Doctor Anto did not agree immediately upon hearing Suika's boastful claim; instead, she began to cross-examine her with absolute, scientific rigor regarding the precise mechanics of her density manipulation.
After listening to her explanation, the veteran physician let out a heavy sigh and meticulously explained the exact pathological reason why patients would still inevitably die after having their Originium particles forcibly extracted by her power.
The underlying biological concept was actually quite simple. Even though those heavily Originium-crystallized organs inside an advanced patient had technically turned to rigid stone, they were still actively performing their relevant physiological functions within the body, structuralizing the cavity, filling anatomical gaps, and actively preventing massive internal hemorrhaging.
Suika's ability was functionally equivalent to forcibly ripping away these solid, jagged pieces of integrated stone from the soft tissue. Admittedly, doing so did technically solve the chemical Originium infection problem once and for all. But once these massive pieces of crystalline stone were violently stripped away from the living tissue, what would happen to the physical gaps left behind in those vital organs?
Without any structural integrity, the patient's blood pressure would completely rupture those compromised zones within a matter of seconds, leading to catastrophic internal bleeding, acute organ collapse, and a dozen other fatal complications. This was the exact, tragic reason why the test subjects Suika had encountered in the past had died almost immediately despite technically having the toxic Originium successfully extracted from their systems.
Yelena's medical situation was incredibly severe; a vast majority of the internal organs inside her torso had already been deeply crystallized by advanced Originium nodules. If Suika were to blindly use her density ability on her right now, it would be anatomically equivalent to instantly deleting all of Yelena's vital organs from her body.
If a living person suddenly has no internal organs left, can they still survive? Naturally, they cannot.
Upon learning this grim medical reality, Flandre and Suika left the laboratory area together, their expressions covered in deep looks of regret.
Returning to the designated residence of the Gensokyo expeditionary group on the upper deck, Flandre and Suika sat across from each other, staring blankly into space. Although Suika secretly harbored the mischievous idea of tricking the naive vampire girl into drinking some of her premium sake to pass the time, she instantly abandoned the thought the very moment she remembered that a certain terrifying, sister-complex demon named Remilia was currently glaring at her from behind the magical television screen back home. After all, if she actually went ahead and corrupted the little girl, that furious bat fellow would probably fight her to the absolute death the next time they crossed paths in Gensokyo.
After letting out a long, dramatic sigh, Suika slouched backward, expressing loudly that this metallic fortress was far too boring for her tastes and that she would much rather go play in the eastern lands of Higashi.
"When your sister and the others finally arrive here, tell them this for me—if they're looking for my help, they can come find me at Higashi! I'll probably be lounging around there for the next two years!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing off the metallic walls.
Flandre immediately covered both of her ears with her hands, frowning. "Why are you shouting so loud right next to me!"
Suika pulled out her purple gourd with a wide, fanged grin, took a heavy, satisfying gulp of sake, and turned to walk toward the exit. "Just remember to pass that along! I'm heading out first!"
With that parting phrase, her physical form suddenly dissolved into a fine mist and vanished completely from the spot with a sharp whoosh. By the time Talulah received the internal security report and dispatched an administrative squad to inquire about her abilities, Suika had already bypassed the perimeter lines and left the Reunion Movement entirely.
Upon receiving the report, Talulah couldn't help but feel a deep sense of administrative regret. The medical researchers from Rhodes Island also firmly believed that Suika's density-based execution of Arts possessed astronomical scientific research value and had originally wanted to form a joint delegation to discuss terminology, but they were flatly told upon arrival that the elusive oni had already vanished into the wilderness.
For the next few days, Flandre stayed obediently within the confines of the mobile city, playing quietly with Alina without wandering off into the dangerous border forests.
A week later, while standing out on the open promenade deck, Flandre suddenly felt a powerful, familiar ripple in the dimensional fabric. She stopped playing and walked toward the edge of the steel railing.
At this exact time, the clear sky above the territory was rapidly being covered in a dense, suffocating blanket of pitch-black clouds, and the violent cracks of thunder and lightning could be heard booming across the horizon.
"Is it a Catastrophe?!"
Throughout the mobile module, many Infected refugees and frontline soldiers stepped out of their barracks in a panic, staring up anxiously at the abnormal, roiling scene forming in the heavens. The primary reason for their terror was that this massive, swirling vortex of dark clouds happened to uniquely wrap around the exact airspace directly above the Reunion Movement; looking across the rest of the country's flat horizon, the weather remained perfectly clear, making this localization extremely unusual.
"No, our baseline meteorological sensors haven't reported any fluctuations in Originium density or abnormal energy readings," Pith noted, stepping out onto the promenade beside them. She shielded her eyes as she peered up at the roaring vortex.
"Then what exactly is going on up there?"
If it wasn't a terrifying Catastrophe, then what on earth was causing this massive celestial phenomenon? The high command of the Reunion Movement naturally noticed the escalating panic as well. Alina quickly rushed over through the crowd, immediately questioning the young vampire girl.
"Don't worry, Alina! It's just my older sister and the others, they're finally coming over from the mansion," Flandre chirped happily, her crystal wings fluttering. "Wow, there are quite a few people tagging along this time!"
Alina quickly relayed Flandre's comforting words back to Talulah via radio, and the dragon leader finally breathed a massive sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't a devastating Catastrophe, everything else could be managed. After all, the current, newly reorganized Reunion Movement was still far too fragile and structurally unstable to withstand the total physical devastation of a localized meteor strike or weather anomaly.
