Kai’s eyes saw a shadow dropping from the sky.

Too fast to see what it was.

And then the ground shook underneath his feet.

Not too far away, within eyesight distance, a house ceased to exist. Whatever the sky dropped fell to that house and obliterated it. Dust covered the area around that house, and splinters of wood were flung everywhere like projectiles.

Silence enveloped the entire area, until a high-pitched scream cut through the air.

"Haaarghh!!"

As the dust slowly settled, a lone figure emerged—from the haze. It was Lian, a student from Class 1-B, the source of the scream. He was on his knees amid the wreckage, clawing through the rubble with reddened, unseeing eyes—oblivious to the blood welling where his fingernails had torn away with each desperate pull.

"Ma!" He wailed as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Buried under the rubble, there was a middle-aged woman.

Half her torso was gone, replaced by a puzzle of broken bones and red pulp.

Everyone stared at the scene in utter shock.

The silence grew louder as now, even the other students and their families unconsciously held their breaths. It happened so fast. Seconds ago, the hive was bustling with reunions. Students and their families reunited.

A deep relief and a swell of pride washed over them, carried on the gentle warmth of love.

Now, someone is dead.

"R-Run away..." Kai’s voice rang, but it came out weaker than he wanted.

Just then, the rubble moved—something was moving underneath it.

A single, slime-slicked fingerbone wormed its way up through the bricks—accompanied by a wet, squirming sound. Then, with a convulsive heave—the skeletal torso hauled itself out of the rubble; purple slime strung between its ribs, skull, and arm-bones like glistening viscera.

It rose on a pillar of wobbling goo, making its height as tall as a house.

Seeing this monstrosity stunned the entire area.

On the other hand, the monster cocked back its slimy skull-face, scanning the area.

And then, its hollow eyes dropped to Lian, who was still crying.

It was unclear whether he even realized the monster was looking directly at him.

For one good, choking second, the monster stared at Lian. Then its massive hand reached out and grabbed the crying student by the head. Lian was hauled from the ground—and in the dangling, breathless moments that followed, he realized the situation he was in.

But it was already too late.

Like a crushed watermelon, his head exploded, spewing blood everywhere.

And the monster’s slime enveloped the corpse, melting everything until there was nothing left.

Kai was the first one to snap out of the trance and screamed.

"It’s a Star Beast!!"

Before the other students and their families could even react—the monster was faster. Its head snapped toward Kai, and from its depths came a thunderous roar. The roar hit like a physical blow; a shimmering pressure wave, purple and slick, that seemed to film the very air.

And when the pressure wave brushed past, a devastating migraine slammed into their minds.

Kai shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, enduring the devastating migraine.

He tried opening his eyes and saw chaos.

People, normal people who were too close to the monster, had their veins turned black and bulged in a painful way. The black veins webbed across their sunken cheeks like ink in a water body. And a purplish smear corrupted the white in their eyes.

Screams resounded across the area.

All of them clutched their heads with both hands—nails digging into their scalps. Some even tore out clumps of their own hair. The students fared little better. They, too, bore the blackened veins crawling beneath their skin, though the corruption spread at a slower, crueler pace.

But the migraine stunned them in place.

Even those who wanted to move found it far more difficult to take a step.

Kai knew about a Star Beast’s power.

Just their presence alone was enough to corrupt the minds of the living beings around it, be it normal people or supernals. Anyone who was completely corrupted would suffer a really bad fate of becoming minions to the specific Star Beast.

And as far as he knew, there’s no cure for that.

Kai looked down at his arms.

Unlike the other students, his veins hadn’t turned black.

It was all because of the Crystallized Teardrop of Argus, allowing him to be more resistant.

Additionally, he was right not to drink the last vial.

Even in the presence of a Star Beast, his Primordial Locks were completely fine.

Despite his innate resistance, a dull, throbbing sensation pulsed deep inside Kai’s mind. Now, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what the other students who hadn’t digested a Crystallized Teardrop of Argus are feeling right now.

"Halo..." Kai’s eyes flickered.

He focused his mana, probing the Halo at the nape of his neck, and a pale grey light began to coalesce around his body. With it, the migraine receded like a tide pulling back, and full motor control returned to him once more.

Kai raised his gaze and saw the white Null Gem inside the monster’s body.

It was located right behind the ribcage where its heart should be.

"A Pest-class Star Beast—and yet it’s already this strong..." Kai’s brows dipped further. "I did not even bring the Blood-phantom Scimitar. Not that the professors would have allowed a weapon in the first place, but still... what am I going to do now?"

"Daniel! It’s me! Snap out of it!"

"Stop it! Don’t do this to me!"

"Dad!"

