Chapter 134 — "Echoes of the Past and Bravery in Play"
Valen stopped abruptly.
His usually bright eyes were a little dim.
— I don't want to talk about those events…, he said in a low voice.
Liora looked at him without insisting.
— Okay. We'll leave the past alone today.
Naël, true to himself, shrugged:
— Wasn't worth it anyway.
Valen sighed.
— I'm going out for some air.
Elyonna, in her miniature form, floated around his head like a tiny living light — a bit too expressive for a divine weapon.
---
In a dark alley, Valen walked slowly.
Elyonna broke the silence:
— I know why you're sad… but pull yourself together. It's all in the past.
That accident that day… there was nothing you could've done.
Valen clenched his fists.
— Yes, there was. I let my anger take over.
He stared at her, surprised.
— But wait… how do you even know what happened? I hadn't even summoned you as my blade back then.
Elyonna spun a small circle in the air.
— True. But I watched you from time to time. I liked seeing how you were growing…
Then she added, more softly:
— And I don't actually know what happened that day.
Valen raised an eyebrow.
— Then why call it an accident?
— Because if it wasn't… that would mean you're like Vael.
She paused.
— And nothing says you have to be like him.
Valen chuckled nervously.
— Who told you I was a good person, exactly?
— Being bonded to someone doesn't mean copying their personality, idiot!
Elyonna crossed her tiny invisible arms.
— And knowing that senile old Vael, I'm sure he lets you all do whatever you want just to see how it plays out. He loves watching from the shadows.
Valen rolled his eyes.
— He haunted my childhood, no surprise there…
— Still, you're the one who decides who you really are, Valen.
He gave a faint smile.
— You're right.
He took a deep breath.
— I'm Valen, after all.
He turned back toward HQ.
As he passed, a group of kids ran by, playing imaginary battles.
— When I grow up, I wanna be like Valen! He's cool, handsome, and he slays monsters too!
One kid raised a twig:
— And this is Elyonna, the Sword of Judgment! And I'm even stronger!
Valen smiled and replied:
— Just like me.
Then added:
— But using a twig to represent Elyonna… that might be a little too accurate, don't you think?
— EXCUSE ME?! Elyonna shrieked in his ear.
Another kid chimed in:
— I wanna be like Zarion! So mysterious! So cool! I bet he's the strongest!
Valen stopped.
— Wait, what? I'm the strongest!
— No! Naël is! shouted a third kid.
Valen leaned toward them, dramatically:
— I heard someone say Zarion is stronger than Valen… who was it again?
The kids froze.
— No no no! You're the strongest, Valen! I swear!
Valen grinned and conjured toy weapons, perfectly sculpted from solid light.
To his fan:
— Here. A toy version of the Sword of Judgment.
To the Zarion fan:
— And here's the Black Blade.
To the Naël fan:
— And this… is a mini replica of Naël's Colossal Sword. Careful not to break your back.
The kids exploded with joy.
— Come back next time, future heroes. Tell me your names!
— I'm Kalen, and they're Sirius and Milo!
Valen smirked.
— Our names sound kinda close.
Alright then, see you next time.
He vanished in a flash of light, leaving the three kids speechless.
---
**Back at HQ**, Naël was waiting, looking a bit embarrassed.
— Sorry bro… I was just messing around. Didn't think bringing up the past would hit you that hard.
Valen raised an eyebrow.
— Me? Sad?
He patted Naël's shoulder.
— Bro… you're overthinking it. I'm solid, don't worry.
Elyonna whispered:
— He says that, but I saw his aura go all soft earlier…
— ELYONNA! Valen growled.
Chapter 135 — "Training Day: The Fall of the Great Valor"
The HQ door burst open, as if someone had decided to destroy the handle.
Valor entered with a stride… a Valor stride.
— Hey yo, people! It's been a while. I know you missed me. Let's be honest, you can't live without the great Valor.
Zarion barely looked up.
— Valor… it's been less than a day.
Valen crossed his arms.
— You probably feel that way because we've had too many chapters focused on that deranged old Vael lately.
Valor nodded, dead serious.
— You're absolutely right… but half a day without the great Valor is equivalent to centuries without genius. It's scientific.
Naël clicked his tongue.
— So. What are we talking about?
Liora checked a holo-crystal.
— The city's pretty calm right now. Though those portals keep popping up everywhere.
Nova threw his feet onto the table.
— Yeah. It's been a while since someone showed up on Earth just to cause chaos.
Zarion sighed.
— Keep insulting the old lunatic and I swear he'll show up himself just to flex and prove he's a thousand times above you.
Elyonna made a face.
— That's exactly why I hate him. Too arrogant. Too smug. I can't stand it.
Valen rubbed his chin.
— Elyonna… do you know other entities linked to Vael?
