I walked toward him slowly.
Each step echoed faintly through the ruined underground laboratory while shattered debris crunched beneath my feet.
Purple mana flickered unstably around my body, distorting the surrounding space in faint ripples.
Johnny looked terrified.
Actually terrified.
The same man who had calmly toyed with us earlier was now stumbling backward with uneven breathing, blood dripping from his ruined arm while his gray eyes locked onto me like I was some kind of monster.
Honestly?
Fair.
“I suppose you know this is the end for you,” I said quietly, my voice laced with cold anger.
The laboratory trembled faintly from the unstable mana flooding the air between us.
Johnny’s expression twisted violently.
Then he moved.
“[Wind Cutter]!”
A massive crescent-shaped slash of compressed wind tore through the laboratory toward me fast enough to split the floor apart behind it.
I raised one hand lazily.
Space bent.
The slash curved unnaturally around me before flying harmlessly into the distance and obliterating another section of wall.
But then—
My instincts screamed.
I froze.
Johnny was grinning.
Not calm.
Not composed.
Insane.
And before I could react—
He stabbed something directly into his own chest.
Black fluid.
The same corrupted demon extract from the laboratory tanks.
‘…Oh shit.’
The System spoke instantly.
[Your luck is really good huh.]
‘Don’t test me.’
The black liquid spread through Johnny’s veins immediately.
Then his body started convulsing violently.
CRACK.
Bones snapped beneath his skin.
His muscles expanded grotesquely while black veins pulsed visibly across his entire body like living parasites.
His spine twisted unnaturally as dark mana exploded outward from him in unstable waves.
Johnny screamed.
Not human anymore.
Something wet and horrible echoed through the laboratory as his body enlarged further, black fluid pulsing beneath his skin like a second heartbeat.
I stared at him for a second.
Then sighed deeply.
I genuinely wanted to slap myself.
“Things can never be easy for me…”
Johnny’s transformation continued rapidly.
His right arm expanded grotesquely into something monstrous covered in blackened armor-like flesh while wind mana and demonic corruption fused together violently around him.
The pressure filling the laboratory skyrocketed instantly.
Every instinct in my body screamed danger.
‘System.’
[Yes, Host.]
‘What rank is he?’
There was a brief pause.
Then—
[He has entered B-Rank.]
“…Fantastic.”
The pressure crushing down on the laboratory became overwhelming.
The reinforced walls cracked.
The ceiling groaned.
Even space itself distorted faintly beneath the sheer mana pouring from Johnny’s transformed body.
His gray eyes were gone now.
Completely black.
The monster slowly lifted its head toward me.
Then smiled.
Wrong move.
[Title: The One Who Refused is reacting strongly to overwhelming opposition.]
Purple light exploded around my body instantly.
The pressure around me pushed back against Johnny’s corruption violently.
My grin widened despite the exhaustion clawing through every muscle in my body.
“Well,” I muttered while rolling my shoulder slowly, “let’s do this then.”
The monster vanished.
BOOOOM!!
The ground exploded beneath where it stood.
Fast.
No—
Absurdly fast.
‘Dude definitely broke the sound barrier.’
I barely managed to raise both arms before—
BANG!!
The punch slammed into me like a truck.
Pain exploded through my entire body as I got launched backward across the laboratory like a ragdoll before crashing through several shattered pillars.
The impact alone nearly knocked the air from my lungs.
“UGH—!”
I bounced across broken debris before skidding violently through shattered concrete.
Everything spun.
My arms trembled painfully.
Even after blocking, I could feel fractures spreading through parts of my body.
“Ugh,” I groaned while dragging myself upward slowly.
“That hurt like a bitch.”
Dust drifted through the ruined laboratory around me.
Then the monster charged again.
Johnny no longer moved like a human.
He moved like a beast.
Wild.
Savage.
Pure destruction.
The floor exploded behind him with every step while black wind spiraled around his enlarged body violently.
I narrowed my eyes.
‘[Blink].’
Space folded instantly.
Johnny’s claw-like arm tore through empty air where I’d been standing a fraction earlier before crashing into the wall behind me hard enough to vaporize it.
I reappeared above him immediately.
