Suddenly, the ground beneath Cosmic trembled.
Without warning, a strange creature lunged at him from the side. It had the body of a horse, the head of a chicken, and the long powerful legs of an ostrich. Its feathers were dark green and sharp like blades, and its eyes were glowing bright yellow.
It screeched loudly as it aimed straight for Cosmic's throat.
However, Cosmic easily dodged and slashed the creature.
However, the creature wasn't even scratched. In fact, it didn't even look like it had been touched.
"W-What?" Cosmic said in extreme shock. Throughout his years of being a Light of Justice, nothing had ever been unscathed by one of his attacks.
The creature suddenly rushed at him again, its claws tearing through the ground as it tried to bite his head off. Cosmic twisted his body at the last second, narrowly avoiding the attack as the creature's beak shattered a massive tree behind him.
Cosmic's eyes hardened.
"Slash of the Cosmos."
In an instant, a crescent-shaped wave of condensed cosmic energy erupted from his blade, splitting the air itself as it struck the creature. This time, the attack sliced clean through its body. The creature froze mid-screech before being split perfectly in half. Both halves collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud.
"To think a mere creature made me use my skill…" Cosmic said, breathing heavily.
Meanwhile, Ren was watching everything calmly.
His eyes shifted slightly toward the boiling ocean in the distance.
This planet seems far more dangerous than Lucius told me, Ren thought.Wait… is he trying to kill me too? Is he trying to kill all of the Lights of Justice and me so he can finally wipe out every hero and take control of the world?
Ren had finally realized Lucius's possible plan.
But strangely, he didn't look surprised.
He had somewhat expected it.
"The creature you killed was one of the low-level ones," Ren said calmly.
"W-What?!" Cosmic replied in disbelief.
"Anyway, this planet is too dangerous. We should leave immediately," Ren said as he turned toward the spaceship.
But before anyone could take even three steps—
The ocean exploded.
A shadow swallowed the land.
A ginormous leviathan rose from the boiling waters and, in a single horrifying motion, swallowed the spaceship whole before diving back beneath the surface.
The shadow it created was so massive that it felt like night had fallen.
The leviathan itself was at least ten times larger than the spaceship — and that ship was the size of a city.
"…Huh?" Ren froze in place.
The Lights of Justice froze too.
Even Anthony didn't joke.
"Interesting, Lucius," Ren muttered, half-smiling. "But this planet isn't enough to kill me."
"What do we do now? Our only means of escape is gone," Leo said, unusually calm despite the situation.
Anthony ran a hand through his hair. "That thing just ate a city-sized spaceship…"
"I have an idea on how we can escape," Ren said slowly. "But before that, it would be better to find somewhere safe."
"Do we have to go into the forest?" Rose asked, clearly annoyed.
"Unfortunately, yes."
They moved deeper into the forest.
The trees were enormous, their branches blocking out most of the strange violet sky. The deeper they went, the darker it became. Strange glowing insects buzzed past them, some the size of dogs. Plants shifted unnaturally as if breathing.
Every step felt watched.
"Do you think we should trust that guy?" Anthony whispered into Cosmic's ear.
"We have no other choice," Cosmic replied quietly.
The air suddenly grew heavier.
A vine shot forward from the ground, wrapping around Ren's leg with lightning speed. In less than a second, dozens more vines burst out from the soil, aiming for his arms, throat, and torso. The plant-like creature revealed itself — a massive carnivorous organism with a gaping mouth hidden within its petals.
Before anyone could react, Ren simply extended his palm toward it.
Suddenly, the plant-like creature was violently launched into the distance, ripped from the ground as if an invisible force had seized it. The earth beneath it cracked from the sudden pressure shift, and a powerful gust of wind exploded outward from Ren's position, bending trees and forcing everyone to shield their eyes. The creature shrieked as it was hurled through the forest canopy, smashing through layers of branches before disappearing completely from sight.
Silence followed.
The only sound left was the faint rustling of leaves slowly settling back into place.
"W-What did you do?" Anthony asked, astonished and impressed, staring at Ren as if seeing him for the first time.
Ren lowered his hand calmly.
"I suppose this is a good time to explain my power," he said in a composed tone. "I possess the ability known as Gravity Manipulation. I can increase or decrease the force of gravity and alter its direction on a specific target."
The group stared at him.
Leo's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses. "You changed the gravitational direction on the creature… and amplified the force pushing it away."
"Correct," Ren replied.
Rose blinked. "So you didn't blast it. You made the planet throw it."
Cosmic observed Ren carefully, clearly analyzing the implications.
Adrian felt a chill. That meant Ren could pin someone to the ground with unbearable weight… or send them flying into the sky with no control.
"No wonder you said you could defeat all five of us combined," Leo said quietly, almost relieved. Having someone like that on their side felt reassuring.
…Or was he?
Ren's expression didn't change.
"Let us move. Standing still will only attract more attention."
They continued deeper into the forest.
This time, no one underestimated their surroundings. The ground felt unstable in certain areas, as if gravity itself was slightly distorted. Massive insects crawled across tree trunks. Strange spores floated through the air, glowing faintly before dissolving.
Anthony kept glancing at Ren.
"So… could you crush someone instantly?" he asked casually.
"Yes."
"Could you make them float helplessly?"
"Yes."
Anthony smirked nervously. "Good thing you're on our side."
Ren didn't respond.
After walking for quite some time, they finally found a cave partially hidden behind layers of thick vines and twisted roots. The entrance was narrow, barely wide enough for two people to walk through at once, but once inside, it opened into a large hollow chamber.
The air inside was cooler.
Dry.
Stable.
Unlike the chaotic forest outside, this place felt almost… neutral.
They stepped in cautiously. Leo quickly scanned the area for movement. Cosmic checked the ceiling for instability. Rose lit up a small glow in her palm to illuminate the darker corners.
"No immediate threats," Leo confirmed.
"Good," Anthony muttered, immediately sitting down against the wall.
They all slowly relaxed.
Adrian leaned against a rock formation, exhaling deeply. The events since landing had happened too fast. The leviathan. The evolving creatures. Ren's overwhelming ability.
Rose sat down with a quiet sigh. "This planet is insane."
Cosmic closed his eyes briefly, conserving energy and calming his breathing.
Ren stood near the entrance for a moment longer, watching the forest outside before finally stepping inside as well.
For the first time since arriving on the planet, they allowed themselves to rest.
But no one truly felt safe.