Aster jumped into the domain of infinite universes, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colors that shimmered like a living prism. He floated amidst a breathtaking expanse of swirling universes, each one unfolding like cosmic flower petals. The universes were connected by glowing pathways, and Aster observed everything around him as he fell.
The view was breathtakingly beautiful. Aster's expression remained calm as he fell, his hand tucked into his pocket. "If I don't do something, I'll waste time," he thought. "I'll increase my falling speed to reach the surface faster." With a snap of his finger, Aster's descent accelerated.
A familiar voice echoed through the universes, "It's nice to see someone else here... You're the one Valtira's looking for, right. You're Aster." Kennox voice echoed, though he was nowhere to be seen or found.
Aster replied, "Get to the point already. You're talking too much. Just start doing what you intend to do."
Kennox's laughter boomed through the universes, "Hahaaha! You're confident, I'll give you that. But it won't be easy." Aster said, "Just get it over with." Kennox retorted, "I'll show you who's boss."
As Aster continued falling downwards, a massive orange-white planet suddenly came into view. He landed on it with barely a sound and started running calmly but swiftly towards the other side. The planet was enormous, far larger than Earth.
As Aster ran, the deadly sharp rocks started originating from the ground. The rocks appeared from all directions, but Aster dodged them effortlessly, his movements fluid and calculated.
Then strong tornadoes then approached Aste as he was going round the planet. The tornadoes were so strong that it was spinning with intense speed and force that it could even cause widespread destruction and debris. By passing the limits of a very fast tornado, but despite that he dodged them with ease. Even going through it calmly without being blown away.
Aster increased his speed, becoming a blur. But just when he was halfway through...the planet cracked in front of him, and he jumped into the gap.
Sharp rocks emerged from the planet's core, but Aster chopped them off with one hand, his calm demeanor unwavering.
Then when Aster was nearly about to escape, the planet exploded. The explosion itself could cause widespread destruction. But Aster emerged from the smoke unscathed, his uniform still clean and new.
"You're quite impressive," Kennox's voice echoed. "But let's see how you handle what's coming next."
Aster didn't reply, his expression still calm already planning the next move. He had finally passed through the planet, but it wasn't over.
Kennox gave a laugh that echoed throughout the universe, though he was nowhere to be seen, "Impressive. But it's still too early to give up."
Then, suddenly, Aster saw another planet – it was purple with a mix of white. It was bigger than the previous planets Aster had escaped, massive in every way. But to Aster, it was like a useless obstacle in his way; he was still calm, and his face showed no expression.
Aster kept falling down quickly, then he landed on the planet. When he landed calmly on the planet and started running, the ground on which he stood rose from the planet's surface and went up, moving quickly, sending him away from the planet.
Aster didn't react; he kept calm, his hands still in his pockets. "Pointless move," he thought. As he jumped from the rising ground, he went down towards the planet.
But as he was going down towards the planet, unimaginable fire suddenly covered the whole planet, making it a hot sun instead of a planet. Aster didn't flinch. "So, he can manipulate reality within his domain. That's incredible," Aster thought. "Also, this sun seems real, but the heat isn't going to do any harm to my physical body. I will just protect my uniform."
Then, with that, as he got closer to the sun, the heat didn't do anything to him; his clothes weren't burned, as if he was shielded. Aster removed a hand from his pocket and used his fist to punch the sun so effortlessly.
Despite his little punch, the sun started cracking quickly, and it broke into pieces. Then, Kennox's voice echoed throughout the universe, despite not being seen, "You're a C-rank, but cracking an entire sun? You're hiding something. Who are you really? Let's see how you handle this."
Aster didn't reply. His expression remained unchanged.
Then, with that, white stars started appearing from all directions – up, down, left, right – as Aster was in the middle. Each star had the same size as each other, and they were bigger than any planets. The stars started moving towards Aster with their sharp edges.
Aster just observed calmly, like he wasn't in any sort of danger. "Their movement is predictable," he thought. Then, he started moving downwards as the stars heading down were coming his way.
Aster just moved faster, despite not standing on a surface to do that. He dodged them all quickly, as the stars were attacking him with unimaginable speed – so fast that the speed of light couldn't comprehend. Aster easily dodged, seeing every move.
The stars from all directions continued to attack him, but he dodged them easily, and with a calculated move. "Waste of time," Aster thought.
Kennox's voice echoed again, filled with excitement, "You dodge like it's nothing! But can you keep dodging forever?"
Aster didn't respond. He kept dodging the stars with precision. His calm demeanor didn't change; he was like a shadow moving through the assault.
