*Chapter 19: Last Stand*

On the other end of the room, Astaria was in complete shock, but she quickly fought against her overwhelming emotions. With all her strength, she sprinted toward Kagami, hoping to save him. As she ran, time seemed to slow, and the distance between them expanded. Her subconscious seemed to whisper the futility of the situation, but Astaria paid no heed; all she wanted was to save him and do what she can.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in her head, saying, "Heads up." The ceiling opened, revealing an infinite darkness above, and a barrage of dark spears descended in an instant. One spear was perilously close to Astaria, and she couldn't react in time. It would have crushed her had it struck, but just inches away, she vanished, leaving only the dust created by the impact of the spears and the monster's pained screams as it was impaled to the ground.

As the dust settled, Astaria found herself positioned above Kagami's right shoulder, confused and not understanding what's happening. She got a spank on her butt that woke her up from her confusion, and heard Kagami exclaim, "Ah, for Fu## sake, you're all going to kill me for real." Tears welled up in Astaria's eyes as Kagami pondered if he had hit her too hard. She hugged him tightly, and the two of them fell to the ground, crying and thanking whatever higher power might have saved him, Astaria completely forget that she had been on the brink of going to the afterlife just moments ago.

Kagami gently and yet awkwardly stopped her from crying, and Astaria quickly understood, shifting her focus to trying to heal his injuries and ease his pain. She didn't have much energy left, but she did her best to mend Kagami's wounds and broken body.

They couldn't help but worry about Charlotte, but Astaria assured Kagami that she was likely fine. Since the voice they had heard belonged to "Him," he was probably trying to get them out without setting the monster free. This hopefulness (strangely) prompted Kagami to pat Astaria's head, finding comfort in her soft, golden hair as she began to heal him.

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Their release seemed imminent, however in the background, a storm was brewing as the impaled monster started to "open up his domain." The monster's flesh began to expand, threatening to engulf the entire room and swallow both Kagami and Astaria.

Kagami sighed sarcastically, "Oh boy, this is just perfect, just when hope started to return, and our future seemed bright," as he began to sweat heavily. In frustration, he redirected his stress and attention to pulling Astaria's cheeks. Realizing the gravity of their situation, Astaria begged him to stop and return to the real world.

As the monster's flesh inexorably approached and it became clear that they were about to be devoured and loss their last chance to escape, Kagami launched an attack against the monster, hoping he will buy some time for both of them, even though it was pierced to the ground. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain, as the monster defended itself more vigorously and viciously than ever.

Kagami's body was on the brink of breaking yet again, despite Astaria having used the last of her energy to heal him. Most of his bones were nearly shattered, and while the bleeding had ceased, it hadn't stopped completely. It was strange and nothing short of a miracle that he was still alive, let alone standing and fighting.

The monster's flesh continued to approach, and no matter how much they stabbed or hurt it, it showed no signs of stopping. Small arms even began growing within it, and it was only a matter of time before the two of them would be crushed and eaten. But suddenly, Kagami sprinted at an incredible speed toward Astaria. She was confused and didn't understand his actions until he caught her and used every ounce of his remaining strength to launch her toward the upper right of the door. A small gap opened and closed a second after Astaria passed through it. In the split second she was in the air, she heard "Him" say, "Up ahead, one second."

With a sigh of relief from Kagami, Astaria found herself safely on the other side of the door. Kagami wore a confident smile as he prepared to face his fate. The room was rapidly becoming consumed by the monster's flesh. Kagami looked at the monster and found him disappointed.

"W-what?" Kagami stammered in confusion.

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