Looking at the Diablos's corpse underfoot and the audience who had calmed down and begun queuing row by row to descend from the high platforms, Andrew let out a soft sigh of relief.
As someone who had also taken three Diablos charges head-on—one of them a direct clash—Andrew's left arm, still gripping his lance, trembled slightly even with Astra Yao's buffs.
The recoil from the collision made his chest feel stuffy, and the left side of his body numb.
After downing two bottles of Healing Potion in a row, the potent effects finally restored his body to full condition.
In the previous battle, he'd been too focused on protecting others, leaving no openings to recover even with his trained passive quick-eats.
But Andrew didn't feel it had been dangerous at all.
After all, in a normal fight, a Diablos of this strength wouldn't have ended so quickly, and the minor injuries he'd taken were totally manageable.
That said, it wasn't entirely cost-free.
This Diablos's scales and horns were far tougher than average, and his Knight Lance's Otherworldly Spinning Fire was already straining from the clash, desperately needing maintenance.
The sharpest part—the lance tip—even had a tiny crack.
Using it without repairs for another fight like this would make it impossible to hold up.
But as a Rarity 6 weapon, holding out this long in such intense combat was already incredibly reliable.
After confirming the Diablos was completely lifeless, Andrew finally had time to carefully analyze its anomalies.
At first, he'd had no clues, suspecting it might be something like a Monoblos variant.
But as the fight progressed, the more he battled, the stronger the sense of déjà vu became.
This Diablos matched many traits of the Mirage Diablos, which warranted its own dedicated page in the codex despite scant data.
Soon, though, Andrew confirmed it was just similar.
After all, its power was a massive gap from the codex records.
But seeing those unique patterns emerge in its enraged state, along with its explosive strength surge, Andrew was nearly certain.
This thing was on the path to becoming an Elder Dragon.
Rage mode was an extreme stamina drain it couldn't yet fully handle or master—the pinnacle form for a Diablos was still a ways off.
But now, it would forever stop here.
Its mad outburst had completely exhausted its stamina; even if it wanted to attack now, it had no strength left. With its head pierced, it was already in its final moments.
Good thing he'd encountered it early. If it had truly crossed that threshold into a real Elder Dragon, the fight wouldn't have been this contained.
At least dozens of kilometers around would have turned to ash.
"Andrew!"
Astra Yao descended from the sky, ignoring the blood on the ground and his gear as she rushed straight at him, hugging him tight to vent her emotions.
But the next moment, Andrew pressed down on her head, stopping her pounce.
"Careful, hugging me like this in all this gear isn't comfy—you might hurt yourself."
Andrew sighed helplessly, subconsciously ruffling her hair before adjusting his equipment and speaking up.
"Besides, we're in the middle of the venue with all those fans watching. As an idol now, starting a scandal wouldn't be great for your image."
But Astra Yao wore a completely unbothered expression, slipping right past his arm.
"Hehe, no worries! I think from now on, their biggest idol's gonna change to someone else anyway."
"Uh..."
Hearing that, Andrew was at a loss for a retort.
Glancing around at the fans, there wasn't a trace of anger over their idol being 'taken'—just expressions of 'yeah, that makes sense.'
But right then, a sudden scream echoed from the venue exit nearby, instantly drawing their attention.
Thinking some new trouble had cropped up, Andrew gripped his Tower Shield, warily scanning over.
At the same time, Evelyn—who'd been hidden until now—appeared instantly at their side.
But upon spotting the figure, the familiar police uniform and fluffy ponytail like a fox tail let Andrew instantly recognize the woman pinning someone down.
No one else but Zhu Yuan, who'd rushed here nonstop.
And under her was Thorne, who'd enjoyed the full show from the VIP viewing spot.
Only after the Diablos was truly dead and breathless did Thorne wait a bit longer, confirming its death before reluctantly preparing to leave.
Intel from his informant said this Diablos's impact was way bigger than he'd imagined, giving him a chance to escape.
Lady Luck was smiling on him after all.
Seize the moment—he'd slip away in the chaos once more.
As for Andrew, Thorne—who'd already seen him as a monster—now felt only awe after witnessing the fight.
A beast unstoppable in the Outer Ring died by his hand, practically without resistance.
His loss was no fluke.
If anything, his brother surviving longer in prison was pure mercy.
But as he snuck toward the exit amid the crowd chaos, ready to bolt, a figure rushing inward blocked his path.
No time to waste, Thorne reached to knock her out—or worse if she put up a fight.
But the next instant, a dizzying spin sent him crashing to the ground.