She thought for a moment.
— Hm… not many. There's Nihil. Death. Nyxa, but she was young back then… nothing like she is now.
Liora took over.
— And yet, Nyxa was the one who made members of the five great races disappear. She was Vael's first incarnation.
— At her youngest… she was monstrous. She defeated Architects, clan leaders, guardians — effortlessly.
— But the problem was, she was TOO stubborn. She refused to obey Vael. She called him "senile old man" in front of everyone.
Valor burst out laughing.
— She had guts, I'll give her that.
Elyonna added:
— And Death… that version was different. But my memory's fuzzy. It's like… someone erased that version of him.
A brief silence fell.
Liora continued:
— I remember her too. But… back then, if you dared insult Vael in front of her…
She made a sharp gesture with her finger.
— You were erased from existence. In under three seconds.
Valen smiled slightly.
— Interesting stuff…
Nova clapped his hands.
— Anyway! What are we doing now?
Liora suddenly straightened up, her gaze serious.
— We're going to organize training sessions for you.
Valen was stunned.
— What do you mean "training"? We don't need training! We're already fire!
Nova jumped up.
— I'm in. I like breaking stuff.
Valor pointed at himself with his thumb.
— Ah, that crazy commander… she loves organizing training!
— But me, the great Valor, overflowing with talent, perfection incarnate — I don't even need training!
Liora cracked her knuckles.
— That won't save you, Valor.
— WHAT?! Valor shouted.
— Nothing can save Valor! Naël added, laughing.
— SHUT UP!! Valor screamed.
Zarion sighed.
— Here we go again…
And, as expected, chaos ensued.
Liora clapped her hands, forming a training circle around them.
— Alright. Since you're all so confident… let's test your limits.
Valen groaned.
— Seriously? I just had a dramatic alleyway moment and now I have to sweat?
Elyonna giggled.
— Courage, Valen. I'm supporting you emotionally.
— But not physically, huh? Valen grumbled.
— Oh no, I leave that to the others, she replied.
Zarion slowly drew his weapon. A smile stretched across his face.
— Alright then… let's have some fun.
Valor shouted:
— FIRST! I'm going first!
Then tripped over an imaginary rock.
Everyone watched him fall.
Valen:
— There. That's the great Valor.
Nova:
— Incredible talent.
Naël:
— I'm moved.
Liora:
— … We'll start with something very simple, I think.
Chapter 136 — "Warm-Up in the Void: Nyxa Awakens"
Liora clapped her hands, making the entire HQ tremble.
— Alright. The training will be simple.
She materialized her massive hammer, which landed with a BOOM.
Elyon (her son) rubbed his head.
— Mom… I hope this isn't what I think you're about to make them go through…
Liora gave a smile far too serene.
— Me? Never.
Valen whispered:
— We're gonna die.
Zarion:
— Probably.
Liora raised her voice:
— All hunters ranked S and above, gather!
A bluish portal opened, and Arthur Pendragon arrived like a king who missed an appointment. Béatrice nudged him gently.
Arthur called out:
— Hey! It's been a while, folks!
Annabelle narrowed her eyes.
— Still inseparable, I see…
Béatrice smiled.
— Looks like it. Been a long time, huh?
Then came Marie, with a massive bow on her back, accompanied by Ethan.
Valor spread his arms wide.
— WELL WELL WELL! Look who it is! Ethan the FRAUD!
Ethan grimaced.
— What do you mean "fraud," bro? Ryn? Back me up! Do I look like a fraud?
Ryn, next to Lya, was already sweating.
— No… not at all… you're… extremely strong…
Ethan puffed his chest.
— See? It's because I'm stronger than him. His ego can't handle it. RIGHT, VALOR?
Valor raised his hands.
— You're dreaming! How can someone who only fights with fists be stronger than ME? I'm your worst matchup!
Ethan:
— My rank is SS. Yours is S.
— Who's stronger? ME.
Valor exploded:
— Ranks are nonsense! I don't even know how they decided I'm below you!
— I bet Liora was too old and blind that day!
Silence.
Liora turned her head very slowly.
— Who… is too old?
— And who… is blind?
Valor squeaked:
— Not you… someone else… in another country…
Liora sighed.
— Besides, I don't even set the rankings! Even I, by their scale, am "just" SSS rank!
Valen added:
— He's not wrong, old lady.
Liora:
— BLASPHEMY!
Nova:
— She's very young, Liora… technically, since she refuses to age.
Naël tried to restore order:
— Okay, is everyone here?
Valor raised his hand.
— No, you forgot someone.
Everyone:
— …
Valor puffed his chest:
— He's tall. He's charismatic. He's strong.
Here comes… the biggest fraud of all hunters: DRAKE!
Thunderous applause erupted as Drake arrived like a Hollywood star.
