Astra energy flowed calmly from Asher's Astra veins, a steady stream of brilliance that rippled through his body like liquid gold. In that same instant, he vanished from his foothold within the sky, reappearing soundlessly upon the ground below. The moment his feet touched the earth, his hands moved with reflexive precision, drawing Virelass from her scabbard in a single fluid motion. The blade sang, releasing a sharp, resonant note as it cut through the air. With one stroke, Asher cleaved a monstrous creature perfectly in half, saving an elderly man who had been mere seconds away from annihilation.

"Tha… thank you," the man stammered weakly, his voice trembling, his breath uneven and shallow from having run for his life for so long. But Asher did not respond. He had heard the man, his senses were too sharp not to, yet he gave no acknowledgement. His focus was absolute, his attention too valuable to spare.

Astra pulsed in the atmosphere, responding to Asher's will. In the next moment, the ambient energy gathered around the old man, coalescing into a translucent golden sphere. The barrier formed instantly, enveloping him like a bubble and cutting off all external harm. The man's eyes widened, his earlier panic fading as a profound sense of safety washed over him. He opened his mouth to speak again, but before a single word could form, the barrier lifted from the ground, carrying him upward into the air. H stared in awe, eyes widening further as he was slowly raised toward the sky.

Asher didn't pause; he was already on the move once more.

A foothold of Astra appeared beneath his feet once more as he ascended into the sky, standing effortlessly beside the floating man for a brief instant. With an expression of calm focus, Asher tapped into his Perfect Astra Control. Instantly, the Astra energy within the air obeyed his command, bending seamlessly to his will. Within a radius of one hundred meters, the full range of his Omni Perception, Asher shaped multiple layers of Astra barriers around the civilian within the Rivelle Barony.

One by one, those barriers lifted, bearing the protected citizens into the sky, far beyond the reach of the raging monsters below. Even if the creatures were to unleash long-range attacks, it would be utterly futile against the strength of Asher's constructs.

Normally, such a feat was considered impossible for someone of his Life Rank, or his age. At his stage of development, individuals were typically capable of manipulating only the Astra energy within their own bodies, restricted to their Astra veins. Only upon reaching far higher Life Rank and higher Astra control could one extend their control outward, shaping the Astra within the atmosphere itself.

But Asher Wargrave was not bound by such limitations. His Perfect Astra Control rendered the natural barriers of progression meaningless. There was no ceiling, no wall he could not shatter. And so, while thirty percent of the Astra within his Astra veins remained reserved, he drew from the vast sea of energy surrounding him, using the world's Astra to shield the citizens and raise them high above the battlefield.

Asher's figure blurred, teleporting once again. He began to move across the city in calculated intervals, covering one hundred meters at a time. Each time he completed a radius, he vanished, reappearing in the next, his every motion perfectly measured. Within each new range, he erected Astra barriers and sent more people skyward. He needed not search for them manually, his Omni Perception revealed everything. Through walls, through rubble, through flame and smoke, nothing escaped his awareness. He simply arrived, and at once, he knew where every life was.

Suddenly, Asher's head snapped sharply to the side, his senses flaring as a piercing scream split through the air. His purple gaze darted toward the sound.

A monstrous crocodile stood upright like a man, wielding a massive trident in its clawed hands. Armor-like scales glinted along its body, each plate overlapping the next like interlocking shields. Its crimson eyes glowed with feral madness as it thrust its trident forward toward a little girl, a child no older than ten.

Without hesitation, Asher vanished, reappearing between the child and the beast in the blink of an eye. Time seemed to slow around him, the rush of motion, the glint of steel, the creature's snarl all fading into an eerie silence. His right hand flashed toward his waist, where a slender rapier hung. In a single motion, too fast for mortal sight, Asher unsheathed the weapon and thrust it forward.

The blade slid precisely between the narrow gaps separating the trident's three spearheads, deflecting the monstrous weapon off course. Redirecting the immense force downward, Asher twisted his wrist, and the trident smashed into the earth beside him with explosive impact.

The ground ruptured violently, a deafening shockwave tearing through the air as cracks spiderwebbed outward. The trident's force gouged a deep ravine into the ground, sending dust billowing skyward in massive clouds.

Without delay, Asher formed another Astra barrier with a thought. It enclosed the girl immediately, wrapping her in protective energy before lifting her gently into the air. She floated upward, joining the countless others who now drifted safely among the golden domes above.

The crocodile's reptilian eyes snapped toward Asher, blazing with rage. A guttural snarl escaped its throat as it whipped its massive tail forward, the strike cutting through the air with deadly speed.

But Asher had already anticipated the motion long before it began. He leapt upward effortlessly, twisting his body midair before delivering a devastating kick. His foot connected with the creature's skull with earth-shattering force.

The impact resounded like thunder. The crocodile's body was hurled backward like a living projectile, crashing through several buildings in its path. Debris exploded in every direction, walls collapsing as the beast's massive form finally embedded into a stone wall, leaving behind a perfect imprint of its shape.

For a brief moment, silence fell. Then, with a guttural grunt, the creature stepped forward once again, unfazed. It did not roar or flinch; it merely glared. Its thick, plated scales had absorbed much of the force from Asher's kick, reducing what should have been a fatal blow to nothing more than a staggering hit.

Then, in a blur, it vanished, charging forward at a speed that tore the ground apart beneath its feet. The trident gleamed as it swung upward, ready to pierce Asher where he stood.

But Asher was already moving. His body shifted fluidly, sidestepping the attack with almost insulting ease. He moved as though he could see the future itself, every attack, every motion, every intention. His rapier cut upward in a swift counterstrike aimed at the monster's jaw.

The crocodile, however, was no mere brute. It was experienced, battle-hardened. It jerked its head back instinctively, dodging by a hair's breadth. The blade sliced through the space where its head had been, creating a sharp gust that cleaved the air.

Then, before Asher could retract his strike, the creature lunged forward, its massive jaws opening wide. Its sharp, dagger-like teeth gleamed as it bit down viciously, clamping onto Virelass with crushing intent.

But Asher's expression remained unshaken. He knew the crocodile's strength, but he also knew that the weapon it sought to crush was no ordinary blade.

Then he saw it, a wicked grin curling across the creature's face. His instincts screamed in warning.

The crocodile activated its innate ability; Death Roll.

Its body twisted violently, spinning with maddening, rotational force while still gripping Virelass between its teeth. The sudden torque threatened to wrench Asher's arm apart, forcing him to rotate with it or risk his wrist snapping instantly. As the monster spun, a violent surge of Astra energy erupted from its form, manifesting in spirals of water and wind that tore through the air like invisible blades, shredding everything in range, without remorse, it also tore forward towards Asher.

Asher's Omni Perception captured every detail. His reaction was instantaneous, faster than thought itself. With a single pulse of will, he vanished. Space folded, and the crocodile's devastating attack met nothing but empty air, shredding the earth and everything in its path.

Before the creature could even register what had happened, Asher reappeared behind it like a phantom. Without a word, without hesitation, he thrust Virelass forward.

The blade pierced through the crocodile's eye and straight into its brain with a sickening, wet sound.

The creature froze, then fell limp, its massive body collapsing in a heap as blood pooled beneath it.

Asher stood atop the slain beast, his purple eyes already turning toward another grotesque, bipedal monster in the distance. His grip tightened on Virelass.

In a burst of motion, he disappeared once more, a streak of purple light tearing across the battlefield.

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