Red Butterflies flew onto the beach. Grace and Helen, holding hands, appeared beside Dorothy, who had also just arrived from the second level of the tomb. Ignoring Shade's objections, Leisha came directly from Tobesk and appeared beside Dorothy. The four clasped hands shone as the Space Chosen One with butterfly wings appeared, and together they tried to drive away that Red Ocean.
But this was not enough. The Red Ocean, churning with wrath, had made this tiny world incomparably stable. The speed at which the Red Ocean scenery was being dispelled was far slower than the rate at which the countless Firstborn Sons in the depths of the ocean were charging their attacks.
"Too late!"
Hundreds of red Light Cannons, surging with grotesque Life Force, spread out in a fan and blasted toward the shore. Sister Devlin tried to cast another spell amid the Blood Rain, but Shade grabbed her and pulled her behind him.
"I'll do it!"
He stood before everyone. The Philosopher's Stone he carried fused into his body, and his gradually enlarging figure stood before them like a mountain:
"Enhanced Night Curtain Seal!"
An ink-black shield spread across the shore like a city wall. The red Light Cannons struck it, sending ripples across its surface, but even with the power of the Philosopher's Stone, the Night Curtain lasted only three seconds before shattering.
Crimson Life Force surged toward Shade, who still refused to flee. "She" sighed softly at that moment, sounding almost as though she were smiling helplessly. The "Thaumaturgy: Veil of Night" activated directly without Shade casting it.
The Night Curtain was torn open over the pink beach, as though another small, independent world had appeared within this one.
The shattered Night Curtain Seal endured for several more seconds within that deep, endless night. Shade had