Boom!

A violent shock hit my chest, sending a sharp pain coursing through me.

"Ugh!?"

With a dull thud in my chest, the world spun wildly around me.

What… what just happened?

I rolled twice on the ground, barely catching my breath as I tried to push myself up.

Clang!

The trident collided with the iron bars of the cage, the harsh metal sound reverberating through the air.

The force was so powerful that the pole continued to vibrate slightly.

I gasped, my heart still racing from the terrifying impact. But more than the shock of that blow, what stunned me was who was now in my arms—

"Renee-nya!"

It was the girl who should've been with the rest of the Nako tribe, fleeing to safety.

She seemed to be trying to say something, but the sudden turn of events had left her mind in disarray, leaving her speechless.

Wait, I… was saved?

I blinked, first stunned, then confused.

But… why? You were supposed to be with the others, escaping. Why did you come back, and even more…

If I hadn't moved in time, that trident would've pierced through her body.

But she threw herself at me, without hesitation, her actions swift and determined.

Why… why would you do this?

Our gazes locked. Her face was full of worry for me, while I was overwhelmed with a thousand questions.

But those thoughts weren't important right now.

"Can you light a fire?"

All the words I had for her disappeared in an instant. My face hardened as I asked and shoved something into her hands.

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"…?"

She froze for a moment, but after meeting my serious gaze, her fuzzy ears trembled, and she nodded furiously.

"I'll light it and throw it in the cage."

I gave the order, pushing the matchbox firmly into her hand.

"Good!"

Without hesitation, she quickly got to her feet and ran toward the cage.

"Hey… hey! What are you doing!? What do you think you're doing, you filthy beast!?"

The siren's voice shifted from confusion to shock, and then to fear as he realized what was happening.

Scrape!

Before he could react, the sound of friction rang out, followed by a flicker of flame, and then a projectile arced through the dark.

The girl didn't look back, running with her head down. She might not have fully understood what was going on, but she seemed to have guessed what was about to happen.

"Well done… come here!"

I praised her, but the power of the explosion was likely not what she had imagined.

"Renee-nya!?"

Before the surprised girl could react, I grabbed her and pinned her tightly to me.

Boom—!

In an instant, flames shot up into the sky.

The deafening explosion shook everything around us, the heatwave devouring the space in its wake.

This was no dud, like the earlier misfire—this was a real blast, the true power of the explosive device.

After all, it had been made to kill those monstrous competitors from the hero wars. Even with this level of force, those bastards would still get up and strike deadly blows with sheer willpower.

But I never imagined that the blast would end up catching me instead.