The Hall of Elves was now a charred ruin, its white stones blackened and cracked, the surrounding forest engulfed in red and black flames. Thick smoke blanketed the sky, and the air reeked of ash and blood. The Star Man stood at the center of this inferno, a living embodiment of death. But as William and Kato approached, his gaze shifted from Rio to them, cold and merciless, as if sizing up two insignificant insects.
William and Kato moved toward him with slow, cautious steps from the left and right. William's fists were clenched, his eyes blazing red, while Kato gripped his silver spear, gleaming in the firelight, poised to strike. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife. All three waited for the other to move, like a storm holding its breath before erupting. Suddenly, the Star Man drew his black hand from beneath his cloak, his long, shadow-like fingers curling into a tight fist. In that instant, the battle exploded like a supernova.
William and Kato charged with unimaginable speed, like twin bolts of lightning striking the heart of darkness. Kato spun his spear like a whirlwind, his strikes so swift and deadly they sliced through the air, each one aimed at the Star Man's chest, neck, or legs. But the Star Man dodged with unnatural speed, as if time itself slowed for him. Beside him, William attacked with heavy fists and kicks, each blow unleashing waves of red heat and energy into the air. He aimed to distract the Star Man, giving Rio and her sisters a chance to escape.
On the other side, as the battle began, Elian sprinted toward Rio, Nadia, and Adrina. She scooped up a trembling Rio and, with Nadia and Adrina, fled toward the Elven Kingdom's gateway. Behind them, Ayhan paused for a moment, gripping her sword tightly, her eyes filled with fear and doubt. Nadia yanked her back, shouting,
"What are you doing, you idiot? We have to go, now!"
Ayhan, shaken, her hands trembling, stammered,
"But my father?"
Adrina grabbed Ayhan's arm urgently.
"We don't stand a chance! We can't help them. Move!"
Ayhan knowing her interference would only weaken her father, nodded, sheathed her sword, and ran with Nadia into the forest. Ahead, Elian carried Rio, darting through the trees like a shadow. Rio, peering over Elian's shoulder, saw deadly orange beams shooting from the Star Man's eyes, like comets bearing death. The dense trees blocked her view, and she could no longer see the battle. Terror consumed her. With a cry of desperation, she said,
"Elian, wait! What about my father? We're leaving him behind!"
Elian, racing through the forest, replied firmly yet calmly,
"Don't worry. Lord William will survive. He has to."
But back in the battlefield, as Rio vanished into the forest, the Star Man's rage peaked. His eyes glowed orange again, a searing light as if from a dying star. He fired a lethal beam at Kato, slicing through the air like a cosmic blade. Kato raised his spear in a flash, deflecting the energy, but the beam's force was so immense it tore open his abdomen, blood spraying like a fountain. He was thrown back with a scream, rolling across the ground.
William in that moment, appeared beside the Star Man like a specter, slamming his fist toward his face with full force. But the Star Man drew his other hand from his cloak—a white hand, glowing like moonlight, in stark contrast to his black one. He caught William's fist mid-air, squeezing his wrist until his bones creaked. William gritted his teeth, but suddenly his hands opened, and a small, dense fireball formed in his palm, like the heart of a star. With a primal roar, he bellowed,
"Burn!"
The explosion was cataclysmic, shaking the earth. The already charred Hall of Elves collapsed entirely, and the blast set part of the forest ablaze. Ancient trees burned like matchsticks, and stones rained down like ash. Smoke and flames devoured everything, and for a moment, no one could see. But when the dust settled, the Star Man stood untouched amid the fire and ruin, with only a small scratch on his cheek—no blood, as if his skin were made of something beyond this world.
William, panting from the explosion's intensity, was stunned. He tried to pull back, but the Star Man, still gripping his wrist like a vice, yanked him closer. With a swift motion, he smashed his forehead into William's, the impact so brutal it cracked William's skull. William staggered, blood streaming from his forehead, and looked up. The Star Man waved his white hand, and a glowing white ring, like a cosmic spell, formed in the air. In a deep, terrifying voice that seemed to echo from the void, he said,
"Wave Echo."
A sonic wave like an immense scream, tore through everything. The ground split, trees shattered like dry twigs, and stones turned to dust. William was hurled backward, crashing into a massive tree and uprooting it. Half the forest was obliterated in an instant, and even Talandril, the Elven King, who tried to resist with his green magic, fell to his knees, his dark green robe torn by the sonic wave. The remaining soldiers watching from afar collapsed, ears bleeding, unconscious.
The Star Man, now standing at the center of the devastation, tensed his legs to their limit. Black veins pulsed beneath his skin, and his eyes blazed orange again. With a colossal leap, he shot into the sky, like a meteor falling from the stars. In the air, he spotted Rio and her sisters fleeing toward the gateway through the charred trees and smoke. His eyes locked onto Rio, and an orange, molten beam charged, ready to fire.
Adrina, glancing back, saw the scene, and her heart stopped in terror. She spun toward the sky, her hands igniting, and with a scream of rage and desperation, she clapped them together. A massive fire, like a living dragon, erupted from her hands and surged toward the Star Man. The flames were so fierce they scorched the air and cracked the ground beneath her. But the Star Man, unflinching, fired his orange beam.
The collision of Adrina's fire and the deadly beam was like two stars crashing. A massive explosion split the sky, its shockwave shaking the earth and setting hundreds of trees ablaze or uprooting them. The grand Elven city, built atop towering trees, collapsed in an instant. Suspended bridges snapped like frayed ropes, and the elves' screams were lost in the roar of the blast. Smoke and ash filled the sky, and the explosion's light briefly outshone the sun.
Rio in Elian's arms, watched the devastation with horrified eyes. She now saw the true face of the world of X—the world where she had been reincarnated, a world that, in this moment, was nothing but hell. Her heart trembled with fear, and the only sound ringing in her ears was a strange whisper:
"You cannot escape."
She looked at Nadia and Adrina, running through the smoke and ash, their faces full of rage and fear. In the sky, the Star Man, still suspended amid flames and smoke, locked his orange eyes on Rio again, as if nothing—not fire, not explosions, not even her family's courage—could stop him.