Purple mana compressed around my fist.
“[Stellar Impact]!”
BOOOOOM!!
My punch slammed into the side of Johnny’s face.
The impact shook the entire underground facility.
But—
He barely moved.
My eyes widened slightly.
“…Okay that’s annoying.”
Johnny snarled violently before backhanding me across the room.
BANG!!
I crashed through another wall and slammed into twisted metal hard enough to dent it inward.
Blood spilled from my mouth immediately.
The monster rushed me again without pause.
Fast.
Way too fast.
I teleported repeatedly as massive claws and compressed wind blasts tore apart everything around us.
The laboratory was collapsing now.
Entire sections of ceiling crashed downward while fires spread through shattered research rooms nearby.
And through all of it—
Johnny kept attacking.
No hesitation.
No strategy.
Just overwhelming power.
Honestly terrifying.
Meanwhile…
Far above the underground facility, beneath the night sky of a bustling city district, space suddenly distorted violently.
People walking through the streets froze instantly.
Then—
FLASH.
A group of injured children and a blood-covered silver-haired girl appeared directly in the middle of the street.
“What in the—?!”
Several pedestrians stumbled backward in shock.
Lyra collapsed to one knee immediately while the children cried weakly around her.
Her body trembled from blood loss.
“Amir?” she whispered weakly while looking around frantically.
Panic spread across her face.
“Amir?!”
The surrounding people immediately noticed the condition of the children.
Dark veins.
Burn marks.
Injuries.
Blood.
Fear spread quickly through the crowd.
“Hey—shouldn’t we call an ambulance?” a middle-aged man asked urgently.
“We should!
Someone call emergency services!”
People rushed forward immediately while others backed away nervously.
Sirens echoed faintly in the distance moments later.
Lyra tried forcing herself upward.
“No…” she muttered weakly while pushing against one of the approaching nurses.
“Please wait… there’s someone I have to save…”
The nurse gently grabbed her shoulder.
“Relax, young lady.
You’re badly injured.”
“No, you don’t understand!” Lyra’s voice cracked desperately.
“He stayed behind—he’s in danger!”
The nurse frowned with concern while helping stabilize one of the unconscious children nearby.
“But look at yourself,” she said softly.
“And look at these kids.
Don’t you think your friend would want you safe first?”
Lyra froze.
The words hit harder than expected.
Because she knew.
In just three days…
She already knew exactly what kind of idiot Amir was.
The kind who would burn himself alive if it meant protecting someone else.
Tears suddenly spilled down her face before she even realized she was crying.
She covered her mouth shakily.
Memories surfaced rapidly.
His dumb complaints.
His sarcastic comments.
The way he smiled during fights like a complete lunatic.
The way he protected the children without hesitation.
The thought that she might never hear any of it again—
Her chest hurt.
Then suddenly—
A woman stepped forward through the crowd.
Long dark clothing.
Scarf covering part of her face.
Sunglasses hiding her eyes despite the night.
But her presence—
Different.
Powerful.
“Where is he?” the woman asked calmly.
Lyra immediately looked up with desperate hope flashing through her tear-filled eyes.
“He’s in a slave house,” she said quickly.
“There was a laboratory hidden underneath it.
They were experimenting on children.”
The woman’s expression darkened slightly.
“We escaped…” Lyra continued shakily while looking toward the children receiving emergency treatment nearby.
“But he stayed behind to protect us.”
Her voice broke.
“Please save him.”
The woman tilted her head slightly.
“Can you point me toward the location?”
Lyra froze weakly.
“I…” Her expression twisted painfully.
“I don’t know where we are…”
The woman nodded calmly.
“Don’t worry,” she said softly.
“I’ll find him.
You have my word.”
Something about her voice felt… absolute.
Lyra’s tense body slowly relaxed.
Then exhaustion finally overtook her.
Her eyes closed instantly.
The woman gently caught her before she fully collapsed.
Then she stood.
And vanished.
The crowd gasped.
Because she didn’t run.
She flew.
BOOOOM!!
The air exploded behind her as she shot into the night sky faster than sound itself.
Her speed kept increasing.
Wind screamed around her body while her gaze locked toward a distant mana disturbance glowing across the horizon.