Drake, waving:
— Thank you, thank you. I'm touched. I didn't know you thought I was that strong…
Valen blinked.
— He didn't get it…?
Zarion, deadpan:
— Valor said you're the ULTIMATE FRAUD, Drake.
Drake walked up to Valen and, without warning, lifted him with one arm like a plush toy.
— Hey everyone! It's been a while! And thanks, Valen, for bringing me back to life last time!
Valen squirmed.
— Put me down! This is embarrassing! Elyonna, do something!
Miniature Elyonna:
— No, he's just… really annoying.
Drake set Valen down, proud.
— How long's it been? Six months? A year? A century?
Valen:
— LET IT GO.
Liora clapped again, releasing a wave of light.
— Alright! Now that everyone's here…
She turned to her son.
— Elyon, want to join in?
Elyon shrugged.
— Why not. Could be fun.
A long silence fell.
All the hunters waited for the announcement.
Liora smiled — the kind of smile that clearly meant imminent catastrophe.
— This won't be a normal training.
Because a normal training… would be far too easy for you.
Valor raised his hand.
— That's not reassuring!
Zarion was already sheathing his sword.
— Can we still run?
Naël:
— No. We're doomed.
Valen:
— Bro, what's she gonna do now?
Liora pointed her hammer at them.
— You'll be fighting… ME.
A pause.
— And not alone.
A portal formed behind her.
A silhouette emerged.
Elyonna paled.
— Mom… no… you're not going to do this to them…
The silhouette stepped fully out of the portal…
And the entire HQ fell silent.
A young girl, no taller than Lya, floated slightly above the ground.
Long black hair tied back, red eyes, unstable aura — as if Nothingness itself was holding its breath.
Naël slid over to Valen:
— … Who's that?
Valen, starting to sweat:
— I think that's… Nyxa. But like… baby demon version who can erase you by accident.
Liora slammed her hammer to the ground.
— This is Nyxa… as I remember her.
— At that age, she was already erasing members of the six races just because they annoyed her.
Nyxa raised a finger, and the ground vibrated.
Just one finger.
Valor raised his hand, confident:
— Look at this kid! Liora, don't think the great ME will lose to a child.
— I'll fold her like a sheet of paper.
Everyone turned to him.
Zarion placed a hand on his shoulder.
— Valor. Brother. Shut up. For your own safety.
Nyxa tilted her head slightly, curious.
— Child?
Her voice was soft… too soft.
Like death-soft.
Elyonna paled even more.
— Oh no, she heard him.
Valor chuckled.
— Of course you heard! What, you wanna fight?
— I'm Valor, the gre—
He didn't even finish.
Nyxa blinked.
A loud POC echoed.
Valor was teleported into a wall, his head sticking out just enough to show his traumatized expression.
Valen burst out:
— Bro! She OS'd him without even moving!
Zarion sighed:
— That's what happens when you provoke an entity who learned to erase civilizations before she learned to walk.
Nova nodded.
— Valor, it's not your day, bro.
Drake timidly raised his hand.
— Can I… go home? It's too dangerous here…
Liora, smiling:
— You're staying.
— You're all fighting Nyxa and me.
— This is the warm-up.
Everyone:
— THE WARM-UP?!?
Nyxa gently landed on the ground, hands behind her back, like a child ready to play.
She pointed at Valor, still stuck in the wall.
— You.
— I like you. You scream loud.
Valor (head trembling):
— Ma'am… please let me live…
Valen burst out laughing.
— I'm dead— well, not literally, but you get me.
Liora raised her hammer.
— Positions! We start in ten seconds!
All the S, SS, and even SSS-ranked hunters looked at each other.
Naël:
— This is the end.
Arthur Pendragon drew his sword.
— Gentlemen… it's been an honor.
Ethan clenched his fists.
— Ryn, if I die, tell them I was cool.
Ryn:
— Why are you saying that? We'll survive… I hope.
Marie adjusted her bow.
— I want to cry but I've run out of tears.
Elyon sighed.
— Mom… you're gonna break the HQ again.
Liora:
— Yes.
Valen placed a hand on Nova's shoulder.
— Bro… if I die, tell Vael he… he better not mock me.
Nova:
— You know he's going to.
Valen:
— Yeah… you're right…
Zarion took a deep breath.
— So… how many seconds do we survive?
Drake:
— I say… two. Three if Nyxa sneezes.
Nyxa cracked her fingers — an innocent gesture that made three stones collapse.
Liora raised her hand:
— 3… 2… 1…
Then they found themselves in a new dimension created by Liora.
Chapter 137 —"Trial of the Endless World"
Liora snapped her fingers… and everything changed.
