Klein sheathed his katana. His gaze swept across the debris, searching for a familiar silhouette.

"Where has Amaera gone?" asked Klein, his voice a little hoarse from the smoke.

Nox shrugged with a casual air,

"The vice-director was with you? I saw her dealing with the wyverns from afar before that demonic pile of shit decided to show up," replied Nox, gesturing vaguely toward the exit.

Klein did not waste a moment. He rushed to where the fight against the winged creatures had raged. The ground was littered with the corpses of monsters sliced by ice, but Amaera was nowhere to be found.

"She is no longer here," noted Klein, his brows furrowing with worry. ’She may have already headed back to the rallying point, or perhaps she was drawn further into the fray.’

Nox joined him, walking with his hands in the pockets of his dark trousers. "No need to panic, you little bastard. A mage of her caliber doesn’t get nibbled by a few flying lizards. She probably followed a trail."

"We cannot be sure," retorted Klein. "Let’s check all the surrounding areas. She cannot be far."

The two men set off, leaving the remnants of the Spectrum base to venture deeper into the rugged landscape of Tenebris. The walk lasted about thirty minutes through plains of slag and heaps of vitrified rocks. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the crunch of the ground beneath their boots.

Suddenly, a series of growls rose behind them. Three massive silhouettes emerged, blocking their path. They were three-headed hell wolves, creatures whose ebony fur seemed to absorb the faint ambient light.

Their six red eyes fixed the intruders with insatiable hunger, sulfuric drool dripping from their fangs.

"More vermin," murmured Nox as red lightning coursed along his forearms.

Klein did not even bother to reply. He used an instant < Dash >, propelling himself toward the nearest wolf. His black blade traced a perfect arc.

< Art : Sundering Eclipse >

< First Movement : Crescent Moon >

The gray aura edge cleanly severed two of the first beast’s heads. Black blood spurted in a viscous gush, scorching the ground on contact. Meanwhile, Nox was toying with the other two. He barely moved, simply raising his hand to project bursts of Destruction Aura.

Each red lightning strike that hit the wolves did not merely kill them; it literally erased the matter where it touched, leaving gaping holes in the monsters’ flesh. In a few seconds, the ground was covered with charred meat remains and scattered limbs.

Klein sheathed his blade once more, taking advantage of this moment of respite to ask the question that had been burning his lips since Nox’s arrival.

"Actually, what are you doing here, Nox? Tenebris is not really a playground..."

Nox let out a laugh, running a hand through his black hair. "After we all thought you were dead during the county attack, I got a bit bored at the Academy. I asked my master to send me here to increase my power. Sitting in a classroom has never been my strong suit."

They resumed their walk, skirting a large crater.

"By increasing my power here," continued Nox, "I was even able to cancel Walpurga’s curse that was blocking my five senses. You cannot imagine the feeling of regaining full perception in a place like this."

Klein smoothed his silver hair back, listening attentively. ’Canceling a Walpurga curse... His strength has really made a gigantic leap.’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"And how did you find us?" asked Klein.

"It’s simple," replied Nox with a mocking smile. "While I was sensing a lot of aura and mana in the distance, I came to see what was happening. And at a glance, I saw it was you, the little bastard supposed to be dead. I told myself it would be a shame to miss the show."

They arrived at the foot of a steep canyon whose dark stone walls rose toward the sulfur clouds. Nox signaled Klein to follow him and they began the ascent. When they reached a ledge overlooking the surroundings, they stopped to observe the horizon.

In the distance, a thick yellowish mist covered a vast depression in the terrain. It was not a natural fog. An emanation of concentrated demonic mana radiated from it, so intense that it seemed to vibrate. Visibility was completely null inside this cloudy mass.

"Look at that," said Nox, pointing at the mist. "That’s where everything is concentrated. Impossible to see through."

Klein narrowed his eyes, but his usual perception abilities hit against the density of the corrupted mana acting like an opaque wall.

"Let me help you," offered Nox.

He placed his hand on Klein’s shoulder. Immediately, a scarlet energy, that of his anti-magic, coursed through Klein’s body. It was not painful, but it created a sensation of intense cold, neutralizing the magical interferences around him.

"Now, use your thing," ordered Nox.

Klein nodded and concentrated his energy toward his eyes.

< Eye of Predator >

Thanks to the support of Nox’s anti-magic that tore through the demonic veil, Klein’s vision finally pierced the darkness. The fog seemed to dissipate in his field of vision, revealing what was hidden at the heart of the sector.

His pupils dilated. There, enthroned in the center of the valley, stood a colossal structure. It was a black fortress, bristling with sharp towers and surrounded by ramparts imbued with bloody runes. Stone gargoyles seemed to stand guard on the battlements, and an aura of death emanated from it, overwhelming.

"The Bastion of the Spectrum..." murmured Klein, short of breath.

The power emanating from this place was so great that it made the air tremble for kilometers. It was not just an advance base like Akazel’s; it was a major power center of the organization.

Klein remained silent for a long moment, analyzing the defenses and the number of energy signatures he could perceive. It was well beyond what they could handle with just the two of them, even with Nox’s new power.

"We cannot attack this alone," decided Klein at last as he deactivated his technique. His eyes returned to their normal blue color, but a gleam of determination remained in them. "The power emanating from this bastion is too great. We must go back to bring reinforcements."