The dead planet streaked across the cosmos like a falling star, trailing a blazing tail as it hurtled straight toward Yevenko.
Yevenko hadn't expected Tom's actions to cause such a massive spectacle.
Even if the planet simply crashed somewhere randomly, the Swarm Mother hiding upon it likely couldn't survive the impact.
But Tom had thrown him this ball—how could he possibly avoid it?
Besides, it wasn't just about the swarm—it represented a massive boost to his [Exploration Value]!
It was time to go all out.
Having already slain the two Giant Stings, only the first Swarm Mother now stood before him.
Another mouthful of milk appeared, and Yevenko swallowed without hesitation.
In an instant, the blood-energy around him surged violently, his body swelling even further, while the crimson glow from his demonic sword flared brighter than ever, shining like a blazing star.
Under the overwhelming surge of energy, the surrounding True Stings exploded into clouds of blood, swiftly absorbed into his sword. Soon, its shape expanded rapidly, stretching out into a crimson river spanning across space itself.
Yevenko spread his blood-red wings, accelerating furiously, his sword aimed directly at the Swarm Mother ahead.
His deep, gravelly voice echoed through the cosmos like that of a demon god.
"—[The Darkin Blade]!"
Boundless blood-energy surged around his sword, erupting with unimaginable force.
Yevenko crashed violently into the Swarm Mother, the colossal sword piercing through its massive body like a skewer through an insect.
The Swarm Mother writhed desperately, trying to reproduce another of its kind inside itself.
But Yevenko wouldn't grant it the opportunity.
His blood wings expanded further, flapping powerfully as his speed increased even more. Adjusting his trajectory slightly, he drove the impaled Swarm Mother directly toward the approaching dead planet that Tom had launched.
Both he and the planet accelerated toward each other at staggering speeds, until—
—they collided with unimaginable force.
In the silent void, a dazzling explosion erupted like a brilliant firework, swallowing everything in blinding radiance.
---
The group watching the critical scene collectively held their breaths.
Stelle stared intensely at the flickering projection, murmuring nervously,
"Did…did he win?"
March 7th patted her chest confidently, declaring without hesitation,
"He definitely won!"
Yet the next instant, the virtual projection crackled, blurred, and abruptly vanished.
Dan Heng spoke up calmly.
"The magnetic interference from the explosion must've disrupted the projection."
"Although the Swarm Mother's regeneration is strong, it couldn't possibly survive a blast of that magnitude."
"What worries me…is Yevenko."
"He was also caught up in the explosion."
As everyone anxiously searched the sky, a small meteor shower rained down over Belobog—clearly debris from the planet's destruction.
Dan Heng glanced upward, sharply catching sight of one particular meteor streaking down. His pupils constricted slightly.
"That's—!"
"Follow me!"
In the next instant, Dan Heng dashed out, with the rest of the Astral Express crew close behind.
After searching the snowy wastes, they discovered Yevenko lying motionless in a shallow crater, eyes shut, his condition unknown.
Everyone quickly gathered around him.
March 7th leaned close, pressing her ear against Yevenko's chest to listen for a heartbeat. Her eyes widened with alarm, tears quickly filling her gaze. Trembling, she turned to Dan Heng.
"Dan Heng, what do we do…I…I can't seem to hear Yevenko's heartbeat…"
Dan Heng silently checked Yevenko's breathing, his expression grim.
Stelle opened her mouth, searching for words, but could only stand helplessly aside as a heavy silence settled over them.
Crash—!
A noise echoed nearby as Tom also crash-landed, wobbling unsteadily to his feet, countless tiny yellow ducklings circling dazedly around his head.
Shaking off the dizziness, Tom swatted away most of the ducklings, grabbed one, and promptly shoved it into his mouth.
But through Tom's eyes, the duckling was still spinning, finally shooting straight out of Tom's ear and flying off. The sudden jolt finally snapped Tom fully awake.
Sensing familiar energy, Tom quickly squeezed through the gathered crowd, flattening himself cartoonishly to slip inside before popping back into shape with a loud "pop!"
Seeing Yevenko lying unconscious, Tom scratched his head thoughtfully.
March 7th, teary-eyed, called out softly in distress.
"Tom…Yevenko…he's already…huh?"
As Tom approached, a small, glowing blue spirit version of Yevenko drifted upward from his mouth. March stared wide-eyed in astonishment.
Without hesitation, Tom swiftly shoved the spirit back into Yevenko's mouth, whipped out a stethoscope to listen closely to his heart, then nodded decisively.
Tom then climbed onto Yevenko's chest, bouncing up and down energetically.
With each bounce, water gushed out of Yevenko's mouth like a fountain, the last bounce even causing a small fish to leap out and flop onto the snow.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Yevenko's heartbeat, previously silent, restarted instantly after Tom's casual procedure.
Tom nodded in satisfaction.
See? Master said we were underwater earlier, so naturally he just drowned. Once the water's out, everything's fine!
All these humans around and not one knew basic emergency rescue—what amateurs. Tom shrugged helplessly, shaking his head.
Dan Heng remained utterly silent, desperately suppressing all attempts at logical thought.
Meanwhile, Stelle exchanged a quick glance with March 7th.
Without hesitation, Stelle threw herself at Tom's left leg, gripping it tightly and declaring earnestly,
"Big Brother Tom! I've always been your most loyal little sister! You absolutely have to save me the same way if this ever happens to me!"
Eh?
March 7th stared blankly at Stelle, recalling how she had clearly looked down on March's earlier declaration of recognizing Tom as "big brother." Now here she was, groveling even faster.
What shamelessness!
Alarmed, March hurriedly grabbed Tom's other leg, pouting cutely.
"I'm the real loyal little sister here! Actually, I'm also a cat—meow, meow, meow!"
Dan Heng continued standing there in silence, utterly unmoved.
...
The day gradually darkened, and eventually, everyone retired to their rooms in the Belobog hotel for the night.
In Dan Heng's room, darkness reigned. Time crept slowly toward midnight, and silence filled the air.
Abruptly, his blankets rustled, and Dan Heng shot up from bed. He pursed his lips, staring blankly into the shadows as his voice echoed faintly through the room.
"…But how does any of this make sense?"