“Don’t die now, boy,” she muttered softly.
A small smile appeared beneath the scarf.
“You have a pretty girl waiting for you.”
Far below ground—
I crashed into another crater.
“…Aw man.”
Every part of my body hurt now.
Johnny stood several meters away from me in his grotesque transformed state while black corruption pulsed through his enlarged body violently.
The bastard was getting stronger.
Of course he was.
I slowly stood while wiping blood from my mouth.
Then an idea surfaced.
A terrible idea.
‘Hey, System.’
[…I already dislike that tone.]
‘How about I try “it” now?’
The System immediately reacted.
[Don’t you dare.]
I grinned weakly.
‘You worry too much.’
[You would not survive.]
‘Nah.’
Purple light slowly gathered into my palms.
‘Let’s try it.’
The monster immediately sensed danger.
Johnny roared violently before unleashing—
“[Cyclone Burst]!!”
A massive storm of compressed wind exploded toward me.
But the closer it got—
The slower it became.
Then it collapsed entirely.
Destroyed by the overwhelming pressure building in front of me.
Purple stellar energy condensed slowly between my hands.
Small at first.
Then larger.
Hotter.
Denser.
The surrounding space distorted violently around the growing sphere of star mana.
The temperature skyrocketed instantly.
Johnny hesitated.
For the first time since transforming—
Fear appeared again.
The monster attacked desperately.
Wind blades.
Compressed spears.
Explosive bursts.
None of them reached me.
Every attack got erased by the sheer pressure radiating from the growing star.
Purple light illuminated the collapsing underground facility.
The heat became unbearable.
Even I could feel my body breaking apart from the strain.
The System sounded horrified.
[Host STOP NOW.]
Too late.
Johnny finally realized it too.
And ran.
Actually ran.
I smiled weakly.
“Too late.”
The star in my hands had become massive now.
Unstable.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
I lifted my head slowly toward the fleeing monster.
Then whispered—
“[Dying Star].”
Silence.
For one brief moment—
Everything became silent.
Then—
KABOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Light swallowed everything.
The underground facility vaporized instantly.
The slave house above it disappeared in a single explosion of stellar destruction.
Buildings nearby shattered from the shockwave.
The ground itself collapsed inward as an enormous crater formed where the entire compound once stood.
Fire.
Ash.
Purple light.
And absolute destruction.
High above the city—
The flying woman saw the explosion instantly.
Her eyes widened slightly.
“…What in the world?”
Then she accelerated even faster toward the impact site.
Moments later she landed beside the massive crater.
Ash drifted silently through the air.
Everything nearby had been erased.
And standing alone at the center of the devastation—
Was a boy.
Blood-covered.
Burned.
Barely standing.
Purple mana flickered weakly around me.
Unstable.
Fading.
My knees almost gave out the moment the aftershock settled.
The world was silent.
Too silent.
No screams.
No wind.
No collapsing debris.
Just ash drifting slowly through the air like snow over a dead world.
“…Did it work?” I muttered hoarsely.
My voice barely came out.
My body felt like it didn’t belong to me anymore.
Every breath was a struggle.
Every heartbeat felt distant.
Then—
Footsteps.
Soft.
Controlled.
Someone was approaching.
I forced my head up slowly.
Through the smoke and ash—
A figure walked toward me.
A woman
She had flown in like a meteor.
Now she was on foot.
Calm.
Composed.
Completely unaffected by the devastation surrounding us.
Her gaze swept over the crater.
Over the erased facility.
Over the scorched ground where reality itself looked burned.
Then it landed on me.
“…You’re still conscious,” she said softly.
I tried to smirk.
It came out more like a cough.
“Barely… counts.”
She stopped a few meters away.
For the first time, her calm expression cracked slightly.
Not fear.
Not shock.
Recognition.
Like she was trying to understand something that didn’t fit inside her worldview.
“You did this,” she said quietly.
I exhaled shakily.
“Yeah… kind of.”
Silence stretched between us.
The ash kept falling.
Somewhere far above, sirens echoed faintly.
The city was waking up to the consequences.
The woman slowly stepped closer.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Who are you?”
I blinked slowly.