The stars kept coming, their sharp edges meant to shred anything in their path, but Aster slipped through them like they weren't there. His eyes didn't betray any emotion; his breathing wasn't visible.
Aster's speed reached an unimaginable level, defying time's comprehension. He dodged and cut through stars with ease, his movements calculated and precise. The stars kept coming, but Aster's expression remained calm and emotionless.
"You think you're good?" Kennox's voice echoed, laced with anticipation. "Let's see if you can handle the convergence."
The stars converged around Aster, trapping him from all angles. They turned orange, signaling an explosion. Aster's expression didn't flinch; he thought, "Time to end this." With a slight increase in speed, the stars slowed down, and Aster darted through them with ease.
His speed was so fast that time seemed to slow down in the universe. Aster passed through the stars like a dark shadow. In less than a second, he escaped the trap. The stars exploded above him, shaking the universe, but Aster didn't react. He landed on the universe's surface, his speed decreasing.
The surface was breathtakingly beautiful, with crystal-clear ground reflecting vibrant hues like a mirror. Glittering silver sand sparkled like diamonds, and rolling hills of iridescent crystals rose and fell against a kaleidoscope sky.
"You're quite the challenge," Kennox echoed, impressed. "I've thrown everything at you, and you sidestep it all like it's nothing. You're a mystery, all right... Searching for Kaliyah, huh? We'll see about that. I'll unravel your secrets... Hahahaha."
Aster remained expressionless, his gaze fixed forward. He didn't react to Kennox's words, his calm demeanor unwavering.
Kennox seemed to get frustrated about Aster not replying to his words. "You seem unfazed, but I'm looking forward to seeing the look on your face when you fail to find Kaliyah... and when you're trapped here forever."
"You've made it clear. You're not as clever as I thought. You've hidden Kaliyah in a different universe, haven't you?" Aster finally said.
There was a short silence from Kennox when he finally replied, "You're right, I have hidden her well. With infinite universes at my disposal, you'll never find her. Even if you could traverse the multiverse, the task would be impossible. But let's be real, you can't even do that."
"Honestly, I'd rather not brag, but let me make one thing clear: I can do it in an instant," Aster calmly said, though he was serious.
Kennox then laughed, his laughter echoing throughout the universe, though he was nowhere to be seen. "Hahahahaha!"
Aster then blinked, and the universe's surface started shifting, making it look like a double image. Then, instantly, it became normal. Aster was standing at his position without moving. Then, Kaliyah, with her shadow soldiers, was far in front of them. Kaliyah was covered in bruises.
"How did you...?! You reached her out of nowhere! Who are you, exactly?" Kennox echoed.
Aster didn't respond to that. Kaliyah, who was in the universe, heard Kennox's echo and prepared herself. "Is he referring to me? There's definitely someone in here too," Kaliyah wondered and watched her surroundings, because she didn't want to lose her guard.
Then, she saw Aster. When she saw him, she was absolutely surprised and puzzled. Aster just looked at Kaliyah calmly, as shown by his expression.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, very surprised.
"I'm here to get you out of this situation," Aster calmly said.
"Do you understand what you're getting yourself into? You're just going to suffer alongside me. You're not even worthy of fighting me," Kaliyah said.
"Is that your response after everything I endured to find you?" Aster replied.
Kaliyah realized she was wrong and replied, "Indeed. Forgive me for lacking finesse."
"Sure," Aster replied. But in his mind, he thought, "That's her, all right. Always so aloof."
Kaliyah's mind then started racing with possibilities. "Aster's appearance here doesn't add up. Kennox wouldn't make it easy for him to find me, especially not in a domain with infinite universes," Kaliyah wondered.
Then, she said, "We're trapped. Our only option is to comply with Kennox's demands and face the torture." Aster responded calmly and measured, "Is that so?"
Kaliyah's words didn't convince him. Kaliyah then got puzzled, as if Aster was saying there were other ways to get out.
"What's your plan? You seem to know something I don't," Kaliyah asked.
"Let's not think conventionally. We're in a realm where magic applies. Think creatively," Aster calmly advised.
"Explain further what you mean," Kaliyah said with curiosity, still not getting the idea.
"There are other possibilities to get out without going through stress. And that is we should either destroy this domain or try reaching the very top of the domain to get out," Aster calmly said.
Something struck Kaliyah's mind, and she immediately got what Aster was trying to say. "I should have thought about that. But that's not even possible... unless you have some sort of plan," Kaliyah said, analyzing the situation.
