The Bat King, despite being pierced in the head, refused to succumb to its mortal wound.
Its tenacious life force only seemed to enrage it further as it prepared to unleash another terrifying attack.
But just as it was about to strike, two more sonic booms echoed through the air.
This time, Osa finally saw what was causing them.
Just like Jack's flames, they were arrows made from wind. If Osa hadn't been paying close attention, he wouldn't have seen them. They were simply too fast and difficult to evade.
The arrows struck true, piercing into the Bat King's upper jaw all the way to its brain and out through the back of its head.
The Bat King staggered back slightly and let out its final roar.
Then it collapsed to the ground, writhing slightly before finally becoming still.
It couldn't be any more dead than it was now.
Though what happened might take time to explain, in reality, it all happened within a single second.
"Osa, what j-just happened?" Jack stammered in shock.
Osa didn't respond. He didn't even look at Jack.
Instead, his focus remained on the place where the mysterious person who killed the Bat King had been.
After shooting those three arrows, the person had mysteriously disappeared. But there was still something familiar about the aura he carried.
Why does this person feel so familiar? Osa wondered.
"It's that dude you fought at the Grey Brothel," Dean's voice echoed in Osa's mind.
It finally clicked in Osa's head after hearing Dean, but confusion quickly followed.
Why did he help me? Thought we were enemies. And besides… shouldn't he be looking for ways to kill us?
"Easy, kid," Dean said with a sigh. "You're wrong when you said he should be trying to kill us. We're not enemies to him, and the same can also be turned around."
"What actually happened that day was me testing him. And him, being a battle maniac, also responded, which led to that fight."
"So he's actually the grateful one, not the other way around."
Dean paused briefly.
"I think you should be worried about the people underground."
"Holy s**t!"
Osa shot off immediately toward the direction of Milly's Orphanage.
Right now, he was quite close to the southern border. This battle had initially started at the North District city gate, but after everything that happened, he had somehow ended up near the border of the North District.
Only a few meters separated him from the southern border.
Osa could even vaguely hear the sound of explosions coming from the South District.
While running toward the place where Milly's Orphanage was once located, Osa focused on his hearing, trying to catch any sign of John and the staff underground.
But he found nothing.
Not a single trace.
Dispirited, he could only continue running toward the ruins of the orphanage.
When Osa arrived, he saw that the tunnel entrance had been completely covered by debris.
However, with his strength, clearing the entrance was not a problem.
Chunks of broken stone and concrete were tossed aside until the entrance was finally exposed.
After clearing it, he entered the tunnel while calling out John's name.
"John!"
No answer came.
In fact, all he could hear was the echo of his own voice.
That sick feeling in his stomach began to grow stronger.
Something felt wrong.
Then he caught it.
An unpleasant smell drifting from deeper within the tunnel.
At first, even with his sensitive nose, he could barely catch a trace of it. But as he proceeded deeper into the tunnel, the smell became stronger.
Stronger and sharper.
Until it reached a stage where even regular humans would be able to perceive it.
The more Osa moved forward, the more the sick feeling in his stomach grew.
Cold sweat formed on his skin, and his legs began to feel slightly wobbly.
Finally, he couldn't hold it anymore.
"Dean… what's going on?"
"I'm not sure," Dean replied. "This tunnel seems a bit strange. It contains remains of ancient Vion technology."
"Remains of ancient Vion technology? How?" Osa asked, confusion clear in his voice.
Dean honestly couldn't remember much about the ancient Vion technology. Perhaps if he were in good condition, he would not only remember it but even be able to recreate it.
But the problem was that he currently existed only in soul form.
Though his soul origin was perfectly intact, his soul force had not yet recovered to one hundred percent.
Still, there was one thing he could try.
He could use his spiritual sense to trace the origin of the Vion technology.
But because of the situation with the Gods, it was a risky move. They could potentially use it to trace his location.
After weighing the risks and benefits, Dean decided to give it a try.
"Kid," Dean said seriously, "I'm going to investigate the origin of this Vion technology and see if I can find anything useful… or the reason it was made here."
"Okay," Osa answered through gritted teeth. "But please be fast about it. I… can't hold on anymore."
A formless wave of spiritual energy was emitted from Osa's forehead.
It drifted toward the wall of the tunnel.
Then, as if fusing with it, the energy disappeared into the stone.
Feeling slightly reassured that Dean was investigating the tunnel, Osa continued moving forward, still searching for John and the others.
But the moment he took a step, he suddenly froze.
A chilling sensation crawled across his spine.
It felt as if he was being watched.
Like a predator had locked onto him.
A terrifying pressure pressed down on his body, making it difficult to breathe.
It felt as if the owner of that gaze only needed a single thought to erase him.
In all of Osa's life, he had never been this afraid before.
Not even back then, when Mr. Aaron had nearly killed him.
This was different.
Much worse.
It took everything he had just to remain standing.
At that exact moment, Dean's voice echoed in his head.
"Found it."