"Close...?"
Pela's mind was emitting a wisp of burnt smoke.
Before she could regain her composure, Phainon had already stepped forward, brushing past her.
His retreating figure perfectly blended with the apocalyptic disaster behind him.
"Wait!"
Pela instinctively chased after him, her voice trembling in a way she didn't even notice.
"Mr. Flame Reaver! Please give me an explanation!"
"That meteorite... the underground... what is the truth behind all of this?!"
Phainon stopped, but he didn't turn around.
He merely glanced at her, "You want to know the truth?"
"Yes!"
"Then go tell Erudition."
"Who is Erudition?" Pela's expression grew increasingly bewildered, her knowledge appearing paler.
Phainon saw himself at the core of creation, letting out a self-deprecating laugh, "Truth..."
He coldly uttered a few words, "...is merely another despair... embellished by hope..."
With that, he no longer lingered, heading straight for his return.
Leaving Pela alone, standing frozen between the scalding steam and the dead silence of the darkness.
Her worldview was completely shattered, beyond repair.
—
Stellar River, Astral Express.
"The four of them, I wonder how their journey went this time?"
Himeko leaned languidly on the sofa, her fingertips gently tapping the warm coffee cup, her gaze cast far out the window.
But the next moment.
Himeko's brow furrowed slightly; she felt an invisible surge of excitement.
Before Himeko could react, Welt Yang had already appeared at the doorway, his expression serious.
"Welt, what's wrong?"
"The train's observation equipment detected a... massive energy reading."
Welt Yang pushed up his glasses, his gaze beneath the lenses as deep as the ocean.
"The source is Jarilo-VI."
Himeko set down her coffee cup and stood beside him before the porthole.
Through the starry sky, the pure white, ice-covered planet still hung silently.
Only, in one corner of the planet, a burnt-out cavity had appeared.
Like a perfect snowball, fiercely pierced by a mischievous child with a red-hot iron skewer.
"This is..." Himeko's red lips slightly parted as she turned her head to look at Welt, "Do you have any idea?"
"The quality of this energy... I wouldn't mistake it."
Welt Yang's voice was terrifyingly low, his thoughts returning to Herta Space Station, to the moment they faced the Doomsday Beast horde, "It's Phainon."
"His power... it's either out of control again, or it's evolved again." Himeko rested her chin on one hand, her brows etched with worry.
"Fortunately, the energy outburst point was far from human activity areas."
"But what kind of enemy would make him use such a near-apocalyptic power?"
"I hope the Flame Reaver and the others are doing well..."
Welt Yang's gaze became incredibly complex, "If necessary, I might... have to go down there myself."
—
At the same time, Belobog, Qlipoth Fort.
The Supreme Guardian's office was empty.
Gepard pushed open the door, his heavy military boots making a suppressed sound on the floor.
He saluted formally, respectfully placing a report on Cocolia's desk.
"Lady Cocolia, this is the report from the exploration mission deep in the snowfield."
After speaking, he stepped back, knelt on one knee, and lowered his head.
Cocolia didn't even look at the report.
Her gaze remained fixed on the snow outside the window, "I know."
Gepard's heart tightened, and he couldn't help but press, "But that... that meteorite that fell from the sky..."
"There was no meteorite."
Cocolia finally turned her head, calmly interrupting him.
"Pela will explain to the public that it was merely an experiment with a new type of geothermal weapon we conducted to combat the cold wave."
Her words were clear and cold, carrying an undeniable authority, "The public needs hope, not a truth that would make them collapse."
Gepard's pupils suddenly constricted; he wanted to argue, to speak the truth, to tell her that it wasn't a weapon, but a person's power!
"But..."
"Gepard, this is for Belobog." Cocolia's tone suddenly intensified, "And, there's one more thing."
She paused, "The three extraterrestrial visitors you previously encountered have been confirmed as major criminals attempting to subvert Belobog. Effective immediately, issue a warrant and arrest them city-wide!"
"Fugitives?!"
Gepard abruptly looked up, his face filled with disbelief, "That's impossible! They..."
"Gepard, look up. Look at me. Are you questioning The Supreme Guardian's judgment with the Landau family's honor?" Cocolia's voice suddenly turned cold.
Gepard slammed his right fist against his chest, "The Landau family has guarded Belobog for generations!"
Cocolia nodded, sighed, and a look of deep sorrow was visible on her face,
"This morning, Bronya went to carry out the arrest, but she was met with violent resistance! Now, she has also been abducted, her fate unknown..."
"Lady Bronya... also has been..."
This news was like a heavy hammer, striking Gepard's heart.
In his mind, that dark figure and Cocolia's words intertwined wildly.
A hero who saved the Silvermane Guards twice.
An accomplice of a fugitive personally condemned by The Supreme Guardian.
Who... should he believe?
Just as his mind was reeling, Cocolia's voice sounded again, with a scrutinizing tone.
"That new Silvermane Guard, codenamed 'Flame Reaver,' I want to see him. Go bring him."
Upon hearing this, an alarm blared in Gepard's heart.
At this critical juncture, to summon the Flame Reaver alone?
Does The Supreme Guardian already know his identity?
Is this a judgment, or... some kind of transaction he couldn't imagine?
Gepard clenched his fists, and ultimately, that absolute obedience stemming from a soldier crushed everything.
"...Yes! I... I'll go now!"
He stood up and left the office.
The entire office instantly became quiet again.
Just then.
A demonic whisper echoed in the office.
Cocolia looked out the window, muttering to herself, "I know, you don't need to remind me."
The voice grew clearer, carrying a power to bewitch hearts:
[You know... our new world needs his power. The Flame Reaver's power!]
"What about my daughter!" Cocolia cried out hoarsely, "Without her, what's the point of all this?"
[Cast aside sorrow, cast aside emotion, cast aside all useless distractions.]
Cocolia violently knocked over the documents and teacup on the desk, objects shattering on the floor, but she seemed not to hear it.
"She's my only daughter, you soulless thing, what do you even understand?"
[She will be waiting for you in another world!]
[Find that man; he can accelerate this process!]
[Stand up, Guardian.]
[Fulfill your destiny, fulfill your... wish as a mother!]
Cocolia, like a puppet on strings, was dragged to her feet, "Can he really... do it?"
[He will.]
[He definitely will.]
[Give him... to me...]