Chapter 6: Explosion

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Even with a fifty percent increase in physical resilience, Bochang merely became more enduring and less susceptible to damage.

His strength and agility remained similar to that of an ordinary person, possibly even slightly weaker.

Attempting to keep pace with two superhuman assailants seemed nearly impossible.

From spotting the enemy until now, barely three seconds had passed. The distance of several dozen meters felt like an insurmountable chasm; by the time he reached them, it would likely be too late.

As March 7th prepared to launch its attack, Stelle was just a step away from engaging the foes.

Bochang narrowed his eyes. "First impressions matter greatly. I must deliver an impressive performance to earn my ticket on the Astral Express. Therefore... I can only rely on the power of the Dragon Talisman—Draconic Burst, don't let me down..."

With this thought, Bochang raised his hand, aiming at the three soldiers of the Antimatter Legion from dozens of meters away.

Among them, the Voidrangers known as Plunderers were humanoid monsters clad in black metallic battle armor, wielding twin golden machetes strapped to their wrists. Their bodies brimmed with antimatter, pulsating with negative ions.

With this gesture, he unleashed formidable Destruction energy.

These soldiers were fundamental combat units of the Antimatter Legion, embodying the will of Destruction. Primarily driven by instinct, they exhibited intense aggression.

Heavy particles appeared as circular monsters with a black sphere at their core, encased within three silver-white armor plates.

They closely resembled their similarly shaped counterparts—the antiparticles.

Both heavy particles and antiparticles were designed to prevent the dispersal and subsequent annihilation caused by antimatter interactions.

Additionally, heavy particles and antiparticles possessed basic intelligence, enabling them to respond to the will and summoning of Voidrangers on the battlefield, aiding in battles accordingly.

Despite attempting a sneak attack, the sound of their footsteps still caught the enemies' attention, causing them to turn around.

To alert his teammates that he was about to fire, Bochang shouted loudly, "Explosion!"

In that instant,

March 7th released her ice-blue arrow, simultaneously feeling a terrifying surge of heat from behind.

It felt like a prickling sensation against her back.

"What is this... Is it Bochang's attack?"

Before the pink-haired girl could even turn to observe, she saw a pillar of flame, as thick as a person's waist, streak past her, swiftly overtaking her own ice-blue arrow.

Upon hearing Bochang's shout, Stelle immediately grew cautious. Sensing the surging wave of heat approaching from behind...

The gray-haired girl sounded the alarm.

Without hesitation, Stelle darted sideways.

The column of flames struck the central Voidranger Plunderer, triggering a massive explosion. The raging inferno engulfed the other nearby Voidranger and heavy particle before they could escape.

They struggled futilely amidst the flames, ultimately consumed entirely. Even the subsequent ice-blue arrows, upon entering the blaze, made no impact, as if they had never existed at all.

The fiery beam did not relent; after killing its targets, it continued forward, finally slamming into the space station's metal walls and causing an even more intense explosion.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar shook the entire space station, startling many present.

The explosion generated a shockwave that reverberated back through the corridor, swiftly passing over March 7th and Stelle.

Bochang watched helplessly as a wave of fiery air surged towards him.

The moment he activated the Dragon Talisman's power,

it felt like all his energy was instantly drained from within.

As if he had sprinted nine times nonstop, his legs went weak. The only reason he didn't collapse immediately was not due to remaining strength,

but rather because the sequence happened too quickly for Bochang to even fall.

"Ah?↘↗"

Caught off guard, akin to being hit by a rare thousand-year typhoon, the black-haired youth was swiftly swept up and crashed onto the ground, sprawling out with limbs splayed. He skidded nearly three meters before coming to a stop, pain radiating throughout his body.

If it weren't for "Dating Options" enhancing his physical constitution earlier,

Bochang would likely have sustained severe injuries.

But at that moment, he was relatively okay...

Just bruised quite badly, causing immense discomfort, yet without any major harm beyond the impact.

Had he not depleted his stamina completely,

Bochang could have easily stood back up on his own.

"Why is the Dragon Talisman's power so overwhelming... And why can I only use it once before collapsing? It wasn't like this in anime series. System, what's going on?"

A powerful Dragon Talisman should be advantageous,

but to this extent, it becomes somewhat alarming.

It's slightly terrifying; using it at close range would harm both oneself and others, making it somewhat impractical.

If Bochang collapses after just one use, it becomes even more useless...

[Using the Dragon Talisman's power consumes your own stamina. In theory, you shouldn't collapse after a single use. It happened because you lack control and unleashed its maximum potential. In the anime, the talisman itself served as a conduit, assisting with power regulation to prevent such occurrences... Additionally, those characters' physical constitutions were significantly stronger than yours.]

[Regarding the power level, I suggest relying on real-world experience. This isn't even considered full strength yet. If you could fully harness the Dragon Talisman's power, you'd be capable of exploding stars with a single strike.]

The [Dating Options] system responded.

Lying on the ground, Bochang panted heavily.

March 7th's lovely face promptly appeared before him, clearly unaffected by the intense shockwave from the explosion. It made sense, given her superior physical constitution compared to Bochang.

"Are you okay...?" March 7th knelt down, looking at him with concern.

At that moment, the gray-haired girl also rushed over.

Due to their proximity to the enemy, both the pink-haired girl and Stelle experienced two successive shockwaves from the explosions.

The first was relatively minor.

The second was more severe but still manageable for them, leaving only slight disarray in their clothing.

However, Bochang was injured by the second shockwave.

The initial blast felt like a strong gust of wind, while the subsequent wave carried the true force.

Had it been even slightly more powerful, Bochang likely would have sustained serious injuries.

Given the shockwave's immense speed, neither March 7th nor Stelle could react in time to protect him.

"I'm fine... Just got knocked around a bit..." Bochang managed a strained smile, relieved that his companions were unharmed.

March 7th, reassured, gazed at the black-haired youth's face and tilted her head, saying, "You...are pretty impressive, aren't you..."

"Not really... To be honest, I didn't expect myself to be this strong either. I just wanted to help, and then suddenly..." Before Bochang could finish, March 7th interrupted with a gleam in her eyes.

"You know... that move you just used was really awesome! Can you perform it again? Just like this..." Mimicking Bochang's tone, the pink-haired girl exclaimed loudly, "Explosion!"

"It took out three monsters instantly."

"I wish I could have captured that moment with a camera..."

For a moment, Bochang wasn't sure if she was genuinely complimenting him, but seeing her eyes sparkling...

It seemed she truly found it impressive.

"My stamina is depleted... I can't use that move again right now," the black-haired youth said, shaking his head slightly.

March 7th felt somewhat disappointed. "Oh, I see..."

Watching their interaction, Stelle momentarily didn't know what to say. After hesitating for a brief moment,

the gray-haired girl spoke up, "Um... shouldn't we be moving on? Bochang, can you still walk by yourself? If not, let me carry you."

"For now, I'm unable to continue. From here on, I'll have to rely on you, Stelle." Bochang turned his head, looking at the gray-haired girl beside him.