A crimson beam shot straight into the sky like a pillar holding up the heavens.
Below it, a gigantic black vortex devoured everything in its path.
The space around it trembled violently.
Red lightning crawled across the ground like cracks splitting the world apart.
The corpses of the Eva Spawn began floating into the air like weightless balloons.
Kai stood in the middle of it all, his limbs trembling.
He slammed his sword into the ground to keep himself from falling.
No way...
Kai stared toward the cocoon.
Pieces of flesh and severed limbs from the Eva Spawn they had defeated earlier were being dragged backward, sucked into the darkness like debris caught in a whirlpool.
His eyes widened.
Then the pulling force caught him too.
It felt like an invisible hand grabbing his entire body and dragging him toward the cocoon.
Kai drove his sword deeper into the ground.
But he had already burned through too much strength.
His body still hadn't recovered.
One knee slammed against the ground.
Even so, he refused to let go.
After using Armament Equip, his body had become so weak it felt like even a powerful gust of wind could knock him over.
Damn it...
He was reaching his limit.
Right then, a shout rang out above him.
"Kai!"
Kai looked up.
Something tore through the air.
The Flying Carpet was charging toward him at terrifying speed.
Lyra reached out her hand.
The pull from the cocoon intensified.
Another second and he would be dragged straight in.
Lyra stretched farther.
Kai raised his own hand and forced himself to reach.
Then—
Their fingers touched.
Lyra instantly grabbed his wrist with both hands.
"I've got you! Get up here!"
Kai pulled himself onto the Flying Carpet.
The two looked at each other—
and laughed.
For one brief second.
Then a gigantic uprooted tree was dragged by the vortex and smashed straight into the Flying Carpet's shield.
The whole vehicle tilted violently.
In an instant, both of them nearly lost their balance, like tightrope walkers suspended above an endless abyss.
Lyra gritted her teeth and fought the controls.
Kai grabbed her arm while forcing himself not to get thrown off.
Then Lyra accelerated.
The Flying Carpet roared forward at full power, trying to break free of the vortex's control.
But the pull only grew stronger.
Boulders.
Trees.
Countless fragments of debris.
Everything slammed against the shield one after another, shaking the Flying Carpet so violently it felt like it might come apart.
The two of them were like passengers trapped inside a tiny boat in the middle of a raging storm.
Lyra shouted at the top of her lungs—
"Just a little more!"
"Almost there!"
The Flying Carpet strained like it was squeezing out every last bit of remaining power.
Its engines roared as it climbed higher into the sky.
Like a lone traveler crawling through a sandstorm with death right behind him.
Lyra finally managed a smile when the Flying Carpet nearly crossed the edge of the vortex's range.
But the smile vanished instantly.
A massive crimson serpent suddenly appeared in front of her.
Its jaws spread wide.
Rows of fangs aimed straight at the Flying Carpet rushing toward it.
Lyra's pupils shrank.
She twisted her body and yanked the controls.
The Flying Carpet flipped sideways in midair.
The world spun.
For a split second, both of them felt like they had been thrown into a violent aerial somersault.
Barely.
They avoided the serpent's bite by the narrowest margin.
But the price—
The Flying Carpet was dragged backward again toward the black vortex behind them.
Enemies in front.
Death behind.
Lyra bit her lip hard.
Her body trembled.
Not from the cold.
A deep sense of dread was crawling through her skin like thousands of invisible needles piercing into her flesh.
Laser fire couldn't hurt it.
I tried keeping my distance...
But now it's this close—
What do I do...?
Behind her, Kai slowly lifted his head.
The crimson serpent spread its wings.
Its shadow swallowed the entire sky.
Like it was mocking a helpless prey that had run straight into its trap.
Lyra clenched her fists.
From the moment she stepped onto this battlefield—
she had already prepared herself to die.
But...
If only I could've done something more useful...
If only—
A voice came from behind her.
"Forget about it. Just fly straight forward."
Lyra froze.
"It'll be fine."
Those words sounded like madness.
Like something only a lunatic would say.
And yet—
the one saying them was the person she trusted the most right now.
Kai forced himself upright.
He placed both hands on her shoulders.
Then spoke slowly.
Clearly.
"Go straight at it."
"At full speed."
"It'll be fine."
