Medusa and Mike stood facing each other silently.
Inside their dark, abyss-like eyes—
their reflections shimmered clearly.
A cold wind passed between them.
Then Medusa slowly spoke,
"Mike…"
"Are you still there?"
The moment those words reached Mike's ears—
Something deep inside him trembled.
---
Within the darkness of Mike's mind—
A silver-haired boy was slowly sinking into a silent black river.
The water was endless.
Cold.
Empty.
The darkness swallowed everything around him.
"…I lost again today…"
"This… is the truth about me…"
Suddenly—
Voices echoed from the depths of the river.
"You killed my son!"
"You're cursed!"
"You're a monster!"
The voices became louder and louder.
Hatred filled the darkness.
Then—
Another familiar voice echoed across the river.
It was Steve Celester.
"You are the disgrace of our family."
"You should have died the moment you were born."
Mike slowly sank deeper into the abyss.
Darkness wrapped around him like chains.
But then—
A faint voice suddenly reached him.
"Mike…"
"Are you still there?"
Ripples spread across the black river.
And suddenly—
More voices echoed around him.
Voices he recognized.
Sota's voice reached him first.
"We're a team."
"So forget all of that."
Then came Medusa's calm voice.
A person who rarely spoke warmly—
yet his words carried weight.
"We'll help you end this curse."
"You must be hungry…"
"Here, eat this."
The moment Mike heard those memories—
All the moments he spent with them flashed through his mind.
For the first time—
The darkness around him trembled.
Mike's lips slowly moved.
Small bubbles escaped from his mouth beneath the river.
"So… Sota…"
"Med… Medusa…"
Then—
His eyes opened slightly.
And within the endless darkness—
A tiny ray of light appeared.
From that light—
Medusa's voice echoed once again.
"Mike… wake up."
"You can defeat this curse."
---
Back in reality—
Medusa was struggling heavily against Mike's curse.
His armor was shattered in several places.
Blood covered his mouth completely.
Even his eyes had begun bleeding.
But despite that—
He slowly raised his sword toward the sky.
Dark blue and crimson lightning exploded around the blade.
The surrounding area trembled violently.
Then Medusa spoke in a broken voice—
"Sunless Dominate…"
At the same moment—
Mike slowly stepped forward.
Dark mana twisted around his body like a storm.
"Star Spell…"
"Seventh Stage…"
"…Fallen Star."
---
The instant both spells activated—
The world around them changed completely.
A black sky swallowed everything.
Endless darkness stretched across the heavens.
Tiny stars shimmered everywhere around them.
Within that cosmic darkness—
The light erupting from Medusa's sword illuminated the sky like a dying sun.
Dark blue and crimson lightning spread wildly across the battlefield.
The stars themselves began moving backward rapidly—
As if the entire world was collapsing.
The overwhelming pressure burned the surrounding land black.
Meanwhile—
Mike walked forward through the storm of energy.
Darkness flowed around him endlessly.
The stars above trembled violently.
Some even began falling from the sky like meteors.
For a brief moment—
The darkness inside Mike's eyes weakened slightly.
His pupils flickered.
As if the real Mike was trying to return.
But only for a second.
The blackness swallowed his eyes once again.
Then—
The two attacks finally collided.
BOOOOOOM—
A catastrophic explosion shook the heavens.
Shockwaves tore through the battlefield.
Massive rocks blasted into the air.
Blinding light spread in every direction.
The collision looked like—
A terrifying cosmic storm where countless stars were raining from the sky.
Blue lightning ripped across the darkness.
Red energy devoured the earth below.
And at the center of that destruction—
Mike and Medusa continued pushing against each other with everything they had.