"That guy in white defeated the monster? He's so strong."
"No, he's weaker than the monster."
"How's that possible? Didn't you see how he beat up the monster?"
"You don't understand, do you? He only used the ability of his armor to reflect the damage. Without it, he would have died from the monster's attack. Well, it doesn't remove the fact that the guy was really stronger than the most degu users in this stadium."
"Don't conclude. Just like earlier, the monster got up after its head was severed by Chris. So it's not impossible if it gets up." A guy with red hair, brown pupils, a fair complexion, and a sharp nose said as if a matter of fact.
He's the current strongest in the group after most of them of the powerful degu users perished. The only B-rank degu user in the group now.
"Well, if Julian says so. Then it must be true. And it seems the guy was also a B rank like Julian, with the ability to control and manipulate the shadows."
Julian caressed his chin thoughtfully, then looked at the group of investigators and says. "I think he isn't the strongest of them, but the white-haired guy in black clothes with glasses. Although I can't feel any degu energy in his body, that is what makes him scary. It's either he's just a regular person or a degu user that had perfected his control of degu energy! The former is already crossed out since only a degu user can become an investigator. Then, it just means that the guy had perfect control of his energy! That's why he looks like an ordinary person!"
Such a shocking fact made all the degu users gasp and look at Fein with awe. Because perfect control of energy is only possible for extremely talented people and they always shine among others. They are few far and few in between their numbers. People who are famous for having perfect degu energy control are... The blood primogenitor, the top five in the list of S rank and A rank, the members of laughing phantom, and Ceterus the leader of Ranger's Eye.
Just like the degu users, the crowd of regular people had their eyes on Michael with worship. During the battles, they witness how powerful the monster is and only one degu user had inflicted a severe injury on it so far, and that was Chris, and now with the addition of Michael.
Michael looked at the tortoise in front of him with a bloodless, pale face. He felt the surroundings turn upside down, and his hands became stiff, while his feet turned soft like a noodle. 'Degu poisoning? I really overexerted myself this time.'
Suddenly Fein appeared beside Michael with a blue potion in his hands. "Drink this or else you would pass out."
"Thanks. I can't fight again because of my degu poisoning... The stage is yours now." Michael shook his head with a sad face. "It's a pity. It seems that the monster is currently recuperating behind its shell."
"Leave this to me." Fein had an unbothered smile on his face, which gave Michael a feeling of confidence.
"What happened to the guy?"
"Well, it seems he poured one hundred percent of his degu energy on his last attack. Yet the monster shell is too tough. I think the shell might be comparable to an A-rank peak shield with its toughness alone."
"Is that so? The monster hid behind its shell, so it can recuperate?"
"Probably... But this is a chance for us degu users to leave. We can escape much faster with our speed."
"No! I won't leave until I saw all the civilians safe." A teenage degu user said with a righteous expression.
"Well, good for you, kid. Okay, let's go with this. Those who want to leave, leave. Those who want to stay, stay. It's as simple as that." Julian smiled.
"Then I'll go first."
"Me too... Nice to meet you guys."
"Me too..."
"I already did what I can do to help. Since the investigators are finally here, the civilians are basically safe. Goodbye, my brother."
"Let's keep in contact with each other. We can do some missions in the future. It's rare to find someone to trust nowadays."
The degu users smiled at each other. Some hugged while some shook hands. Such a short moment can create a strong bond. In the face of life and death-crisis, they saw the true colors and character of each other. And they knew they could trust themselves.
At this moment, the remaining degu user survivors had established a strong friendship with the foundation of trust with one another.
"Y-you, guys." The teenager saw that almost all of them intends to leave. He and Julian were the only that would stay.
"You can't force your righteousness on others. They already did their best and could even willingly give their life in the final moments. But we are still human and each one of us has a family that was waiting for us." Julian looked at the teen with pity. "You're not bad, kid? What's your name?"
"I'm Steve. Well, I can't understand it. We have the power, we should use it to prioritize the life of common people."
Seeing this, Julian couldn't help but shook his head. Then he sighed for a while as he could see that the kid in front of him lacks experience. "You will understand it once you get older. But remember, too much righteousness could sometimes become evil."
Steve stopped paying attention to Julian as he thinks that there must be something wrong with the man's brain. 'Too much good would become bad? How can that be?'
So with that, he focused his attention on Fein and Michael at the distance with a look of respect. He also wants to become a strong person like them!
Seeing the kid stop paying attention to him, Julian just smiled and silently looked at Fein. 'I hope you can kill the monster.'
"Michael, once your degu energy recovers fully, can you evacuate all the civilians? Though don't force yourself."
"It's okay if it's just transporting civilians. That won't consume much since the consumption depends on how strong the people I carry."
"Good, that way I won't have to worry about accidentally killing someone." Fein cracked his knuckles.