After surveying the ruins of the bat-humanoid base, Angel immediately took the initiative to search for any surviving technology, storing whatever she could find inside her storage bracelet.
Even the half-burned facilities were carefully collected by Rai, stored away for later analysis.
The bat-like humanoids themselves were also sealed into her storage ring for further study.
Once Rai had gathered everything of value, nothing remained but barren red soil and a massive crater where the tower had once stood tall.
Angel then returned to Earth, where she reverted back into her original form—Rai.
Now, Rai could truly feel the difference: his body was slightly stronger, and he was able to create one or two glowing fireflies by himself.
Although the gap was still enormous compared to Angel, who could summon hundreds of fireflies at once, it was understandable—after all, Rai's main body was only at Level 2.
Still, with more khodams in the future, a portion of their power would eventually become his own.
Soon after, Rai was escorted to a massive deconstruction hall, where he unloaded the materials and alien specimens he had collected.
The Vanguard Project representatives handed him a payment of one million credits as an advance, before they proceeded to carefully inspect the haul he had brought back from Mars.
For the next two days, Rai rested comfortably at home.
During that time, he received a congratulatory letter from his parents, along with another note informing him that they had decided to continue their vacation on Planet Vanesinia—a place so beautiful that his parents, now using their khodam forms, found it hard to leave.
After two days of rest, Rai returned to the Vanguard building, eager to resume his exploration of Mars.
Of course, he also wanted to check the final evaluation of the materials and technology he had brought back.
The results were impressive—17 million credits were added to Rai's account.
Among the findings, one particular discovery stood out:
data detailing the construction method for an alien spacecraft.
The ship resembled a giant bat, designed to survive extended periods in outer space thanks to a built-in mini-ecosystem that could sustain life.
The higher-ups at Vanguard were thrilled with this discovery.
In recognition of his contributions, Rai was awarded another reward—a beautiful sword.
Although Rai wasn't particularly skilled with swords, he gladly accepted it.
The weapon had a unique property: when infused with light energy, it would glow brilliantly and gain the power to destroy creatures of darkness and illuminate even the blackest night—an ability that complemented Rai's luminous fireflies.
If infused with wind energy, the sword's sharpness would increase dramatically.
The possibilities made Rai excited—imagine how much cooler the sword would become if he gained khodams of other elements in the future!
The sword itself was shaped like a long katana, with a silver hilt that shimmered beautifully under the light, giving it an elegant and noble appearance.
Because of that, Rai decided he would rarely use the sword, afraid it might get damaged or broken. At the very least, it would make a perfect item to show off.
After receiving his reward, Rai headed back to the monitoring room to inform the team that he intended to continue his exploration of Mars.
He then transformed back into Angel and immediately teleported to the last location he had left on Mars.
"Are there any aliens nearby?" Angel asked.
"Yes, about three kilometers to your right. It seems they are the same bat-like humanoid species," the team replied from the monitoring center.
"Alright."
Angel flew swiftly to the right. Now with a stronger body, he felt much more confident that he could easily defeat those creatures.
After flying three kilometers, what he saw wasn't just another tower—it was a massive fortress. Tall walls surrounded the area, and heavy weapons were installed along the sides of the fortifications.
[Warning from Monitor]:
"You have discovered an alien settlement. Inside the fortress, there are not only soldiers but also a city and a full colony of the bat-like humanoids. There are many tall buildings within."
Angel hovered in the air, observing from a distance. The fortress was enormous, almost like a small walled city.
[Message from Monitor]:
"Return if you're unsure. Next time, we can equip you with nuclear bombs to destroy a place of that scale."
I will give it a try.
Rai then charged the energy of the bazooka mounted on his back until it was full, before flying above the fortress.
Inside the fortress were hundreds of tall buildings, strangely built without doors—only large windows.
Rai immediately aimed his weapon at the largest building.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion shattered the building, and hundreds—perhaps thousands—of bat-like humanoids burst out from the large windows. They were armed with weapons that looked like bows; but when they pulled back the strings, arrows of light formed.
Angel flew back, now facing a swarm of glowing arrows, each one looking deadly.
Without hesitation, Angel fired a barrage of bullets from the wing-mounted guns while wielding two light pistols with his hands. He maneuvered skillfully to dodge the incoming storm of light arrows.
Unfortunately, one arrow struck his thigh.
"Aghhh!"
The pain was intense—the arrow not only pierced his thigh but also began to burn from within.
Gritting his teeth, Angel forcibly pulled the arrow out and quickly flew further away. While recharging his bazooka, he continued to fire bullets, knocking down bat-like enemies one after another.
Then, Angel created hundreds of glowing fireflies—not for offense this time, but for defense.
With a single command, the fireflies formed a shield, intercepting the incoming arrows aimed at him.
Angel grimaced.
"If only I had done this earlier, my thigh wouldn't be burned..." he thought.
Once his bazooka was fully charged, he fired another round toward another tall building, causing it to collapse.
The battle raged on for a long time. Dozens of buildings fell, and thousands of bat-like aliens lay dead across the ruined city.
Angel saw many others trying to flee in every direction. Despite his efforts to shoot them down, it was difficult—his enemies could fly just as easily as he could.
Angel managed to kill several fleeing aliens, but many others escaped.
Looking over the alien city, now reduced mostly to ruins, Rai felt a slight pang of guilt.
But he reminded himself—these aliens would have attacked humans anyway... this was payback.
Angel carefully explored the buildings that remained, trying to collect any valuable alien technology.
Most of the bat-like aliens had already fled.
[Ding!]
Main Body: Level 5
Angel Form: Level 19