the pressure. "What have you done?" The concern in his voice was hard to miss. Unfortunately…
"Quiet!"
She cut him short, making Jaseph flinch from her harsh tone. The woman turned her attention to Alex and smiled victoriously.
"So, what do you think?" Zara's sneering voice reached Alex, but he wasn't impressed. "You aren't the only one who can use void energy now?"
Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise. He couldn't believe the woman was actually saying that to him. Shaking his head, he asked the question that had been bugging him.
"What exactly did you hope to achieve with this?" He gestured with his head. "Was it worth it?"
Zara flashed a savage grin as she waved her hand to the side, conjuring a chaotic wave of energy that zoomed towards Alex.
It more than doubled the intensity of her aura, pressing harder on the shoulders of the leaders who could only groan to keep the little face they had left.
"Of course," Zara replied. "Someone like you who was given everything on a silver platter wouldn't understand the troubles others go through just to become strong."
"Is that so…?" Alex nodded. "And your solution to that was to abduct me to achieve that goal, right?"
His voice took a darker turn as he withdrew his hands from behind. "Let's see how successful that goal was, shall we?"
There was no need for long talk. What has been done could not be taken back. Each was a different path that had no chance of ever converging.
Zara's men quickly spread out and took their fighting stance. Zara still had that smirk on her lips as her gaze shifted from Alex to Julia…
'Yeah… why don't we?'