Up on the Celestial Stairway, every member of the Fallen Star Squad was drenched. Their clothes were practically soaked through with sweat.
Fat drops kept sliding off their foreheads, splattering onto the stone.
By this point, none of them could even stay fully upright. Every time they forced themselves onto another step, it took everything they had. More than once, the pressure crushed them down to the ground—only for them to grit their teeth and claw their way back up again.
Step after step.
Below them, Vivian and the others watched their backs in stunned silence.
The Fallen Star Squad's willpower hit them like a hammer.
Those unyielding silhouettes looked like the sky itself could fall and still not break them.
Especially Ethan at the very front.
