Chapter 8 – Commander Yarau
Dodge… Dodge this… DODGE!!!
Yura screamed inside. Every nerve was alive. Every heartbeat thundered in his chest.
He crouched instinctively under the attack. Chest heaving, body trembling, breath caught in his throat.
As he rolled backward, he froze. Eyes wide in horror.
Noctyre Valen lay motionless, unable to react.
{Flashback – Noctyre Valen}
Kael Draven stood in the middle of a sunlit field, sunglasses reflecting the golden light.
"Listen, Noctyre. Your technique is special."
Noctyre's eyes widened.
"Why's it like that?"
Kael sighed, calm but serious.
"Your technique—'Judgement of the Unbra'—has been passed down through generations of the Valen clan."
Noctyre nodded, absorbing the weight of Kael's words.
"You are in contract with Yarau," Kael continued.
"A creature that can adapt to anything—but only after multiple failures. You must fail before it learns."
Noctyre swallowed. The truth settled heavy in his chest.
{Present – Noctyre Valen}
Noctyre's hands trembled. Sweat dripped down his face.
Should I summon Commander Yarau… or not?
He clenched his jaw.
"I must do it. There's no other way."
Crossing his arms, he proclaimed,
"With this movement, I bring forth my judgement upon you."
The battlefield seemed to hold its breath, waiting.
"Now… I bring forward… Commander Yarau."
A massive figure tore itself from existence. Its black skin absorbed the light around it. Purple veins pulsed along its body, and a long whip-like tail lashed behind it. Two sharp horns crowned its head, glowing faintly with an otherworldly energy.
Noctyre laughed, almost maniacally.
"Now, that's it… for you and for me."
Without warning, Yarau slammed a fist into Noctyre, sending him crashing into a nearby building. THUD!
Dust and debris flew into the air. Blood trickled down Noctyre's head as he slumped unconscious.
Yura's eyes widened. He whispered, voice trembling:
"Noctyre…?!"
The battlefield was silent except for the hum of Yarau's aura. Every pulse of its purple veins radiated menace. Yura's fists glowed instinctively with red Vital Force, heart pounding. He knew—this was something far beyond his current power.