Sora's sudden strike undoubtedly caught Afterglow Swarm King completely unprepared.
By hiding within the [Mirror World] to avoid external intense flashes, he leveraged his extraordinary swordsmanship for a highly effective sneak attack.
If anyone else had attempted this tactic, it surely wouldn't have had such success.
As the saying goes, "What goes around, comes around." Afterglow had now fully experienced the bitter taste of being ambushed.
And this sneak attack had indeed cost it one of its insect limbs.
Though it possessed numerous legs, losing even one was a genuine humiliation for Afterglow.
[You insignificant ant!]
Afterglow released a piercing screech. Its body erupted instantly with blinding radiance!
Heat rivaling a star exploded outward from its body, instantly creating a fierce solar storm in the surrounding space!
Sensing imminent danger, Sora swiftly threw a compressed mirror behind himself and curled tightly. The next instant, searing solar winds surged toward him, pushing him forcefully back into the [Mirror World].
The moment he entered, excruciating pain surged throughout his entire being.
He had been charred black in an instant, and residual heat invaded his lungs. He felt as though his entire body had become a living furnace, nearly collapsing on the spot.
However, a refreshing coolness soon blossomed within him, briefly suppressing the agonizing sensation.
When he opened his eyes within the [Mirror World], he saw the distant star shimmering brilliantly, its energy steadily rekindling the strength within his body.
"Ao~" (You better not die. If you die, I'll starve here.)
Dragreder moved closer, its voice tinged with genuine worry.
Upon hearing that, Sora let out a weary laugh.
Was this dragon truly just a glutton to the end? As long as food was secure, everything else was secondary.
"Alright then. Let's deal with that thing outside first!"
Once Sora felt recovered enough, he prepared to rejoin the battle against Afterglow.
"Gao~!!" (Oh! Even though that guy seems scorching hot, maybe it'll actually taste pretty good!) Dragreder roared happily, also readying itself for another round.
Sora quickly discussed a simple tactical plan with Dragreder, hoping this strike could finish things off once and for all.
The feeling of having his entire body half-cooked was truly unpleasant. They needed to settle this swiftly!
Together, they rushed out from the [Mirror World], launching another fierce attack against Afterglow.
Yet, Afterglow had long since braced itself.
Having suffered once, how could it possibly forget that humiliation?
[I'll make you pay for this disgrace—with your lives!]
Afterglow placed the severed insect limb close by, using it as a constant reminder of the shame it must avenge.
Its massive body immediately unleashed countless radiant spheres of energy, densely blanketing the entire surrounding space.
As soon as Sora and Dragreder reappeared, Afterglow immediately detonated all nearby spheres!
Boom—Boom—Boom!!
The ferocious explosions, brimming with stellar radiation, blanketed every direction, leaving no safe space untouched.
Sora attempted multiple times, yet he simply couldn't land another meaningful strike.
"This guy is way too crafty," Sora muttered with frustration. It seemed that now, the simplest approach would be their only viable option.
Accepting this reality, Sora and Dragreder switched to ranged attacks from afar.
Yet the enemy's relentless [Stellar Ray Torrents] immediately taught them a harsh lesson!
A continuous barrage of rays that could disintegrate matter into mere molecules spewed endlessly from Afterglow's mouth, as if energy were free.
Whenever Sora emerged even slightly, the enemy would instantly unleash another massive blast right at his face.
Once bitten, twice shy—Afterglow no longer dared allow Sora anywhere near its body.
"Isn't this way too broken?"
Though he hadn't sustained serious damage this time, Sora still felt incredibly frustrated.
What kind of insane enemy is this?
High attack but low defense—wasn't a fragile glass cannon typically what creatures like these were supposed to be?
Yet this thing not only possessed terrifying long-range attacks that instantly turned matter to dust, but also area-of-effect abilities that kept opponents far away!
These two traits combined essentially made attacking Afterglow completely impossible.
At this point, Sora seriously considered tracking down the Propagation AEON personally and giving it a solid punch.
Oh, wait—now Titania was the new AEON of Propagation.
Whatever, he'd just punch both of them anyway!
