Asher, William, and Finch could be seen tearing forward through the dense terrain, their figures blurring as they pushed onward without pause. Their mission had not yet ended; they still needed to reach the frontier. Because their Enduron horses had been completely wiped out during the earlier encounter, they had no choice but to rely on their own legs. Even so, their pace was anything but slow.

After a prolonged period of running, Asher finally sighed in mild annoyance. With a casual thought, Astra energy flowed outward, forging three circular platforms of condensed power. William and Finch stepped onto their own platforms effortlessly, each standing steadily as the constructs surged forward, zipping through the forest at high speed. Asher himself remained on a separate platform, floating lazily above the ground as though movement itself was an inconvenience.

By this point, William and Finch's bleeding had fully stopped. According to Norman, they were now only a few hours away from their destination. Asher's sharp eyes swept across the surroundings as they moved, noticing subtle changes in the environment. The further they traveled, the fewer trees they encountered. The dense forest gradually thinned, giving way to open stretches of land. From this alone, Asher understood that they were drawing closer to the wilderness where Norman and his fellow soldiers had been stationed.

Soon enough, the terrain shifted completely.

They arrived at what could only be described as a desert. The sun above burned far harsher than normal, its rays scorching the land relentlessly, as though trying to erase everything beneath it. The sand stretched endlessly, and under the sun's cruel gaze, its color occasionally shifted from dull brown to deep red, as though the desert itself was being slowly cooked.

"Be alert," Norman's voice came through their communication device. "Desert Centipedes rule this area."

The moment those words left his lips, the sand beneath everyone's feet trembled violently. The ground began to churn, grains of sand lifting unnaturally into the air. No further explanation was needed. Everyone immediately understood, the Desert Centipedes were already on the move.

Despite that, the team remained unbothered. They were merely centipedes. Dangerous to ordinary soldiers, perhaps, but to them, they would be dealt with in a flash.

With another thought, the Astra-forged platforms beneath William and Finch vanished instantly. The moment their feet touched the scorching sand, both of them burst forward in a blur. At this point, their stamina had been fully restored, along with their Astra energy reserves. As for Asher, he remained floating on his own platform, clearly too lazy to bother running.

Finch and William went after the weaker centipedes, their movements swift and coordinated. Norman, Aiden, Daniel, Samuel, and Clara each targeted stronger ones, everyone instinctively selecting their opponents without needing orders.

As for Asher, he casually zipped toward one of the larger centipedes.

The moment he drew close, Star Energy coursed through his palm. His Light affinity bloomed instantly, threads of radiant energy forming at his fingertips. The centipede roared and lashed its massive body toward Asher, attempting to crush him midair. But Asher merely stepped upward, using an Astra-forged platform as a foothold, his movements calm and effortless.

He flung his hand forward.

The light threads tore through the air at blinding speed, wrapping around the centipede's massive form and binding it in place. With a smooth motion, Asher pulled his hand backward. Like a hot knife through butter, the light threads sliced cleanly through the centipede's exoskeleton, bones, and internal tissue with sickening ease. Its enormous body was instantly reduced to countless finely diced fragments, raining down lifelessly onto the sand.

Another centipede roared and lashed out at Asher as he remained midair, beginning to descend. The light threads vanished from his hand as his fingers curled into a fist. Star Energy surged violently through it. He punched forward.

There was no resistance.

The centipede's body exploded upon impact, bursting into a shower of pulverized flesh and chitin that scattered across the desert like rain.

Asher's body continued descending, but before his feet could touch the sand, the ground beneath him erupted violently. A massive maw snapped open from below, lunging upward in an attempt to devour him mid-landing, a perfect ambush.

Asher did not panic.

Space itself twisted at his command, and he vanished from his position. The centipede's jaws snapped shut on empty air, crushing nothing.

Asher reappeared beside the creature's exposed body. With a simple thought, gravity around him intensified drastically. The massive centipede was yanked downward, its body slamming violently into the desert floor. Sand attempted to rise from the impact, but it failed, crushed flat under the overwhelming gravitational pressure.

Asher increased the gravity further.

Cracks spread rapidly across the centipede's exoskeleton as it struggled in vain. The monster shrieked in agony, its massive body twitching uncontrollably. Moments later, the exoskeleton finally gave way entirely. Flesh and bone were crushed beneath the unbearable weight, blood pooling beneath the beast as its life was extinguished.

Asher turned away, uninterested.

His hand snapped toward his waist, intending to draw Virelass from her sheath, but his fingers met nothing. Asher paused, eyes lowering slightly. Virelass was gone.

A moment later, he spotted her.

The sentient blade had already vanished on her own, tearing joyfully through a group of massive centipedes as she fought alongside Finch, her movements wild and eager. Asher shook his head in mild amusement. He didn't bother calling her back. He allowed her to enjoy herself.

Star Energy surged through his palm once more as purple, crackling lightning burst into existence. The energy bent and reshaped itself until it formed a sleek rapier of pure power. Star Energy flooded his entire body.

With that, he vanished.

Golden, brown, and red sand exploded backward with each step as he crossed tens of meters in mere seconds. Asher didn't need to augment himself with Star Energy to fight these centipedes, they were far too weak for that. His purpose was different. He was deliberately using Star Energy in combat to refine his control over it with every movement, every strike, every parry, every evasion.

The monsters didn't even have time to blink before they were reduced to shredded remains. Asher's form blistered across the desert in rapid succession, tearing through centipedes endlessly. They seemed infinite in number, but to Asher, they were nothing more than perfect test subjects.

From the side, Norman watched with a quiet sigh. No matter how many times he witnessed the Tenth Sun in action, he was always left in awe.

'If only we had someone like this leading us,' he thought. It wasn't that the current frontier leader was incompetent, far from it, but he lacked the finesse, elegance, and overwhelming presence that Asher displayed so effortlessly in motion.

Norman's gaze shifted toward William and Finch, who were battling nearby. At this point, Aiden, Daniel, Samuel, and Clara had already finished dealing with their own opponents. They made no move to interfere with the Tenth Sun's team, simply allowing them to handle their battles as they pleased.

William and Finch could be seen fighting with chains in their hands now, their movements synchronized and brutal.

A day had passed.

That meant William had to copy another ability.

And as always, Finch was the only solution.

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