Asher stood calmly upon the outer walls of Rivelle Barony, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon where chaos surged. From his vantage point, he watched as the Baron orchestrated the battle with precise control, commanding soldiers and others alike to unleash nearly every elemental affinity in their arsenal to reduce the advancing Monster Tide.

The spectacle was unlike anything Asher had ever witnessed. The metallic scent of blood hung thick and heavy in the air, so potent he could almost taste the iron tang on his tongue with every breath he drew. Yet the stench of blood and smoke did not discomfort him. He simply stood still, impassive, his purple eyes calm, reflecting the flickering flames and lightning that danced across the battlefield ahead.

To his right stood William and Finch, their expressions calm and apathetic. To his left, Caldor and Annabelle, children of Baron Rivelle, waited tensely. Asher didn't need to think long to understand what the Baron was attempting. It was painfully clear that the man was trying to have his children, Caldor and Annabelle, forge some form of connection with him. Whether it was friendship, alliance, or admiration, Asher could not care less. His focus remained solely on the battle unfolding before them.

To Asher, the entire scene seemed like something torn straight from an anime or a grand war simulation, soldiers shouting orders, elemental attacks being hurled through the air, elemental bursts colliding in midair, and a horde of monsters stretching endlessly across the plains. His gaze flickered briefly to the Baron, who barked command after command with steady composure, before shifting to the Knight Commander, a stoic figure who stood unmoving amidst the chaos, as steady as a mountain in the storm.

Then it happened. The Monster Tide finally reached them.

The first wave slammed into the fortified walls with earth-shaking force. The air froze for a single heartbeat, heavy with tension, and then shattered the moment the Baron roared his final order.

"EVERYONE, ATTACK!"

Instantly, the defenders on the high wall erupted into motion. The once-still air filled with blinding bursts of elemental energy, flames, frost, lightning, and wind intertwining in a chaotic yet magnificent display.

Asher did not hesitate. The moment the command reached his ears, his Astra energy burst outward in a violent surge, flooding through his Astra veins like a raging current. His body became a radiant blur of purple light as crackling bolts of lightning leapt from his form, splitting the air with a symphony of thunderous echoes.

But he was not alone. To his side, William moved as well, purple lightning exploded around him, wrapping his frame in familiar arcs. Asher wasn't surprised. William's copy ability had its limits, and it was only logical that he had chosen to replicate Asher's power this time.

Finch's soul-bound black chain materialized beside him, slithering through the air like a living serpent hungry for blood. Caldor and Annabelle drew their weapons with determined expressions, Caldor brandishing a long spear that hummed with energy, and Annabelle gripping her twin daggers that shimmered under the red glow of the battlefield.

In the next instant, the five of them lunged forward, predators leaping upon prey.

Though they moved together, their speeds were far from equal. Asher blazed ahead like a thunderbolt, his form a streak of purple brilliance. William followed close behind, swift yet slower, while the others struggled to keep pace. The wind howled as their feet met the stone surface of the wall, defying gravity itself.

In one fluid motion, Asher drew his rapier, lightning dancing across the blade's edge, and surged forward. His movements blurred, impossibly fast, as he weaved through the chaos, every swing of his weapon cleaving through monsters with surgical lethality.

The soldiers and knights fighting nearby could only catch fleeting glimpses of a purple flash darting past them before monstrous bodies split apart, spraying blood across their armor. To them, Asher's movement seemed inhuman, like a ghost of lightning tearing through the horde.

He moved without conscious thought. There was no need for strategy or contemplation here; only instinct ruled. Monsters were everywhere, climbing the walls, screeching, snarling, lunging, and he was the storm that consumed them. With a devastating swing of his rapier, a wave of blinding energy erupted outward, vaporizing everything in its path. Blood rained down, limbs scattered, and the once-solid wall became a crimson blur.

But for every beast he cut down, two more took its place. The horde climbed like ants drawn to sugar, endless and unrelenting. Asher's Omni Perception expanded to its utmost limit, mapping every movement, every presence, every hostile intent within range. His rapier, Virelass, hummed with joy, resonating with the carnage as its edge sang through flesh and bone.

Behind him, Asher could sense the others, William, Finch, Caldor, and Annabelle, doing their best to keep up, moving against the relentless wave. Yet he did not slow down for them. His strikes remained flawless and measured. Every swing landed precisely where it needed to. Not once did his blade graze the stone beneath his feet. He saw a monster, and it ceased to exist a breath later.

'To the right,' Asher thought instinctively. He pivoted sharply, his body dipping low as a monstrous claw sliced through the space he had just vacated. Without pause, he countered with a swift slash, cleanly decapitating the creature. Before its body could even fall, Asher was gone, already moving again, a blur of purple lightning.

Suddenly, his body halted mid-motion. His gaze snapped upward. Above the battlefield, an entire flock of winged monsters soared through the air, bypassing the wall entirely and diving straight toward Rivelle City. For a brief moment, Asher stood still, his expression unreadable. The next moment, arcs of lightning burst violently from his body, spreading outward like living tendrils. Every flying beast that approached was struck down instantly, their charred bodies raining from the air before they could come close.

His knees bent slightly, muscles coiling like serpents preparing to strike. Then, with the sound of thunder, he launched himself skyward, a purple comet tearing through the air. As he ascended, the air crackled violently around him. The instant he reached the first airborne monster, he thrust his rapier forward. The blade pierced through the creature's skull with sickening ease, its body convulsing before falling limp, lifeless.

An Astra-forged foothold materialized beneath Asher's feet, halting his ascent midair. He stood suspended above the battlefield, lightning flickering across his form like a divine mantle. His eyes, sharp and cold, scanned the blue sky ahead. Countless winged monsters swarmed toward him, blotting out the sunlight. But to Asher, they were already dead the moment he laid eyes upon them.

With a thought, his Perfect Astra Control activated, and multiple footholds shimmered into existence across the sky, each one pulsating with golden radiance. Pouring more Astra energy into lightning element, Asher's form brightened, his aura expanding until it roared like a tempest. Then, within the blink of an eye, he vanished, leaving behind only the echo of thunder.

He reappeared before one of the flying beasts, a grotesque insect-like creature with blade-like wings. There was no hesitation. His rapier cleaved it cleanly in half, splitting its body before it could even register his presence. Asher disappeared again, reappearing above another, his feet dancing across his self-forged footholds as if stepping across invisible platforms in the sky.

Within moments, the heavens themselves seemed to tremble under his assault. Asher had become a living storm, his movements a blur of purple arcs, his strikes a symphony of thunderclaps and death. Lightning illuminated the night sky as he carved through the airborne swarm, his every motion precise and absolute.

Below, those who could still fight glanced up in awe and disbelief. To them, Asher looked less like a man and more like an elemental god, his body wreathed in lightning, his blade tearing through the sky, his presence so overwhelming it drowned out the roars of monsters and the screams of war.

And yet, for Asher, there was no glory in it. No pride. No thrill. Only purpose. He was the storm, and the storm did not stop until there was nothing left to destroy.

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