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Chapter 45 - SOMETHING IN THE SKY

In the Mansion, Volk maneuvers the crab monster, and its arm morphs into a cannon, releasing a colossal energy blast. Kiren shields himself against it but is pushed into a nearby room by the impact. Mikey adeptly evades the blast and engages in a weapon clash with Volk atop the Crab. Volk expresses surprise that Mikey's sword withstands the assault from his chainsaw blade. Spikes emerge from the Crab's body, narrowly missing Mikey, and Volk unleashes a fiery blast from his chainsaw. Mikey seeks cover behind a pillar as the crab arms transform into miniguns, bombarding the pillar with spikes until it breaks. Unexpectedly, Volk is struck by a flying shield, momentarily stunning him. Taking advantage of the opening, Kiren with his head bleeding comes in and smashes the Crab's head with his hammer, causing the ground beneath them to fracture.

Kiren manages to catch his shield, but one of the miniguns on the Crab pivots toward him, firing spikes. He defends himself while the other minigun takes aim from the side. Mikey swiftly intervenes, severing the minigun from the Crab's arm and engaging Volk in combat once more. As the other minigun prepares to attack Mikey, Kiren breaches the Crab's head armor, unable to swing his hammer again in time before the armor regenerates, he bites into the Crab's brain with his mouth and pulls out a chunk of brain flesh, causing the other minigun to cease its onslaught. Volk exits the Crab's body by jumping high up into the air, wearing a grin, just as a multitude of glowing spikes in the lobby emits numerous mini lasers, firing downward and shattering the floor. As the smoke clears, Volk lands on the ground, facing the enormous lifeless crab body. He scans the area for any sign of Kiren and Mikey, unable to locate them.

He observes the hole in the Crab's head as it has expanded. Abruptly, Kiren and Mikey burst out of the Crab's body, both visibly injured. Mikey engages in weapon clashes with Volk across the floor, their blades meeting multiple times. Eventually, they both strike each other's sides while passing each other. Mikey collapses due to the severity of his wound. Volk then successfully blocks Kiren's hammer strike, but he notices Kiren isn't gripping his shield. Unexpectedly, Volk is struck in the back of the head by the shield Kiren had threw. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Kiren says that this one is for Ragnar and delivers an upward hammer strike that impacts Volk's chin, breaking his jaw and teethes. Reacting swiftly, Volk counters with a downward strike, but Kiren evades by leaping backward. Volk follows up with a fiery blast from his chainsaw sword, and with Kiren missing his shield, he uses his arms to shield himself from the flames and crashes into the nearby wall. 

All at once, Volk is unexpectedly pierced from behind by Mikey's sword, halting his ability to unleash more fire from his weapon. Startled, Volk turns to find Mikey, was the one who threw his sword and is now unarmed. Attempting to conjure more fire, Volk's sword runs out of power. Determined to finish Mikey off, Volk tries to approach him, but a small rock strikes the back of his head, diverting his attention. Turning back, Volk is met with the sight of Kiren standing, his limbs, body parts, and half of his face badly burned. Through his injuries, Kiren asserts that he's a hero and that he's going to fight with all his heart. Suddenly, their attention is drawn to something in the distance.

In the midst of the main battle, Agustin and Stella find themselves fatigued from their battle with the Rabbit monster. Stella glances to the side, noticing Jean's struggle against a swarm of riders, enduring stabs from swords and spears. Concerned, she expresses Jean's dire condition as he battles against overwhelming odds. Agustin shifts his gaze toward Jean, observing him sliding across the ground, pierced by weapons. The Rabbit monster intervenes by kicking both Stella and Agustin, sending their heads crashing into the ground. Amidst the chaos, Jean screams in agony, overwhelmed by the relentless riders. His eyes transform to a piercing yellow hue, consumed by thoughts of avenging Kayla. Suddenly, he sprouts white wings from his back, their forceful flaps pushing the riders away with immense wind power.

Jean's transformation intensifies as his right leg morphs into a powerful hippo limb, he stomps his hippo leg down and shatters the ground beneath him, fissures spider-webbing across the battlefield. The fractures reach the riders' feet, causing the earth to give way, and many plummet into the depths below. Responding swiftly, Henry commands his army to converge on Jean, prompting the riders to charge as Jean extricates the swords and spears from his body. With his left leg transforming into a dog leg, Jean swiftly positions himself amidst the rider's battalion. A forceful stomp from his hippo foot launches the surrounding riders airborne. His hair grows rapidly, enveloping his face, and his teeth sharpen as he unleashes an energy blast from his mouth, erupting into a colossal explosion above. Pressing on, Jean leaps into the fray, crushing, slashing, and biting the army of riders with an animalistic fervor, akin to a wild creature fighting fiercely for survival. 

