Chapter 46 – Destruction Aeon, Nanook

Unfortunately, for the Doomsday Beast, the integrity of its body seemed secondary. Even if Tatsuki destroyed one of its wings, it continued fighting without any real problem. The Antimatter Engine was the source of all its power. To defeat it, one had to destroy that engine.

Vector Manipulation could redirect energy vectors—momentum, heat, airflow, wind—energies defined within the scope of physics as he knew them. But the energy from the Doomsday Beast's antimatter core, and the energy coating its outer shell, didn't fall under those categories he could currently control. Perhaps at a higher skill level, he could manipulate them, but as of now, repeated attempts to shatter the core had failed.

He had tried reflecting the Doomsday Beast's own tremendous power back at it, only to find the core's exterior completely unscathed. His blows had only succeeded in shattering parts of its body. In theory, if time allowed, he could methodically pulverize its entire form until only the core remained, reducing its threat to nearly nothing. But they only had 30 minutes for this expedition.

In the midst of battle, Tatsuki batted aside the Doomsday Beast's incoming black claw with a punch, frowning as he recalled how the creature was defeated in the original story. It was Stelle, the main character, who would ultimately bring down the Doomsday Beast. Her body contained the power of a Stellaron, as well as the attention of the Destruction Aeon.

In the crucial moment, she unleashed a power that crushed the Doomsday Beast. The Stellaron had the ability to disrupt Imaginary energy flow—or perhaps it was the Aeon of Destruction's power. Either way, these forces were capable of destroying the antimatter core.

Realizing this, Tatsuki reflected another of the beast's energy beams and then turned to shout.

"I can't kill the Doomsday Beast by myself! That taciturn girl over there is the key to finishing it off!"

"Me?" Stelle blinked her wide, innocent eyes. "But if someone as strong as you can't defeat the Doomsday Beast, how could I possibly do it?"

Dan Heng shook his head. "That's not what he means. He can beat it down, but not destroy it. The beast's core won't break under ordinary power."

Himeko, who had been watching the entire fight, nodded in agreement.

"Exactly," she said. "I also think you might be the turning point here. That Stellaron inside you…"

March 7th grew anxious. "Right, you have a Stellaron in your body! Why not see if you can use its power?"

"O-okay… I'll try." Stelle obediently closed her eyes, attempting to commune with the Stellaron's power. Initially, she felt nothing. Then, suddenly, she sensed her body rising off the ground.

"She's… floating?" Indeed, Stelle was hovering in the air, prompting March 7th to poke at her hand in curiosity.

"Get back, March!" Sensing a strange force emerging, Himeko pulled March 7th away. Dan Heng retreated swiftly as well. As for Ainz, he'd already hidden himself somewhere safer.

"Where… is this…?" When she opened her eyes, Stelle realized she was no longer in the space station. It felt more like her consciousness was drifting in the starry void. At the far edge of that cosmic vista, a colossal figure projected its gaze upon her.

It resembled a humanoid form with silver-white hair, ebony skin, and golden eyes. A towering giant cloaked in regal robes, with disjointed, levitating arms—its massive chest bore a wide golden wound, from which golden blood oozed endlessly.

The Aeon of Destruction—Nanook!

…

No one else knew what Stelle was experiencing. They only saw her floating midair as a mysterious golden energy surged from within her, coalescing in Tatsuki's direction.

"Huh?"

He noticed his right hand was enveloped in a golden glow, seemingly akin to the Doomsday Beast's body enhancements. Glancing aside, he saw these energies emanating from Stelle.

"Stellaron? The Destruction Aeon?" Tatsuki couldn't be sure what power this was; he only knew it felt extremely potent.

By now, the Doomsday Beast's body was in tatters—only two of its four massive wings remained, its tail was gone, and one of its black claws lay in pieces. It was in dire straits.

Victory was practically theirs. A faint grin tugged at Tatsuki's lips.

"This fight is about to end."

Rooaar!!

The Doomsday Beast, ignorant of fear, swung its remaining white claw at Tatsuki.

Tatsuki clenched his right hand. An invisible, crushing force seized the white claw; spurred by his piercing gaze, the pressure intensified.

Crack!

The Doomsday Beast's armor-like form began to fracture, but Tatsuki didn't waste any more time. The clock was ticking on their time limit.

A massive whirlwind howled through the station, gale-force winds swirling wildly. Many supply crates and containers were lifted into the air by the turbulence. Using that momentum, Tatsuki rocketed straight toward the antimatter core.