Great, we're doomed now!

"Hey!" Asuka called out.

The man did not respond, but continued to wail, his voice growing weaker and weaker.

—More than one!

In the distance, and further away... countless figures floated in the darkness.

Some were within reach, others were as far away as stars, countless in number. Each figure was enveloped in dark red flames, like candles about to burn out.

The wails rose and fell, some sharp, some low, intertwining to form a chilling wave of sound.

"what!"

A cold sweat broke out on Asuka Kazuma's back.

"The Moby-Whale..."

He remembered!

These figures should be the astronauts and staff on the Moby Whale. After being swallowed by that light, they were not killed, but were "locked" in this place.

Is this inside a monster? Or is it an alternate dimension created by superpowers?

I don't know... but this situation is no better than death.

The constant wails in his ears made Fei Niao unable to bear it any longer. He tried to swim toward the nearest figure—or rather, he used his willpower to move his body.

There was no gravity, no medium, only endless void around him. He imagined himself paddling in the water, and his body slowly began to move.

The distance wasn't far, but it took almost a minute to get close.

As he got closer, he could see the figure clearly, and then reached out to grab his arm—

"Well!"

The moment it touched the bird, the dark red flame seemed to have found new prey, and it suddenly surged up and climbed up the bird's arm!

pain!

It hurts so much!

The intense burning sensation spread from my fingertips to my shoulder, as if my entire arm had been plunged into a pot of boiling oil!

Asuka Kazuma gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, but he did not let go.

Stimulated by the flames, the white light emanating from his body brightened, turning from pale white to silvery white, like a layer of armor covering his body—it seemed to want to protect him.

The flames were pushed back somewhat by the white light, but they continued to surge, as if engaged in a tug-of-war.

Ignoring all of this, Asuka Kazuma pulled hard and dragged the figure out of the flames.

The figure broke free from the crimson flames, his body shuddering violently as he let out a hoarse gasp. The remaining flames on his body quickly extinguished, replaced by a thin layer of silvery-white light—like the Olympic flame passed from Asuka Kazuma's hands.

The figure huddled up, its breathing gradually calming down. Asuka Kazuma breathed a sigh of relief, then looked up into the distance, his eyes filled with joy and anticipation.

There are still many people!

These white lights can be used many more times!

Without hesitation, he swam again to the next figure...

Time loses its meaning here.

Kazuma Asuka had no idea how long he had swum or how many people he had saved.

Every touch was excruciating, every flame seemed intent on devouring him. The white light surrounding him was steadily fading, growing thinner and fainter from its initial thick layer…

But he didn't stop!

The tenth;

The twentieth;

The thirtieth one...

With each person he saved, the white light emanating from him weakened slightly. Those who were saved gained an extra layer of faint light, which, though faint, was enough to shield them from the aftershocks of the flames.

They floated behind the birds like a string of balloons being pulled along. Some had regained consciousness and were looking around blankly, while others were still unconscious, their bodies swaying gently with the faint airflow.

Kazuma Asuka's arms were trembling, his throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, and every breath felt like swallowing razor blades... but he felt he could still hold on.

Let him save one more!

Suddenly, the entire space trembled, as if something had awakened.

The dark red flames that were wrapped around the other figures suddenly shot up, turning from a slow burning to a frenzied licking. The wails suddenly became shrill, like countless needles piercing the eardrums.

The Sphia chimera noticed Kazuma Asuka's movements!

It originally drew life force from these people to strengthen itself, but now that Kazuma Asuka has protected so many people, it is equivalent to weakening it in a roundabout way, so of course Ligadron is unwilling!

"what!"

"Help!"

"Who will help..."

Asuka Kazuma's pupils shrank suddenly, and he turned around and pounced on the nearest figure.

The touch was even hotter than before; the flames seemed to have a mind of their own, frantically drilling into his skin. The white light flickered violently, like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

He gritted his teeth and pulled the person out, then turned to the next one... and the next one...

The white light grew thinner and thinner until it was almost invisible.

That's enough.

A voice suddenly rang in his mind.

The voice had no gender, no emotion; it was as if stating a fact, or as if giving a command.

Save your energy; you're the only one who can get out.

The bird was taken aback, its movements slowing down by half a beat.

"What did you say?"

“These people’s vital signs are extremely weak. Even if they are rescued, they will not be able to recover in a short time. But you are different.” The voice paused. “You have my protection and can survive here indefinitely. When you have enough energy, you can tear this cage apart and return to reality.”

"Unlimited survival?" Asuka Kazuma scoffed. "You mean I should watch them die while I walk out alive alone?"

"Their existence is nearing its end, while you still have value to continue." The voice was calm to the point of being cold. "From the perspective of biological survival, your priority is far higher than theirs. Protecting one of you is more meaningful than protecting a hundred."

"Protect me..."

Feiniao then realized that the voice came from the white light on his body—or rather, from the mysterious energy entity that had merged with him.

Although he was currently inside Ligadron's body and his thinking ability was impaired, he still understood what the other party meant:

If you abandon these people, you can survive on your own.

“What you’re saying sounds reasonable,” Asuka Kazuma grinned, “but I don’t understand it.”

【…】

He then swam towards the next figure.

“You are wasting energy,” the voice said. “If you continue like this, you will die here.”

"I know."

"Then why do you continue?"

Asuka Kazuma didn't answer. He reached out and pulled out another figure. The white light dimmed a little more, and the voice fell silent.

-

...Asuka Kazuma could no longer feel pain in his hand, or rather, the pain had reached a certain point where the nerves automatically cut off the signal. He could only see his fingers trembling, and his skin had turned charred black.

More and more figures appeared behind them, but their consciousness was also blurred, as if they were sleepwalking. Their thinking ability was very low, and they could only look blankly at the man who had pulled them out of the fire.

Kazuma Asuka didn't even get a thank you... but he didn't care.

He reached out to the forty-ninth figure... This time, the flames did not back down.

The white light vibrated violently the moment it touched the flame, and then went out completely as if it had been doused with water!

A burning sensation surged up like a tide, spreading from my fingertips to my wrists, then to my arms, shoulders, and chest—

"Ahhh!"

Asuka Kazuma's vision went black, and his body lost strength and began to sink.

The figure he had pulled halfway was engulfed by flames again, letting out a desperate scream.

Look.

The voice rang out again, carrying a tone that was hard to tell whether it was mockery or regret.

You can't save everyone, you've even gotten yourself killed... It's pointless, they'd all be killed sooner or later if they stayed here. You're really... foolish.

"I……"

Asuka Kazuma's body slowly sank into the darkness, his vision becoming increasingly blurred, and his consciousness slipping through his fingers like sand.

The voice said one last thing before disappearing.

In the darkness, only the sound of churning flames and the wails of the burning figures remained.

Kazuma Asuka closed his eyes, recalling the family photo he'd seen in the corner of the control panel before setting off. His wife stood on the left, he on the right, and their small son was in the middle; all three were smiling happily.

"Sorry……"

-

Then he heard a voice.

【Kazuma Asuka, wake up! I am Bayeri... I brought you... Your name is D...】

"wake up!"

"Wake up!"

"Certainly possible!"

Someone was calling his name, and it wasn't just one person, it was many people!

In the vast darkness, countless particles of light, resembling a sea of ​​stars, appeared out of nowhere, forming ribbons that stretched from afar and entangled Asuka Kazuma's body.