But then, Kennox's voice echoed, though he was nowhere to be seen. "Aster, you're a genius... and a monster. Your ideas are perfect, but I'm not going to let them happen. Forget it," Kennox said in frustration.
Then, suddenly, 5 hot suns appeared at all directions of them - up, down, left, right, back, and front. All the suns were rolling towards them like a ball so fast, except the one above.
The one above was more than the size of a normal sun, brightening everything around them and making everything burn in their past. But Kaliyah and Aster were below them, safe from the sun's heat.
"Looks like things just got interesting," Kaliyah said, her eyes fixed on the suns.
Then, Kaliyah's shadow soldiers sprang into action. One of them went to the front direction to cut off the sun, and the other one went to the back to cut the sun. Both shadow soldiers in uniform held the sun with one hand with all their might and used their weapons in their other hand to get ready.
"Let's take care of these suns," one of the shadow soldiers said.
At the same time, the two shadow soldiers raised their weapons up, and their weapons changed to shining black. They stabbed the sun at the same time, leaving a crack on the sun. The two suns vanished into thin air.
Aster didn't flinch, but kept calm as the suns headed towards him. Kaliyah anticipated her shadow soldiers move and joined in.
With that a purple-black aura covered her palm and a black shadowy sword appearing on her hand. She jumped high to the sun above. When she got close to it, she stabbed the sun with the sword, and it cracked into pieces, vanishing into air.
Kaliyah then landed calmly and said to Aster, "Let's move. The suns are getting closer, and I don't want to get burned."
The suns were rolling towards them, and Kaliyah could feel the heat. She jumped above the two rolling suns heading her way so easily.
Aster, meanwhile, was far away from the sun, as if he had teleported so fast. But Kaliyah didn't notice Aster because she was so focused.
Then, Kaliyah sighed in relief that she had gotten away from the sun as she was landing on the universe's surface. The suns then stopped rolling forward and started rolling backwards, heading towards Kaliyah as she landed.
The two suns across each other came at incredible speed towards Kaliyah, who was in the middle. Kaliyah was unprepared and took her sword as her shield. Her shadow soldiers then instantly reached her and shielded her.
"This won't work," Kaliyah thought. "Even from a distance, the suns' heat is overwhelming. I'm not sure my body can handle the intense heat of two suns when it gets closer, even with my self-healing abilities."
The two suns got closer to Kaliyah, and her body started burning rapidly. Smoke was coming out from her body, and fire was burning on her body. Scars started to appear instantly around her body. Then, instantly, it healed itself again.
As the suns got closer, it was burning her body even worse. She was in pain but kept it to herself. Her body was trying to heal itself, creating a smoke around her body.
Then, instantly, Aster appeared behind her and grabbed her by the waist, sending her far away from the suns. The two suns that were rolling came into contact with each other and combined, causing an explosion. But since they were far away, it didn't affect them.
The shadow soldiers who were there turned into shadows on the surface and went inside Kaliyah's shadow as her body continued to heal.
"Thanks," Kaliyah said, still trying to catch her breath.
"Stay focused. We need to get out of here," Aster calmly said.
"How exactly do you plan to do that?" Kaliyah asked, her tone normal as her self-healing abilities continued.
"Think creatively. You're in trouble. Listen to me if you want to escape," Aster said.
"You want me to listen to you? I only trust myself. I'll do things my way, no matter what," Kaliyah said, not agreeing with Aster.
"Suit yourself. I won't push the issue," Aster calmly said.
"I figured this would turn out like this," Aster thought. "In her view, I'm weak and wouldn't lift a finger to help." Aster's expression remained calm, but his mind was racing with possibilities.
But before either of them could say anything, Kennox echoed, though still not anywhere to be seen, "Enough talk. Let's raise the stakes."
Kennox's voice was followed by the appearance of black holes everywhere on the surface of the universe. It looked like spinning and strong black tornadoes on the surface. The black holes were so strong that they pulled everything inside them.
"This is not good," Kaliyah thought, feeling the gravity pulling her in. She tried to maintain her balance and not move, but it was difficult.
Meanwhile, Aster didn't flinch. He watched everything that was going on, analyzing the situation. The black hole's gravity didn't even move him.
Kaliyah watched Aster, who stood calmly, acting like nothing had happened. "He's quite the performer," she thought. "Maintaining composure under pressure is truly impressive."
As the black holes around them began to combine, becoming one large black hole on the surface of the universe, Kaliyah realized she was being pulled in quickly. She reached out for help, and her hand was grabbed by Aster, who had jumped very high above the black hole.
