I exhaled hard, my chest heaving as I steadied myself. My eyes locked onto the phantom’s body as it unraveled before me, its armor crumbling, the deathmist churning around it scattering like smoke in the wind. And then, all at once, it was gone. Completely erased.
A sudden tremor wracked through me.
My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground. The colossal form I had been holding onto began to unravel. My swollen frame, my hardened muscles, every shred of that transformation peeled away until I was just myself again.
"Billion, are you—" Lyrate’s voice cut through the ringing in my ears, but before she could finish, her body flickered, dissolving into crimson mist that was sucked into the core inside me.
My heart lurched as, one by one, they were all drawn back, even Silver.
Then came the sharp jolt. Pain lanced through my chest as I felt the generator core inside me strain, groaning under the weight of what I had forced it to do.
That was when the truth sank in, I was completely empty. Not a drop of Essence remained in me. The core was dry, my channels hollow, even my muscles and bones felt as if they had been scraped clean. Every ability, every skill, every last shred had burned me out.
My vision swam, black spots filling my sight. The battlefield tilted sideways, the world fading with each unsteady breath. My body toppled forward. The last thing I remembered was the cold ground rushing up to meet me before darkness swallowed me whole.
******
I woke up to the murmur of voices and the glow of an evening sky. My body felt like lead, every limb weighed down, and my head carried a dull haze.
When I turned my eyes to the side, I saw North sitting right next to me, her posture tense but her face soft with relief. At my feet, Steve stood leaning on his sword, looking like he hadn’t moved in hours. Edgar was there too, casually chewing on something as if he had been waiting for me to stir.
"Ohhh, you finally woke up," Edgar said, his tone somewhere between amused and relieved.
I let out a low groan and forced myself upright. The effort made my body protest, and I caught a glimpse of myself. My frame looked thinner than before, the bulking strength I’d carried seeming stripped away. I almost looked malnourished. Yet beneath that weakness, I could feel my body working hard to repair itself, fast.
Closing my eyes, I turned inward. The generator core within me had restarted, it was there again, Essence swirling and pulsing. The dawn core was alive, producing energy, sending currents flowing through my channels. I knew then that if I just got a good night’s sleep, I would recover fully and be back at my peak.
I felt a hand on mine. North had placed her palm gently over mine, her voice soft. "You’re awake. Are you feeling better now?"
I gave a short nod.
"Two hours," Steve said when I looked up at him. He held up two fingers in the air like he was flashing a peace sign. "Out cold. Honestly, I thought you’d be down for a week."
Edgar chuckled, biting into the apple he’d pulled. "He’s not like us, kid. He’s not even human anymore."
I ignored his jab and asked, "Is everything okay?"
North answered first. "Yes. There hasn’t been any attack since your fight. Things are quiet." She hesitated, her eyes dropping to the ground before she added, "The capital of Peanu is gone. Completely destroyed. Between your battle and the deathmist spreading from the Phantom’s corruption... there’s nothing left."
Edgar wiped juice from his chin and said in his rough voice, "Our Grandmasters are still out there, holding back the deathmist so it doesn’t spread any further."
"The Emperor?" I asked.
"He’s with Dante," Edgar replied. "Meeting with the few Grandmasters who are still alive, along with some Masters from the factions. Things didn’t turn out the way we expected. The plan was to hurt Peanu and then strike some kind of deal. But now..." He let out a long breath. "There aren’t many strong people left to deal with. This world’s going to fall into chaos."
"It’s Saturn’s fault for getting tangled up with the Phantoms. A traitor to us all," Steve scoffed, his voice sharp.
"Not exactly," Edgar said calmly. "It was his choice what path he wanted to take."
Steve’s face twisted with anger. "He was worthless. Killing his own people just to power himself up, then making deals with the Phantoms. Good riddance he’s dead."
His tone surprised me, I had rarely seen him this worked up. He yanked his sword free of the ground and walked off, his shoulders tense.
I glanced at North. "What happened to him?"
Her eyes flicked to Edgar, then back to me. She spoke softly. "Hazel is dead. She sacrificed herself to kill Saturn."
The words hit me harder than I expected. "What? How?"
Edgar was the one who answered. He explained what had happened before I arrived, how Hazel’s fury had driven her, how she refused to stop until Saturn was finished, and how she had given her life to take him down herself.
I sat there in silence for a while, unsure how to feel. I remembered Lamp Island. I could have killed Saturn then, but I hadn’t. Hazel had asked me to let him live, she had wanted to face him herself. I never imagined this was how she planned to end it. To go so far, just for revenge...
"We lost some Grandmasters too," Edgar continued, his tone turning more serious. "The Phantoms cut deep. It’ll make things harder back home, but we’ll manage."
"Don’t worry about that," I said, straightening a little. "I’ll send my summons out. They can help clean up the abomination zones."
Edgar gave a small cough. "Yes... we’d be grateful."
North leaned in, her hand still resting on mine. "Don’t push yourself so soon. Let your body rest, give the rest of us a chance to catch up."
I smiled at her concern. "I can help you with the catching up. Don’t worry." I reached out and pinched her cheek, earning the faintest laugh from her.
Turning my gaze back to Edgar, I asked, "So what are we going to do about Peanu?"
"A colony," he said simply.
I nodded. That was enough for me. The world core of Peanu was already under my control.
Edgar tossed away the apple core. "We’ll need to clear out Sukra’s spies first. Once that’s done, things will stabilize. Don’t worry, we’ll go over everything tomorrow in the meeting."