Swoosh.
The dark tear in space rapidly closed.
As the "starlight" above Eden's head gradually dissipated, the group had already escaped their previous coordinates. Beneath their feet was a galactic ring of dubious reality, and before them was a miniature model identical to Planet V: the Destruction Stellaron.
"Will Lord Horkos be alright?"
Jorah shook his head slightly, looking around in amazement. The scenery surrounding a Stellaron was something that had never been recorded in the thousands of years of history of many civilizations.
"He'll be fine."
Dan Heng answered Jorah's question in March 7th's stead.
"A star-destroying class Fragmentum creature is indeed difficult to deal with, but even if Horkos were a full tier weaker, he could turn the tide of battle with that weapon in his hand."
"That really is..."
"Correct. That is a weapon bestowed upon a Grand Monarch by an Astral God."
"Although it has lost most of its effectiveness due to Idrila's fall, it is not something a Fragmentum creature can withstand."
When Dan Heng mentioned the Astral God of Beauty, he didn't use the same honorifics as others. The group, including March 7th, simply took it as his personal style and didn't pay it much mind... including the unintentional glance Dan Heng cast toward March 7th.
"The only problem is,"
March 7th opened her hand, revealing the wreath.
"Fragmentum creatures do not die easily within their own environment, and we cannot be certain that was the only leader-class monster."
"Horkos..."
"It will likely be difficult for him to rejoin us."
"Let's carry on his work for him."
Kshh—BOOM!!
While they were talking, the captain of the Iron Warlord squad raised the communicator on his arm and walked over to Jorah.
The three-dimensional projection was extremely distorted, as if suffering from interference.
"Commander."
"What is it, Taylor?"
"We've lost our connection to the 'Yamato'."
Through his full-coverage helmet, Captain Taylor's voice came through.
"The magnetic field and space in this area are extremely unstable. The sensors are completely inoperable, and the Titans' energy is being consumed at 2000% of the normal rate."
"I'm afraid we'll have to temporarily 'abandon' our partners."
A psionic link existed between the Iron Warlords and their Titans. This technology from the [Garden of Recollection] made flesh and machine the best partners on the battlefield.
"..."
"Take the heavy weapons. Let the Titans rest for now."
Even without their Titan mechs, the Iron Warlords were still the finest soldiers.
"Understood, Commander."
After ending the call with Taylor, Jorah turned to the others.
"My apologies for this embarrassing display."
"It's alright."
"After all, this was not your intention. No one could have predicted the situation around a Stellaron would be like this."
March 7th responded on behalf of the group.
"Besides..."
As March 7th turned, everyone's gaze shifted to the most prominent object in sight.
"We've already reached our destination."
A miniature celestial body, the Destruction Stellaron, the source of the Fragmentum—as if they were treading upon the cosmic sea itself, they only needed to follow the path paved with faint light to reach the Stellaron in under three minutes.
"The problem now is,"
"How do we 'destroy' this thing?"
On the surface of the wreath March 7th had just put on, a faint blue-green light was flowing steadily toward the Stellaron.
"And we have to do it without destroying the 'relic'."
March 7th waved her hands with a hint of helplessness.
"Wait for it to completely transform into a Fragmentum?"
"That was indeed our original plan, but after seeing that star-destroying class Fragmentum creature, I'm not confident we can defeat whatever comes out of it."
Dan Heng stated this with an unchanging expression.
"According to the information in the Express's database... a fully formed warped organism is typically a full tier higher than the one we saw in the cavern."
"A Stellar-class [Emissary]. Does anyone here have experience fighting one of those?"
"..."
"You must have a backup plan, right?"
Eden broke the silence that had fallen over the group.
"We do."
"However, this plan was originally intended to be used during our retreat after obtaining the relic."
March 7th took the wreath from her wrist and picked up the old-fashioned camera hanging from her waist.
"If we're also in the vicinity of the Stellaron, it might be a 'tiny bit' dangerous."
"To put it simply,"
March 7th held the side of the camera with one hand and aimed its lens at the distant Stellaron.
"I lock onto the target."
"Then our repair... engineer, will fire a shot at the Stellaron based on the coordinates, 'banishing' it directly with the power of [Trailblaze]."
March 7th's description was indeed very simple, and Jorah, who was standing nearby, suddenly interjected as if he had thought of something.
"Banish the Stellaron..."
