Sound.

It's coming back.

The acrid smell.

The strain in my body is fading—slightly.

I send my waves outward, sensing everyone around me.

Lukas stands tense, eyes locked on the battlefield. Wang is beside me, his condition mirroring my own.

Chiara is still firing. Arjun too, further away.

Imani stands tall, resisting. Ayu is deeper in the battlefield, weaving between attacks, needles slicing past her in the toxic, ash-covered terrain.

They're all still fighting… How long has it been?

I know the state my body was in. For me to be like this, at least ten minutes must have passed. But… have they really been fighting that long? Impossible.

Then—

I recovered faster?

I shake my head. Whatever it is, I need to get back. Ayu won't last much longer.

I take a deep breath and push myself up.

"Alonso."

Lukas notices immediately, stepping closer and crouching next to me.

"How are you feeling?"

I meet his gaze. My body is still a mess, but…

"I'm better," I say between ragged breaths. "I can—"

"Don't force it. Thirty more seconds. Just wait thirty more seconds, then join the fight," his tone is sharper than usual.

Just thirty seconds? Is that…

Then I feel it.

My body—it's healing.

Fast. Too fast.

How? Is my sense of time distorted? No, that's not it.

"Houston, did you do something?"

"I am helping, but it's not only me… some external factor is dramatically accelerating your recovery."

An external factor… The Tower? No, that makes no sense. Then—

"Who's healing me?"

Lukas hesitates, then nods. "I think… I awakened during the fight. I'm not sure how, but I can boost your body's healing process."

What the—

I swallow hard, my eyes slightly widening.

"Wow, that's… great." I let out a short chuckle, the realization hitting me all at once. A healer. In the team. Damn. That changes everything.

I glance down at my body, feeling the toxins being purged at an unbelievable rate. It's surreal—my muscles are loosening, the strain fading.

Barely seconds later, I can already stand. I push myself up, testing my balance.

"Are you healing Wang too?"

"Yes, but for some reason, your body recovered even faster than I expected." Lukas' brow furrows. "I'm not sure if your condition makes it easier or if Wang's makes it harder, but he still needs another minute."

Yeah… probably Houston doing his stuff.

I turn my gaze back to the battlefield. It's not going well. Ayu and Imani are holding on, but they're struggling—and they won't last much longer.

But then I notice Chiara. She's in good condition, her stance solid, her gaze locked on the enemy as she fires her bullets.

"How many can you heal at once?"

"Not sure yet," Lukas replies, his eyes never leaving the fight.

"That's going to be a game-changer. I suppose you healed Chiara too. What's the range? Can you heal Imani from here?"

"I already am. Ayu too."

"What?!" I blink. "All the way to Ayu? Does distance even matter?"

I shake my head. Yeah, not the time.

"Forget it—we'll talk after the fight. Shall I go in?"

Lukas finally smiles. "I have a hunch this is the boss's final stage. You think you can finish it off if I counter the effect of the toxic gas on you?"

I pause. If he can counter the gas… I can push Overdrive without limits!

Even better—with such a strong active healing, the side effects of Overdrive will be reduced.

I grin. "Yes. It's just a shame Wang won't have time to join in."

I unsheathe my swords, the weight in my hands grounding me. Slowly, I start pushing Overdrive, feeling the energy surge through my body.

"Let's finish this."

Lukas' voice is sharp and steady.

"Imani, Ayu, fall back. Chiara—go in, support Alonso. Arjun, keep firing from afar."

The world sharpens.

The moment Overdrive surges, everything amplifies. The scent— acrid, metallic, thick with burning ash and the sharp sting of poison. The sound— a dull roar, the battlefield humming with the pulse of distorted air. My breath is loud in my ears, my heartbeat a steady drum in my skull.

I exhale. Then—

I accelerate.

The ground is gone beneath me, my body surging forward in a blur. The wind shreds past my skin, scalding, my swords humming in my hands as the world stretches.

Everything distorts.

The creatures flicker in the sky, two massive, elongated bodies twisting midair. Their wings blur, moving too fast for the eye to track—but not for me.

Overdrive—beyond full-state.

The flicker slows.

The world drags into a stretched moment, motion frozen in fragmented frames. I see it. The impossible speed of their wings—now just faint, ghostly impressions of movement. I can track them.

I twist, shifting my angle, pushing harder. A single breath, a controlled roll, and then—I dive.

Under them.

The moment passes. The flickering wings return to blurs, the air shredding in their wake, but I'm already below.

My body tightens. My grip firms.

I launch.

Faster.

A straight line.

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My swords carve through the air, my entire form slicing upward before it can react.

Steel meets flesh.

A clean cut. No resistance. The first blade tears through its torso, slicing in an upward motion. The second follows immediately, widening the wound before the beast even registers the damage.

It screeches.

Too late.

I twist, a tight midair spin, shifting momentum—a second strike.

Another severing slash, another deep cut. My body moves, weaving between the creature's own motion, slipping through its defenses.

It lashes its tail—too slow.

I step on the air, shifting my weight mid-spin, and kick off its own thrashing limb, using it as a springboard.

Higher. Above it now.

I let gravity pull me—a vertical drop.

Both blades aim downward—I drive them in.

A direct hit.

The momentum splits the wound further, my swords carving down its length as I pass, leaving deep, mangled gashes in their wake. The creature convulses, wings stuttering—I flip, feet hitting the air again, pushing off—

Cycle it.

A bladed shadow.

Another cut.

Another—twist, carve, move.

The second creature screeches, shifting toward me, but I am already gone.

Adrenaline sings in my veins. My lungs burn, my body pulses with energy, my mind is clear.

I grin.