Kaliyah got out, but she could feel the gravity pulling them down into the black hole. They were going down quickly.
"We're experiencing intense gravitational forces," Kaliyah thought, getting annoyed. "If we don't act quickly, we'll be pulled in irreversibly."
Aster watched Kaliyah's face as she was frustrated. "Let's think clearly and come up with a plan," he said calmly. "We need to act quickly to avoid any further danger."
Kaliyah got even more frustrated as they were all falling down. "How do you remain so calm in this situation?" she asked, her voice laced with annoyance. "We need action, not complacency."
But before Aster could respond, something struck Kaliyah's mind. "Wait, I think I have an idea," she thought. "I have a creature among my shadows that can fly us out of here. Aster mentioned we could reach the top of the domain to escape. Let's use this opportunity."
Then, quickly, Kaliyah said, "Emerge!"
A dark creature came out of her shadow. The creature was a large dragon, its color so dark that it represented nothingness. But the darkest of all was the eye, mixed with dark and light, that shone through the universe.
"I'm getting out of here no matter what," Kaliyah thought, her determination growing.
The dragon spread its wings, and Kaliyah and Aster jumped onto its back. They were near the black hole, Aster sitting at the back and Kaliyah in front.
Kaliyah turned to watch Aster's calm demeanor and instantly got annoyed. "I wish I hadn't gotten involved with him, but now I need his help to escape," Kaliyah thought, her frustration taking over a little. But she calmed herself down by taking a breath.
Then, a mix of purple and black aura came from her and flowed through her body. She touched the dragon and said, "Fly up as fast as you can! Don't hold back, we need all the speed we can get."
The dragon understood and flew upwards. The black hole, which was just beneath them, couldn't pull them down with its gravity because the dragon itself was stronger than gravity. The dragon went with extreme speed, so fast that even time couldn't comprehend.
"Hahaha! That's impressive, but reaching the top of this domain with infinite universes will be a real challenge," Kennox echoed, though nowhere to be seen.
"He's right," Kaliyah thought. "Flying above one universe is taking a while; infinite universes won't be a cakewalk. If this keeps up, I'll drain my power quickly." But her determination grew as she thought, "At least this is a chance to test my limits. And no matter what, I'll push past them and exceed my own expectations."
"Hold on tight; we're accelerating," Kaliyah said to Aster.
"She's not one to back down, is she?" Aster thought, his expression calm as ever. "Here we go again."
The dragon increased its speed, faster than before. As Kaliyah's purple-black aura increased and covered the dragon, Kennox echoed, "Not so fast!"
But there was no reply. Then, a black hole appeared in front of the dragon. Its gravity was so strong that it could pull someone in in less than a second.
But Kaliyah was prepared, her expression showing it all. The dragon then opened its mouth and released a very dark fire. The dark fire burned the black hole, and in no time, the black hole vanished.
Kaliyah felt a sense of relief as the dragon continued flying very fast. Just then, a large black and shadowy hand appeared in front of them. It was ready to grab them, its palms open wide to hit them away.
Aster didn't flinch; he just watched what was happening calmly as he observed. The dragon then opened its mouth and released a very dark fire towards the black shadowy hand figure.
Then, Kaliyah used this chance to fly away as the fire was burning the shadowy hand. "That was quick," Kaliyah thought. "I can handle it for now, but I know it won't be easy."
Then immediately the dragon wasn't moving, but its wings were flying hard, trying to escape after being grabbed. "Why aren't we moving?" Kaliyah thought.
Then, Kaliyah turned to see what the problem was and saw the shadowy hand holding the dragon's leg. "No, no, no," Kaliyah thought, her frustration growing.
"Let's get out of here," Kaliyah said to the dragon, her voice firm. "We can't let them catch us."
The dragon struggled to free itself, but the shadowy hand was too strong. Kaliyah knew they had to act fast if they wanted to escape.
"I'm in charge here, so it's my responsibility to handle situations like this," Kaliyah thought, determination etched on her face. She got up and walked towards the shadowy hand, Aster watching her in silence.
As she approached the hand, she turned to Aster, her voice calm yet stern. "Don't get ideas. You're only still with me because you promised to help me escape. So, prove you're useful."
"I'll consider your plan," Aster replied calmly. "But for now, getting us out of here is the priority."
Kaliyah's eyes narrowed slightly, her frustration evident. "Just wait and see."
She approached the shadowy hand, which was holding the dragon's leg. Kaliyah's purple-black aura grew around her body as she touched the hand, trying to remove it from the dragon's leg.