"Is that the 'Train Cannon'?"
"Bingo."
March 7th snapped her fingers, affirming Jorah's guess.
[Astral Express Cannon]
An anti-"star" weapon hidden in the locomotive of the Astral Express, it was the ultimate weapon that allowed the train to traverse the countless perilous regions of the cosmic sea.
After the stranded Astral Express was repaired, this weapon once again revealed its glory. Although it could no longer achieve its former anti-"star" capabilities, using it to deal with a Stellaron was not too difficult. Space was the primary manifestation of the [Path of Trailblaze]. While the current [Nameless] on the train had many creative uses for their powers (though none specialized in space), the Path attribute of the train itself had not changed much.
"What do you all think?"
"Should I notify the train to begin calibration and charging now?"
"I am only responsible for protection."
Dan Heng shrugged off his responsibility with a single sentence.
"We were prepared to sacrifice ourselves at any moment before we set out."
"..."
"How powerful is the Express Cannon?"
After a brief pause, Eden asked, as all eyes turned to her.
"Hmm—"
March 7th rubbed her smooth chin with her index finger.
"We haven't tried firing it at full power since it was repaired."
"The power needed to banish this Fragmentum... 'Super-Stellar-class' should be about right."
Eden's pupils contracted imperceptibly.
"I can 'barely' withstand it."
Eden's personal combat ability was certainly not enough. Her greatest strength lay in her control over space. In terms of actual fighting power, she wasn't even at the star-destroying level; at best, she could entangle a star-destroying class opponent with the [Star of Eden].
Her true trump card, naturally, was the mark from the depths of her origin. Eden couldn't withstand the blast, but she could be reborn... Anchoring a temporary resurrection point outside the Empire's territory would consume a massive amount of the Monarch's Imaginary energy and might even cost him a clone used for the connection.
However, this was a mission of great importance to the Monarch, and the rewards would clearly be proportional to the risks.
"Alright then."
While March 7th saw nothing amiss, Dan Heng gave Eden a meaningful look... This was the second time.
"I'll contact them right—"
VMMMM!!
Before March 7th could finish her sentence, the main body of the Stellaron, shrouded in a white halo, suddenly split open from the middle like a cracked walnut, revealing a massive fissure!
From within...
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Are there really people who aren't afraid of death coming here?"
---o---
A fine, purple-red ponytail.
Eyes of the same color, with sunglasses resting on her forehead.
A white shirt, a black jacket, long boots, and a thin, silky fabric matching her hair color wrapped around her hands and thighs—
A sharp, professionally dressed beauty, who bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Eden but lacked some of her gentleness while possessing a greater degree of competence, was the first to appear in everyone's vision.
Slightly behind and to the side of this woman...
A silver-gray ponytail, a blue-black butterfly ribbon, and pink-purple goggles.
Next to the petite woman, who was riding something that looked like a skateboard, a starship, and a heavy cannon all at once, a non-proportional, two-heads-tall doll was vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
"..."
"Stellaron Hunters."
After a moment of shock, Jorah slowly spoke their affiliation.
[Stellaron Hunters]
Executors of the [Path of Nihility] (who did not travel with the retainers, the [Self-Annihilators], or the inverse-retainers, the [Doctors of Chaos]), they had also mastered the power of the [Path of Finality] through unknown means. They were the top-tier "criminals" on the wanted list issued by the [Interastral Peace Corporation].
The organization consisted of five members in total.
Their leader, Elio, known as the "Slave of Destiny," possessed the combat power of an [Emissary]. The other members' strengths ranged from "star-destroying class" to "Stellar-class," making them a first-rate "criminal syndicate" in the cosmic sea.
As their name implied, the [Stellaron Hunters'] actions mostly targeted "Stellarons," but they were not averse to taking on other jobs.
Among them was the super hacker "Silver Wolf," whose data warfare capabilities rivaled those of Screwllum—the latter being one of the "No." members of the [Genius Club]. The two were known as the most formidable hackers in the universe.
"Silver Wolf."
"...and Kafka?"
March 7th slowly uttered their names.
Kafka was Elio's second-in-command. Throughout the cosmic sea, only her name and her "hobby of collecting coats" were known; almost no one had seen her true face... Those who had were mostly dead.
Pop.
The bubblegum in the petite woman's mouth burst.
"Nameless."
"This isn't on the train's tracks."
