My Trash Talent Is Actually OP!

Zain and Asher ended their sparring session when Asher got mad at him for the degrading words, as well as the comments about him being a weak poser.

He resorted to channeling Zain's phylactery for no reason, even when he didn't have a clue where it was, and squeezed it until Zain got weak and stopped.

The spar session ended with Zain slumping in Asher's tent, after losing all his energy trying to protect his phylactery as well as attack Asher.

It wasn't going to end there anyway. The next spar, Asher made sure he'd target there specifically because it was the only way to weaken Zain.

As the campfire's glow dimmed, everyone was fast asleep in their respective tents, resting for the next day.

The night was calm, especially outside the city, without noise or sirens. Just silence, the occasional crackle of the dying fire, and the distant calls from other creatures breaking the silence.

In Nova's tent, Nova lay beside him, her head resting on his lap. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through her dark hair, while his other hand held his phone as he scrolled through the messages and reports.

The soft light from the screen was on his face, highlighting the furrow in his brow as he processed the information.

Nova shifted closer, pulling up the blanket to cover his leg, then her eyes fluttered open. "Anything important?" she murmured, her exhaustion evident in her voice, despite how much she tried to sound normal.

Asher glanced down, offering a small smile. "Just updates from Velcrest. Mom and Alya are doing fine. Ria also says hi. Everything seems stable for now."

She nodded, closing her eyes again, comforted by his presence and the rhythmic motion of his hand on her hair.

She then asked, "Did you check on Emma and Naomi?"

Asher nodded slowly, still focused on his phone screen. "They are surprisingly fine. Emma says she's homesick," he chuckled softly, causing Nova to avert her gaze and then move them back to his face.

"Cinder told me what Emma did to you," she turned to get a better look at his face. "Do you perhaps have feelings for her?"

Asher finally lowered his head. He stared at her for a while, hoping she was saying something else, but she was serious.

He just shrugged. "I honestly don't know. And besides, I'm not falling for anyone because it would just be a big distraction, financially, emotionally, and time-wise. I don't have a lot of time to do romantic stuff with anyone now."

Nova lowered her gaze and exhaled. "It's not good to neglect yourself like that, Master. Emma likes you a lot, y'know."

"I don't know how you girls work, but if it's actually true, then I'll find out myself later," he said and ruffled her hair. "Now go to sleep and stop asking me irrelevant questions. Or do you perhaps have something like that going on with you?"

Nova laughed, leaning into his touch. "Not actually. My kind find it hard, nearly impossible, to fall in love."

"Is that so? So what happens when you do?"

She smiled warmly. "Humans call it soul mates, so yeah. And it's nearly impossible to change it unless the other dies... but it's hard to undo."

Asher smiled as well, still rubbing her hair. He stared at her face for an unhealthy amount of time before shaking his head. "I hope you find yours soon," he uttered, putting off his phone.

Nova sat up when he stretched out his leg.

He opened his arms and watched her crawl into his embrace and snuggle until he was sure she was comfortable, then he pulled the blanket over her shoulder.

"Is that okay?"

Nova glanced up at him. "Yes, Master. The temperature is perfect."

He smiled. "Might have to get you a heating blanket."

"I don't mind like this. Besides, you don't have to spend much money," she mumbled as she took his hand and placed it on her head, then closed her eyes when he started rubbing.

Cinder, on the other hand, lay in her tent beside Sinnett, staring at the canvas ceiling, unable to sleep.

A sudden faint quake, loud enough for her to sense since she was awake, made her sit up, holding her breath to listen carefully.

The usual sounds from outside went silent, as if everything was holding its breath.

Curiosity and caution drove her to step out of her tent. The cool air welcomed her once again. She wrapped her arms around herself as she scanned the area.

The campfire was on its last leg.

The moment the flames went out, her eyes caught a subtle distortion, like heat waves rising from the ground in the air where Zain and Asher had been training before.

Her heart raced. What she saw wasn't strange, in fact, it was very normal, but she knew it wasn't supposed to be happening at such a time, because dungeons hardly appeared in forests.

Unless the mana amount around was large, which was not possible, because only six of them were here—nowhere near enough to cause that.

"Crap," she whispered, reaching for her weapon in the tent.

Before she could react further, the distortion expanded rapidly.

A portal tore open, and creatures began to emerge from it... twisted forms with glowing eyes and mouths with multiple teeth.

They moved at an alarming speed, heading straight for the camp.

She raised her weapon, firing a blast of energy at the nearest creature, which screeched and stumbled back, then fired another to direct them in a different direction.

"Wake up!" Cinder shouted, her voice breaking the silence. "We're under attack!"

The camp erupted into chaos. Tents rustled as the group scrambled to arm themselves. Sinnett was the first to come out, his locs dancing behind him as he rubbed his eyes.

"What's happening?" he demanded, already assessing the situation.

"Dungeon break," Cinder replied, blasting another creature. "They're coming in fast."

Asher stepped out of his tent, Nova behind him, wrapped completely in a blanket. He took in the scene with a swift glance, his mind calculating their options.

"Form a defensive perimeter," he said, his voice steady.

He reached out mentally, taking Zain's advice to let his army do the work.

From the shadows, his soldiers materialized, fifty dragons in their humanoid form, their eyes gleaming with determination. Among them were the Banished Four, since one was with Emma.

Zain and Zero appeared beside Asher, one with a blank expression and the other exhausted.

"Thought we'd have a quieter night," Zain quipped, drawing his arrow.

"Seems fate has other plans," Nova responded, her gaze fixed on the advancing creatures.

Asher nodded to them. "Let's push them back."