That was… a complicated question.
Right now?
I wasn’t even sure myself.
Then my body swayed.
My vision blurred.
And I felt gravity finally win.
The last thing I saw before collapsing—
Was her reaching out.
Elsewhere
Lyra jolted awake.
“Amir!”
She shot upright instantly in a hospital bed.
White room.
Medical equipment.
Soft lighting.
Her breathing was ragged.
Her heart hammering.
For a moment, panic took over everything.
Then—
She saw them.
The children.
Sleeping safely in nearby beds.
Alive.
Breathing.
Her shoulders trembled as relief hit her like a wave.
But then—
Her eyes widened.
Because she noticed something else.
Outside the window.
Far in the distance—
A faint purple glow disappeared into the night sky.
And her chest tightened again.
“…Idiot,” she whispered.
But it wasn’t anger.
I woke up again.
Pain greeted me immediately.
Like it had been waiting.
“…Seriously?” I groaned.
My voice was weaker than before.
I tried to move.
Bad idea.
Every muscle screamed in protest.
I was definitely somewhere else now.
Soft bed.
Warm room.
Not the crater anymore.
The ceiling above me was wooden.
Not stone.
Not destroyed lab metal.
Someone had moved me.
Again.
‘System…’
[Yes.]
‘Please tell me I didn’t pass out again.’
[…]
That silence was answer enough.
I sighed.
“Of course I did.”
The door creaked open.
Footsteps entered.
I turned my head slightly.
The woman from before walked in again.
Still calm.
Still unreadable.
Now i saw her clearly.
She had ash colored hair and tempting silver eyes.
She was dressed in an all black suit with pants that accentuated her curves.
‘Well damn’
She carried a cup of something in one hand.
She stopped beside the bed.
“You’re awake,” she said.
“…Unfortunately.”
She ignored that and placed the cup on a small table nearby.
“You’ve been unconscious for twelve hours.”
I blinked slowly.
“Feels shorter.”
“You also almost died three separate times in that period.”
“That feels accurate.”
She studied me for a moment.
Then spoke again.
“That attack you used.”
I stayed silent.
She continued.
“It erased a fortified underground complex.
Reinforced with anti-mana alloys.
Designed to withstand B-rank suppression.”
“…Okay.”
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
“And you are telling me that was not your full capacity.”
I stared at the ceiling.
“Yeah.”
Silence.
That one landed.
Even she didn’t respond immediately.
Then she exhaled slowly.
“…You are a problem.”
I smiled faintly.
“You’re not the first person to say that.”
The door opened again.
Lyra rushed in.
“Amir!”
She stopped abruptly when she saw I was awake.
Then visibly slowed down.
Like she was afraid I might break.
Which was fair honestly.
She walked closer carefully.
“You idiot,” she said quietly.
“…Hello to you too.”
She didn’t yell this time.
Didn’t hit me.
Just stood there.
Her hands clenched slightly at her sides.
“…You scared me.”
That was it.
Simple.
Quiet.
But heavier than anything else she had said before.
I blinked.
Then looked away slightly.
“Sorry.”
She didn’t respond immediately.
Then sighed.
“…Don’t do that again.”
“I’ll try.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
“Not my strongest skill.”
The woman standing nearby cleared her throat lightly.
“I will leave you two to your emotional damage.”
“Wait—what?” I said instantly.
But she was already walking out.
Door closing behind her.
Lyra sat down beside the bed slowly.
Quiet again.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then she finally said—
“…That thing you used at the end.”
I hesitated.
“Yeah?”
Her eyes lowered slightly.
“That wasn’t normal magic.”
“No.”
Silence.
Then softer—
“…It was terrifying.”
I stared at the ceiling again.
“Yeah.”
Another pause.
Then she added quietly—
“But you still came back.”
I didn’t answer that.
Because I didn’t really have one.
Instead, I just closed my eyes for a moment.
The System flickered faintly in my mind.
[You are progressing faster than expected.]
‘Is that good or bad?’
[…]
“…That bad huh.”
Outside the window—
Somewhere far beyond the city lights—
Something watched the aftermath.
And for the first time since everything began—
It was interested.
I genuinely thought yesterday was Friday