Compared to Kafka's directness, Silver Wolf acted quite "friendly." The "certain protagonist" with a Stellaron implanted in their body had not yet appeared, so the relationship between the Astral Express and the Stellaron Hunters had not yet reached a tense state.
To be precise, the relationship between [The Nameless] and most organizations was not that tense.
Kafka glanced at Silver Wolf beside her.
"The planet is about to explode."
"Leave now, and I can pretend I never saw you."
"..."
This was a difficult choice.
Jorah and the M81 Interstellar Federation's goal had essentially been achieved. Although the Stellaron had been removed from Planet V, the planet itself, having lost most of its mass, would still be destroyed. Losing a mineral-rich planet was a heavy loss, but it also meant the surrounding star systems would no longer be threatened by warped organisms.
However, Jorah and [The Nameless] were now partners in interest. Even if his objective was met, he could not make a decision unilaterally... Of course, given Jorah's status and influence, he had no opportunity to speak here.
"No problem."
March 7th agreed to Kafka's demand without hesitation.
"But before that..."
However, the girl's gaze did not leave Kafka. Instead, she extended her arm straight toward her.
"Can you leave the relic of the Astral God of Beauty behind?"
"We did come here under contract, after all."
The wreath on March 7th's wrist shone with a light far brighter than before.
"I'm certain the item is on you."
"A relic?"
Kafka exchanged a look with Silver Wolf.
"Hmph."
"That's a good excuse."
Kafka let out a light sneer.
"I've only ever heard that the Nameless enjoy adventure."
"I didn't expect you to be so interested in a fight—"
Swoosh!
As if teleporting, Kafka appeared directly in front of March 7th!
BOOOOOM!!!!!
The starry space beneath their feet violently disintegrated.
The Fragmentum's structure, having lost the support of the Stellaron, directly exploded as it contracted!
"—as well."
Lightning erupted from Kafka's palm.
This power, clearly originating from the [Path of Destruction], indirectly confirmed a great deal of outdated intelligence.
Zzzt!
"Quick reflexes."
Kafka's second flash step deftly created distance.
Her casual use of short-range jumps in a Fragmentum environment was a level of skill Eden was currently far from reaching.
Pop.
The lightning vanished with a final crackle.
The lightning in her palm had transformed into high-energy plasma—at this concentration, a single flick could probably shatter the lightsaber in Jorah's hand.
"Right back at you."
Dan Heng, who had intercepted Kafka's attack with his spear, took a new stance.
"March!"
"Silver Wolf!"
Immediately after!
The moment Dan Heng uttered the last syllable, the longbow in March 7th's hand had already unleashed a flurry of blooming flowers that streaked across the sky—
BOOM!!!!!
Ice crystals scattered, and frost covered the ground.
March 7th's attack had been blocked by Silver Wolf!
In front of the petite woman, a giant mech, the [Demon God Armament], released an astonishingly oppressive aura. This was Silver Wolf's special ability: using her own thoughts and knowledge to modify the data of reality, [Aether Editing]. It could even be applied in reverse.
Unlike the physical limitations of the [Authority of Reason], Silver Wolf's [Aether Editing] was effective against almost all matter. With enough knowledge and Imaginary energy, she could theoretically even "rewrite" an Astral God.
Not only that, but as the [Demon God Armament] appeared, the Titan mechs, previously affected by the Fragmentum environment, also began to fall under Silver Wolf's influence. The Titans were, after all, technological creations of the [Garden of Recollection], with extremely high resistance to corruption in the mechanical domain. Even so, it wouldn't be long before they became Silver Wolf's puppets.
"March!"
"Leave her to me!"
March 7th, who was supposed to be a ranged damage dealer, rapidly closed the distance on the distant Silver Wolf. And in the instant before March 7th acted, Dan Heng also raised his spear and charged straight at Kafka!
"Cloud-Piercer."
The Fragmentum debris under Dan Heng's feet turned to scattered dust.
"Pierce!!!"
Maple red and silver light shone as the spear shot out like a dragon.
Ding—
BOOM!!!!!
Offense and defense switched.
But there was still no result.
An umbrella handle had appeared in Kafka's hand at some point. The umbrella's surface, like a black hole that could devour even light, had neutralized Dan Heng's attack.
"Mr. Jorah!"
"Iron Warlords! Reinforce the psionic link! Help your partners resist the corruption!"