In a single second, everyone was transported into another dimension: a copy of Earth, buildings, roads, blue sky… except everything stretched into infinity, as if someone had pressed Ctrl+C Ctrl+V on the entire world.
— At least here it's safer, said Liora.
— Why? asked Valen.
— Because I DON'T trust you. You would've wrecked the HQ for NOTHING. Absolutely nothing.
No one dared say she was right.
Except Valor. Valor always dares.
Liora raised her hammer:
— Alright… now we can begin. All of you against me and Nyxa.
She pointed to the version of Nyxa at her side.
— And remember: this isn't the real Nyxa. It's just a manifestation of my memories of her… back when she was young.
Valor crawled out of rubble (though no one had hit him) and shouted:
— So you're really old, Liora!
Silence.
Liora blinked slowly.
Valor continued, pointing at young Nyxa:
— And YOU, kid, know that if you managed to smash me into the wall earlier, it's BECAUSE I let you. I didn't want to hurt your feelings.
Nyxa raised an eyebrow.
Everyone knew he was lying.
Except him.
---
**The Training Begins**
Naël charged first, his enormous blade (literally bigger than him) carving a trench in the ground.
He appeared instantly before Liora and delivered a monstrous strike.
CLANG!
Liora blocked it with her hammer as if Naël had brushed her with a spoon.
---
Valor, surrounded by lightning, vanished.
He reappeared before Nyxa and threw a direct punch.
Nyxa blocked it with one hand, casual.
— You want hand-to-hand? Bad choice. I'm VERY strong at this.
Using Valor's fist as leverage, she pivoted and attempted a kick.
Valor blocked it with his forearm.
— Sorry, but actually I'm strong in hand-to-hand too. Too strong, even.
No one agreed with him, but no one wanted to argue.
---
Lya rose from the ground like a specter, silent, blade already at Nyxa's throat.
— Move and you die.
Nyxa turned, the edge of her hand glowing—
SHRAK!
But Lya exploded into smoke.
A shadow clone.
— Tch, another one, muttered Nyxa.
---
Nova appeared above:
— Void Art: Dimensional Lacerations!
Liora saw multiple invisible cuts multiplying around her.
She vanished just before impact and reappeared behind Nova, hurling her hammer like a missile.
Annabelle snapped her hand: chains erupted from the ground, trying to capture the hammer.
They shattered instantly.
— Ah yes… of course… Annabelle muttered, unimpressed.
Valen rushed in, grabbed the hammer barehanded (grimacing slightly), and hurled it back at Liora.
Liora stopped the hammer midair with telekinesis, as if pressing pause.
---
She extended her hand toward Ethan.
Ethan was pulled toward her as if space itself dragged him.
— Zero Strike!
He hit her full force, a massive shockwave bending entire buildings.
Liora blocked the wave… with telekinesis alone.
Not even a step back.
Then, with a gesture, she repelled Ethan, sending him crashing through three buildings.
Ethan, panting, braced himself against the ground, leaving a long smoking trail.
Marie landed beside him.
She fired an arrow.
It struck near Liora, chains bursting forth to bind her.
Telekinesis crushed them like paper.
— Her telekinesis… it's REALLY annoying, Marie growled.
She drew another arrow, energy overflowing.
— Arrow of Justice!
The impact shook the entire dimension like a colossal earthquake.
When the smoke cleared… Liora stood.
Not a speck of dust on her.
---
Ethan clenched his fists.
— Pulsar Heart.
His chest glowed like an inner star.
Each beat distorted gravity for miles.
— These waves are impossible to dodge… you're finished!
The waves surged toward Liora.
Liora… ran.
At absurd speed, dodging every wave.
Then she seized her hammer with telekinesis and hurled it straight at Ethan.
Ethan crossed his arms — but the hammer obliterated him, embedding him into a building.
He rose, bloody, trembling.
— I… I didn't think the commander would be this strong…
Arthur Pendragon placed a hand on his shoulder.
— Let me take over.
Béatrice rushed in:
— I'll heal you, don't move.
— No need! A warrior doesn't get healed! Ethan shouted.
He fainted immediately after.
---
Arthur unsheathed Excalibur.
— Prepare yourselves. I'm not like the others.
---
Meanwhile, Zarion and Valen were calmly chatting amidst the chaos.
— Too many of them, said Valen. It's cramped, they're ruining our fight.
Naël appeared behind them.
— Help them instead of chatting!!
---
Ryn materialized behind Nyxa.
— Boom. Spiritual Disintegration.
Nyxa turned, forming a tiny shadow hand — literally a child's hand — that grabbed Ryn by the face and hurled him into a building.
Lya emerged from the rubble like a shadow, catching Ryn midair.
— Don't be reckless.
Ryn coughed.
— It's… it's not my fault… she's too weird.
Nyxa gave a small wave.
— I heard that.