As the crimson fireball screamed towards the earth, the air seemed to solidify. Time stretched into infinity. Every sense was dulled, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of impending doom.
Then, the light bloomed.
A blinding flash, followed by a screech that tore through the silence.
BOOM!!!
The earth groaned under the impact of a celestial hammer. A despairing wail resonated in the souls of everyone present.
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
Following closely behind was the shockwave—a visible wall of distorted air, shattered rock, and uprooted forest, expanding at supersonic speeds. It pulverized everything in its path.
"Oh my God! Rollin! You are literally my god!"
"You should have told me you could summon meteors to delete a city!"
Madison's jaw was unhinged, wide enough to fit an egg.
"Correction. It's just a small town's worth of damage. A Chinese small town," Rollin corrected humbly.
Tommy scrambled on all fours towards the reinforced cellar, screaming over his shoulder. "Why are you still standing there?! The shockwave is coming!"
Madison didn't move. Maria, who wanted to run, stayed put because Rollin hadn't moved.
Nearby, Yulenka and Jennifer were knocked down by the initial tremor. Jennifer landed heavily on her hip, letting out a pitiful cry. Yulenka, cushioned by her mother's embrace, was unhurt but stared blankly at the rising firestorm.
Her mind replayed Madison's words.
This meteor... HE summoned it?
They were over ten miles from ground zero. But ten miles wasn't enough. Not when supersonic debris could turn a human body into Swiss cheese.
Rollin waved his hand.
A ten-meter-tall Geo-Pillar erupted from the ground. Simultaneously, Rollin, Madison, and Maria were enveloped in translucent amber Jade Shields.
The shields couldn't survive ground zero of a nuclear blast. But against a shockwave dampened by ten miles of forest? They were impenetrable.
"Hey buddy! I mean, Big Brother! Can I get a shield too?"
Tommy poked his head out of the cellar, his "veteran soldier" pride completely gone.
Rollin shook his head. "Sorry. I can't. You're not in my party. The shield only works on people who trust me completely."
Tommy looked suspicious. He's lying. But then he saw the mother and daughter exposed on the ground and hesitated. Maybe it's true? He ducked back into the cellar and slammed the door.
Outside, Yulenka struggled to help her pale mother up.
Jennifer's white dress was torn at the hem. Yulenka "helpfully" ripped the tattered fabric away, exposing flawless, porcelain calves and a glimpse of thigh.
Jennifer bit her red lip, looking at Rollin with teary, fearful eyes. She didn't speak, but her posture screamed vulnerability.
"Handsome Big Brother... can you save us?"
Yulenka blinked her large, innocent eyes, looking pitifully at Rollin.
Madison scoffed. She glanced at the approaching shockwave, then at the mother. She recognized the archetype instantly: Jennifer was a living blow-up doll. Fun to play with, zero threat.
Rollin had intended to tell them to hide in the cellar. He wasn't interested in "second-hand goods." If he wanted a mature woman, he could train one himself.
But Yulenka seemed to read his mind. She lowered her head, her voice becoming weak and desperate.
"Big Brother, please. I don't care if I die. But my mother... Jennifer is so pitiful."
"She adopted me. She worked three jobs to raise me. She never had a life of her own."
"I don't want her to die in a meteor strike without ever experiencing... happiness."
As Yulenka spoke, Jennifer's eyes dimmed on cue, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. She leaned against her daughter, looking faint.
Maria's heart melted. "Rollin... can we help them? They're so sad."
Yulenka pursed her lips. "Thank you, beautiful sister. But if Big Brother can't do it, it's okay. We understand."
"But Big Brother..."
Yulenka looked Rollin in the eye with terrifying intensity. "If we survive... I hope we can become teammates you trust."
"I'm dying anyway. Doctors say I won't live past eighteen."
"I just want to see my mother safe with a reliable man before I go."
Rollin had to admit, the girl was good. She hit every protective instinct button a man had. And Jennifer... looking at her trembling form, waiting to be plucked, ignited a darker, possessive urge.
Madison's eyes narrowed. She didn't care about the mother, but the girl... This kid is a monster. A threat.
Maria, oblivious to the manipulation, looked at Rollin expectantly.
"Fine. Hide in the gas station."
Rollin shook his head. He faced the oncoming wall of destruction and made a specific hand seal.
"Triple Rashomon!"
RUMBLE—!
The ground tore open. Spiderweb cracks spread for hundreds of meters. Three pillars of purple, sulfurous mist erupted into the sky.
Three gargantuan demonic gates rose from the abyss, each hundreds of meters high, dwarfing the landscape. They were thick, menacing, and radiated an aura of absolute defense.
Orochimaru's Ultimate Defense.
Rollin had swapped his skills again, equipping [Brilliance Aura] to regenerate mana just enough to cast this. It was overkill for a shockwave, but he needed to look cool.
BOOM!
The shockwave slammed into the First Gate.
The air compressed, groaning under the strain. The impact was visible—a ripple in reality. The First Gate held for a second, then shattered under the pressure.
But the energy was spent. It crashed into the Second Gate and fizzled out, barely shaking the iron frame.
The rest of the shockwave flowed around the gates, continuing to ravage the forest behind them, annihilating millions of trees and unsuspecting wildlife.
Behind the safety of the gates, silence returned.
Yulenka stared at Rollin. Her eyes were shining.
So handsome. So strong. So... alpha.
She had only wanted a caretaker for her mother. But now? Rollin had violently expanded her horizons.
Maybe... after today... no other man will ever be good enough.
Jennifer, influenced by her daughter or simply overwhelmed by testosterone, looked at Rollin with eyes that dripped with surrender.
Madison relaxed. Whatever. The kid is ten. The mom is a toy. I win.
"Is Jason dead?" she asked.
Is Jason dead?
Rollin waited.
[System Alert: Anomaly Target 'Jason Voorhees' Eliminated.]
[Data Recording...]
[Success. Reward: +3000 Anomaly Points.]
[Map Editor Upgraded to Version 1.9.]
[Current Anomaly Points: 900/1000.]
(Note: Tommy Jarvis +200 points collected retroactively).
(Note: Base Jason = 300 pts. Uber-Jason = 3000 pts).