NOVEL WEB Chapter 21: Training Arc (III)
Azvoid cracked his knuckles, standing in the vast emptiness of his mental space. The abyss stretched endlessly around him, shifting and writhing like a living entity. Before him, Noctis loomed, his obsidian-black scales shimmering in the void, his violet eyes glowing with an eerie sharpness.
"You've reached Peak D-rank, but that means nothing," Noctis said, his voice carrying a weight that sent shivers down Azvoid's spine. "Right now, you're still weak. You may have some tricks, but against true power, you're insignificant as an insect."
Azvoid scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before. So? What's this training you're so eager to put me through?"
Noctis bared his fangs in a sharp, amused grin. "I will forge you into something worthy of wielding my power."
Azvoid's surroundings twisted and shifted. Suddenly, he found himself standing in a battlefield—one unlike anything he had ever seen. The sky above was a swirling storm of black and crimson, and the ground beneath him was cracked, bleeding out a misty darkness. Towering stone pillars jutted out from the landscape, etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly.
Before Azvoid could fully grasp where he was, a deep, guttural snarl erupted behind him. He turned sharply, his breath catching as he saw the hulking form of a beast unlike anything in the F-rank dungeons.
A Tenebrous Hound.
Its massive, wolf-like body was wreathed in black flames, and its eyes burned like molten gold. Its claws, longer than daggers, scratched against the ground, leaving behind searing marks as it prowled toward him.
Azvoid's instincts flared. This was a trial.
"You will not leave this space until you defeat them all," Noctis's voice echoed ominously. "Hold nothing back."
Azvoid took a deep breath, his pulse steadying. If this was a test, then fine. He was about to ace it.
The hound lunged.
Azvoid vanished. Phantom Reflex ignited within him, his body moving in ways that defied logic. The beast's fangs clamped down on empty air as Azvoid reappeared behind it, twisting his body mid-air.
His palm struck the nape of its neck. Vector displacement.
A shockwave blasted outward as the force redirected, slamming the beast into the ground with a crushing impact. Dust exploded into the air, but the hound wasn't done yet.
With a roar, it twisted its body, flames erupting from its form, forcing Azvoid to leap backward.
"Too slow."
Azvoid's fingers flickered, twisting space itself as he redirected the hound's own momentum. One instant, it was charging toward him—the next, it was flung sideways, crashing into one of the rune-covered pillars.
The pillar exploded in a burst of obsidian shards.
Azvoid exhaled, his black obsidian eyes narrowing as the beast struggled to rise. But then—
A second growl.
His head snapped to the side. Another Tenebrous Hound. Then another. And another.
Three more emerged from the swirling darkness, their golden eyes locking onto him with unrelenting hunger.
Noctis chuckled darkly. "Did you think one would be enough?"
Azvoid wiped the sweat from his brow, a wild grin tugging at his lips. This was insane.
And he loved it.
"Alright then," he muttered, lowering his stance as the beasts circled him. "Let's make this interesting."
The battle was just beginning.
---
Azvoid rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck as he stared down the three monstrous Tenebrous Hounds. The beasts prowled in a wide arc, their ember-like eyes glowing with unholy hunger...
"Did you think one would be enough?" Noctis's voice rumbled with dark amusement.
Azvoid snorted. "I don't know, maybe give me a challenge next time?" He flexed his fingers, feeling the power hum beneath his skin. "Because this? This is just a warm-up."
The hounds disagreed.
All three lunged simultaneously, black flames bursting around them as they rushed him from different angles.
Azvoid's body moved before his brain even finished processing.
Phantom Reflex—activated.
One instant, the Tenebrous Hounds were about to rip him apart—the next, he was gone.
He reappeared in mid-air, twisting like a phantom, landing on the back of the largest beast. Its molten eyes widened in shock—
—before Azvoid stomped its skull into the ground.
A massive BOOM shook the battlefield as the Tenebrous Hound imploded into the earth, its body cratering from the force.
"I really hope you didn't think I was going to fight fair." Azvoid grinned before warping away, right as the second beast's flaming jaws snapped at empty air.
The third hound adapted fast. It launched a fireball the size of a damn boulder straight at him.
Azvoid caught it.
The moment his hands made contact, Space Vector Master surged to life.
"How about you take it back?" Azvoid twisted space itself, redirecting the flaming mass with a flick of his wrist.
WHOOOSH—BOOM!
The fireball slammed into the hound that launched it, sending it spiraling into one of the rune-etched pillars, which promptly exploded into shards of obsidian.
Two down. One to go.
Azvoid turned to the final Tenebrous Hound, which stared at him with the slow realization that it had made a terrible mistake.
It took a step back.
Azvoid cracked his knuckles. "Oh no, you wanted this fight. You started this."
The hound whimpered.
Noctis, observing from above, burst into deep, amused laughter. "I almost feel bad for them."
Azvoid did not.
With a single step, he vanished.
The last thing the hound saw was Azvoid materializing right in front of it—
—before his palm struck its chest.
Vector Displacement: Maximum Compression.
A second later, the Tenebrous Hound imploded into itself before detonating into pure nothingness.
Azvoid landed gracefully, dusting off his hands. "Alright, Noctis. Got anything harder?"
The battlefield trembled.
Noctis's violet eyes gleamed. "Oh, I do."
Azvoid immediately regretted his words.
The sky above cracked open like a shattered mirror, and from the darkness emerged a new presence. One that sent a shiver down Azvoid's spine.
A massive, armored beast dropped onto the battlefield. Its body was like a walking fortress, covered in jagged, shadow-infused plating. Its six glowing crimson eyes locked onto Azvoid, and an eerie growl that sounded like distant thunder rumbled through the space.
Noctis sounded far too entertained. "Meet the Abyssal Tyrant. Have fun."
Azvoid stared at the towering monstrosity before him.
"...Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."
The trial had just begun...