Pinning him was none other than Zhu Yuan, heading into the venue.
Cop instincts had her counter before he even moved, slamming him down.
She'd already been burning with anxiety hearing the massive roars from outside the venue, knowing the Diablos had hit here.
After all, yesterday she'd seen Andrew applying to bodyguard the venue's idol.
He had to be inside, facing that monster!
Sure, he always downplayed himself as a plain blacksmith owner, but his strength was no joke.
Otherwise, he wouldn't deliver wanted criminals to Public Security every few days—not to mention the Typhon.
Zhu Yuan thought she'd already overestimated him plenty.
But this monster was different.
Before it, even the Typhon was just fragile scrap.
Worst, her attempts to call Andrew went straight to voicemail.
That only ramped up her worry.
En route, her emotions rollercoastered with live updates over the walkie-talkie.
Thankfully, her colleagues' reports stayed optimistic, letting her tamp down the panic.
Rushing in as sounds cut off after a massive boom, cheers and platform panic followed over the radio.
Someone had taken down the monster, avenging the dead zone.
Zhu Yuan's worries finally eased.
Her steps slowed from frantic as she pondered who the powerhouse was.
Miyabi?
Or Grandmaster Yixuan?
Miyabi seemed most likely—with her speed, finishing her mission and arriving was plenty feasible.
Or Yixuan on her HIA commission clearing high-risk Ethereals?
But after instinctively countering and pinning Thorne, the clear path to the venue center made Zhu Yuan gasp in disbelief.
"Andrew?!!"
The pose over the corpse, wounds perfectly matching his weapon—undeniable proof.
But the pained yelp below snapped her back.
Realizing her hasty release, she spotted New Eridu Public Security's new top wanted man—Thorne.
The hold turned to a twist, cuffs snapping on his wrists.
Though Zhu Yuan's soft gasp was quiet, Andrew's sharp senses caught it crystal clear.
Last thing he wanted: daily recognition, pointing, photos.
Fearing she'd shout and blow his cover, Andrew dashed over at top speed, cutting her off.
Glancing at her captive, he clocked Thorne too.
Unclear why Public Security's most-wanted was here, but Andrew punched him into dreamland anyway.
A post-check found zero dangerous items, leaving him puzzled.
Superfan getup, merch bag—Andrew's revenge suspicion fizzled into confusion.
No way he came for Astra's concert?
Kidnapping as extreme stan behavior?
Recalling Zhu Yuan's briefing on Ryza and Hank's confessions, didn't fit a defiant superfan's profile.
Come to watch the show?
Whatever—once in custody, answers would come.
Andrew brushed it off, waving casually in greeting.
"Officer Zhu Yuan, long time no see?"
Spotting her updated shoulder insignia, he teased.
"Wait, Captain Zhu Yuan now?"
His jab worked perfectly, snapping her from shock.
Ignoring the tease, his muffled voice through the mask stirred vague familiarity.
Like she'd heard it before.
But bigger questions first.
Staring at the venue-center Diablos corpse, still fresh-warm, disbelief lingered from her powerlessness.
Just minutes ago—now a corpse.
Fact clear, she still asked.
"Andrew, you really took down that monster?"
Solved under so many eyes, denial impossible—no point anyway.
Andrew nodded.
"Yeah, me."
Hearing it firsthand, Zhu Yuan accepted reality despite shock, demanding.
"Plain ordinary blacksmith owner?"
"Ahem."
Coughing to mask awkwardness, Andrew bullshitted.
"No martial arts here—just innate super strength! Blacksmithing builds muscle, right? No biggie!"
"That's 'a bit' big? And a blacksmith fighting a monster with combat sense?"
Her growing suspicion prompted wild deflection.
"I'm an aspiring Chaoyang District good samaritan! Just seein' justice, doin' justice."
Chaoyang District good samaritan?
The term jolted her memory—post-lab incident, she'd scoured New Eridu's districts and old names.
No such place.
Why'd Andrew name it too?
Plus, he'd asked about illegal research right when she was hunting clues.
Suspicion overflowed.
But she held back, planning private digging later.
Whatever the reason.
He hid his identity, but his deeds were straight-up good.
Vigilantism?
Zhu Yuan wasn't some rigid procedural cop. If he was doing good, she'd even help cover.
No more questions, like she'd bought the excuse.
____
New Story: FGO: Building a Lostbelt from Scratch, the Winner is Canon
🔥We're handing out that '25% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Unlock a 40-chapter backlog for ALL my series.
✅ Receive exclusive content and regular updates!
Help us reach these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 universal bonus chapter
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters for ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan