On the other side of the battlefield—
the knights' attempt to prevent the Rift Breaker from reaching the core was failing.
The creature had already reached the remains.
Its massive hand closed around the glowing crimson crystal.
The knights stared in horror.
"...It got hold of the core!"
"Commander!"
"...It's taking it!"
The Rift Breaker's enormous fingers tightened around the crystal.
The crimson glow intensified between them.
The knight commander, who had already discarded his corrupted equipment, stared at the creature.
His expression hardened.
"...Damn it."
The Rift Breaker slowly raised the core toward its face.
Its massive jaws opened.
The commander immediately realized what it intended to do.
"...It's going to consume it."
"Stop it!"
Several knights charged forward.
But—
they were too late.
The Rift Breaker shoved the crimson core into its mouth.
**CRUNCH!**
The crystal shattered between its jaws.
A tremendous surge of Abyssal mana erupted from its body.
**BOOOOOOM!**
The knights were violently forced backward.
The commander raised an arm to shield himself from the violent wind.
"...What the hell..."
Mana poured through the Rift Breaker's body.
The crimson fissures covering its armor brightened intensely.
Its muscles visibly tightened as enormous amounts of energy flooded through its body.
The creature's entire frame began trembling beneath the sudden surge of power.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
---
Inside one of the airships—
the captain watched the scene unfold.
His expression changed instantly.
"...It consumed the core."
He immediately grabbed the communication device.
"Fire the cannons!"
An officer turned toward him.
"Captain, the cannons aren't fully charged!"
The captain's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
"How long until they're ready?"
The officer hurriedly checked the readings.
"...One minute, sir."
The captain's jaw tightened.
"How much time remains?"
The officer checked the countdown again.
"...Seventeen seconds."
Silence.
The captain stared through the viewing window.
*Seventeen seconds...*
*That's still too long.*
His fingers tightened around the edge of the console.
*It hasn't even been a minute.*
*Who would've thought a single minute could feel this damn long?*
Below—
the Rift Breaker suddenly stopped moving.
The captain's eyes widened.
"...No."
The creature's enormous body trembled violently.
Then—
**BOOM!**
A violent wave of Abyssal mana erupted from its body.
Everyone on the battlefield froze.
The knights stared.
The soldiers stared.
The adventurers stared.
The creature was still standing.
And the core was gone.
It had already consumed it.
A violent surge of Abyssal mana continued coursing through its entire body.
The captain's face paled.
"...Too late."
Then—
a cannon suddenly fired.
**BOOOOOOM!**
Everyone turned toward the sky.
One of the other airships had fired despite the previous bombardment.
A massive beam of concentrated mana streaked across the sky.
The knights raised their arms against the force of the wind as they stared upward.
The attack struck the Rift Breaker.
**BOOOOOOM!**
Smoke and debris swallowed the creature.
The captain stared at the battlefield.
"...Too late."
He immediately looked toward the cannon readings.
"Status!"
An officer hurriedly checked the instruments.
"Captain!"
"...The cannons are fully charged!"
The captain's eyes narrowed.
"Then—"
The officer suddenly froze.
"...Captain."
"What?"
"The creature's mana."
The captain frowned.
"What about it?"
The officer stared at the readings.
"...It's unusual."
The captain's expression hardened.
"Of course it is."
"It just consumed the core."
The officer shook his head.
"No, sir."
"...That's not what I mean."
He swallowed.
"The mana inside its body..."
"...It's unstable."
The captain stared at him.
"Unstable?"
"Yes."
The officer's voice became increasingly tense.
"It's fluctuating wildly."
"...It's almost as if..."
He hesitated.
"...Something is about to happen."
Silence filled the command deck.
The captain's eyes widened slightly.
"...About to happen?"
The officer nodded.
"...It looks like it's going to explode."
The captain's mind raced.
*Explode...?*
His gaze returned to the battlefield.
*If that's because of the core it consumed...*
*Then it must be the mana.*
*Of course.*
*If an ordinary creature consumed a magic crystal containing that much energy...*
*Its body wouldn't be able to handle it.*
His fist clenched.
*I never thought the same principle would apply to a creature like that.*
His eyes narrowed.
*But it seems it does.*
Then—
a terrifying thought crossed his mind.
*If that thing explodes with all that mana inside it...*
His expression changed completely.
*No.*
*We can't allow that.*
He immediately grabbed the communication device.
"Order the knights to retreat!"
An officer turned toward him.
"Sir?"
"Tell them to get as far away as possible!"
The officer quickly transmitted the command.
A moment later—
another officer looked toward the battlefield.
"...They're already retreating."
The captain stared.
"They noticed it too."
Another officer suddenly shouted.
"Captain!"
The captain turned.
"Sir, the cannons are ready!"
The captain looked toward the battlefield.
The Rift Breaker was still standing.
Mana continued surging violently through its body.
The surrounding air warped beneath the pressure.
The captain's expression hardened.
"...Fire."
The officer hesitated.
"Sir, the knights are still within range."
"Fire."
"But—"
"FIRE NOW!"
The command echoed throughout the ship.
The other airships received the order.
Their captains immediately gave the same command.
The massive cannons rotated toward the battlefield.
Mana began gathering within their barrels.
The air around the weapons distorted as an enormous amount of energy was compressed inside them.
Then—
**BOOOOOOM!**
The first cannon fired.
**BOOOOOOM!**
The second followed.
**BOOOOOOM!**
Then another.
And another.
Until—
all of the remaining airships fired simultaneously.
**BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!**
Multiple beams of concentrated mana tore through the sky.
They converged upon the Rift Breaker from different directions.
The entire battlefield was swallowed by blinding light.
**BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!**
The combined impact erupted like a miniature sun.
The shockwave exploded outward.
Buildings shook violently.
Windows shattered.
Debris was thrown through the streets.
The remaining knights were thrown backward as they desperately retreated.
The commander raised his arm against the overwhelming force.
His boots dug into the ground as he struggled to maintain his footing.
Yet his eyes remained fixed on the enormous explosion.
Smoke and dust continued expanding across the battlefield.
The commander gritted his teeth.
*...Please.*
*...Let this be enough.*