The Nova Sanctum cut through the dark skies like a blade.
Lucian stood in the control chamber, one hand resting on the railing, eyes fixed on the view beyond the glass. The stars were a blur. The earth below was broken, scarred from centuries of war, smoke still curling from forgotten ruins.
Alfred’s voice came, calm as always.
[Approaching settlement, Captain.]
The holo-display lit up in front of Lucian. A cluster of readings pulsed in red across the map. Dozens of small life signatures. Hundreds. Nothing coordinated. Nothing dangerous.
Lucian’s jaw shifted faintly. "Run the scan."
Light swept across the map, one by one marking each heat signature with rank designations. Alfred’s tone was clinical.
[Result: Settlement population, six hundred thirty-two. Rank distribution—majority C through B. Highest recorded rank: S.]
Lucian didn’t move for a moment. His eyes stayed on the glowing marks, each one flickering faintly across the screen. An S Rank was supposed to be something to fear. Supposed to be the kind of monster that tore through squads of hunters.
But now, looking at it—
He exhaled through his nose, quiet. "Too weak."
Kaelis stirred on his shoulder, molten eyes narrowing as though he agreed.
Lucian turned his head slightly. "No need to waste time. Alfred."
"Wipe it. Everything. Then set course for the next."
The ship hummed louder in answer. Panels lit across the console. Lucian didn’t even flinch when the floor vibrated beneath him. Outside the glass, compartments along the Sanctum’s underbelly split open, rows of silent warheads sliding forward into firing locks.
There was no ceremony. No warning.
The settlement didn’t even know it was being watched.
Lucian’s hand dropped to his side. "Fire."
The warheads streaked out, dozens of them, white lines carving across the night. A breath later, the ground lit in fire. The entire valley where the monsters lived vanished in one violent bloom.
No roars. No battle. No resistance.
Just silence after fire.
The map cleared itself, red marks disappearing one by one until there was nothing left but empty static.
Kaelis’s tail coiled tighter against him, the dragon’s chest rumbling. "Efficient."
Lucian’s eyes lingered on the dying light below. "Necessary."
He turned away from the glass, cloak brushing the floor as he walked back to the command seat. His voice stayed calm, cold. "Line up the next."
Highest rank: S. Too weak.
The Sanctum drifted over barren wastes, forested ridges, shattered cities. Each time the scanners lit red, Lucian gave the order. Each time the ground bloomed in fire.
He didn’t even watch the impacts after a while.
The explosions were background noise.
Alfred announced the numbers each time, voice steady.
[Population destroyed: three hundred and twelve.]
[Settlement neutralized: five hundred and eighty-one.]
And Lucian’s answer was always the same.
By the time the Sanctum’s clocks told him hours had passed, he was still standing, hands braced against the edge of the console. His shoulders were relaxed, his eyes sharp, no trace of hesitation in them.
Lucy would be in the training chamber now, absorbing the cores. Kaelis coiled on his shoulders, quiet, watching as the fire spread across the horizon.
Alfred’s tone didn’t change, but there was a faint pause before the next report.
[Captain. At this pace, settlements across this sector will be cleared within thirty-six hours.]
Lucian’s head tilted faintly. "Good."
[Notably, Captain, no opposition has been detected beyond S Rank signatures. If current conditions continue, you will not face resistance.]
His lips curved, faint and sharp. "All the better. Saves me time."
Kaelis’s head lowered near his ear, his voice a low growl. "You don’t even lift a hand."
Lucian’s gaze stayed on the map, new red lights pulsing faintly in the next valley. His tone didn’t shift. "If they can’t reach me, they don’t deserve my hand."
Kaelis rumbled again, amused this time, though his molten eyes burned sharp.
The Nova Sanctum turned. Another settlement lined in its sights.
Lucian didn’t wait. "Alfred. Do it."
The night tore open once more, fire drowning the world.
And the Sanctum moved on.
The monster nation stirred uneasily.
News spread faster than the wind. First it was whispers—one small village gone, its ashes still hot when wanderers passed through. Then another, and another. By the end of the week, entire sectors were silent, settlements erased like they had never been there.
At first, the leaders thought it was hunters. A strike team maybe, some clever human trap. But when scouts were sent to watch... every report was the same.
They didn’t see hunters. They didn’t see soldiers. They saw fire.
Not flames born of spellwork or siege weapons. Barrages. Dozens at once. Falling from the sky with no warning, no sound until the roar consumed everything.
One scout’s voice still shook when he gave his account.
"It came from nowhere. The air split—then fire poured down. The ground itself screamed. By the time I blinked, the settlement was gone. Nothing left but smoke."
And it wasn’t just one scout. Every survivor who crawled back through the blackened earth said the same thing. No enemy, no face. Just fire raining down and erasing their people in an instant.
The monster lords gathered in the black citadel at the nation’s heart. The chamber was loud with argument, claws slamming against stone, teeth bared in frustration.
"This is an extermination," one snarled, scaled fists clenching.
"They are hunters. They must be," another spat, though his voice cracked with doubt.
"Hunters don’t have weapons !" a third barked. His horned head shook, eyes glowing. "This is something else. Something above them."
The silence that followed was heavier than all their shouting. Because they all knew—hunters were strong, yes, but they fought battles. This was not battle. This was annihilation.
The map carved into the citadel’s floor flickered with light as new markers were carved in. Settlements lost. Lines cut across sectors where once their kind lived. In days, entire regions had gone dark.
And worse—no retaliation. No trace of the enemy to strike back against.
The generals called for fortifications. Barricades. Anti-air wards. Others laughed bitterly. "What good are walls when fire falls from the sky?"
Fear gnawed at even the strongest.
The monster nation had seen war. They had spilled blood across countless fields. But this—this was different.
They didn’t know who.
They didn’t know what.
All they knew was that when the fire came, nothing remained.
And as the scouts came back with their trembling reports, the words echoed again and again, the only thing any of them could say—
"Out of nowhere. Barrages of fire. Settlements erased."
The nation bristled, torn between fury and fear, but no matter how loud they roared, the truth pressed in like a weight on their chests.
Something was out there, hunting them.
And they didn’t even know its face.