Chương 197: Chapter 196 - Pangea (Arc III - End)

Suddenly, my thoughts gain clarity. Where… where am I? I send out waves, grounding myself in the moment. I'm still in the air, flying—but someone is holding me. Chiara?" Try to help me with the waves. It takes a lot of time to reach this speed, and we're losing momentum," she sends. I snap out of it and channel my waves. Without the mask, I can't fully counter my weight, but I give it everything I have. But… Chiara recovered? And she is flying? And at this speed? Did she come all the way from the Isles like this?

No. Those aren't the questions I need to be asking right now. The dragon. I stare at it. Its body looks dimmer, the fiery glow fading from the wounds in its chest. Magma drips away in streams, and its flight is labored, each wingbeat weaker than the last. Now's the chance! But… how? Wait… maybe I can't—but…" I'll send you images of the weak points of the dragon and how to use the bullets. Take my pouch. It should have over a dozen left. Use them to finish it off," I say, handing her the pouch.

I press it into her hand and send the images through our waves." Let me off. I can manage the fall." She hesitates, her grip tightening slightly. I don't wait. I pry her hands free, letting myself drop." Don't take too long. And keep track of the red orbs when it dies. It'd be a shame to lose them in a magma pit after all this."" Alonso… okay," she sends, and then she accelerates toward the dragon. I focus on myself, trying to counter gravity as best as I can, slowing my descent bit by bit."

Houston, are you still there?"" You could say so. Luckily, the state was brief, and Darius canceled it in time," I hear his familiar voice, strained but steady." Okay. Let's try to land safely first. We can take a well-deserved break later."" I did the calculations. If there are no outside interfer—"" Let's keep the thrill, shall we," I cut him off with a smile, focusing on Chiara. She's moving fast.

To move like that, she must be producing a force greater than her body weight and sustaining it long enough to accelerate to this speed. While her body weight is probably 70% of mine, still… how strong has her wave output become? I shake my head. The stronger, the better. I've already made peace with having her as an ally. The dragon, meanwhile, climbs upward sluggishly, seemingly unaware of her until she's right on top of it. Wave cloaking?

I can't see the bullets from here, but I notice their effects on the dragon. Chiara doesn't stop, spiraling around it relentlessly. I notice it first—the faltering of the wings. A gaping hole tears through one of them. The root of the other wing is damaged too. The dragon begins to fall. I laugh. We made it. Without my mask, it's hard to synchronize with her or the others. Well, whatever. I'll see them soon enough.

My eyes stay fixed on the dragon as it plummets, but Chiara doesn't let up, circling it like an angry wasp. Then, finally, the dragon crashes into the ground, a deafening explosion shaking the earth. The impact reaches me seconds later. When the dust clears, its massive frame is gone. It's finally over. We won. Shortly after, I hit the ground, landing hard and forming a small crater. My legs scream in protest, but they're fine. No broken bones. As my waves scout the area, I see Ayu standing just ahead of me.

But that look… She strides closer, her pace suggesting it is not for a warm hug and— SLAP! Her hand connects with my face, the sting immediate. I… It burns, but I meet her gaze. Her chest rises and falls rapidly, her breathing heavy.

"Ayu…"

"WHY?! WHY DID YOU CLIMB ON IT?!" she shouts, her voice cracking as she stares at me, her eyes red.

"I… we needed—""I told you not to. That was stupid! Why not wait and fight it together? Why not make another plan? Why risk your life like that? What do you have to prove? That you're the best? I don't give a fuck about that. Nobody gives a fuck!" You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Her eyes glisten with tears. I feel a knot twist in my chest. But I don't know what to say… She steps closer, her fists pressing lightly against my chest, her head leaning forward.

"You made a promise. You… you said you never break promises. Then why… why were you about to die… without me?" My arms drop down, all the excitement from the fight drained away. I sigh.

"I'm sorry." Ayu stays silent. I feel the slight tremble in her body. She's crying. Slowly, I wrap my arms around her. I want to say I had it under control, but… that's a lie. That last attack—if not for Chiara, I would have died. I… messed up.

"Don't… leave me alone," Ayu suddenly says, her voice muffled. The words hit me harder than any slap or the dragon's wings. I imagine myself in Ayu's position. How would I feel? It wasn't fair—she's right. I've grown careless, reckless, overconfident. I've become the type of person I used to despise and ridicule. The type of person who claimed to care for others but, in the end, was all about himself. There's nothing I can say to Ayu now. I broke a promise; making another now would only feel hollow.

So I stay silent. But inside, I vow to change. I have to. If I don't… I'll die, and everything I care about will be lost. I transmit my emotions to her. I feel her reaction, the subtle shift in her trembling. Slowly, she leans back and pulls her mask up to rub her face. Then she looks at me.

"You gave me your heart. I gave you mine. When the day comes, when you risk your life again, remember—it's not your life you are risking. It's mine," she says firmly. Her words weigh on me. She takes a deep breath.

"Let's go. The others are waiting." I nod and follow her, the weight of her words and my resolve to change pressing heavily on my heart. As we move, I notice the absence of Screechers along the way. They seem to have disappeared now that the boss has fallen. We press on, eventually reaching the massive crater in the ground, magma pooling from cracks in the scorched earth. But what immediately catches my eye is the gear everyone is wearing. Sleek, black metallic, full leg armor.

It extends seamlessly from the armored boots to the greaves and up to the thigh protection. The design is smooth, almost organic, with intricate patterns faintly reminiscent of the dragon's form. As I stare, captivated by its craftsmanship, Lukas tosses a couple of red orbs to Ayu and me. I catch it mid-air, and a wave of relief and power surges through me. All the exhaustion, the headache, the lingering pain—it vanishes in an instant. I feel completely renewed. Stronger than ever. Stage 1 - 6.

361% I stare down and feel the leg armor. I move my legs around, flexing them, but there's zero resistance to my movements. It's incredible. But I'll check it later. First. I glance around and notice Arjun is now completely fine. But then, my gaze locks with Chiara. She stares back at me, her expression tight, a flicker of hesitation crossing her eyes. Then she removes her mask and steps forward. Before I can say anything, she bows her head toward Ayu and me.

"I'm sorry," she says out loud, making my eyes widen.

"I'm sorry for being stubborn, blinded, closed off, and unadaptable. I'm sorry for being a scared, useless bitch." Wait… those words…

"I'm sorry for being a terrible leader. For lacking empathy, foresight, and trust. I'm sorry for being manipulative, selfish, and everything you wouldn't want in someone near you." She remembers. She straightens up, her eyes locking onto mine.

"I won't ask for forgiveness. But those words you told me that day… I…" She pauses, then extends her hand forward.

"I would like to work with you. I want you to trust me, and I will trust you. I want us to make it to the end of The Tower together—to find the answers I once sought and lost sight of, to save the ones who matter to us. So… let's fight together." I look at her and smile. I chuckle.

"You just saved my life, Chiara." I extend my hand, gripping hers in a firm handshake.

"Let's call it even and take down some more bosses together." As we shake hands, another one suddenly joins ours. I glance to the side—it's Ayu's.

"Thanks for saving this reckless fool," she says with a grin.

"I was lucky to make it in time. And… thank you for taking care of me all these days," Chiara says, smiling at Ayu. Lukas strides toward us, his tone amused.

"This moment is making me teary. It's good to have you back, boss."

"Boss?" Chiara raises an eyebrow, a grin tugging at her lips.

"I heard someone staged a coup while I was out." Lukas scratches the back of his head, rolling his eyes.

"Well—""Thank you, Lukas," Chiara interrupts, bowing her head slightly.

"I'll be at your command." Lukas sighs dramatically.

"Not getting a break, am I?" Then he turns to me, his expression shifting.

"Seems the big lizard was tougher than I gave it credit for. I thought the big bullet powered by all four of us would do the trick. My bad." I stay silent for a moment, catching Ayu's serious face from the corner of my eye.

"It's alright," I say finally.

"It was a solid plan, and we could've tried it again. It's just… I was rash. And if it weren't for Chiara, it would've cost me my life."

"Well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger—or, better yet, wiser," Lukas says with a grin. He glances at the others before fixing his gaze on Arjun.

"How do you feel, Arjun?" Arjun looks a bit startled but quickly responds.

"I'm okay. The red orb fully recovered me. I apologize for missing the fight. Perhaps if I had helped with charging the last bullet, then—""Come on, enough apologies and thank-you's for one day," Lukas interrupts, waving a hand dismissively.

"I just wanted to check on you, that's all." Lukas then turns back to me, his expression shifting to something more reflective.

"So, we beat a dragon. All seven of us. Some issues, some dramatic moments, some mistakes, and some good fortune. But in the end, we won. For the first time, all of us fought for the red orb we obtained." I slowly nod. Indeed.

"But…" He pauses, looking around at each of us in turn.

"It could have been better. So, Alonso, Ayu, Chiara, Arjun, Wang, Imani—it's time to finally bury the past."

"From here onwards, let's fight truly as a team, shall we?" With that, Lukas extends his arm forward, his grin returning.

"Let's show those damn aliens what we're made of." I stare at Lukas' hand. A team? Suddenly, Ayu places her hand over Lukas', smiling.

"Let's climb together," she says, staring at me, her eyes filled with deep emotion. I sigh. Together, huh? The moment I abandoned Ayu in the Oasis, I made peace with going alone. Yet… so much has happened since then. Ayu is now by my side. I agreed to work with Chiara, and now, she's even saved my life. Alone? Maybe I'd already be dead. If not now, then at the next boss, or the one after that. Together… I chuckle softly. I glance back at Ayu. I guess I can't leave her hanging. Alright.

I extend my hand, placing it over hers.

"Together." Chiara studies me for a moment, her expression unreadable, before stepping forward and adding her hand to the pile. Imani and Wang follow. And finally, Arjun. He hesitates, his hand hovering for a moment, but after a deep breath, he places it firmly atop the pile. What a cliché. I laugh softly, glancing at Ayu and the others, all with their hands in a circle like a group of middle schoolers before a football match. Yet… for some reason, I don't feel awkward. No…

it feels good—no, that's not quite it either. It feels… right. As the moment stretches, we find ourselves staring at each other like fools. Lukas wears his wide grin, Chiara shakes her head in quiet exasperation, and Imani—stoic as ever—has a rare, faint smile softening his features. Wang's gaze drifts somewhere far away, lost in thought, while Arjun keeps his expression serious, his hand still firmly in place. In that moment, I realize: I'm not alone anymore.