As Sailou struggled against General Hinomo in a desperate battle for time along the shoreline, General Ishimī emerged from the fiery abyss—completely unscathed.
Aboard the ship—
"Where's Juzio...?" Tuziku mumbled.
"Then... does this mean Juzio is...?" Mika whispered as tears streamed down her face.
Fēlo panicked.
"Then we should leave—"
"There's no way!" Dendelon snapped.
"There is absolutely no way Juzio is dead! So don't even say it!"
His eyes became glossy as tears welled up.
Silence fell over the crew.
Meanwhile, back on the shore...
"Hinomo, let's wrap up this mission already," Ishimī said lazily.
"It seems all of our soldiers have perished in that fire."
"So there's no need to hold back anymore."
"GRRRR...!!"
Hinomo growled.
Ishimī stared at him blankly.
Is he even sane anymore...?
In any case...
"You deal with Sailou."
"I'll destroy their escape ship."
"Arrrgh... O-okay..." Hinomo replied.
He lumbered toward Sailou, who still hadn't recovered from the devastating blow.
Sailou desperately tried to stand.
But his battered body refused to obey him.
He collapsed back onto one knee.
He's coming...
I... can't even stand...!
"Damn it all!!"
The enraged General, now towering at over ten meters tall, charged toward Sailou with murderous intent.
At the same time...
General Ishimī began advancing toward the ship.
The closer he came, the heavier his presence became.
Aboard the vessel, the Casoltins instinctively felt overwhelming dread.
On the ship—
"What... is this feeling...?" Tuziku whispered, sweat pouring down his face.
"Guys..."
"We've got trouble..." Fēlo said, pointing toward Ishimī as his body trembled.
Mika stared at the approaching General in despair.
...We have to do something.
But my body won't move...!
Suddenly—
General Ishimī leapt high into the sky.
As he rose—
both of his feet instantly expanded.
Tuziku's eyes widened.
Impossible...
His feet are almost twice the size of our ship...!
Then—
the enormous feet came crashing down from the heavens.
"We're gonna die!!!" Djong screamed.
Panic instantly consumed the crew.
"We're gonna die! We're gonna die!"
"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!"
Djong clutched his head in terror.
"This can't be real..."
"That's right..."
"This has to be a nightmare..."
Fēlo laughed nervously.
Mika fell to her knees, unable to move a single muscle.
Suddenly—
Amid the chaos—
one brave warrior sprinted toward the bow of the ship.
Without hesitation—
he leapt into the sky.
Straight toward Ishimī's gigantic feet.
Tuziku was the only one who noticed.
...What are you planning to do?!
"DENDELON!!!"
Tuziku screamed.
"Huh...?"
"Dendelon?!" Mika shouted as she looked up.
Just before the massive feet crushed the ship—
Dendelon reached out—
and gently tapped Ishimī's left foot.
Then—
everything stopped.
General Ishimī froze in midair.
"What the hell did you people do to me?!"
he shouted in irritation.
Dendelon plummeted toward the sea.
Just before he struck the water—
his body suddenly slowed.
Almost as if time itself had begun moving in slow motion.
Splshhh!
He landed safely in the water.
"What..."
"...just happened?" Tuziku muttered.
The entire crew stared upward in disbelief.
General Ishimī remained completely frozen in the air.
I thought we were dead for sure...
I would've just stood there...
Unable to save anyone.
Tuziku bit down so hard that blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"Dendelon..."
"I can't believe it..."
"All this time..."
"...you've been hiding such an incredible Abyssal Ability!"
Mika cried with relief.
"But..."
"Doesn't it look like he's slowly falling?" Fēlo pointed out.
"What?!" Djong exclaimed.
"That can't be right!"
"...He's right."
A voice came from beside the ship.
Everyone turned.
Dendelon climbed back aboard, completely drenched.
He sighed deeply.
"...My ability..."
"SLUGGISH."
"It slows down anything my hands touch..."
"...as long as it isn't stationary."
Mika folded her arms.
"So that means..."
"He's going to keep falling..."
Dendelon interrupted, "...very slowly..."
"...until the time limit expires."
Above them—
"What did you filthy commoners do to me?!"
Ishimī roared.
Fēlo looked toward Dendelon.
"What's the time limit?"
"...Five minutes."
Silence.
Mika stepped forward.
"We need to escape before those five minutes are up."
She's right.
We have to leave...
Tuziku thought.
Suddenly—
BAM!!
BAM!!
Two deafening impacts echoed across the shoreline.
The crew had barely survived Ishimī's attack.
In that brief moment of relief—
they had forgotten about the life-and-death battle still raging on shore.
Tuziku was the first to realize it.
"SAILOU!!!"
he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Captain—!"
Dendelon shouted, his eyelids wide open.
Without another thought—
Tuziku leapt from the ship onto the shore.
"Tuziku!!" Mika called.
"What are you doing, kid?!" Fēlo shouted.
By now—
the blazing inferno had completely consumed the forest—
its flames stopping only at the shoreline.
Beyond the thick wall of smoke—
Sailou and General Hinomo continued their desperate battle.
Only a few dozen metres away.
Back aboard the ship...
"One of you has to stop him!" Mika shouted.
But no one moved.
They had only escaped one monster because of Dendelon's ability.
No one possessed the courage to face another.
It's no use...
They're terrified...
Mika realized.
Back on the shore...
Tuziku sprinted through the smoke.
The thick black clouds burned his eyes and lungs.
Every breath felt like swallowing fire.
Even so—
he never slowed down.
Only one thought filled his mind.
I'll prove I'm useful...
By saving you, Sailou!!
"I have to repay my debt!"
He tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword and charged deeper into the smoke.
CHAPTER 25 END