What a pity.
Doomsday Beast's torso seemed almost insignificant. Even with one of its wings shattered by Nanashi, it remained unfazed.
Its true power lay within the antimatter engine—the core of its existence.
To defeat it, one had to destroy that core.
Nanashi's vector manipulation allowed him to control the direction of energy, focus it, and even alter its properties. However, his ability was limited to physical energies—momentum, heat, airflow, and wind.
Doomsday Beast's antimatter core, along with the energy coating its body, existed beyond his current capabilities.
Perhaps if his ability evolved, he could one day control these forces.
For now, every attempt to crack the core failed. Even when redirecting Doomsday Beast's own attacks against it, the shell remained unscathed.
The immense force Nanashi unleashed only fractured Doomsday Beast's massive body, scattering its form—but not destroying it.
If given enough time, he could grind the entire beast to dust. At that point, the core alone would be meaningless.
But time wasn't on his side. They only had thirty minutes.
Amid the battle, Nanashi deflected a massive black claw, his expression tightening as he searched for a solution.
How was Doomsday Beast defeated?
He recalled—the one who ended it was the protagonist, Stelle.
His gaze shifted to her, standing confused amidst the chaos.
She carried the power of the Star Core within her—a force that had caught the attention of the Star God of Destruction. It was this power that ultimately brought Doomsday Beast down.
The Star Core possessed the ability to disrupt the flow of imaginary energy.
Perhaps it was the Star Core itself, or the divine power of destruction it carried—either way, it was the key to shattering Doomsday Beast's core.
Realizing this, Nanashi raised a hand, effortlessly deflecting another of Doomsday Beast's energy blasts before turning to shout:
"I can't kill Doomsday Beast. That girl over there—she's the key!"
Stelle blinked, her large, watery eyes filled with uncertainty.
"Me?"
She hesitated, her voice carrying a trace of doubt.
"But… even someone as strong as you couldn't defeat it. How could I possibly—"
Dan Heng shook his head.
"That's not it. He can defeat Doomsday Beast, but he can't kill it. Doomsday Beast's core won't break with ordinary force."
Himeko, who had observed the entire battle, nodded in agreement.
"Exactly."
"Your Star Core," she continued, "it might be the key to turning this fight around."
March 7th chimed in anxiously.
"Yeah, yeah! You have the Star Core inside you—why not try using its power?"
Stelle hesitated, then slowly exhaled.
"...Alright. I'll try."
Closing her eyes, she reached inward, attempting to connect with the Star Core's power.
At first, there was nothing.
Then—she felt it.
Her body suddenly became weightless.
"Why is she floating?!"
March 7th yelped, reaching out to poke her.
"Back away, March!" Himeko warned, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.
Dan Heng quickly retreated as well.
As for the Suzuki… he had already hidden far away.
Stelle opened her eyes—only to find herself no longer within the space station.
She was floating in the vast void of the starry sky.
At its end, a colossal figure loomed, its gaze piercing through space.
Silver-white hair, dark skin, golden eyes.
A divine robe draped over its form, while its severed arms hovered in midair.
A golden wound gaped across its chest, divine blood dripping like molten gold.
The Star God of Destruction.
Nanook.
—
The others had no idea what Stelle was experiencing.
All they saw was golden energy surging from her floating body, radiating outward.
And then—those energies began flowing toward Nanashi.
"Hm?"
He glanced down at his right hand, now coated in golden light.
The energy felt eerily similar to Doomsday Beast's reinforced form.
His eyes flicked toward Stelle, realization dawning.
"The Star Core… The power of the Star God…"
He couldn't quite identify the force at play—only that it was incredibly potent.
Meanwhile, Doomsday Beast's body had been battered beyond recognition.
Of its four pairs of massive wings, only two remained. Its tail had been severed, its black claws shattered.
It was barely holding together.
The scales of victory had tipped.
A slight smile tugged at Nanashi's lips.
"It's time to end this."
"ROAR!"
Doomsday Beast knew no fear. Even in its final moments, it lashed out, its last remaining white claw swinging toward Nanashi.
Nanashi clenched his right hand.
An invisible force seized Doomsday Beast's claw midair.
His sharp gaze bore into the beast as the pressure intensified.
CRACK!
The armored shell of Doomsday Beast's limb fractured.
But Nanashi didn't linger.
Time was running out.
A whirlwind erupted, raging through the space station.
Fierce winds tore through the battlefield, sweeping crates and debris into the air.
With a burst of raw speed, Nanashi launched himself forward—
Straight toward Doomsday Beast's antimatter core.