Li kept his hand and attention to the seed at his heart, feeling the golden speck of the sun finding no home more apt than in the body of a forest divinity, the small shard of sunlit life spreading thin roots through his body that glowed like visible veins of gold.

The warmth that initially flowed from the [Fusion Seed] into his body had now rapidly heated up into a searing heat that actually burned his divine body, singing his bark and curling the tips of leaves around his form into blackened crisps.

Such was the overwhelming power bordering on self-harm that the [Fusion Seed] granted when not used as an explosive and utilized for its intended purpose - to plant and grow immense, exponentially increasing power that shone extremely powerful like a star before burning out, taking the user with it if he was not careful.

While he felt the heat gathering magical energy within himself, the Dark beast amalgamation landed its blow. The colossal hand slammed onto Li's comparatively miniscule figure, and the impact of the attack was immense, unlike anything that he had ever encountered in this realm of existence.

The impact loosed out a tremendous explosive sound as it made contact with the soil, and the mushy, dark beast waterlogged dirt shot dozens of meters upwards in towering geysers that outlined the handprint.

An immense shockwave surged out from the hand and, instead of gouging out a huge crater as it would have on solid earth, it instead had so much power that it made the soil undulate and cave outwards like liquid waves.

Wind blasted outwards from the point of impact, powerful winds that exceeded the gale force of any earthly hurricane, uprooting every single tree in eye sight and sending them hurtling away into the distance.

Quite literally, any mortal life Li was familiar with in this new world would have simply been eviscerated into a bloody stain from the mere shockwave of the attack.

Li felt damage. Relatively serious damage. He had tanked a full force attack from a level eighty boss, after all, and that, in terms of sheer force and damage, was quite equivalent to tanking an attack from a level 100+ player character.

But he no longer felt mortal conceptions of pain anymore.

He knew he took decent damage, that his life force was lowered, but nothing so trivial as pain limited him.

All around him, he could only see darkness. Squirming, fleshy darkness. He was inside the mouth of the palm, and its spine laced innards were all trying to crush him with intense grinding and cutting force. He could hear the screams and groans of all the individual life forces around him that comprised the amalgamation, all of them trying to desperately eliminate Li and the glowing light in his chest that it so despised.

But thankfully, the insides of the Dark beast were not as powerful as the entire creature itself, doing miniscule damage to Li.

And by now, the [Fusion Seed] had finished growing and taking root within Li. The sunken sockets of his eyes flashed with bright solar light, emitting twin points of energy in the dark maw of the abomination, lighting up every single piece of ugliness that comprised its innards.

Ugliness that would soon be wiped away.

=====================

"Faye, can you release me?" said Launcelot as he squinted down, making out the bright, sun-like light emanating below that could only have come from Li.

He could shoulder the fall with a [Shield Block] that allowed him to negate the impact of any one attack, including a fall from this height, and from there, he could see what he could do.

Launcelot realized that Faye's hold around his arms were not loosening. He instinctively looked back to her, but the smog prevented him from seeing anything. Instead, he could only hear her voice.

"I cannot," said Faye. "If I do, you will go down there, and you will die."

"No, Faye, you do not understand. I cannot run now, as I have done before. I have to do this. For too long, I have fled when there arose a problem that I could not overcome." Launcelot recalled Azhar, how he had thoroughly beaten the ranger in their duel, but knew that now, the ranger had grown even stronger, taking that defeat to heart and improving himself.

In contrast, what had Launcelot done? He had trained himself, known himself to be strong, but whenever he was faced with a challenge truly great, truly beyond his capacity, he did not have the will to face it and overcome it.

"I have to become more than what I am."

"You are the one that does not understand. Launce, how selfish can you be? For your pride, you are willing to throw your life away?" She paused.

"To leave us alone in this world? Launce, for so long, ever since you lost Liana, you've been on this crusade to help herokind and to fight against the crown, even when you yourself know well you hold not the power to do it.

You have always considered yourself less than what you could be. You have always wanted to become more than what you are. You push yourself daily, and yet, you always believe yourself lacking.

Launce, you've done enough. You've saved us, you've become more a man than any I've met, you've become one to admire and look up to. I know I do. You are perfect the way you are, and sometimes, perfection does not mean you can do everything.

If not for your own life, then retreat for ours."

"Look at the battle below, Launce, and tell me, with all honesty, what can you do?" said Ava. "Your bronze shield is liable to break into a million pieces even at the slightest touch of the forces brewing down below. Your body would not last even a second there, nor would any of ours.

Listen to my sister's words."

"Don't go," whispered Celeste.

Launcelot frowned, the comments cutting into his heart. He knew Faye was right. Deep down, he knew. In all ordinary circumstances, he would have retreated here, knowing full well how much his dearest companions cared for him. How they would be so alone and vulnerable in this world without him.

Though he upheld his ideals, he was no fool. He would never take decisions that would place those around him in danger for the sake of his own principles.

And yet, he knew something was different this time.

Have faith, he remembered Li saying, and right now, he did have faith. Faith he placed in his shield and how it responded to him, letting him know that he was making the right decision.

"Faye, please, trust me. I know I can do good here, even in the midst of this battle that seems to so utterly dwarf us. I am not fool enough to throw my life away for nothing, and I am also not one that can turn my back when I know that I can do good."

Launcelot used his free hand to reach out to Faye's arm, holding her hand tight as she held him up.

"I will be back. Alive. I guarantee it."

"There is simply no going through to you, is there?" sighed Faye after a few seconds.

Launcelot felt Faye's figure pressing into his back as she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. She gently pressed her face into the back of his neck, her warm breathing caressing his cheek.

"Fine then," said Faye as she withdrew from her embrace, "I will hold you to your word. You best make sure you return in one piece too. A functioning piece, mind you."

"I have broken my word but once in my life, and never again," said Launcelot, smiling. "Especially not now."