The night had passed faster than it should have.
Too fast for their situation.
Too fast for everything that had happened.
Bao sat awake long before sunrise.
Elincia stirred beside him.
"…Good morning," she said softly, as if nothing had changed.
As if the night before hadn't happened.
Bao blinked.
"…Morning."
That was it.
No mention.
No awkwardness from her side.
Just normal.
Which somehow made it even more awkward.
Bao scratched the back of his head, glancing away.
He had no idea how to deal with this.
No experience.
No clue what came next.
So instead—
He focused on something else.
Something easier.
The crater.
Now that the light of day revealed everything clearly, the truth was obvious.
They stood at the bottom of a massive impact site.
The Monolith rose at its center—
Like a needle driven into the world.
"A meteorite…" Bao muttered.
His eyes traced the massive structure.
"…That's the level of destruction we're dealing with."
"Bao, listen… about—"
"HEEEY!!"
A voice echoed from above.
Both of them looked up.
At the edge of the crater—
Two figures appeared.
Ning.
Morell.
Both covered in dirt and blood.
Alive.
Before Bao could react, they disappeared again—
And a rope came flying down.
One after another, the rest followed.
Aika.
Yan.
Xun.
The shopkeeper.
Bruised.
Injured.
But alive.
Relief washed over Bao.
They had made it.
Not all of them—
But enough.
"How do we destroy that thing?" Morell asked, nodding toward the Monolith.
Up close—
It was overwhelming.
A towering pillar of metal plates, stretching endlessly into the sky.
Smooth.
Layered.
Engineered.
To the people of Nelenia, it might have looked like some kind of divine structure.
But to Bao—
It was obvious.
Bolts.
Seams.
Weld lines.
"…An antenna," he muttered.
Burn marks ran along its surface—blackened streaks climbing halfway up its body.
"It was never about destroying it," Ning said, stepping forward.
His hand brushed across the cold metal.
"We needed the scrolls to get inside."
Silence.
"This thing…" Ning continued, "…can't be destroyed."
He exhaled slowly.
"Not with anything in this world."
A brief pause.
"…Maybe not even with something from ours."
Bao understood.
That message wasn't meant for the group.
It was meant for him.
For Earth.
"We could try magic," Elincia suggested.
Aika shook her head immediately.
"That won't be enough," she said. "None of us have that kind of power."
Her gaze hardened.
"That's why we needed the scrolls in the first place."
And now—
They were gone.
A deep roar shattered the silence.
The ground trembled.
Dust fell from the crater walls.
"Everyone—!"
Too late.
Massive claws burst from behind the Monolith—
Digging into the ground with terrifying force.
Then—
Horns.
Long.
Curved.
Deadly.
And finally—
Eyes.
Burning gold.
A Minotaur stepped into view.
Towering.
Muscle-bound.
Its presence alone pressed down on them like a physical weight.
Before anyone could react—
Morell moved.
His sword was already in motion.
"Aim for the eyes!" Yan shouted, sprinting forward.
She weaved through the first swing, barely dodging the creature's massive arm.
Xun fired.
Arrows struck—
And bounced off harmlessly.
"Useless!" he cursed.
Ning raised his hand—
Lightning and fire erupted from his fingertips, crashing into the beast.
The shopkeeper stepped forward, shield raised.
The Minotaur's blow slammed into it—
A deafening impact.
He held.
For a second.
Then he struck back with his mace.
"Not enough!" Bao shouted.
Blood trickled down his forehead where a stone had grazed him.
"We need more firepower!"
As if to prove his point—
The Minotaur swung again.
The shopkeeper flew through the air like a ragdoll—
Launched across the battlefield.
"…Or we use its firepower!" Aika shouted, her hands glowing as she healed the wounded.
"Look at the Monolith!"
Bao turned.
Where the creature's claws had struck—
The surface was damaged.
Scratches.
Cracks.
Even small punctures.
"…That thing can actually break it," Bao realized.
"Exactly!" Aika yelled. "We use the Minotaur to open a path!"
Bao's mind raced.
Fast.
Focused.
A plan formed.
"Alright!" he shouted.
"I'll draw its attention!"
Everyone froze for a split second.
"Once I'm in position," Bao continued, "lead it toward the Monolith!"
He tightened his grip on his weapon.
"Keep it focused on me—no matter what!"
A pause.
Then—
A faint, dangerous smile.
"Let's make this monster work for us."