Chapter 127: A Dramatic Escape

My vision blurred.
A ringing noise echoed through my ears.
My body ached all over.

‘Get a grip.’

I barely managed to shake myself awake.
The moment my eyes opened, I felt a heavy weight pressing down on me.
I hastily lifted my arms and pushed whatever was crushing my body.

Clang—

Fragments of the shattered sky tumbled down.
The sky was broken, like shattered glass.
As I shook my head from side to side, my vision gradually returned.

Thankfully, my body was fine.
Thanks to my steel body, I could withstand most impacts without injury.
But it was a different story for the others.

I quickly scanned my surroundings.
Before long, I spotted Grantoni, whom I had shielded beneath me.
I hurriedly brushed away the fragments of the sky and slung Grantoni over my shoulder.

“Sharin! Eve! Vinesha!”

I called out the names of the three beneath the broken sky.
But there was no sign of them anywhere.

All three of them were skilled.
I didn’t think anything could have gone terribly wrong.
Even so, when the sky collapsed, it seemed they were swept away and carried far from here.

Boom—

Just then, an ominous presence stirred from beyond the cracks of the shattered sky.
I looked up and saw a massive eye staring back at me.

A Monstrosity.

The moment it locked eyes with me, the Monstrosity thrust its hand through the rift in the sky.

Rumble!

It was after Grantoni once again.
With no other choice, I bolted at full speed, carrying Grantoni on my back.
Even as I sprinted with all my might, the Monstrosity relentlessly pursued me.

In the end, I had no choice but to raise my ring toward the sky once more.

The fourth time.

Come forth, Lightning Magnet.

Crack!

Lightning surged down from the sky, striking the Monstrosity’s hand directly.
Its massive hand, charred white, momentarily froze.

But this Monstrosity had endured the Lightning Magnet’s wrath multiple times already.
It had no intention of stopping with just its hand.

Thud, thud, thud!

Suddenly, the sound of countless footsteps echoed behind me.
I turned to see a swarm of ghosts, sprinting after me at full speed.
They were possessed by the Monstrosity’s power, pursuing me with a crazed fervor.

They were relentless.
If Eve, who was terrified of ghosts, had seen this, she would have fainted in fear.

The Monstrosity alone was a problem, but now I had these ghosts to deal with as well. It was driving me insane.

Clack—

At that moment, I heard the grinding sound of Grantoni’s teeth.
Hearing it, my eyes widened.

That wasn’t the sound of me running.
It was a sign that Grantoni was wandering, searching for its true form.

If it got lost here, it would stray even further away.
I couldn’t miss this opportunity.

However, without Eve’s Azure Flame, Grantoni would never return.
Finding one’s way in an endless sea without a lighthouse was impossible.
At this rate, Grantoni would fail to find its way and ultimately be devoured by the Monstrosity.
If that happened, the world would meet its end.

I needed to find Eve immediately.

But I had no idea how far she had been swept away when the sky collapsed.
There was no telling when I might find her, and I couldn’t afford to leave Grantoni unattended.

I bit my lip tightly.

In that case, there was only one option left.

‘I’ll be the lighthouse myself.’

The Flame Dragon’s magic mark, engraved on my body, slowly began to awaken.
A scorching heat radiated from every inch of me.

The Flame Dragon’s magic mark was a spell I had mastered to suppress the remnants of the Elder Dragon.
I had never used it on its own before.

But even the Flame Dragon’s mark alone wouldn’t be enough to replace the lighthouse.

So I would add one more element.

The synergy of mystery and magic.

My steel body began to react to the Flame Dragon’s magic.
An explosive wave of heat surged from within me.
Scales started to sprout across my face.

I focused all the heat inward to ensure it wouldn’t affect Grantoni’s body.
I was the lighthouse.
There was no need to unleash the flames outward.

At that moment, another force began to respond.

The day I received the Elder Dragon’s remnant from Nikita—
A fragment of the Flame’s Will had settled deep within me.

That remnant of the Flame’s Will reacted to the Flame Dragon’s magic inside me, creating an unexpected synergy.
The flame within me swelled uncontrollably.

But that was a good thing.

The brighter the lighthouse, the clearer Grantoni would see it.

“Grantoni!”

Engulfed in flames, I called out to Grantoni.

“I know a world without Musica is meaningless to you!”

Grantoni’s world had ended the day Musica and his master died.
But I didn’t want Grantoni’s life to end like this.

“You have to live!”

A hollow life, stripped of everything.
My life could never compare to Grantoni’s loss, but even so, I knew living was still better.

“Isn’t it too unfair to die like this? Your master and Musica wouldn’t want you to end it like this!”

That’s why I wanted Grantoni to return.

Musica and his master, the ones Grantoni cherished, would undoubtedly say the same.

And I knew it.

In the game, on the day Grantoni faced Musica once more—
He had turned back on his own.

Grantoni’s body began to tremble even more violently.
It was proof that he was finding his way here.

Fwoosh!

Then, in the distance, a fierce blue flame shot up.
My eyes widened in surprise.

It was Eve.

Eve was there.

‘Is Vinesha with her?’

I couldn’t be sure.

But if Vinesha was there, she would undoubtedly be able to persuade Grantoni.
After all, she was the only one who could bring Musica back.

At that moment, Grantoni’s reaction grew intense.
I immediately understood what it meant.

‘You did it.’

The flames within me flared even more fiercely.
The efforts of everyone converged into a single radiant light.
A glow, carrying the will of all, began to spread before my eyes.

Then, I felt another wave of warmth — a flame that radiated a comforting, nostalgic heat.
My gaze instinctively shifted toward it.

Kwagagagagang!

Once again, the sky I was running beneath began to collapse.
That cursed Monstrosity kept tearing the sky apart.
I swear, I’d rather stand above it and crush it myself.

Whoosh!

Just then, a gust of wind swept through.
When I lifted my head, I saw a girl with dark blue hair flowing wildly in the wind.

In her eyes, a galaxy shimmered, glowing with fierce determination.
She pointed her staff toward the crumbling sky.
A tremendous surge of mana roared around her.

Sharin Sazaris.

She was here.

“I’ve gotten used to it now.”

Her clothes were torn and tattered from the chaos, but she stood tall, unwavering.

“I can unleash my full power.”

With those words, magic erupted from Sharin’s staff.
A burst of iridescent light bared its fangs at the sky.

Kwagagagagagak!

The radiant light exploded, swallowing everything in its path.
The brilliance was so intense that I had to squeeze my eyes shut, overwhelmed.

When I opened them again, I saw Sharin being swept along by the storm of magic.
Her staff, now shattered, crumbled away into nothingness.

The sky, once breaking apart, had cleared — revealing the world beyond.

A once-in-a-millennium genius.
Her magic was powerful enough to reach even the Monstrosity.

As expected, she was the strongest force I could ever rely on.
Even that unpredictable girl had pulled off something extraordinary today.

Without wasting time, Sharin turned her focus on the vengeful spirits chasing me.
Each time she cast her magic, the remains of her staff vanished, but she didn’t hold back.

Amid the streams of radiant light, Grantoni’s trembling intensified.
He was almost here.

He was following the lighthouse, struggling through the final stretch.

I raised my hand toward the sky.
This would be the last one.

Come forth, Lightning Magnet!

A white flash of lightning roared down upon me.

———- ———- ———- ——-!

Grantoni was caught in the strike as well, but I could only hope he endured it.

The lightning spread across my body, triggering one of my magic inscription.

Magic Inscription・Lightning Catcher