The ground had already begun melting into molten lava—and the damn star hadn't even touched down yet.
And yet, despite it all, he raised a barrier.
Oh?
Such resilience.
But let's be realistic—can it withstand about 40% of my power at once?
Let's watch and see.
Oh, and of course, I put up a barrier. Wouldn't want to die from my own attack. That'd be embarrassing.
And then—
KAAAAAABBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!
The star kissed the earth—
And the entire continent screamed in response.
A monstrous detonation erupted—a force so absolute it ripped the clouds in the heavens apart.
The shockwave howled, expanding outward like a tidal wave of destruction, then retracting—then expanding again.
It was not just fire.
It was not just magic.
It was an unholy convergence—
Magic power. Pestilences. Fire. Shockwaves. Miasma.
Everything collided in a maelstrom of annihilation.
For one solid mile, life ceased to exist immediately.
The earth blackened, cracked, and wept for the untold fallen.
The very air turned into a poisoned wasteland, thick with lingering curses that would NEVER fade.
This land—
This graveyard of destruction?
Would never sustain life again.
Apologies to anything that had the misfortune of existing within that radius.
Victims of circumstance—(me).
I and my pack found ourselves 500 meters deep in a newly formed underground crater, like we'd just punched a hole into the planet's crust.
Wow… It's warm in here…
(Platform, we reformed the topography.)
{It would have been far more destructive if you weren't so stingy with your magic.}
…Platform sounded pouty.
Was she perhaps genocidal?
Because honestly, if I had used—let's say—80% of my magic…
I don't even want to think about that. I'll be hounded by heavenly beings.
I turned my gaze to the devil.
And—
Wow.
This man is tough, people.
He was reduced to a charred sculpture, his entire form blackened and cracked like a piece of burnt driftwood.
And yet—
He was still alive.
…But butt naked. Pfft.
His wide, vacant eyes and gaping mouth spoke volumes. He stared at the destruction, drinking in the masterpiece I had created with my own hands.
'Ah. Idiot. You're open.'
Casually, I flicked my wrist, summoning another streak of black water—a gift, to be honest.
He had nothing left to defend himself with.
It hit home—right at the side of his half-fried skull.
Then he fell.
And there it was.
The mouth-forming thing I was looking for. Oddly satisfying.
So devils do get sick, huh? Fascinating. A very nice documentary.
The way he twitched and thrashed violently on the ground—
Somewhat comical…
...You know—
I'm starting to feel like a bit of a jerk here.
But let's just assume—for morality's sake—that this devil was up to no good, and by eliminating him, I just saved countless lives.
Yes. That works.
I feel so much better about the brutality I just committed now.
(Who… No, what are you…?)
His voice echoed directly into my mind, weak, strained, desperate.
And then—
His body whitened.
And collapsed.
Into a putrid murky goo being drunk by the scorched, blackened earth.
7000 diseases and curses? No joke.
But considering how absurdly strong he was, I'd say only 500 curses actually managed to put him down.
Still—he asked me.
Who am I?
Hehehe.
I'm Ruben, the Dark Fenrir—
{Gullible Fenrir?}
How dare you!
(I knew you messed with my stats, Platform! Confess now!)
My gaze shifted to the spot where our fleshy breakfast had once been.
Awww.
I burned him into nothingness.
Too bad.
I couldn't even sense a trace of his soul.
Wait…
I hope Mr. Owl-headed devil didn't lose his soul from that attack too?!
To be honest—
I don't feel any remorse about it.
If anything—
I feel more remorse for the poor reptile that died without entering my stomach than I do for him.
Sadly.
As for [Falling Star], it's never seeing the light of day again.
Unless—of course—I optimize it.
Maybe reduce its range.
But how many tries would that take?
How many more attempts before I get it just right?
At that rate—
Pison might not exist anymore.
At least, all the summons got to flex.
Tamayo, though—
She was staring at me.
And… was sort of acting flustered, for some reason.
Hoohhhh? Has she finally fell in love with my charms?
Heh, that arrogant Fox? I wish.
It seemed like everyone had enjoyed the show, though.
Except me.
And Owl-head.
And the reptile.
And everyone who had been misfortunate enough to be within a mile of the blast radius.
They had all gathered behind Levi—The only one (besides Tamayo) who could defend against that nuclear strike.
Alicia was blushing too—
Like her husband just won a grand prize or something.
Brutality.
That's what happened here.
And these guys?
They're almost in tears from awe.
Even Levi was nodding in satisfaction. When I was struggling with the morality of my actions a while ago?
I'm surrounded by maniacs.
With the entire mile-wide zone turned into a hollowed wasteland, it was safe to assume the curses and poison had spread far beyond that.
Anyone within 3 to 4 miles—without the gall to withstand this—had definitely fled by now—
Unless they were suicidal.
So.
No more fleshy breakfast.
Instead—
We'd be enjoying the fruits of Coastelle.
Not that most of us needed to eat, anyway.
Worldly excess, if you ask me.
Maybe I'll try to renovate the fruits.
Roast a few?
Experiment a little?
A while ago, I spotted some vegetables and something that looked like corn in Coastelle.
Except—
They had eyes.
And mouths.
And they were—shouting.
"Mister! Eat me! Eat me!"
"No, Sir, I'm delicious, eat me!"
"I taste like paradise smeared on bliss, with a sprinkle of rapture. I swear!"
I didn't even know what that last one meant. And I just felt like I was strolling in a brothel.
Anyhow, we'd eat first.
Then, we'd begin our journey to the human residence Levi mentioned.
*
At Gihon, the edge of the world, moments after Ruben and Alicia had fled, Pluto exhaled, slumping lazily on his dark, skull-embroidered throne.
"Haaahhh. That felt good." He breathed in relief. "It's not every day you find a ridiculous wolf willing to work for free and put your mind at ease."
Then, a presence emerged.
Fast. Inhumanly fast. But not even the wind stirred as he came to an abrupt stop.
Pluto lazily rolled his moon-gazer eyes downward.
A man. Middle-aged. Slightly wrinkled. A face hardened by war.
And those sharp blue eyes… filled with restrained fury.
"So… it was you?" Pluto leaned forward slightly, propping his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together.
"Bond Blonde… the 7th Mortal Power." His crescent-moon smile deepened. "To what do I owe this visit?"
Bond's gaze swept the expanse before returning to Pluto, unwavering.
Then, a single question:
"Where is that thieving mutt… and my daughter?"