Although the deck had nearly melted completely, the operational modules beneath the temporary encampment remained functional.
Following the orders issued, the temporary base began drifting away through space, trailing streams of molten metal behind.
Sora watched them leave, slowly adjusting his state.
Scorching heat still wrapped around him. Even though the [Stellar Ray Torrent] had been blocked by Dragreder, no ordinary being could survive the residual heat.
Yet, Sora stood here precisely because his current condition was incredibly special.
Every breath felt scalding; the intense heat from a star seared his lungs. Yet, the power inherited from the [Kingstone] constantly healed him, repairing the burning injuries in real-time.
Thus, his body existed in perpetual balance—continuously damaged, continuously healed.
Such an extraordinary sensation made his recently-awakened consciousness feel oddly surreal.
"Does this mean I've become something like an immortal phoenix inside a sun now?"
Sora murmured instinctively.
Unfortunately, right now he was a dragon rather than an immortal phoenix capable of endlessly resurrecting and becoming stronger.
As he mulled this over, the stellar torrent finally ceased.
When the dazzling light faded, the biting cold of space instantly reclaimed its dominion around Sora.
Sora paid little attention to this abrupt shift between scorching heat and icy cold. His gaze remained locked firmly on the source of the ray.
A distant point of golden brilliance glittered prominently—Afterglow Swarm King clearly had no intention of hiding itself any longer.
Having accumulated enough ammunition, it now held an overwhelming advantage. Thus, concealment was no longer necessary.
Now, it could simply remain there, firing star-powered beams at its foes from a distance.
"Gao~" (Ouch, that actually hurt…) Dragreder rested its enormous head beside Sora.
Its massive body now bore numerous scorch marks, charred and smoking.
Having hastily emerged from the mirror to shield the base, it now looked quite… crispy.
"Are you alright? We still have a long fight ahead..." Sora asked softly, his eyes fixed firmly on the flickering distant spot.
Since the enemy could launch such powerful attacks from afar, spaceships would be useless here.
Thus, Dragreder would be their only viable transport through the cosmos.
"Ao~!" (It's nothing serious. I'm just really pissed off right now!)
Dragreder's eyes glowed dangerously. Having rampaged unhindered for so long, this was the first time it had been injured like this.
If it didn't immediately settle this grudge, how could it ever hold its head high again?!
"Good to hear." Sora flexed his wrist lightly, pushing his body to peak condition. "Then let's go settle the score!"
To dare ambush us from afar like a coward—now that you're exposed, don't even think of running away!
"ROAR!!" (Yeah!!) Dragreder roared in response. Following Sora's command, it charged swiftly forward through space.
Seeing the crimson dragon swiftly closing distance, Afterglow promptly siphoned energy from another star below, releasing yet another powerful assault!
Another blazing Stellar Ray Torrent roared through space from afar.
Yet, facing this predictable attack, Dragreder merely twisted agilely, easily evading the ray.
"Gao~!" (Haha, idiot!)
I won't fall for the same trick again!
Dragreder taunted arrogantly. Earlier, it had deliberately absorbed the hit only because it needed to protect the encampment. Now, with no such restriction, how could a straightforward ray possibly touch it?
I gave you one free shot, and suddenly you got cocky?!
"Ao~!" (Just wait—I'll savor your flavor slowly and thoroughly!)
Roaring loudly, Dragreder's massive body gracefully maneuvered through the cosmos with astonishing agility and speed.
It was already imagining the exquisite taste of devouring Afterglow Swarm King piece by piece. This little injury would only make it savor the enemy's agony even more thoroughly!
Afterglow, however, remained unperturbed.
Several star systems still separated them. Though Dragreder was indeed incredibly fast, even it couldn't cross such distance instantly.
As long as this gap remained, Afterglow still had plenty of room to act.
Absorbing the final vestiges of the star's energy, golden patterns vividly emerged along Afterglow's body. Moments later, countless beams of destructive light erupted violently outward from its form.
[Destruction Light Torrent]!