The words felt like an invitation from death itself.
But strangely—
Lyra's heartbeat became louder.
Thump.
Thump.
She didn't even understand why.
Why she wanted to believe him so badly.
Maybe...
Maybe I should go crazy once too.
Lyra took a deep breath.
Then lightly tapped the control screen beneath her foot.
Instantly, blazing flames burst from the Flying Carpet's rear thrusters.
The Flying Carpet roared—
and shot straight toward the crimson serpent.
At the exact moment it accelerated—
golden light began rising from Kai's body.
It spread outward.
Wrapped around Lyra.
Then swallowed the entire Flying Carpet.
Everything ahead started blurring.
5…
The scenery on both sides stretched into long streaks of light.
4…
The crimson serpent opened its jaws even wider, waiting for its foolish prey to throw itself inside.
3…
Raindrops touched something burning with unbearable heat—
and evaporated before they could hit the ground.
2…
Lyra could almost smell the rotten stench inside the monster's mouth.
1…
She shut her eyes tightly.
Then—
everything went silent.
The wind was gone.
The roar of the vortex disappeared.
The crimson serpent's screech vanished with it.
Only the steady sound of rain remained.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Raindrops landed against the Flying Carpet's shield.
Soft.
Rhythmic.
Lyra suddenly felt something lightly pat her shoulder.
She slowly opened her eyes.
The giant crimson serpent was gone.
In its place—
an endless sky filled with layers of white clouds.
Clouds drifted around them like giant rivers of smoke floating through the air.
Then a voice sounded beside her.
"We're not planning to fly all the way into the atmosphere, are we?"
Lyra's eyes snapped open.
"What?"
She jerked and slammed on the brakes.
The Flying Carpet spun several times in the air before finally coming to a shaky stop.
If the vehicle hadn't locked their feet in place like glue, both of them would've been thrown off and fallen thousands of meters straight down.
A few seconds later—
Lyra finally caught her breath.
Her entire body went weak.
She dropped to her knees on top of the control screen.
"We survived…"
Her voice was so quiet she could barely hear herself.
She only remembered that in those final seconds—
right before death—
golden light had wrapped around her body.
No.
Not a final moment.
Just another step across the edge of death.
Kai stood behind her.
Sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell across him in pale gold.
Rainwater still clung to his hair.
Every droplet reflected light like crystal.
Lyra turned—
and saw him standing there.
For one second, she blanked.
The image was unreal.
Like one of those perfect male leads stepping out of a movie.
Kai brushed his hair back.
Then looked down at her.
After that, he finally sat down and let out a long breath.
Honestly—
right now he just wanted to lie flat on his back and stop moving.
Unfortunately, the Flying Carpet wasn't nearly big enough for that.
So Kai crossed his legs and slowly steadied his breathing.
"Good thing we had the professor's boots."
Kai broke the silence.
Lyra nodded.
"Yeah."
"Good thing."
Kai raised a brow.
"Good thing we survived?"
A smile appeared on Lyra's lips.
"No."
"Good thing you remembered to use them."
Kai laughed.
For a moment, his tone sounded exactly like back when they were still classmates.
"My memory was never the worst in class."
"You sure?"
"At least I always got A's when teachers called on me."
"Oh really?"
"The person sitting in front of me always skipped tests by showing up late. How would she know?"
Lyra burst out laughing.
Kai laughed with her.
Under the bright sky.
Surrounded by an endless sea of white clouds.
For a few short minutes—
the two allowed themselves to relax.
Just a little.
At least for now—
they could still laugh.
----
Kai spoke first.
"So…"
"What do we do next?"
Neither of them answered.
Kai and Lyra simply stared into the distance.
Toward the gigantic crimson pillar still piercing through the clouds.
Towering there—
like a warning that the disaster below was far from over.
---
Lam Huy Trường stood up.
The book in front of him slowly floated upward with him, its tiny wings flapping gently in the air.
The library had already returned to its original state.
Quiet.
Orderly.
As if the chaos from earlier had never happened at all.
Even Lam Huy Trường didn't understand how he had managed to sit there and read in the middle of that madness.
Collisions.
Explosions.
He had heard all of it clearly right beside him.
And yet—
every time he opened a book, it felt like an invisible force dragged him into the pages.