This… this is the feeling.

My senses pick up.

A piercing shriek.

But I feel it coming.

I am already putting distance.

Mental defenses up.

The moment the vibration hits, I push back, locking my thoughts down, severing the external interference before it can take root.

The shriek is deafening, but I don't hear it.

Just a faint pressure at the edge of my awareness, distant, harmless.

I pull back.

Distance—three meters, five, ten. My body moves on instinct, twisting away, barely skimming past the second creature as it lunges for me. Its mandibles snap shut where I was an instant ago.

Not even close.

I smile.

The first one is still reeling. Wounded, but not enough.

I flick my wrist, twisting mid-air. My blades are coated in dark ichor, the scent mixing with the thick, noxious air.

I need to finish it.

One more push.

I accelerate—again.

The moment I hit full speed, my vision tunnels. Not in a bad way. Everything is just… clear.

The first creature twitches, trying to reorient. I don't let it.

Slash.

Antennae—gone.

It jerks violently, its navigation thrown off. The wings sputter for half a second before recovering. Not enough.

I'm already repositioning.

Slash.

A diagonal cut across one of its many small, glossy eyes.

Slash.

Another one.

Sever.

I move through the chaos, my blades carving through legs, joints, tendons. It can't react fast enough.

It's flailing now, its movements wild, uncontrolled.

I push forward.

Another deep gash through its underbelly.

Another twist—faster, tighter.

The creature is barely keeping itself together. The wings flicker erratically, unable to hold stability. It's losing altitude.

I don't give it a chance.

I push past its defenses one last time, slicing upward from tail to skull, my blades tearing through layers of muscle and soft tissue, cutting it apart in one final, fluid motion.

The moment I pass—

"Alonso!"

A warning from Lukas.

But I already know.

I am not falling for that again.

BOOM!

I'm already moving.

The rupture is grotesque, a violent detonation of flesh, ichor, and toxic mist, shredded remains bursting outward in a sickening wave.

But I'm not there anymore.

My body flickers backward, twisting away from the blast, slipping through the currents of pressure and heat.

The scent is vile, thick with rot and poison.

I slow, swords still dripping.

One down.

I spin mid-air, my gaze locking onto the second one.

One more to go.

I launch forward.

The wind screams past me as I accelerate, my body cutting through the air. The second creature reacts, twisting midair, its dozen wings flickering as it tries to reposition.

I see it.

The way its segmented body tightens, anticipating my movement. The way its mandibles click, a reflexive twitch before it starts to spit another barrage of needles.

Too slow.

I vanish from its sightline.

I twist through the air, swords carving a path straight toward it.

A shot rings out.

Then another.

Chiara. Arjun.

Bullets hammer into its carapace, splintering the exoskeleton along the weak points left by its molted form. Fractures spread, thin fissures of damage barely holding together.

Nice.

I weave through the bullets, closing in.

The creature shrieks, wings thrashing as it tries to reposition—but I am already beneath it, accelerating upward.

A single clean slash—

The legs sever.

It flails as balance is lost, its body twisting unnaturally.

Another shot.

A bullet slams into one of its smaller eyes, ichor bursting outward.

I twist mid-air.

Another cut. Antenna gone.

It thrashes, reacting purely on instinct now, but I'm faster, tighter in my movements.

I am above it.

Momentum shifts.

A free-fall straight down.

I drive both swords through its skull.

The impact is instant. The blades sink deep, splitting open the head in one violent motion.

The creature convulses.

I let go, kicking off its body just as—

BOOM!

The explosion hits hard.

A shockwave slams into me like a battering ram, hurling me backward. The sheer force rips through the air, sending ash and debris spiraling in every direction. My body flips mid-air, spinning out of control.

Tch.

I cross my arms, bracing against the impact, muscles locking as the force shreds past me. Heat sears my skin, the wind tearing at the exposed parts of my body.

Then—I break through.

The ground rushes up. I twist, shifting my weight at the last moment, boots slamming down onto the rocky, uneven terrain. My knees bend, absorbing the force as the lingering shockwave kicks up a storm of ash around me.

I stand.

A dry chuckle escapes my lips as I lower Overdrive.

Damn. That was one last nasty fart.

I shake my head, but then—I see it.

Seven red orbs falling from the sky, their faint glow pulsing against the dull, ashen horizon.

The toxic gas begins to thin.

The thick, choking air starts to dissipate, the battlefield—once smothered in poison and decay—finally clearing.

It's over.

I exhale, rolling my shoulders, stretching my arms out.

I glance at the others, my eyes lingering on Lukas. His awakening… it's amazing.

"You didn't wait for me," Wang says with a small smile, his face still slightly pale.

I chuckle, shrugging my shoulders.

"Well, some issues, and some painful lessons, but we made it again. Great work, everyone," Lukas says with a smile—though it's a bit heavier than his usual carefree one.

"Congrats, by the way. The seventh awakened. What a spotlight," Chiara says as she steps forward.

Lukas pauses, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, with a small breath, he smirks, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, lucky number seven. Let's hope it's not a cursed number."

His eyes flick to the battlefield, then to the orbs.

"Well, we can talk about that later. We have some presents to unpack, don't we?"

Indeed.

I nod and step forward, grabbing one and tossing another to Ayu.

Stage 1 - 7.161%

A wave of relief crashes through me. Strength surges back into my limbs, exhaustion peeling away layer by layer.

My body feels lighter. Sharper. Stronger.

But… only 0.300%? The last one gave 0.500%.

Well, that's still ten times what the first arthropod gave.

So… there's no direct relation between the boss order or strength—just how much the minions gave. Interesting.

But then—something feels off.

My waves? No… my mask?

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