Chapter 281 ·Turning Point (44)

Turning ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍󠄂󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄂‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍󠄂󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂Point (44)

Manipulating the black smoke made of nano robots freely: that was Cystus's supernatural power.

Of course, these weren't ordinary nano robots. They were definitely impressive, but on their own, it was questionable to even call them a supernatural power.

Just like how I wielded psychokinesis, the black smoke was enveloped in energy. That's why it could block lasers and devour all sorts of things.

When I first encountered Cystus at the refinery, the majesty of that black smoke had left me at a loss for words. It was overwhelming then, and even more so now. This time, Cystus had come out wielding a staff with a design straight out of hell itself, and his power had grown several steps beyond.

Countless afterimages floated into existence, as if he had plucked the souls of non-existent things from thin air, occupying the area. Blood dripping from the eyeballs on the staff transformed into a strange, sinister aura, sending out pressure in every direction. Black lightning struck down from the towering spire, scattering its impact to all sides.

Cystus stood tall in the very center, glaring at me with eyes full of rage. Looking up at him from below, surrounded by those threateningly swirling afterimages, he truly had the aura of a god.

No wonder he blabbered on about fate, I thought. Everyone said this was a return to the age of mystery, but now things like that ran rampant?

'Damn "mystery."

Damn "purity."'

The effect of the combat stimulant surged through my whole body. A tingling sensation, as if static electricity was crackling, spread through my nervous system. My field of vision became endlessly sharp. It was so sharp, and there was so much information coming purely through sight, that I actually felt dizzy for a moment.

Nadia, fighting with the giant mutant Nest, fired her grenade cannon, and the explosion slowly unfolded in the air as if dyeing it. Meanwhile, afterimages began to fill my vision as they rushed toward me.

Everything moved as if time had slowed. It was unfamiliar, but I could still control it. Working off my heightened senses, I pushed off the ground, albeit intending to do so lightly—though the result was anything but light.

At the moment I began to move, time, which had slowed, accelerated everything—my motion and even the attacks from Cystus racing at me.

Blocking the oncoming afterimages with telekinesis wasn't too difficult. I created an invisible wall in the air and let the attacks strike it, where they disappeared meaninglessly on the spot. As if they had never existed.

*Puff-puff-puff—*

Confirming the afterimages dispersing into blood-like particulates, I dashed right into Cystus's domain. Almost at the same time, savage black sparks, like hunting dogs guarding their master, lunged at me.

As if they had been waiting—those black sparks. But I had been waiting, too. I was already familiar with their speed. Spotting an opening in the raging storm, I thrust my spear straight at him, ignoring the black-sparked hand that tried to seize me.

As the tip of my spear was about to pierce Cystus's head, an afterimage still circling him flew at me. As if, once again, he had anticipated my move and acted in advance.

I'd already blocked dozens of afterimages. Just a single one couldn't stop the force contained in my spear. But to be certain, I tried to sweep it aside with a burst of telekinetic signature. I unleashed it forcefully for certainty.

It was just a release of strength, but at this level, it was almost a shockwave. The tip of the spear pierced the blood-like particulates scattered by the vanished afterimage and stabbed toward Cystus's head. Or rather, it should have—if things had gone as I predicted.

*Clang—*

The problem happened as the afterimages overlapped. As one afterimage began collapsing from my shockwave, another flew in and they merged as one.

When two merged, the structure became solid. When they combined further, there was a rebound force. When three overlapped, they deflected my power itself. Naturally, my spear's trajectory was knocked off course.

"......!"

I immediately withdrew my spear and launched the next attack. The distancing was sharp, but the energy in my spear was heavily depleted. The power wasn't what I'd hoped for.

Unwilling to give up, I tried stabbing into the air several more times while levitating, but not a single effective hit landed. Each effort was blocked by either the black-sparked hands spraying out or the reinforced afterimages. Only the empty air was slashed to tatters.

'The afterimages are expendable.'

The overlapping afterimages were single-use. But that didn't matter. There were simply too many afterimages everywhere here.

The afterimages seemed to originate from the staff Cystus held—or, more precisely, from the eyeballs attached to it. To break through this double-layered defense, I'd have to destroy the staff first. If I didn't cut off the supply of afterimages, my attacks would never get through.

'Can I break it?'

I didn't know. But one thing was certain—I had to break it. It wasn't a matter of "Can I?" but "I must."

Dodging an afterimage by tilting my head to the side, I took a deep breath and readied myself. The composition wasn't good for another spear thrust, so I strongly planted my foot on the ground, using it as a pivot to spin my body.

My body, stimulated with the combat drug, was activated to the limit. The air followed my movement belatedly, wrapping around me. Without losing momentum, I kicked with all my might.

*Thwack—*

It wasn't a sound that could possibly come from a human foot, but the solid mass of it converted purely into shock. The movement itself was executed flawlessly, yet the attack didn't land properly, and I clicked my tongue, immediately opening up distance. The space I'd just vacated was ripped apart by a black hand.

'His defense is so solid it looks invincible, but his physical abilities are pathetic.'

While watching cracks form in the black hand that blocked my attack, I kept a wary eye on Cystus. He hadn't taken a single step since the fight began.

Whether he simply didn't, or couldn't, I'd have to watch longer—but for now, it was clear Cystus wasn't actively perceiving and stopping my attacks; his power did it for him. He was utterly dependent on his ability for defense.

Several clashes occurred in an instant. The gusts of wind swirling aimlessly now whipped up only after I stopped my assault.

「... You beast. Resorting to drugs as well.」

"Call it a battle supplement."

「How long do you think power dependent on that sort of thing will last?」

"Better than giving everything up to a mad monster. At least I'm moving by my own will."

「How dare you, heretic....」

Cystus gritted his teeth and slammed his staff into the ground with a thud. The eyeballs realigned, replenishing the expended afterimages. It looked flimsy enough to shatter with a tap, but when stacked up, each afterimage was a flying bomb. With the added concepts of analysis and dismemberment.

I checked the remaining duration for the combat stimulant on my HUD. Only about eight minutes left of heightened senses. Not enough time to break through my opponent's overwhelming power.

'I need to make an opening.'

I stepped forward. The flow of blood-like particulates around Cystus changed in response. Every time I dipped my stance or shifted my gaze elsewhere, the afterimages moved accordingly.

Their motion seemed irregular at first glance, as if meaningless—but that wasn't it. The disorder was optimized for blocking my attacks and predicting my movements. Proof that his talk of seeing the future wasn't just bluster.

'How far ahead can he see?'

Could he see in units of time, or entire sequences of actions, or simply possible outcomes? If there were a range, how far did it extend?

'Are there limits on the afterimages?'

Just counting them was meaningless. What I needed to know was how many could move at once. I might be able to punch through the afterimages, but with those black hands as well, the defense was impenetrable.

How many supernatural powers did he actually have? If my guess was right, Cystus even had some kind of space-distortion ability. I'd noticed my spear's trajectory twist just before reaching him.

It would be a relief if I was just imagining it, but I needed to prepare in case I wasn't. I didn't want to make a fatal mistake at the final moment.

'Should I inject one more?'

I was still one decisive step short. Was the Albatross fire-support not ready yet? While I was thinking this, a message came in from Celestia.

- Hyun-woo, rail cannon firing prep is almost finished. We're calibrating the aim now.

At this good news, I couldn't hide my expression. Lucky I was wearing a helmet or I'd have been busted.

"Just fire straight away. I'll dodge on my own."

There was no intention of backing off. The fact that Albatross hadn't shown itself must have clued Cystus in already. Since he already suspected, I had to keep his attention on me for as long as possible for the attack to land.

- What?! Are you crazy?! No, uh, ah...! Dodge properly! It'll be similar output to when we took down the Chimera!

Celestia's voice, nearly stomping her feet, faded behind me as I sprinted forward, dodging the slashing afterimages and black hands.

The fact that Nest's mutants hadn't come this way meant Nadia and Roxy were doing their best too. We all had to live up to one another's expectations.

「Is charging in like a brute all you can do?」

Cystus's black hand barely grazed over my head. *Click*. As it scraped past my force field, cracks formed from the shock. On the verge of shattering, the field was restored by the spinning telekinesis.

'It's getting even faster.'

The silhouette of the black hand was lingering longer. Just as I wanted things done quickly, Cystus seemed not to want to prolong things either.

Charging in headlong. Maybe he was right. Still, I had no choice. The only thing I could rely on was my body's durability and strength, and this type of move was my best option.

Rather than clumsily trying to use something else, strengthening my forte felt like the wiser choice to broaden my options.

The black hand scraped my force field with black arcs. The field broke and regenerated over and over. As fine cracks appeared and vanished, I found myself right in front of Cystus before I knew it.

Cystus's gaze followed me slowly. It was filled with deep hatred and strong disgust at things failing to go as he wanted. *Grit.* I saw him clench his teeth hard.

The plasma spear traced a sharp arc. The black hands crossed to block my thrust. Soon, as the two forces collided, there was a *clang*—and different colored particles scattered from the clash.

Unable to overcome the rebound, my arm snapped backward, and the black hand split in two. Just that much. We'd finally exchanged a real attack.

I hadn't risked this much just for a single exchange. The attacks grew sharper, targeting each other's vital points—ferociously intense, the aftermath scattered everywhere. I sent the wreckage on the floor flying with telekinesis to attack Cystus from behind.

A spear that couldn't break through his guard, black hands that couldn't land an attack. No matter how intense, nothing was yielding results. The damage from overlapping afterimages was fended off by layering my force field several times. Power consumption had skyrocketed, but I had no choice.

The first real change came then. For the first time since the fight began, the blue spear came close enough to graze Cystus—cutting across just below his eyes. *Fsshh*. With burning output, a wound burst open for an instant.

「......!」

Cystus recoiled in shock, staggering back. The first time he'd retreated. Blood tears flowed even thicker from the eyeballs on his staff.

Then, every wandering afterimage exploded, excluding anything approaching. Within several dozen meters around Cystus—or rather, around the staff—everything turned upside down.

At first I considered withdrawing after seeing the change in the staff, but I didn't. Now was not the time to give space. I needed to hold his gaze on me.

"How's that? Isn't that just about everything you've got?"

I forced down the blood rising in my throat and sneered at Cystus, staring at the fresh wound on his face. Outwardly I sneered, but inside, I cursed in deep regret. If it had gone just a bit deeper, I could have punched a hole right through his head.

"You've got great powers, but it's you who can't keep up."

「How dare you... How DARE you━━!」

Cystus, unable to contain his turbulent emotions, trembled all over. By then, the blood on the ground had hardened and spawned bio-tissue resembling a creep, spreading and creeping up to wrap around my ankles.

Even in his fury, I could feel Cystus's eyes appraising me. Foresight. An undeniably tremendous ability. But the one using it was someone else. The power's effectiveness depended on the talent of the wielder.

'It's amazing, for sure, but...'

Even seeing everything in advance, if your body can't back it up, it means little. Anticipating movements—I could do at least that, too.

- Limiter off! Breaking the threshold! Rail cannon at max output! I'll mark the line on your display—make the most of it!

With Celestia's call, a red line was drawn on my HUD. The Albatross's rail cannon firing range—and in the very center, Cystus.

What did he sense? Hostility aimed at himself? The flash that would soon pierce everything? Or his own imminent future?

As the black hands, sensing the oncoming flash, started merging to form a wall in front of Cystus, I threw everything I had left at him, charging again.

"I can't let it end like that."

「Are you going to die together with me?!」

A beast, he had called me. This time, I was fine with that. I maximized my telekinesis, crushing everything within the area flat. Nothing would move—not even myself.

"Let's see if your body or mine is tougher!"

「I—!」

Before Cystus could even scream out an answer, the rail cannon round, packed with enormous energy, arrived with a flash, at a speed surpassing the limits of perception.