This was a devastating area-wide attack born from absorbing a star's power. In the distant past, Afterglow Swarm King had used this technique to annihilate entire star systems.
It was precisely for this catastrophic act that people named it "Afterglow."
These countless beams, like the final fading rays before sunset, would plunge all who witnessed them into eternal darkness.
Lifeforms perished under this lethal barrage, while stars drained by Afterglow permanently went dark.
This was Afterglow Swarm King, one of Propagation's Five Great Emanators, now revived and demonstrating its terrifying power once more.
Countless shining stars abruptly appeared amidst the darkness of space.
If astronomers witnessed such a spectacle, they'd surely scream "Fake news!"
Yet, once people learned the truth behind these shining stars, they'd scream again—this time in terror.
The "stars" became deadly meteors, obliterating nearby planets as they streaked violently through space.
Yet, the majority of these meteors specifically targeted Sora!
Sora immediately sensed these incoming attacks. Afterglow's offensive had thoroughly sealed off every possible route forward. Attempting to dodge within such a massive attack range would prove impossible.
"This is getting troublesome."
Thus, Sora decisively drew a card engulfed in raging flames.
'[EXTREME SURVIVE!!]'
Flames erupted instantly, enveloping both Sora and Dragreder within.
Boom-Boom-Boom!
Afterglow's line of sight was temporarily obscured, yet it remained calm.
Its meteor-like beams slammed fiercely into the blazing barrier, deflecting and crashing violently into surrounding asteroids.
Boom!
Spectacular explosions blossomed, visible even from distant sectors of space.
When the flames finally faded, gigantic craters revealed themselves across asteroid surfaces, dust clouds drifting silently outward.
Sadly, in the depths of space, no spectator remained to witness such dazzling destruction.
Amidst those lingering flames, a blazing crimson form surged forward. Flames swirled gracefully around it, as if heralding its rebirth.
This crimson silhouette no longer resembled a mere motorcycle—it had evolved into a sleek, elongated spacecraft built purely for racing.
Crimson contours traced streamlined curves along its body, radiating both speed and raw power.
Lingering flames gently adorned its frame, refusing to dissipate.
This was Dragreder's new form after its evolution.
"We're charging in!"
"Gao~!" (Let's show it who's boss!)
Hearing Dragreder's energetic reply, Sora instantly throttled to maximum!
Boom!
Long jets of flame erupted behind, encasing their vessel protectively in fire.
Vrrrooom!!
The engine's roar filled Sora's ears, crimson streaks swiftly darting through space.
The falling meteors shattered harmlessly against their fiery protection, deflected effortlessly aside. Collateral damage—surrounding asteroids and drifting debris—marked the devastating path carved between Sora and Afterglow.
At incredible speed, they blazed forward like a brilliant crimson comet, directly toward Afterglow Swarm King.
Witnessing this unstoppable charge, Afterglow decisively abandoned its current strategy.
It swiftly descended upon another fresh star, rapidly beginning its absorption process again.
Within mere moments, another brilliantly glowing sphere emerged.
Afterglow immediately surrounded these remaining stars with its own energy field, retreating swiftly backward through space.
Watching this unfold, a sense of unease instantly seized Sora.
After all, they weren't friends—there was no reason for the enemy to leave behind something beneficial during its retreat.
Could it possibly be that…
At that very moment, the object Afterglow Swarm King left behind exploded with an impossibly dazzling brilliance.
Everything before Sora's eyes was instantly consumed, replaced by blinding whiteness.
The range of the radiance was incredibly vast—even the distant encampment could clearly see it. From afar, the intense glow was like a sudden sunrise, illuminating the darkness of space.
"Sora…" Robin murmured, clenching her fists anxiously.
Isn't that precisely where Sora charged toward? Her worry instantly escalated to a peak.
"The intensity of that flash has surpassed the limits any living creature can withstand!" analysts nearby urgently reported their findings.
Their announcement plunged everyone waiting here into heavy silence.
"No, I have to go!" Hotaru slammed the table, immediately preparing to depart.
Leaving Sora alone there was simply far too dangerous.
