Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

Alex and Mira moved cautiously through the dense forestry, the vast shadows cast by the huge trees covering their tracks and hiding their movements from any unsuspecting beasts in the area.

Alex, despite having just fought and defeated a King class beast, was visibly weakened.

That last attack had completely depleted every last bit of energy his body had to offer, and it was regenerating slower than normal for some unknown reason.

His every step was heavy, and his breaths were shallow as he tried to recover from the taxing battle while simultaneously making his way back to Tenebrus.

Mira, walking beside him, kept her senses sharp, ready for any sign of danger.

"It'll take weeks for us to make it back to Tenebrus at this pace…" Mira said, her eyes briefly scanning Alex's figure, who was in no shape to be moving at a faster speed than the brisk walk they were currently on.

"I'll carry you. You can rest while I can get us back to the city in a matter of days rather than weeks." Mira's suggestion made sense to Alex, and if he were to let his inner thoughts out, then Mira would have realised he was hoping for her to suggest that.

"You need time to recover. That battle —"

Alex, with his voice strained, cut her off mid sentence. "I'll be fine. We just need to keep moving."

The crater behind them still smouldered, the odd lingering fire still raging on here or there.

The forest surrounding them had been utterly destroyed, but the two of them didn't have the time or luxury to admire the aftermath.

They had already journeyed a few hundred kilometres, yet they were still within the confines of the crater.

If anything it was a reality check for Alex. It made him realise just how strong he was now compared to the average person, or even the average awakened.

He could cause this much devastation?

What if he encountered a fight with such a being while in the outside universe?

Would his attack eviscerate everything, whether living or not, for hundreds of kilometres?

He realised that when he made his way back to the war in the federation, he might have to be more moderate with his power output, and if drastic measures had to be taken, they should be taken out in the confines of space, or in a wasteland where not a single living thing would be present.

However, while he was in thought, Mira stiffened and stopped running.

Her instincts had kicked in, she grabbed Alex's leg and tightened her grip on it, to bring him back out of his thoughts.

"We're not alone."

Emerging from the thick undergrowth ahead of them at the edge of the crater, a group of figures dressed in long, black robes stepped forward, their hoods concealing their faces.

Their sudden appearance wasn't what concerned Mira, as it was only natural that Alex's devastating fight with the King class beast would draw some outside attention.

It was the way they hesitated, their movements faltering the moment they saw Alex and Mira standing there — alive.

"They flinched," Mira whispered, her hand tightening on her blade as she kept Alex propped up on her back.

"It seems they weren't expecting company either."

Alex glanced at the robed figures, his mind instantly on high alert.

Despite his weakened state, his instincts were sharp. He could sense the tension in the air, the subtle shift in the group's posture.

They had been expecting something else, clearly.

But despite all of this, Alex was helpless to do anything.

His mind may be sharp, but his body was in no state to start another fight.

If anything were to happen, it would rest solely on Mira's shoulders.

However, it seemed the robed figures didn't want to waste any time talking or exchanging awkward glances at all.

They moved in immediately, there was no hesitation in their attack.

At first their confidence wavered and were hesitant to do anything, hence them flinching when they first encountered the duo.

They knew that the two of them were supposed to have died to the King class beast, and they were supposed to have gone over to verify their deaths, so seeing them still alive and kicking was a major flaw in their plans.

But when they saw Alex on Mira's back, injured and exhausted beyond measure, their confidence quickly picked itself back up.

Fighting a single person was much easier than taking on a well coordinated duo.

They rushed toward Alex and Mira with deadly intent, their robes billowing in the wind as they closed the distance swiftly.

They believed this was an easy win.

Mira, however, stood firm.

She could feel the surge of anticipation from the robed figures, the confidence in their movements betraying their lack of experience.

Without a word, the lead figure launched forward, his hand glowing with a sudden burst of fire.

He moved fast, directly aiming for Alex, assuming that Mira would be too slow, or too preoccupied with his allies to stop him.

But he was wrong.

Before his hand could even come close to Alex, Mira was already in motion.

Her speed was blinding to the five robed figures, and in an instant, she unsheathed her blade.

With a single fluid motion, she struck.

The robed figures barely had time to register what had happened before the lead figure's body hit the ground with a thud, blood pooling from the clean slash across his chest.

The remaining four stopped in their tracks, shock and disbelief clear even through their hoods.

But they quickly recovered, reassessing the situation.

The second and third robed figures dashed forward, one from the left and one from the right, hoping to overwhelm Mira with a pincer attack.

But were they really that naïve?

Yes, it seemed they were.

Mira didn't flinch.

She spun on her heel, her blade cutting through the air with precision.

Splat!

The two figures to her left and right fell to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.

'Shit!'

The last two figures both attempted to escape after this, but Mira wouldn't let them get away so easily.

Slash!

With one last swing of her sword, they too were struck down.

'...'

"Well that was anticlimactic."

Alex was the first to break the tension.