*Dududududu—!*

*Fwoosh—!*

Piercing through the overlapping afterimages and black sparks, it struck directly where Cystus and I stood. The explosion of pure energy overturned the ground and razed the area. The towering spire collapsed, its debris raining down.

My consciousness flickered in and out. My force field, like Cystus's, shattered. A gaping hole appeared in midair for an instant, then the shockwave returned displaced objects, creating a huge backlash.

But even within that dust cloud, I could feel it: Cystus was still alive.

「A-aa-ghh- Aaack- AAAAAHHH!」

Violent shrieks and furious, bubbling, burning noises echoed. He had clearly suffered catastrophic damage, but he hadn't died.

I wasn't nearly tough enough to withstand a rail cannon hit either—my arm, and the half of my body facing the blast, were nearly burned to a crisp.

If the suit's basic protection hadn't been excellent, and if I hadn't desperately reconstructed my force field over and over, it wouldn't have been weird for a body part to be blown off.

My vision just wouldn't recover. I could feel comms trying to reach me, but the ringing in my ears was so loud I could barely make anything out beyond Cystus's howling.

'I can't use telekinesis anymore.'

I needed to clear the dust cloud and finish him off, but the core in my heart was overheated from excessive energy use and wouldn't listen. If I pushed any further, I felt it might shatter.

Forcing my unfocused eyes to move, I checked the static-ridden HUD. Suit integrity at 49%. At this point, almost all functions were dead.

Then, as the impact from the rail cannon had not yet settled, a tremendous vibration spread out. In response, part of the dust cloud cleared, leaving me trapped inside it.

"Cough...!"

This time I couldn't swallow down the blood and spat it out. Even so, my gaze never left Cystus.

Cystus had lost half his body. He had thrown every bit of power at devouring and twisting the trajectory of the rail cannon, but because I had disrupted him up close, he couldn't fully block it.

He looked grotesque, standing tall with half his body blown away. Through the rough surface, he was spewing innards, still conscious and glowering at me.

Some of the eyeballs on his staff had burst, oozing pale fluid, but the staff's aura wasn't dead. If anything, it was even stronger than before.

And that wasn't all—the staff was now consuming Cystus. Tendril-like bio-tissue extended from the staff, absorbing his remaining half, as if using him for nourishment.

「S, sacred—O, tree—our—my god━! Give me... more... more...! Stronger, power... Grant me, your blessing━━!」

Was being consumed by the staff Cystus's final will? As his desperate scream became his death rattle, he erupted with power. Black sparks blanketed the sky.

The black power hovering at a certain altitude soon turned into dozens of spears which rained down on the mutating Cystus. Each one that pierced him caused his body to grow more grotesque and approach that of a mutant.

No, he was already a mutant. From the moment he joined the pureblood supremacists, he ceased to be human.

In the end, Cystus fused with the staff, nearly losing all former traces of himself. The eyeballs once attached to the staff migrated to his surface—now every one of them glared at me.

Like an epidemic, the eyeballs multiplied and filled the whole area. As their gaze increased, the pressure crushing my body multiplied as well.

「...... Grrr.」

"... Ha, you still survived after all that? I should've just used two from the start."

Teetering, I barely managed to steady myself, cursing the rotten situation as I raised my spear. Two combat stimulants remained. It seemed I wouldn't be able to follow Carrot's advice to use only one.

- Hy—*static*—it's—*static*—

"It's bad now, and it's only going to get worse. Hoo—ask Carrot to make me some antidotes. Strong ones. I might even need as many as three."

I did have some antidote, but I was pretty sure it wouldn't be enough at this point.

- That's—*static*—

Celestia's transmission cut off. Not from the cannon's impact, but from the bizarre energy emanating from the staff.

I struggled to move my disobedient hand. The suit's functionality was pretty much shot, so I had to administer the stimulant manually from the cylinder. I stabbed it into my thigh—it was the closest spot.

"Urgh...?!"

As the second stimulant kicked in, I clutched my chest. It was a pain like an invisible hand wringing my heart.

But the effect was certain. In time dragged to its absolute limit, my broken heart began pounding out of rhythm.

RelatedRelatedRelated