The monster charged toward Mike at terrifying speed.
Mike slowly opened his eyes, his voice calm… almost too calm.
"Star Spell… Seventh Stage…
Fallen Star."
For a moment—
Silence.
The entire battlefield went still, as if the world itself had stopped breathing.
Medusa's instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Sota and flew away at full speed.
He couldn't even land properly—his body crashed, rolled, and slammed into a broken wall.
"THAMMM—!"
But even then, he protected Sota, shielding him with his own body.
Sota, panicked, looked at him.
"Medusa… are you okay?!"
Medusa's voice trembled.
"…I… I'm fine…"
Above them—
The sky changed.
A massive black cloud swallowed the heavens, plunging everything into darkness.
The monster kept moving forward… but something felt wrong.
No matter how much it advanced—
It felt like it was moving farther away.
Around Mike and the monster, darkness spread endlessly.
Inside that darkness—
Countless stars appeared.
They began falling.
Faster… and faster…
Like an entire galaxy collapsing.
Like the sky itself was crashing down.
Those stars pierced into the monster's body one after another.
Yet—
It kept moving.
As if nothing was happening.
Mike watched silently, his eyes reflecting the storm of stars.
Then—
The monster's body trembled.
It staggered.
"AAAHHHHH—!!"
A scream of pure agony tore through the darkness.
Moments later—
The darkness vanished.
The monster collapsed onto the ground.
Broken.
Shaking.
Barely alive.
Mike smiled.
"…That was easy."
He stretched his neck casually.
"But… this isn't what he told me."
"…Whatever."
"At least… I passed."
He turned—
Looking toward where he had left Medusa.
But no one was there.
"…He ran."
"…Guess he was scared."
Then—
Mike felt something behind him.
He turned.
His eyes widened.
"…What?"
"…It's still alive?"
"…So that wasn't a real Seventh Stage spell…"
"…I failed."
He took a fighting stance.
But before he could react—
A massive spray of blood exploded in front of him.
"—?!"
The monster's body suddenly tore apart—
And in the next instant—
BOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion consumed everything.
It looked like countless stars had fallen again—this time, violently.
Mike instantly leaped back, creating a protective barrier around himself.
Dust.
Debris.
Silence.
Far away—
Even Medusa saw the explosion.
After a few moments, the dust began to settle.
Mike narrowed his eyes, trying to see through it.
"…Looks like I'll be hearing complaints again."
When the dust finally cleared—
The entire area was gone.
At least 50 meters of land—
Destroyed.
Crushed.
Erased.
Buildings reduced to dust.
Debris falling piece by piece.
"takk… takk…"
The knights who had been unconscious—
Were now dead.
Their bodies torn apart beyond recognition.
Mike stood there silently.
Then slowly…
He stretched his neck.
But this time—
There was no smile.
Only pain.
Regret.
"…I did it again."
He placed his hand on his forehead.
"…Why am I like this…?"
After standing there for a moment—
He turned away.
"…I'm sorry."
"…I can't control it…"
Far away—
Medusa sat against a rock, holding Sota in his arms.
Blood soaked the ground beneath him.
His body was barely holding together.
His vision blurred.
He was about to close his eyes—
When suddenly—
A voice echoed.
"Hey… I told you—don't sleep in the middle of a fight."
Medusa forced his eyes open.
Mike was standing in front of him.
Medusa looked up weakly.
"…What do you want…?"
Mike crouched down beside Sota and gently placed a hand on his head.
"…At least worry about the kid."
"Come on. Let's get him to a healer."
For a moment—
The two of them just stared at each other.
Silence.
Tension.
Then Medusa spoke.
"…I don't have the strength to carry him…"
"…You can see that."
Mike's expression shifted instantly.
"…Ah—"
"…Sorry. I didn't notice."
Carefully, he lifted Sota and placed him on his back.
Medusa pushed himself up using the rock for support.
"…Let's go."
Mike didn't reply.
But he didn't refuse either.
The two of them—
Walked away together.