"Why?"
In a safe corner, Sushang gazed toward the direction of Otto and Welt and asked in confusion:
"Why would there be Doomsday Beasts on the Luofu? In previous missions, I never saw any."
"I also find it a bit strange, but Mr. Welt wouldn't lie to us."
Dan Heng said in a deep voice:
"Miss Sushang, have you noticed that we're encountering more and more Voidrangers?"
"…It does seem that way."
Sushang recalled the previous scenes and muttered:
"It feels like the further we went into dangerous areas, the more Voidrangers we encountered. Next were Fragmentum creatures, while Mara-struck soldiers became very rare instead."
"First, because of the forces you brought, the Cloud Knights' casualties have greatly decreased. Only a small portion of Cloud Knights couldn't bear the burden and turned into Mara-struck."
"Second… I'm afraid there are things we don't know that are quietly happening."
Suddenly.
In the distance of their vision, a flash of light streaked past.
"That is…?" Sushang was puzzled.
Immediately after, a massive mushroom cloud slowly rose!
"Rumble——!!"
Amid the violent noise, a terrifying shockwave erupted from the mushroom cloud!
Even though Sushang and Dan Heng had already run far away, they were still slammed hard against the shipping containers by this invisible force!
"Bang——!!"
Sushang struggled to open her eyes against the dust filling the air, but everywhere her gaze reached was a mess.
Dan Heng beside her seemed largely unaffected. Aside from being hit by the shockwave at the start, he only furrowed his brows slightly.
"I'm afraid Mr. Welt and the others have already encountered the Doomsday Beast."
"Ah? Then are they still alive?!"
…
Elsewhere.
Deep within the Fragmentum.
Otto and Welt were still standing there, but the area within a radius of over ten li had been leveled to the ground.
Looking at the pitch-black expanse beneath his feet, Otto's lips curved into a wicked smile:
"Oh my, oh my. Mr. Welt, you really are cruel. The residual nuclear energy in this area will probably take the Xianzhou people quite some effort to deal with."
"Then what did you come here for?" Welt glanced at Otto with dissatisfaction.
"I've already been very restrained with the bombing range."
"Hahahaha… Of course I came to save people. Look… those poor friends behind us are trembling in fear because of you."
Behind the two of them lay three heavily injured Cloud Knights and a paralyzed automaton girl with a blank expression.
Without Otto's protection, these four would have long since been reduced to dust.
Under Otto's intervention, the residual nuclear energy in the entire area gradually dissipated. The four people also looked at their own hands and feet in amazement.
"My body…"
The beautiful-looking automaton girl repeatedly examined her own body.
"…It's truly miraculous."
She slowly stood up and began observing the two in front of her.
"Since that's the case, I don't need to return to the Geoharmony Division. The mission continues."
"Oh? What other mission does the young lady have?" the blond man asked.
"This entire area has been reduced to dust by the previous attack. Even so, does the young lady still have unfinished business?"
The automaton girl nodded lightly:
"I came here to restore order and find the wanted criminal—the Stellaron Hunter. This person's swordsmanship is extraordinary. He wields a divine weapon and is extremely dangerous."
"I never expected to suffer a surprise attack from such monsters here. If not for the two of you taking action, my 'lifespan' might have ended here."
"Although I didn't find that Stellaron Hunter, I made a new discovery. Would the two of you… be willing to accompany me?"
"…"
Faced with her invitation, Welt hesitated.
They had come specifically because the mechs' visual feed had detected traces of Doomsday Beasts.
There was more than one Doomsday Beast. They still had to handle other locations.
"…We have other matters to attend to." Welt said decisively.
Otto smiled faintly and slowly turned around, looking at Sushang and Dan Heng who were hurrying over from behind:
"There's no need for the young lady to be discouraged. These two friends can also lend you a hand, can't they?"
…
At the same time.
Inside the Divination Commission.
Kafka was still standing at the center of the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, speaking to Zeig:
"I only wanted to tell you some things that once happened. The stories of those fallen Aeons."
"The immortal dragon, the pure and beautiful Idrila, the Order's Taiyi, the Propagation's Tayzzyronth, and… the Trailblaze's Akivili."
"These were once names that resounded throughout the universe. Now, they have all disappeared, leaving behind only ownerless Paths."
"There are three methods currently known to humanity for causing an Aeon to fall."
Kafka stared into Zeig's golden eyes:
"First, Paths with overlapping concepts will collide. The broader Path will swallow the narrower one—the Order's Taiyi was assimilated by the Harmony's Xipe in this way."
"Second, divine wars between Aeons. The stronger side eliminates the weaker—the Propagation, Tayzzyronth's fall, is an example. It is also what the Xianzhou Alliance, under the guidance of the Hunt, has been doing across the star sea: exterminating the abominations bred by Abundance… and ultimately what they wish to achieve."
Zeig raised his hand and asked in confusion:
"I've always had a small question. The reason the Xianzhou people hate Abundance so much—is it because of the Mara-struck?"
Kafka smiled:
"As far as I know, the Alliance's predecessor was the 'Medicine-Seekers' who sought the Pharmacist and thirsted for blessings. They successfully met the Aeon and received the blessing that could cure death: the Ambrosial Arbor."
"As a result, the curse of immortality polluted them. Later, the Hunt took action and destroyed the Ambrosial Arbor. From then on, in order to sever the curse of immortality from the star sea, the Alliance followed the Hunt in pursuing the Pharmacist's traces."
"Well? These stories are quite novel, aren't they?"
Zeig continued asking:
"So, what's the third way to kill an Aeon?"
"Wait a moment. The time should be about right."
"?"
…
"Rumble——!!"
Suddenly.
The entire Xianzhou began to shake violently.
Amid the sea of clouds, a majestic withered tree now revived with new life. Its branches, leaves, and roots grew wildly, its height continuously rising!
The Divination Commission was also shaking because of this.
Kafka easily tore off the ropes binding her hands, gave Zeig a gentle smile, then walked straight toward the edge.
At the same time, a long-haired man descended from the sky and landed in front of Zeig.
His face was ferocious. Holding a long sword, he warily pointed it at Zeig, signaling him not to advance any further.
Zeig: "…"
"Let's go, Blade. We still have other places to be." Kafka called out from behind. Then she spread her arms and jumped into the sea of clouds with a smile on her face.
"Kid, you wait for me!"
Blade snorted coldly. Seeing that Zeig had no intention of chasing, he turned around and jumped down after Kafka.
"…"
Only then did the others hurry over.
March 7th said in shock:
"Ah! Kafka ran away? Damn it, how are we supposed to explain this to that Master Diviner now? Zeig, why didn't you stop her at all?!"
"What's there to stop?! More importantly, you—why are you still eating?"
From Zeig's perspective, March 7th was holding half a banana.
She was still chewing.
"…"