A moment.
That was all he had.
A moment.
Austin's eyes snapped open.
The real world came rushing back—the claws of Rudolph just inches from his chest, ready to tear through his heart.
His pulse thundered, yet his face remained calm. No fear. No panic.
Maybe it was the afterglow of his level-up. Maybe he was still halfway out of the dungeon. But to him, everything moved in slow motion—like time itself had been dragged through tar.
With a flick of his hand, he summoned Scar. The weapon answered with a low hum, its edges glowing from the Soul Energy he fed it, glowing, and starving for more.
Austin twisted his body and spun aside, the claws missing him by a breath.
"W-What—?" Rudolph's possessed body gasped, crashing into a tree with a sickening crack.
Austin didn't waste a second. He didn't finish Rudolph off. Not yet.
His eyes shot to the battlefield—toward the horde of demons closing in on Parkinson and Rhea.
Valerie.
He saw her alive.