Yet, as for retreating…
Sora's gaze shifted toward the distant temporary encampment, barely visible in the vastness of space.
Although the encampment was retreating quickly, it still remained within Afterglow's effective attack range.
If he retreated now, everyone there—the refugees, those familiar faces—would perish instantly.
"For their sake, I'll gamble everything on this! I refuse to believe there's no way!"
Determined, Sora resumed probing Afterglow's various attacking patterns.
Amid these fierce exchanges, he witnessed Afterglow unleashing solar storms, solar flares, stellar black spots…
It continuously harnessed the stars' energies, relentlessly repelling both Dragreder and himself from coming close!
In the process, numerous fresh wounds appeared upon Sora's body.
Yet despite the pain, he couldn't afford not to advance!
A pressing urgency weighed heavily upon Sora's mind.
The compressed mirrors he'd brought were supporting him through the battle, but their consumption far exceeded his expectations. As a result, Sora had no choice but to quickly uncover the enemy's weakness. Once his mirrors ran out, he would have no room left to breathe on this battlefield.
Time after time, Sora attempted to approach Afterglow Swarm King.
In his most recent attempt, he nearly managed to replicate his earlier feat.
Unfortunately, Afterglow had already listed him as an absolute priority threat. It maintained total vigilance, constantly scanning every inch of its surroundings.
The moment Sora appeared, Afterglow immediately began draining energy from the enveloped star, unleashing yet another solar storm!
At extremely close range, Sora finally sensed something crucial as Afterglow launched its solar storm again.
Yet, unfortunately, his attack ended once more in failure. He retreated into the Mirror World, carefully observing the now-replaced star in the distance.
"Gao..." (Perhaps you should stop here. If this continues…) Dragreder spoke, worry coloring its voice.
"It's fine. I've already found its weakness."
Sora's voice came out rough and hoarse. His body's moisture had evaporated significantly due to exposure to the solar storms.
Yet even his dry throat couldn't hide the excitement surging in his heart.
Moments ago, Sora had clearly witnessed a brief instability in the star wrapped around Afterglow. Even the corresponding star reflected here within the [Mirror World] had fluctuated slightly.
Though the fluctuation was incredibly subtle, it clearly indicated the star's energy was about to run dry.
This was an excellent opportunity!
After recovering enough, Sora climbed back to his feet. Suddenly, as if realizing something, he turned back to face Dragreder.
"Hey, by any chance…can you use a sword?"
...
Within the boundless expanse of space, Afterglow Swarm King continued vigilantly monitoring its surroundings.
Numerous extinguished stars lingered around it. Rather than abandoning them, it had intentionally kept these empty husks nearby.
Suddenly, its eyes snapped toward a particular patch of darkness nearby.
There, reflected stars glittered unusually brightly. From within that mirrored cosmos, a colossal crimson dragon suddenly unleashed a fiery sphere!
Attacking from such a close range—had they learned nothing from earlier?
Afterglow instantly released a temperature far greater than the incoming fireball, obliterating it.
But concealed directly behind that fiery sphere was Sora himself, burning fiercely in his [Extreme Survive] state!
Though the flames enveloping him paled compared to Afterglow's star-bright brilliance, even this seemingly insignificant figure charged directly toward Afterglow without hesitation.
[Foolish ant!]
I shall engrave this lesson upon your life!
BOOM!
Afterglow's body grew intensely brighter, unleashing a fierce storm radiating outward in every direction.
[Storm of Annihilation]!
A golden shockwave surged again, but this time noticeably weaker than before!
Dragreder plunged into the storm headlong, its body rapidly blackening into scorched char. Yet its charge successfully shielded Sora from facing the brunt of the storm's highest temperature.
Sora knew this was his sole chance—he had to seize the moment when Afterglow's star-energy was at its weakest.
He drew in a deep breath. His lungs felt like a blazing furnace, his heart hammering wildly like an overheated engine. Flames intensified, and Sora transformed into a burning meteor, hurtling straight at Afterglow.
[Did you truly think I wouldn't anticipate this?]
As the one absorbing the stars' energy, how could Afterglow be unaware its current source was nearly depleted?
It had purposefully feigned weakness to lure Sora into complacency!
