Myles would not have made that decision if he did not understand his own team’s limits. He knew they had trained their Ether circulation far beyond most awakened fighters.
They could reinforce their skin, their muscles, even their internal organs against extre conditions for a short period. That control was the only reason he dared to charge into a crater that felt like the mouth of a volcano.
Without that advantage, he would not have risked it. He was aggressive, but not suicidal.
He led the descent.
Heat wrapped around him instantly, pressing against his reinforced skin. His sweat evaporated the mont it ford. The air burned his lungs even through controlled breathing.
He felt the strain imdiately even with the reinforced Ether. They could endure this, but not for long.
Victor and the others felt it too. Myles did not need to look back to know.
Victor’s and the other’s Ether flares flickered tighter, more condensed, focused entirely on defense.
But they couldn’t stop. They could not waste this change!
The monster was still half-risen when Myles reached it. Cracks across its armor glowed bright orange, unstable and exposed. He did not hesitate. He moved in as fast as he could.
His short sword drove forward first.
The blade pierced through one of the fractured plates along the creature’s rib area. Resistance of condensed fire t the black steel, then gave way with a grinding snap.
At the sa ti, his curved dagger slashed upward from the opposite side, carving through another weakened seam near its abdon.
Both blades sank deep.
"GRAAAH!"
A roar exploded from the monster’s throat. It was not just pain, but also fury.
Myles twisted both of his weapons to widen the damage, but the creature did not collapse as quickly as he wanted. Flas surged around its body in violent pulses. It was weakened but far from death.
"Just fucking die already!" Myles muttered through clenched teeth.
The monster’s arm slamd into his chest.
The impact forced him backward several steps. His feet grinding against cracked stone.
Before he could reengage, the creature shoved itself upright. As it rose, thick orange liquid spilled from the wounds Myles created.
It flowed like molten lava, hissing as it touched the ground as if that substance was its blood.
Victor arrived next near the monster, his cleaver wide blade flashing as he slashed across the monster’s body.
George followed with a heavy overhead swing of his hamr, crushing into its shoulder joint.
CRACK!
Clara moved next. She thrusts her spear into another glowing fracture.
Kade arrives next and repeatedly punches with his glowing orange gauntlets with raw killing intent that bordered on madness.
Steel and Ether struck from every direction.
The monster staggered under the coordinated assault. Eventually one of its arms was severed. Then its leg partially cut before George shattered it completely with a second blow.
Its balance failed. Its torso split and cracked further under combined strikes.
"GRAAAHHHH!!!"
But sohow it could still roar.
Clara stepped in as the opening revealed itself.
Cold Ether surged along her frost spear. She drove it forward with both hands, straight through the creature’s skull.
Ice burst outward from the impact point, spreading rapidly through the cracks in its burning armor.
The roar cut off.
The flas flickered violently, then shattered into fragnts of fading embers.
The monster’s body went still and finally its massive body finally collapsed completely, crashing onto the burning ground with a heavy thud.
The mont it fell, the oppressive heat that had blanketed the crater began to fade. The burning air cooled rapidly and flas shrinking into scattered embers before dying out altogether. The suffocating pressure lifted from their lungs.
Myles stood still for a second while breathing hard.
The Ether reinforcent around his body dissolved gradually. Without it, the damage beca clearer. Small blisters covered parts of his arms and neck. The edges of his clothes were scorched black, thin smoke still rising from the fabric.
Around him, Victor rolled his shoulder and winced, Daniel checked the burns on his forearm, and George exhaled loudly while inspecting a charred patch on his sleeve. Clara’s armor had darkened in places, and Kade’s gauntlets still glowed faintly from residual heat.
They looked rough. But they were alive.
Then translucent panels of the System notifications materialized before their eyes.
Even Michael and his group, who had only provided support and containnt from a distance, saw the sa window appear in their vision.
[You have successfully defeated a Rank B – Mutated Soul, Blazing Guardian]
A wave of relief passed through the entire battlefield. The confirmation erased the last trace of uncertainty. That monster was truly dead.
Sowhere behind them, mbers of Michael’s camp let out restrained cheers.
Above the building, Ethan lowered his pistols. Samantha allowed herself to sit down on the rooftop edge. Exhaustion finally catching up to her. Hana clasped her hands together with visible relief.
In the crater, Myles glanced at the notification without celebrating. His breathing slowly stabilized. Beside him, Victor let out a long breath and gave a short nod, as if acknowledging that they had crossed another threshold.
Additional lines began appearing under the first notification, detailing individual EXP gains. Everyone who had participated received the EXP, however, the numbers varied depending on contribution.
Michael saw his own reward appear. It was not small.
But as he looked toward Myles and his team standing at the center of the crater, covered in burns and soot, he felt sothing heavy in his chest.
He had contributed, but not decisively. He had commanded, coordinated, and assisted. Yet when the mont ca to dive into the furnace and end it, it was not him.
It felt wrong for him sohow. Like he had stood behind others and benefited from their risk.
A faint crease ford between his brows. He did not like the feeling of leeching off soone else’s strength.
Not everyone shared that discomfort, though.
Darius stared at his notification with open satisfaction. Rafe smirked quietly, already calculating what the EXP gain ant for his next level. Selene crossed her arms with a clear relief, her eyes gleaming faintly.
For them, this outco was efficient and good. Strong allies did the heaviest fighting and they gained rewards regardless.
From their perspective, this was simply smart positioning.
But Michael’s gaze remained on Myles. He was so strong and he needed to know how.
—
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