Everything around him gradually faded.
Became distant.
Blurred.
Unimportant.
It wasn't until he had finished nearly half the book that he finally noticed the "book battlefield" around him had gone completely silent.
When he looked up—
the entire library had somehow been restored.
Everything was back in place.
"Suzune?"
Lam Huy Trường called softly.
His voice echoed through the silent library.
A moment ago this place had been noisier than a marketplace.
Now it was so quiet it felt strangely wrong.
He glanced toward the pedestal.
The book was still resting there exactly where it always had.
Lam Huy Trường narrowed his eyes.
Should I try it?
What he had just read didn't feel like an instruction manual.
It felt more like a chronicle.
A record left behind by the people who once created the laws of this world.
Could the hidden meaning be—
if someone wanted to write laws for reality itself…
then first they needed to understand what absolutely must never be written?
A warning left behind by ancient predecessors?
But thinking deeper—
that didn't feel completely right either.
Because throughout the book—
he kept feeling like parts were missing.
As if someone had deliberately removed entire sections.
Like a reprinted edition with the most important chapters cut out.
The real secrets.
The true core.
The pieces that could act as the key to everything.
And someone—
clearly didn't want readers finding that key.
Lam Huy Trường wanted to find Suzune.
He had too many questions.
"Suzune!"
This time he raised his voice.
The sound echoed through rows and rows of bookshelves.
"Suzuneeeee!"
No answer.
Lam Huy Trường scratched his head.
Then slowly turned around.
According to every anime cliché ever…
shouldn't she suddenly appear behind me right about now and say something cute?
He turned.
Nothing.
Turned left.
Still nobody.
Turned right.
Nothing again.
Then spun around another full circle.
And another.
Until even he realized he looked like a complete idiot.
Only then did Lam Huy Trường finally stop.
Then he dropped backward onto the library floor.
And sighed.
Lam Huy Trường shut his eyes tightly and clasped his hands together like someone making a wish.
Under his breath, he started muttering random summoning chants from fairy tales.
Trying to call out to spirits.
Trying anything.
But—
nothing happened.
So he started wondering where Suzune had gone.
Or if there was some reason she still refused to appear no matter how many times he called.
The library fell silent again.
Only the soft rhythm of his breathing remained.
A while later—
Lam Huy Trường opened his eyes.
And instantly froze.
A little girl was sitting beside his arm.
He had no idea when she got there.
Suzune sat quietly beside him.
Looking down at his face.
So close that he nearly jumped.
"Suzune!"
Lam Huy Trường's face lit up instantly.
A smile spread across his lips.
He opened both arms on instinct.
Ready to hug her.
Then suddenly—
his body stiffened.
Because Suzune had just done something that made him freeze completely.
"Suzune?"
He blinked.
Only then did he realize—
aside from his head—
his entire body couldn't move.
Suzune was still sitting there.
Her small hand slowly reached toward his forehead.
That familiar motion sent a chill straight through his scalp.
Wait.
No way—
Again!?
One second before her fingertip touched him—
Lam Huy Trường gathered every bit of strength he had and shouted—
"No!"
"Let me talk to you a little longer!"
"I'm serious—I'll bite you!"
"Don't flick my forehead!"
He opened his mouth wide.
Then desperately lifted his head, trying to bite the finger moving toward him.
Unfortunately—
his mouth was lower.
Her finger was above.
Which made the entire scene look ridiculous.
Like a stranded fish desperately snapping at empty air.
Lam Huy Trường lifted his head.
Higher.
Higher.
Even higher.
Until finally—
he could do nothing but stare helplessly at the ceiling of the library.
And then—
a soft laugh rang out.
Lam Huy Trường froze.
Suzune.
That was Suzune laughing.
Very soft.
Very clear.
He immediately lowered his eyes.
She was still looking at him.
Clearly smiling—
but trying hard not to laugh too much.
Her soft cheeks puffed up into two tiny round bundles.
Her eyes curved like crescent moons.
That laughter felt exactly like her.
Small.
Gentle.
Strangely adorable.
Lam Huy Trường stared blankly.
It took him a long while before he realized he had completely spaced out.
That smile....
That smile~~~~~~~~
How was that~~
~~even~~~
so~~~~~~ moe~~~~~