Henry grins, remarking on Jean's unexpected capability to harbor four monsters within his being, deeming him a perfect vessel despite his loss of sanity. Engaging in battle, Henry pins Jean down, pressing his feet onto Jean's chest, asserting that a unique creature like Jean must remain alive. Placing his hand on Jean's neck, crimson veins spread across Jean's body, as Henry asserts dominance, claiming Jean will fight at his command as they are essentially one. Unexpectedly, Jean counters by driving the katana into Henry's abdomen, startling him enough to step back. As Jean rises, the crimson veins vanish from his body, and the four monsters within him begin to fluctuate before finally stabilizing. Henry, bewildered, notes Jean's peculiar blood, realizing something prevents him from gaining full control. Jean strives to regain composure, repeatedly urging himself to remain calm and not lose control.

He retorts, "One by one." Jean's arm then morphs into a massive monkey's arm, crushing Henry to the ground while the surrounding riders encircle him. Swiftly, Jean swings his monkey arm, knocking aside the approaching Riders. Meanwhile, as Agustin shields Stella from the Rabbit monster's kick, Jean intervenes, landing a punch that sends the rabbit sprawling. Jean asserts his ability to control one monster at a time is much easier, earning prideful smile from Agustin. Suddenly, a disturbance catches their attention from a distance. Elsewhere, Robo Mall finally eradicates the Rat Worm by unleashing energy lasers that incinerate the swarm of rats in a single strike before swiftly departing from the island. Now, Robo Mall notices a peculiar occurrence nearby. 

Meanwhile, in the mansion's backyard, Megan confronts a giant black panther monster. Lunging forward, the panther strikes while Megan skillfully evades using her magnetic boots and retaliates with her staff. Attempting to shoot the upper part of the staff, she is then shocked by her staff. The Panther attacks and sends her flying into the hedge maze, Megan lands gracefully only to face the panther's torrent of black flames. Darting through the maze's twists and turns, she maneuvers around the fiery onslaught. However, examining her staff, Megan realizes it's been pushed to its limits from excessive use. Blocked off by the panther and facing a fiery blast, Megan activates her boot's magnetic forces to create a protective shield, causing her boot to sputter from the strain.

 

Megan, on the brink of despair, feels a surge of impending death. Suddenly, vivid memories of Duke's death flashes before her eyes, stoking a fierce anger within her. With one boot shattered, she employs the other to shield herself from the flames. Trying to recall a spell from her dream, she grasps a fragment of memory where she battled a pig demon and recalls the precise incantation. Reciting the spell word by word, she conjures a luminous spear into her hand. Hurling the spear toward the fire blast, it impales the panther's maw, erupting in a burst of radiant magic that topples the creature onto its back. Jarvis, wounded gravely, tumbles out from the panther's form, landing heavily on the ground.

Jarvis chuckles with excitement, expressing that he's never fought so hard for a woman. He revels in the mix of pain and pleasure, relishing the intensity. Emerging from the smoky maze, Megan declares her intent to end Jarvis for what he's done to her son. Unperturbed, Jarvis insists he craves more of this peculiar connection with Megan, finding gratification in her agony. Megan charges at him with her staff, but Jarvis's limbs morph into panther-like appendages, allowing him to somersault out of harm's way and retaliate with a flurry of strikes. Employing both halves of her staff, Megan deflects his assaults and counterattacks with a dual thrust aimed at Jarvis's midsection. The electrical charge from the staff shocks Jarvis's stomach, and Megan follows up with an upward kick to his jaw, using her magnetic boot to forcefully drive Jarvis down to the ground.

She attempts to conjure the same spell she previously casted, yet only faint sparks of magical light emanate from her palm. A panther's tail emerges from Jarvis's lower back, encircling Megan's neck tightly. Jarvis rises and strikes her forcefully with a paw strike, propelling her into the air. Using the tail, he swiftly pulls her back, delivering repeated strikes that send her soaring repeatedly, each blow bruising her body and causing blood to pour out from her mouth. Despite her agony, Megan struggles to remove the tail from her neck but finds herself unable to do so. Jarvis revels in seeing her suffering, continuing to assault her until she starts losing consciousness.

