Daichi was once again jolted awake by the Devouring Soul Slate. He immediately scanned his surroundings—no sign of danger.
But before he could wonder why he was being woken, the Slate urged him to look above the clouds.
He raised his gaze and spotted the ascending rocket-ship. Something had fallen from it—two figures, yellow and blue, tangled together.
He squinted.
It was Nobita and Doraemon.
Daichi didn't hesitate for a second. He instantly activated the "Sky" sigil, cast a Tier-2 Windstride spell, and tripled his mana output.
His body blurred into a streak of light as he rocketed toward the falling pair. Within seconds, he was beside them, adjusting his speed to approach gently.
Catching them outright would be too dangerous—stopping that velocity too suddenly would seriously injure Nobita.
Instead, Daichi summoned vertical currents of wind beneath them, slowing their fall layer by layer.
Only when their speed had eased did he swoop in and catch them safely.
But his expression grew even more tense.
Above them, Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo saw Daichi make the catch and let out a collective sigh of relief.
They all returned to the platform, where the final confrontation between the two programmers had reached its climax.
Daichi frowned, sensing something dire."His life force… it's barely flickering."
He didn't need his sensing spell to tell him—Nobita's life was hanging by a thread.
He quickly drew his Wood Spirit Staff and cast a healing spell.
He wanted to chant the incantation for a stronger effect, but there was no time—Nobita could die in those few seconds. He cast it immediately.
A green glow sank into Nobita's charred body. Some of the burn marks began to fade.
Daichi didn't relax.
He cast it again. Only then did Nobita's breathing begin to steady.
He exhaled. "At least… he's stable now."
He stopped casting. Multiple treatments in a short span would only weaken the body further. He'd need to space them out.
Just then, waves surged across the ocean.
The Nobita Maru emerged from the depths—its exterior strapped with enormous Take-Copters, turning a treasure-hunting ship into a flying vessel.
Mini-Dora stood on the deck, waving excitedly.
Daichi flew up and gently set Nobita and Doraemon on the ship.
Doraemon had already begun rebooting. Daichi stayed behind to monitor Nobita's condition.
Above, the battle between father and son reached its peak.
Captain John was coding with one hand, defending against the furious strikes of his son—Flock, whose fingers flew over an invisible keyboard.
The fate of Earth—its survival or destruction—rested in this digital war.
John fought to secure a future for his son. Flock fought to save their family… and the planet.
And now… Flock found a vulnerability.
He struck fast and hard, exploiting the flaw. John's patching couldn't keep up.
He looked at his cane-bound hand. If only he could type with both…
But no—without it, he couldn't even stand.
He looked at Flock. His son.The next generation always surpasses the last. I really have grown old.
His shoulders sagged.
Then, suddenly, his eyes narrowed.So what if he won? I haven't lost yet.
John stepped forward.
Flock noticed the shadow looming over him and turned. His father stood behind him.
"I'm sorry, son. I promised Fiona I'd give you a future…"
John smashed Flock's keyboard with his cane.
Now only his own console remained. Flock had no means to fight back, and the ship was ascending ever higher.
With no strength to fight his father off physically, and with no help coming from below, Flock could only watch helplessly.
Daichi sensed all this from below and shouted:"Fly the ship up! I'll stop them!"
Activating the Sky sigil with his spirit energy, he soared upward once again.
Doraemon, now fully rebooted, took command."Everyone, let's chase them!"
The ship passed through the clouds. Above this point, oxygen was thin—it was dangerous for everyone else.
Daichi clung to the bottom of the craft."You guys go back. Leave the rest to me."
He shoved everyone off the ship. Doraemon caught them safely.
Daichi climbed to the control deck and faced the father and son."You're going to lose."
John turned his dead-eyed gaze toward Daichi."Why are you so sure?"
Daichi smiled. "Because you were born."
John flinched. He understood.
You exist in the future—so you couldn't have destroyed Earth today. If you had, your future wouldn't exist.
Daichi continued,"You're clinging to a plan that's already doomed. Why not change the future instead? Give up the energy. Go back to your time. Face the future together with your children."
"Your wife loved this planet, didn't she? Would she want you to destroy what she loved just to gamble on an impossible outcome?"
"If you were right, why is your son your enemy?"
John looked at Flock. The boy stepped forward, pleading:"Please, Dad… I just want us to be together. Even if the future is destroyed—we'll face it as a family. That's what matters!"
John's lips parted. "Even if you say that, I…" He collapsed.
Daichi's staff had pierced his back—Sleep Spell.
"Why'd you knock my dad out?!" Flock cried, rushing to catch him.
"He's under a sleep spell. He's not waking up soon," Daichi said flatly.
"Less talking, more hacking. We're almost in orbit. Either we fix this now or never."
Flock had no choice. He returned to the terminal.
But the energy orb couldn't drop—protected by the shield below.
Daichi yelled down:"Doraemon! Destroy the underside of the ship!"
Doraemon tried everything—no good.
Daichi jumped down."Stop wasting time. Use your ultimate weapon!"
Doraemon blinked. "What ultimate weapon?"
Daichi didn't explain. He cast a tenfold Might Strength spell, grabbed Doraemon by the leg, and slammed his metal head into the protective layer.
BOOM.
The entire ship shuddered. Cracks spread across the bottom.
Daichi inspected Doraemon—head intact."That head's indestructible."
Then he looked at his own hand.
…Broken.
He canceled the strength buff. Pain exploded up his arm.
But the protection layer was shattered. The energy core fell into the ocean below.
Daichi followed it, casting a healing spell on his arm mid-air.
When the orb safely landed back in the volcano beneath the sea, he resurfaced with a long breath.
"Whew. This adventure… is finally over. I'm beat. And it hurts like hell."
Overuse of his strength spell had fractured his bones. His spirit was 80% drained. Mana? Almost empty.
But the gains were tremendous.
One law comprehended. Two more significantly advanced. And he could now fly.
Power is proportional to sacrifice.
Above him, the two ships were descending.
But Daichi had no time to rest. Loose ends remained.
He forced himself into the sky once more.
Doraemon was conscious again, and no one blamed Daichi. They all knew he'd carried them through this.
The floating city had stabilized. Everyone disembarked.
Daichi contacted the Devouring Soul Slate:Erase everyone's memory of me being a mage. Leave Dekisugi alone.
The Slate complied flawlessly.
But this time, it didn't vanish immediately.
"I found an interesting artifact in the pirates' treasure vault," it said. "Don't forget to grab it before we leave."(End of Chapter)