The hand seemed incredibly heavy. "Damn, this is crazy heavy," Kaliyah thought, annoyance creeping into her mind. "I've been trying to move it, but it's not budging."
Just then, Kennox's laughter echoed throughout the universe, his voice dripping with pride. "Hahaha! A C-rank like you can't even budge it. It's like a universe itself."
Kaliyah didn't flinch, her determination unwavering. "I'm prepared for whatever comes next," she thought. "If the stakes are that high, I'll need to use my full abilities."
With a fierce cry, Kaliyah closed her fist, her purple-black aura surging to new heights. She grabbed the shadowy hand, her fingers digging deep into its darkness. With a surge of strength, she started to crush the hand, her determination evident.
"Bring it on," Kaliyah said aloud, her voice echoing through the universe. "Nothing's going to stop me from doing what I do best."
The hand started to crack, the sound like shattering glass. Light began to emanate from the cracks, and then the hand shattered into pieces, vanishing into the surroundings.
Kaliyah felt a wave of relief wash over her as the dragon continued to fly. But her relief was short-lived, as she suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over her.
"I feel drained all of a sudden," Kaliyah thought, her vision blurring. "I thought I had reserves to maintain balance, but I must have tapped into them more than I thought."
Her purple-black aura vanished, and Kaliyah's body went limp. She fainted, and Aster with his speed caught her into his arms.
Aster caught her, his expression calm and unreadable. "At least she gave it her all," he thought, his eyes scanning her face.
The dragon, sensing Kaliyah's weakness, began to fade away, returning to its shadowy form. As it disappeared, Aster held Kaliyah close, his grip firm but gentle.
The dragon had turned into a shadow and entered Kaliyah's own shadow. Aster wasn't falling down but was standing as if on nothing. This caught Kennox's attention.
"Who are you, really?!" Kennox echoed, his frustration and curiosity growing. "You're not standing on anything, yet you're not falling. I've tried to find what's holding you up, but it's like you're defying gravity. Answer me!"
"Do what you want," Aster calmly replied. "It won't stop me from escaping."
"You think you're tough?" Kennox teased. "That's laughable. You'll never beat me."
"Honestly, if I wanted to defeat you, I would have done it a long time ago," Aster calmly replied. "I could have ended everything. I know you're out there, somewhere in your domain. If I wanted to find you, I could have tracked you down instantly, just like I did with Kaliyah."
"You think you're tough with your big words?" Kennox shot back. "Go ahead and do what you want. You're in my domain, so kill me if you think it'll make a difference."
"If that's how you feel, let me clarify something," Aster said calmly, but with a stern vibe. "I don't see you as a threat. Even if you're still alive, you're not worth challenging."
There was silence for a moment. "I see..." Kennox said, amusingly but with a hint of surprise. He was so shocked he couldn't say anything else.
Aster didn't care. "I need to create a distraction to stall him for a bit," he thought. He snapped his fingers while carrying Kaliyah, without anyone realizing it.
The entire domain started shaking. "What...did I do this accidentally?..." Kennox said in frustration. "No, this is your doing, Aster."
"I'm getting out of here," Aster whispered as he stood there calmly, the shaking of the domain not affecting him.
Then, all of a sudden, Aster appeared back in the real world in the Hunter's Association. They were at the Class A's training area, all alone. Aster looked at the sky; it was a bit late in the afternoon.
"It's almost lunch over," Aster thought. "I'll restore Kaliyah's strength so she can get up again." He touched her palm, and a light flowed through her body.
Kaliyah's eyes started opening as Aster placed her on the ground gently. "Where am I?..." she whispered. "Wait, did we manage to escape?"
She saw her surroundings and was totally shocked. "Are we back in the real world? How did you get out? Kennox wouldn't have let you go without a fight."
"I did convince him, believe it," Aster simply said, placing one hand in his pocket while walking straight. "Let's head to the eatery before we're suspected."
Kaliyah watched Aster go, her mind racing with questions and answers. "He's not responding," she thought. "I'll deal with whatever happened later. For now, I'll take Aster at his word and go."
She started walking, following Aster to the eatery. As they walked, Kaliyah couldn't help but notice Aster's calm demeanor. "He's so calm and collected," she thought. "I wonder what's going on in that head of his."
Aster, on the other hand, was thinking about their next move. "We need to be careful," he thought. "Kennox might not be the only one after us. We need to find a way to increase our strength and prepare for what's coming."
The two of them walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, as they made their way to the eatery.