As she begins to drift off, she finds herself in a dream, reliving the moment battling demon pigs. Exhausted, she unleashes her magic, eliminating the surrounding demon pigs, and falls to her knees, visited by the faceless man, who questions her persistence in fighting. Megan responds that she fights for her people and humanity, but mostly for a better life with him. The faceless man's smile appears as he extends his hand to her, and she reaches out, awakening abruptly. Megan invokes a spell with more determination, summoning a radiant spear in her hand and hurls it at Jarvis. Catching the spear with his paws, Jarvis scoffs at the notion of a human like Megan wielding such advanced magic. The spear detonates, hurling Jarvis into the scorched hedge maze. Megan approaches to find him severely injured, poised for the final strike, but something in the distance catches her attention.

Meanwhile, Michael, still on his knees, feels relieved by Mai's intervention. Speaking through his earpiece, Mai advises him not to be afraid and suggests that he's been conserving most of his lightning powers for defense when he should be utilizing them more aggressively. She also highlights the risks he's been taking in his whole life, urging him not to hesitate in the midst of the battle. Michael responds, expressing his fear of breaking the promise he made with Frank - to always protect Mai. He reasons that if he dies here, that vow will remain unfulfilled, so he's unwilling to take the risk of losing his life. Mai is taken aback by Michael's words, warning that if he doesn't take a chance now, that they all will die! From a gaping hole in the ground emerges Rudda, injured, surprised, Nakao informs Mai that their trap failed to eliminate Rudda. Rudda jumps in front of Nakao, poised to strike her with a needle blade. Suddenly, she becomes aware of something nearby and quickly leaps into the air. Nakao, equally stunned, turns her gaze toward the sky.

Meanwhile, on the road between the island and the front gates, Luka's Horse kicks Ezzy, sending her crashing into the damaged van. Rune and Simbad struggles against Luka's overwhelming strength, enduring numerous cuts before dislodging Luka from his horse. Simbad quickly dismantles the horse with his sword. Luka, impressed by their endurance, acknowledges their resilience.

Close to the damaged van, Ezzy vomits blood, prompting Ember to try to pull her away for safety. However, Ezzy insists that Ember should flee, asserting herself as the leader of Old Berry Town and that she is determined to conclude this war personally. Ember protests, believing the battle to be beyond her abilities, lacking magic to face the enemy. Together, they witness Rune and Luka charging their blades with magic, culminating in powerful energy slashes.

The clash of the energy waves pushes aside the surrounding water violently. Simbad notes that Rune hasn't yet unlocked his complete magical potential. Rune realizes that his energy slashes is losing ground against Luka's. Eventually, Luka's energy wave overpowers Rune's, striking him. Simbad and Xai intervenes, joining Rune to resist the energy wave, but it propels them beyond the front gate, detonating upon impact.

As the waters from both sides rush back to the shore, Ezzy observes Luka with his legs transformed into horse legs, he declares the necessity of preserving the system and lunging forward with a thrust attack. Ezzy attempts to retrieve her pistol from the ground but is suddenly pierced in the stomach. Gazing ahead, she meets Ember's gaze as Luka's attack went through her, the blade halted from completely penetrating Ezzy's body. Tears well up in Ezzy's eyes as she witnesses flames erupting from Ember's back, hurling Luka into the lake. Ember expresses regret for the affliction Ezzy will endure for the rest of her life, wishing her daughter could of lived a normal life without the curse as long as possible. However, the lineage of Nova blood within her prevails, and she will transcend this fiery curse. Confused, Ezzy reaches out to touch her mother's face, but suddenly, Ember detonates in flames, enveloping Ezzy. She screams in agony as the magical flames sear her body, entering her the curse activates.

Luka summons his sword back to his hand and returns to the road, where he witnesses Ezzy charging towards him engulfed in flames. She collides with him, propelling both of them back into the midst of the main battle, causing chaos among the riders and Luka crashes into many riders. Despite her intense pain from the internal and external flames, Ezzy vehemently declares that they will all perish alongside her. With grim determination, she triggers hundreds of launched explosives high in the sky, hurtling towards the battlefield. Henry, rising to his feet, notices the approaching explosives, preparing to counter with an energy blast. However, before he can act, Ezzy, wreathed in flames, seizes Henry's hand. Flames rage around her, scorching everything nearby. Henry then questions her if she is willing to lose her people on the island. Through her anguish, Ezzy says that in war, sacrifices are inevitable, and she's prepared to shoulder that burden. The explosives draws nearer to the island, intensifying the impending danger.