At the Defense Force Center, the sirens kept blaring. Guards rushed through the corridors, grabbing their weapons and sprinting out toward the hovercraft and flyers. Engines roared to life one after another, and within moments, the vehicles lifted off—heading straight for Mon City to protect the citizens and take down the monster.
Meanwhile, Mon City had turned chaotic. People were running everywhere, some tripping and falling in the middle of the crowd. Many were still in disbelief—after all, a monster hadn't appeared here in centuries… until now.
In the market, the panic grew worse. Stalls toppled over, goods scattered and broke under the stampede. Mei Lin and Ed were shouting over the noise, trying to calm the people and guide them out safely.
"This way! Don't push—move slowly!" Mei Lin and Ed shouted, waving their arms to keep the path clear.
But before they could get the crowd under control, a deep rumble echoed from the deeper market. A shockwave rippled through the street, followed by a sharp roar—the monster's roar.
People screamed and bolted, running even faster now. The market turned into a sea of flailing arms and falling bodies.
"Ed! Hold them back!" Mei Lin yelled, but it was useless. The fear was too strong; the crowd was unstoppable.
The wall split apart with a thunderous roar—rocks and debris burst into the air, dust rolling in heavy waves. From within the haze, a massive head forced its way through, scales glinting as the monster pushed forward. It let out a deafening scream that shook the ground itself.
Its very presence crushed them with fear, an instinctive warning that screamed: don't move. But they all knew—if they didn't run now, they would die. This was not a situation they could control.
"Run!" the boss shouted. He and his three men turned and bolted in the opposite direction, not daring to look back.
Keal lay on the ground, stunned. His eyes widened as he stared up at the beast. "What… what the hell is that thing?" he muttered, forcing his shaky legs to push him upright.
He stumbled forward as fast as he could, glancing at the device on his wrist. The cooldown blinked: 3:28:47…
""Three more hours…?" Keal's breath hitched. "There's no way… I can't survive three more hours here. It feels like I can't even last a single minute."
The monster screamed, its eyes locking onto Keal as he ran. In a blur of speed, it lunged straight at him, jaws wide open. Just before it could bite down, Keal turned sharply toward the stairs, desperate to escape—but his foot slipped, and he crashed to the ground.
The beast swept past him, its massive body crashing forward, then slowly turned its head back. Its gaze fixed on Keal once again. He didn't move a muscle, not even a finger, holding his breath as if he were already dead.
Don't move… don't move… The words echoed in his mind.
But then the monster's eyes shifted. To its side, another man had stumbled and fallen to the ground. The creature immediately lunged toward him.
The boss stopped in his tracks, glancing back just in time to see his man down and the beast closing in at terrifying speed. "What are you doing? This isn't the place to die!" he shouted, sprinting to save him.
But before he could reach his comrade, the monster's jaws had already closed around the man. With a sickening crunch, it bit down. Blood sprayed across the ground, scattering into the air in a crimson mist.
He stopped, stunned by the scene, while Keal silently climbed the stairs and hid in the shadows. The other two men also retreated to their sides, shocked and terrified.
The boss, his expression dark, stepped forward—one step after another—toward the monster.
"You bastard! I'm going to kill you, do you hear me?" he roared, his voice trembling with anger and raw emotion.
In the next instant, he vanished, only to reappear in front of the monster's face. He threw a punch with all his strength, but it had no effect. Gritting his teeth, he kept striking, blow after blow.
The monster screamed, its roar tearing through the air as a crimson spray burst around it. In the same instant, it slammed its massive head against the wall, dragging the boss with it like a rag doll. The wall cracked on impact. His body hit the wall hard enough to shake the ground, but somehow he staggered back up, blood running down his face.
He forced himself back onto his feet and leapt at the monster's face again, raining down punches with a furious scream. But once more, the beast slammed its massive head against the wall, crushing the boss along with it. And again, it continued—an endless cycle of strikes and brutal impacts.
Moments later, before he could even land another blow, the monster caught him midair and smashed him into the wall. It repeated the same thing again and again. His body grew bloodied and broken with every strike, yet despite all his efforts, the monster did not bear even the slightest wound.
"Boss, stop! Why are you risking your life for us?" one of the men cried, clutching his head in fear and despair. "We never even respected you… in truth, we hated you! We hated your arrogance!"
Now he could barely stand. Staggering forward, he tried to take another step, but the monster struck him down once more.
The boss forced himself up again, trembling, his voice low and ragged with pain. "Ha… ha… I'm going to kill you, do you understand? I won't die this way. If I'm going to fall, you'll have to crush me with your jaws—" Before he could finish, the monster smashed him again.
Keal watched the one-sided fight from the shadows, his thoughts racing. "What is he doing? I understood the pain he felt in his heart, but there's no way he can win. He hasn't even managed to leave a single scar on that monster. I can't do anything either. IfWhen even that beast can't harm the monster… What chance do I have? The only thing I can do is stay here in silence for three and a half hours."
He looked down at his wrist. The cooldown displayed: 3:22:26…
"There's no hope I can survive that long. The situation looks hopeless. The only thing I've done is hope…"
His gaze drifted back to the fight. Should I try to help him? But what can I even do?
Keal pushed himself to his feet and took a few hesitant steps forward. "Yeah… I can at least try to drag him away from here."
But then, suddenly, the cooldown began to reduce twenty-four times faster.
"What…?" Keal muttered, eyes widening as he glanced at the GOA2.0 on his wrist.