As Ajax slaughtered the dog monsters, the ground beneath him was stained with blood, as if a red carpet had been laid out. He looked at the scene and decided to test his blood control ability. The thought crossed his mind, and he raised his hand upward.
The blood on the ground began to rise, swirling around him like a vortex tornado, gathering all the blood in the area. Despite the relentless attacks from the dog monsters, Ajax focused on creating a new technique.
Gripping his sword with both hands, he commanded the blood to attach to the blade. The blood obeyed, concentrating on his sword until it was entirely covered, turning dark red. Despite the dense layer of blood, the sword's size remained unchanged—a mystery Ajax would contemplate later.
With his sword gripped tightly, Ajax muttered, "Blood Wave." As those words left his lips, every monster within his visible range was sliced in two, cut cleanly by the powerful attack.
As the blood poured out from the slain monsters, Ajax gathered more of it to prepare for his next strike. He repeated the attack again and again, with the same result—dozens of monsters were killed simultaneously. Though effective, Ajax sought a more efficient way to wipe out the hordes of monsters.
Deciding to use the spells that Ceil had created for him, Ajax consulted with her. "Hey, Ceil, how many spells can I cast at this time?" he asked.
Ceil responded, "There is no limit to the number of spells you can cast. You can use them infinitely, but there's one condition: because you're using your Chaos Void energy, your body will be stressed out from it."
Instead of feeling relieved, Ajax felt a twinge of fear. He remembered the first time he used Void energy, accidentally destroying an entire planet without realizing it. Concerned, he asked Ceil for confirmation, "Ceil, when I used Void energy the first time, I accidentally destroyed a whole planet. If I use the same energy here, it won't just kill the monsters—it might kill me too."
Ceil reassured him, "Don't worry too much. I'm altering the Void energy released from that ability of yours. It's now usable like any other energy, but instead of drawing from the universe's energy, you use your own. It's more efficient this way."
Trusting Ceil's explanation, Ajax agreed, "Okay." He then cast a spell called "Nuclear Fireball," creating a small, fist-sized red flame in front of him. Not wanting to risk too much, he tossed the fireball into the center of the monster horde and quickly flew upward to observe the damage.
From above, he watched as the fireball hit the ground. A dome-shaped explosion of fire began to form, expanding rapidly. The monsters caught within the dome were disintegrated instantly, unaware of what had happened to them. As the fiery dome expanded, more monsters perished in the intense heat and flames generated by the nuclear reaction.
The monsters outside the dome, witnessing the carnage, tried to flee, but it was too late. The fireball continued to grow, spreading across a 5-kilometer radius, burning everything in its path, from monsters to trees. The ground beneath it turned into lava due to the immense heat.
Watching from above, Ajax observed the destruction and felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was glad he hadn't used the spell at full force; he now realized that if he had, he might have destroyed the entire planet or at least half of it. This experience solidified in his mind that using Void energy spells could cause immense devastation, and he would need to be cautious in the future, especially if he had companions with him. These spells were best reserved for when he was alone.
However, Ajax soon noticed a strange sensation, as if something was entering his body. Concerned, he asked Ceil, "Ceil, what is entering my body? If it's harmful, stop it now."
Ceil responded with a hint of exasperation, "Stop complaining. It's not harmful. The souls of the monsters you defeated are being absorbed into your Void Chaos ability's imaginary space. Don't worry about it."
Ajax felt as though he had just been scolded by Ceil, but the issue of the monster souls entering his void was too important to ignore. Souls were a serious matter, and Ajax needed a proper explanation. Ceil's previous dismissal of the issue as a small matter only increased his concern. With a serious tone, Ajax demanded, "Ceil, answer me—why are the souls of those monsters entering my void's imaginary space? I want a proper explanation."
Startled by Ajax's angry tone, Ceil realized the gravity of the situation and replied more obediently, "I'm sorry, Ajax, if my last answer upset you. The truth is, the seed you shaped within the imaginary space seems to be attracting these souls, or perhaps the imaginary space itself is pulling them in. I'm not entirely sure, but the souls are definitely being drawn into your space. Don't worry, they won't cause you any harm."
Hearing this, Ajax sighed in relief, reassured that the souls weren't a threat. He then shifted his focus back to the forest. The dog monsters were gone, their bodies turned to dust, leaving no corpses to bring back as proof of his hunt. This left Ajax wondering how he would explain this to his sister, who had given him the ring specifically to store the bodies of the monsters he killed.
As he descended to the ground and surveyed the area, he noticed black crystals scattered around. Picking one up, he examined it, curious about how much power from the nuclear fireball spell it would take to melt such a resilient substance.
Ceil, sensing his curiosity, interrupted his thoughts, suggesting, "Why don't we just test it out?" and began preparing another nuclear fireball spell.
Ajax quickly stopped her, saying, "Stop it, Ceil!" He couldn't afford another destructive spell that might obliterate everything, including the crystals.
Now faced with the challenge of collecting all the scattered crystals across a 5-kilometer radius, Ajax realized he still needed to kill more monsters to provide tangible proof of his hunting efforts to his sister. He began to strategize how to efficiently gather the crystals and find more monsters to slay, ensuring he had something to show when he returned.