Nearby, other students were activating their Halos, but focusing on the bigger problem proved impossible—their own family members had descended into madness and were now attacking them blindly.

And the few students spared this horror dragged their families away without hesitation.

Not even caring what happened to the other students.

Roar—!

Delighted by the chaos, the monster made a move.

It didn’t run. It didn’t charge. It swam like an earthworm, splattering against the ground, then coiling upward in a slick arc before slamming down again. A grotesque way to move—but its speed was no joke.

Kai saw it was heading to a student who was holding the wrists of his father.

That student’s back was facing the monster, so he didn’t know death was approaching fast.

Swoosh—!

As someone who wasn’t affected at all by the monster, Kai felt the obligation to help.

He dashed straight at the pair and tackled them out of the way just as the monster slammed down; its massive body missing them by inches. Had they stayed even a second longer, they would have been drowned in the monster’s slime.

The three of them screeched across the dirt.

Kai shot out a leg, found anchor, and rose sharply to his feet.

But the monster was already upon him.

It blotted out the sky with its massive form as it plunged onto Kai.

Clang—!

Out of nowhere, a figure intercepted it from the side—launching the monster sideways. It hurtled through the air and crashed into another house, reducing it to splintered wreckage. Kai blinked, and he immediately recognized this student.

Just the blue edges of his hair made his identity unmistakable.

Chester.

"Step aside, Lesser Angel." He shoved Kai aside. "Just because you have digested three vials of Crystallized Teardrop of Argus doesn’t mean you’re on par with a Star Beast. This battle is out of your league."

Chester assumed a strong posture as he watched the monster rising up again.

In one hand, there’s a polished sickle, and in his other hand is a black helmet.

Roar—!

Enraged, the monster unleashed another roar; a crushing pressure wave that blasted outward for a hundred yards—maybe more. Chester didn’t move. Didn’t even flinch. The wave seemed to pass through him as though he weren’t there at all.

Same as Kai, he had already digested two Crystallized Teardrops of Argus.

Both his mind and body are now resistant to a Pest-class Star Beast’s corrupting presence.

However, the roar wasn’t only equipped with the wave of corruption.

In a grotesque display, the monster’s body convulsed violently; its slimy outer layer churned and wobbled with wet, sickening sounds before it burst apart in a viscous explosion. Dozens of purple goo droplets rained down across the entire outskirts of the hive.

And each one of them was alive, swelling into a sizeable purple slime.

As hostile as the monster, these purple slimes immediately attacked everyone near them

Completely ignoring the slimes, Chester wore the black helmet and charged.

He clashed directly with the monster.

Kai watched as Chester traded blows with the monster; each clash ringing out with staggering force, parrying—and attacking so heavy the impacts shuddered through the air. He even saw Chester vanish mid-swing, only to reappear elsewhere a second later, and strike from another side entirely.

It was his helmet’s power.

Even though it was hard to catch, the inside of the black helmet glowed every time Chester disappeared. And from how the rubble moved and the sound of hard steps, it was clear that he wasn’t making short-distance teleportation.

He was going invisible instead.

Just that alone already put the monster in a tough spot, but his movements made it worse.

Chester was nimble, and his speed made it harder for the monster’s attack to land.

In under thirty seconds, he managed to land several blows, slicing the monster with his sickle.

Swish—!

Chester’s Halo flared; a bright silver light that pressed onto the monster.

He ducked the monster’s sluggish swipe with ease, launched himself high into the air—and descended with a flawless vertical slash. The sickle carved perfectly through the creature’s shoulder and continued downward, cleaving deep into its chest.

A wound that should have been fatal.

But the monster was resilient.

Kai had always known Chester was strong; Bree’s words about his incredible combat prowess had painted a clear enough picture. But this... this was an entirely different magnitude. Even at his current state, Kai wasn’t sure he could beat him.

"We need a distraction!" A student roared.

Snapping out of his trance, Kai turned to the side and saw the students were waking up.

Organized due to one who took up the mantle as the leader, Andre.

Though Chester was dealing with the monster, they still had to deal with the purple slimes.

"It’s attracted by life force!" Another shouted. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Someone has to distract them while we get the people to safety!" A student lashed out at a purple slime, only to recoil; the impact rang through his hand as though he’d struck solid rock. "Quickly! We’re about to be overrun!"

Just then, the student that Kai saved patted his shoulder.

"You do it," he said, flat and demanding. No malice in his voice, but a distinct coldness as if it were simple common sense—that Kai should be the sacrificial pawn. "You are a Lesser Angel. This is your job. Besides," he added, gaze unflinching, "you don’t have a family anymore. We do. So, flare your mana and run."