Watching Sora rapidly approach, Afterglow opened its massive insectoid maw, firing off scorching energy spheres in rapid succession.
'[GUARD VENT!]'
A colossal armor resembling a dragon's underbelly instantly appeared, perfectly shielding Sora behind it.
Boom, boom, boom!
The blasts slammed into the shield, leaving Sora completely unharmed.
[But such a huge shield—can you even wield it properly?]
Compared to the enormous shield, Sora seemed as small as an ant.
How could an ant possibly control such a shield effectively?
Yet at that very moment, Sora swiftly drew another card:
'[ADVENT!]'
The massive Dragreder, as if drawn by an irresistible force, instantly appeared before Sora. Grasping the shield, it swung with crushing force, smashing directly onto Afterglow's head.
Clang!
Afterglow staggered, briefly stunned by the impact. Before it could recover, Dragreder swung again, slamming the shield down mercilessly.
[What is this? What the hell?!]
Afterglow was utterly bewildered by this sudden development.
Previously, Sora had always been the main attacker—why had the dragon suddenly taken over the offense now?
Yet its confusion remained unanswered. Dragreder simply vented its pent-up frustration from previous injuries, smashing the shield down again and again.
[Enough of this nonsense!]
After several consecutive blows, Afterglow finally regained its senses.
It unleashed a piercing shriek, golden patterns erupting violently from its body, unleashing an immense surge of energy.
Seeing this, Dragreder quickly raised the shield, successfully blocking most of the fierce blast. However, due to its elongated body, some sections inevitably suffered damage.
Dragreder roared in pain. Nevertheless, once the storm subsided, it promptly retaliated—launching fireballs while swinging the shield aggressively again.
Deprived of its stellar energy, Afterglow's strength was severely diminished. Yet it quickly realized something troubling.
While Dragreder held its attention, Sora had vanished from sight entirely!
Could it be—!
Its compound eyes frantically scanned around, quickly locating Sora.
That tiny figure was now quietly stealing the stars Afterglow had painstakingly collected, pulling them one by one into a mirrored space!
Sora had expended nearly all his compressed mirrors specifically for this goal.
Afterglow was far too challenging when empowered by stars.
Therefore, why not simply steal away its power source right from the start?
Realizing this, Afterglow's fury exploded!
Those were the spoils it had arduously gathered over countless days!
[You shameless thief!!]
It roared with rage, its fading golden brilliance flaring violently once again.
Whoosh!
A dazzlingly brilliant ray instantly shot toward Sora!
Realizing imminent danger, Sora hurriedly dodged away. Yet despite swiftly moving aside, the ray still grazed past him closely.
In that brief moment, Sora felt consciousness slipping rapidly away. His body, triggering its defense mechanisms, urged him to succumb to unconsciousness.
But at the last second, he bit down fiercely on his tongue!
Sharp pain and the metallic tang of blood surged instantly through his mind and throat, forcibly dragging his consciousness back.
"It actually worked…" Sora mumbled weakly, his speech slurred from injury.
Yet his body had grown heavy, numb, and nearly unresponsive. He could barely sense its condition.
His left arm had been charred black; although it was slowly regenerating, he could no longer move it.
Not just his left arm, but his entire left side.
Though the ray hadn't directly struck him, its extreme heat had inflicted unimaginable damage.
Healing such injuries would require extensive rest—rest he couldn't afford right now.
There simply wasn't time.
In this moment of crisis on the battlefield, he had absolutely no room for leisure.
Even in the distance, despite Afterglow's broken carapace, its body continued to glow more intensely than ever.
"If we survive this, I'll definitely teach you sword techniques," Sora murmured regretfully toward Dragreder.
But right now, he had to gamble—this battered body couldn't wait until the very end.
'[STRANGE VENT!]'
A flash of light briefly illuminated the card as it transformed—though Sora lacked the strength to clearly see it.
Acting purely on instinct, he pressed it down again.
'[TIME VENT!]'
At that exact instant, time came to a standstill.
A pitch-black hourglass appeared silently amidst the empty void of space, emitting an endless, swirling black mist that wrapped gently around Sora.