[Pratik]: Hahahaha!!! Ahahahahaha!!!
Grabbing Haidoro by the collar, Pratik slammed him down once again.
[Pratik]: Do you see this, Haidoro?! You wanted me to grow strong enough to stand against you? Look at me! I am far stronger than I ever was!
He shouted, slamming Haidoro into the ground again.
[Pratik]: It feels so good!! This... this power! The sensation of becoming stronger! I can feel it... I feel whole! What is this feeling?!
Before Pratik could strike again, Haidoro caught him by the tail and thrashed him aside.
Coating his own neck in molten magma, Haidoro incinerated the collar.
[Haidoro]: I am done playing. You are going down.
He began walking toward Pratik.
Though it was a struggle just to stay upright after the brutal battle, Haidoro's unyielding will pushed him forward.
Pratik forced himself back to his feet.
[Pratik]: Haha... it wouldn't be any fun if I was the only one beating you down.
Pratik had completely lost his sanity.
At this moment, only one thing drove him: vengeance—a poison capable of consuming even the most noble of souls.
Haidoro threw a heavy punch, sending Pratik off balance.
In response, Pratik struck back even harder.
Haidoro countered with a brutal blow of his own.
They traded savage, relentless hits back and forth until both were completely exhausted.
Yet, Pratik stood up once more, his laughter echoing.
[Pratik]: Hahahaha!!! This is fun. But now... I'm finishing this.
Pratik stalked toward Haidoro, who was lying flat on the ground, battered and defeated.
[Haidoro]: What kind of freak are you...?
Pratik grabbed Haidoro and began dragging him toward the highest peak of the debris.
[Pratik]: It doesn't matter what world it is—there are always monsters like you. I just make sure they don't survive for long.
Haidoro choked for air.
Pratik's overwhelming Dark Energy was suffocating him, and with his own reserves completely drained, he was forced to gasp for breath he couldn't reach.
[Pratik]: Consider this your final goodbye. Try to remember your sins... though I doubt you've ever done anything else in your life.
The spacecraft carrying Yash and the others descended upon the wasteland.
Yash, Gaja, Grimori, and Mala stepped out of the vessel, finally reaching Pratik—and their eyes widened in shock.
[Mala]: Pratik...?
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Grimori stared in utter horror, while Gaja's heart pounded violently against his ribs.
Dropping into a combat stance, Gaja prepared for the absolute worst-case scenario.
Only Yash managed to remain calm.
Ahead of them, Pratik stood atop a jagged cliff, staring blankly into the distance.
At the sound of Mala's voice, he turned around.
He was crying.
His face, mouth, and entire body were drenched in blood—and it wasn't his own. Haidoro was nowhere to be found.
The reality of what had transpired crashed down on them.
Gaja dropped his sword, the steel clattering against the dirt.
A heavy, suffocating silence of disbelief fell over the group.
What has he done?
[Pratik]: I... what have I become?
Pratik wept, staring down at his trembling hands.
For a fleeting moment, they seemed coated in crimson human blood; in the next, they were stained with the green fluid of the Awakened Dragolings.
He shook violently, as though his own vision was betraying him.
[Mala]: It's okay... come down, Pratik.
She said, her eyes welling with tears.
[Pratik]: I... I can't. I'm scared!
He took a step back, faltering.
[Pratik]: I'm terrified!! What have I done?! I can barely remember anything!
He collapsed onto his back, his entire body drenched in a cold sweat.
[Pratik]: I've done something terrible...
[Mala]: You did it to save everyone!
[Pratik]: That doesn't mean I was right!
Pratik curled into a fetal position, clutching his knees tight.
[Pratik]: I... I only wanted to defeat the monsters... to protect people... But before I realized it... I became a monster myself...
His voice quavered with pure terror.
Yash (thinking): This is bad. Time's up. Hagino and the others could break through at any second...
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
The entirety of Isolated Dimension 777 was torn wide open.
Massive spacecraft, each the size of a moon, began pouring through the breach.
Flying high upon their hulls was a gigantic, ominous banner: the flag of the Domino Community.
Yash's eyes narrowed.
Time had officially run out.
Hagino had arrived.
To be continued...