Under the awe-struck gaze of hundreds of soldiers below, a razor-thin black line manifested in the center of the dark clouds. It slowly, jaggedly peeled itself apart, looking exactly like a gargantuan, torn-open maw hovering in the sky.
Next, everyone saw countless densely packed, crimson eyes peeking out from the infinite darkness of the void. At the horrific sight of those blinking, searching eyes, almost every single citizen of Terra present felt their scalps go completely numb with primal dread. After all, those disembodied eyes were actively scanning the terrain below in every direction, directly triggering a wave of nausea in anyone suffering from trypophobia.
Just as the utterly confused and terrified people below were about to completely panic and flee for the bunkers because of this otherworldly horror, distinct figures began to casually step out from the dark rift one by one.
Once the entire procession of several hundred people had safely descended onto the steel deck, the massive rift in the sky slowly zipped itself back up, restoring the natural atmosphere.
A staggering amount of people had arrived in this deployment. Aside from a few notable independent practitioners, the vast majority consisted of powerful Youkai originating from Youkai Mountain and the depths of Former Hell. In addition to them, the second largest demographic present was a massive, chattering swarm of various elemental fairies.
The legendary Yukari Yakumo was notably not among the crowd who descended this time. She had merely been responsible for utilizing her gaps to open the massive trans-dimensional passage between the two worlds. The formal commanders in charge of this massive migration were the Great Tengu, Iizunamaru Megumu, representing Youkai Mountain, and the ancient oni, Hoshiguma Yuugi, representing the forces of Former Hell. As for the chaotic swarm of fairies, they were all placed under the dual, strict supervision of Remilia and Eirin Yagokoro.
The moment they touched down on the metallic deck, Iizunamaru Megumu and Hoshiguma Yuugi didn't waste a single moment. They gathered nearly half of the combat-ready Youkai forces into formation and immediately took off into the sky, flying with immense speed toward the far east.
The remaining personnel descended gracefully into the main courtyard, coming to a halt directly before a stunned Talulah.
Talulah blinked, her hand resting instinctively on the hilt of her sword as she looked in the direction the flying Youkai detachment had just left. "Where are they going in such a hurry...?"
"Don't worry about those two, those guys are just rushing off to Higashi to hunt down that missing drunkard Suika," Eirin Yagokoro explained smoothly as she stepped forward, her robes rustling against the steel floor. "More importantly, we've brought excellent news from our laboratories back home; Lady Yelena should be completely saved now."
Talulah let out a breath, but then her gaze drifted toward the massive, chaotic group of little girls trailing behind Eirin, who were currently running around, pointing at the machinery, and chattering loudly like undisciplined toddlers.
Talulah looked back at the esteemed doctor, her brow twitching slightly. "Are you... currently in charge of some kind of cross-dimensional babysitting service?"
"Pfft!" Flandre, who was standing nearby beside Alina, couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles at the description.
"Uh, it's a bit complicated to explain the logistics in a single sentence," Eirin coughed into her hand, a slight look of exhaustion crossing her face. "Let's proceed directly to Lady Yelena's medical ward first."
"Is... everyone going to enter the facility?" Talulah asked, looking with deep structural concern at the army of hyperactive 'little kids' following closely behind Eirin.
"Of course not," Eirin replied firmly. She turned around, her sharp gaze scanning the sea of fairies and rabbit Youkai behind her. "Cirno, Letty, Inaba Tewi, and Reisen—you four will accompany me inside the clinic. Remilia, you will hold full administrative responsibility for organizing and containing the remaining fairies out here on the deck."
Remilia nodded imperiously, her small bat wings flaring as she glared at the noisy fairies. "If you all want to have a good time and eat snacks later, you will be absolutely obedient right now! Five people to a room; everyone pick your own roommates immediately and line up!"
Hearing Remilia's strict command, the chaotic fairies instantly began to scramble, forming small teams and counting off one after another.
Flandre hopped over to her sister's side, stating cheerfully that she wanted to go along with the medical group to see Yelena.
Remilia glanced across the courtyard, her eyes locking onto a tall girl dressed in a green qipao who was currently trying to blend into the background a short distance away. "Meiling, you will be held personally responsible for taking care of and monitoring Flandre while they are inside!"
Hearing Remilia's direct order, Hong Meiling swallowed hard, her throat going completely dry. Recalling the traumatic past days of being chased through the mansion courtyard into a chaotic, bruised mess by Flandre's terrifying play sessions, she had fragilely enjoyed a brief period of peace and quiet while the little vampire was away on Terra. Now that she had traveled all the way to this strange, barren world, she was reassigned right back to her explosive guard duty.
However, she had heard rumors from the maid staff that the current Flandre wasn't nearly as erratic or destructive as before; she could only pray to the heavens that this news wasn't a total lie.
Accompanied by Talulah and several elite Rhodes Island Operators, the grand, eclectic group marched in an organized line straight into Yelena's specialized intensive care unit.
The isolation ward wasn't particularly large to begin with, and with so many powerful entities entering the room all at once, the space instantly became thoroughly crowded and suffocatingly tight.
"Why on earth are so many unauthorized people pushing their way into a sterile environment...!"
The sudden, sharp speaker was a young Cautus girl who looked as though she hadn't even reached adulthood yet. Despite her youthful appearance, she carried an overwhelming air of sophisticated, clinical maturity. She pointed her small finger directly at the several towering commanders of the Reunion Movement, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"You few from the military branch—go wait outside in the corridor immediately!"