Barely any time had passed since they left, yet something this ridiculously powerful had already occurred. That was absolutely not a place Sora could handle alone.
"And what exactly will you accomplish by going there? Throwing your life away?" A voice beside her quickly sneered, mocking Hotaru's impulsive actions.
Upon hearing this, Hotaru instantly focused her sharp gaze upon the speaker.
Titania sat calmly to the side, casually addressing Hotaru with cold superiority, "With your pitiful strength, you won't achieve anything."
"Even so, we can't just sit here helplessly and watch!"
"But if you rush over there, aside from causing trouble, what can you actually accomplish?"
Titania's words were harsh, yet undeniably true.
The location where Sora confronted Afterglow Swarm King was no longer somewhere anyone could casually approach.
That place was a death zone, where a single misstep would mean certain annihilation.
"So are we just supposed to sit here and watch him die?"
But watching helplessly from here as Sora faced an enemy capable of wielding such overwhelming power was unbearable agony for everyone present.
"Hmph, isn't the solution obvious? I'll go myself," Titania declared suddenly, standing up.
"You?" Mitsutake stared at Titania, clearly startled.
Titania merely smiled coldly, then spoke with clear disdain, "I am a god—far beyond you ordinary weaklings."
"A place that is certain death for you pathetic creatures is practically my own backyard."
"So, just sit here obediently and prepare yourselves to bask in my divine radiance."
After saying this, Titania's figure swiftly transformed into pure Memoria and vanished from sight.
Everyone left behind exchanged awkward, confused glances.
"Ahahaha, please excuse her. That's just how she is, just bear with it a bit," Fenille quickly intervened with nervous laughter, trying her best to smooth over the awkward atmosphere.
But whispers quickly spread quietly among some people in the background.
"Why do I feel like I've heard that exact tone somewhere else?"
"You're probably just imagining things…"
"Wait! Hold on—could it be… the person arguing with us online recently?"
Their conversation dangerously veered off-topic into bizarre directions. Nevertheless, some people present secretly breathed a slight sigh of relief.
With someone else joining the battle, Sora's burden would certainly be greatly reduced...
...
Meanwhile, at the location engulfed by that blazing radiance, Afterglow Swarm King continued madly unleashing attack after attack, firing [Stellar Ray Torrents] without pause.
It could clearly sense the strange, mysterious power permeating that space, ensuring none of its attacks would miss their mark.
One after another, brilliant beams of scorching stellar energy carved their way through the darkness of space.
Only after its overwhelming assault ceased, and the intense glow it created finally dissipated, could Afterglow clearly observe the area ahead.
The region of space was now completely empty.
Such overwhelming brilliance carried enough destructive force to erase all matter completely.
[Is that really all?] Afterglow said suspiciously to itself.
It never imagined that the opponent it considered a formidable enemy would be dispatched so effortlessly.
Had it known earlier, it wouldn't have bothered concealing itself earlier when it had moved the stars—apparently, the enemy was just superficially intimidating.
Afterglow inspected the remaining stars behind it. Even after repeated attacks, over half remained.
I'll devour these remaining stars' power, then proceed to burn that newborn "god" to ashes.
Decisively, Afterglow began absorbing the stellar energies once more.
'[SWORD VENT!]'
?!
An intense sense of danger abruptly struck Afterglow. It whirled around swiftly—only to witness the surrounding space suddenly reflecting like a mirrored starry sky.
Within that strange mirrored expanse, a blazing sword descended like the tail of a colossal dragon, slicing straight downward!
The sword slash was incredibly swift, but even in space, Afterglow still had enough room to evade.
It instinctively dodged sideways—yet, at that precise moment, a whip-like strike unexpectedly lashed out from the side!
An enormous crimson dragon, bearing clear signs of lingering injury and unmistakable malice and hunger, appeared in its field of vision.
Where did this thing come from?!
Afterglow felt confusion stirring within, but it had already lost its chance to evade.
Slash!
A blazing streak flashed brilliantly through space, and Afterglow's insectoid limb was severed cleanly, drifting silently into the darkness.