"That's wonderful... that's just wonderful!"
The voice from the communication device finally allowed Murata Ryusuke's anxious heart to settle.
"The pre-return sequence has been initiated. You can execute the return command at any time after confirmation."
"..."
"Yes, I understand."
Mission complete.
With a soft beep, the projection on the console vanished. The Valhalla's main engines, aided by attitude thrusters, began to rapidly change their angle.
"Ryusuke, what are you looking at?"
Through the Valhalla's viewport, Murata Ryusuke stood in the corridor, gazing somewhat lost in thought at the distant Earth.
"Look, isn't it beautiful?"
His gloved index finger pointed out the window.
"Hmph."
"Our original home was even more beautiful than this!" Peppermint retorted, a little indignantly.
"Is that so?"
"What a pity. I wish I could have seen it with my own eyes."
"Dr. Murata."
Just as Ryusuke finished speaking, Welt, having caught his breath, walked over from the console.
"We're preparing to ret—"
"Mr. Welt, did you know?" Murata Ryusuke interrupted him.
"Exploring space has always been my dream."
"No, it is humanity's future."
Taking a step forward, Ryusuke gently pressed his palm against the viewport, his own reflection staring back at him.
"Human society has developed to this point, nurturing a uniquely brilliant civilization. Now, it is time to ascend to a new level."
Through the window, the deep space and starlight were laid bare before them.
"There is a vaster world in the universe, with more opportunities and challenges, and countless mysteries waiting for us to unravel."
"Whether it's the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, the possibility of parallel universes, or even the very origin of the Honkai..."
The hand on the window slowly pulled back, clenching into a fist in front of him.
"Humanity is too confined to Earth."
"Don't you agree, Mr. Welt?"
"..."
Ryusuke's words made Welt fall silent for a short while.
"It is humanity's future, but not its present."
Welt neither refuted him nor expressed support.
"Blindly advancing into space without sufficient observation and preparation is too dangerous. Besides, humanity's current level of technology is far from capable of—"
Swoosh.
Murata Ryusuke took a transparent card from his pocket. A flood of parameters and blueprints, far exceeding the technological level of the Current Civilization, entered Welt's vision.
"This is...!?"
"Take humanity's gene bank and find a habitable planet in space."
Murata Ryusuke answered Welt's question before he could ask.
"This is one of the Previous Era's final plans to fight the Honkai: the Ark Project."
"Using the convenience of my mission to restore Siberia's ecosystem, Peppermint helped me recover data and blueprints related to the Ark Project from a shelter deep within Lake Baikal. From this, we have obtained most of the Previous Era's spacefaring technology."
Ryusuke's voice was louder now... more accurately, it was impassioned. His expression had lost the tranquility it had held since they first met.
"Mr. Welt."
"The conditions are already ripe. As long as Anti-Entropy is willing to support my plan, it won't be long before humanity can break through the limitations of Earth!"
"..."
"I'm sorry, Dr. Murata."
This time, Welt's silence was longer than any before.
"I don't know much of the Previous Era's language, but according to the data recorded here, the resources required to initiate this project would be at least..."
"Eighty percent."
Murata Ryusuke didn't wait for Welt to finish.
"Calculated with current productivity, it's merely eighty percent of the total national power of the United States. For humanity as a whole, it is entirely acceptable."
"I know Anti-Entropy can do this."
Ryusuke's speech grew faster and faster.
"That's right."
"Anti-Entropy can indeed do it. But we still have to fight the Honkai on Earth, people still have to maintain their normal lives, and there's the threat of a potential attack from Tianming... We need to take all of these into consideration."
"..."
"What is the point of being trapped on Earth?"
"The Previous Era's technology surpassed ours by so much, yet weren't they still destroyed in the end!?"
Unconsciously, Murata Ryusuke's hair began to shift to a deep blue. The ends of his hair, moving without any wind, looked like writhing tentacles. His grey-black pupils were shrinking, becoming thin lines of flowing gold.
"Look at the 'Sky People'! As long as we can step into space, even a simple civilization like that can master the Honkai!"
"Mr. We... Sovereign."
"Can't you see what's most important!?"
"..."
"To me."
"The 'present' is what's most important. Humanity must protect its here and now!"
"Dr. Murata, think of your daughter. Haven't you always wished for her to be safe and happy?"
Smack.
Murata Ryusuke swatted away the hand Welt was about to place on his shoulder.
"I... have long been prepared."
"For the future of humanity, I can sacrifice anything."
The fine strands of his hair began to twist and tangle, gradually taking on an inhuman, bundled appearance.
"You're just like Tianming, a bunch of short-sighted, stubborn cowards!"
"To let people like you lead humanity's future..."
"Don't make me laugh!!"
Murata Ryusuke.
A mild-mannered, kind, and diligent man.
He was the very image of a model researcher.
But...
The obsession—the dream—in his heart had never faded.
Himeko's dream came from his own, ever since she first saw the model spaceship her father had built.
To build a spaceship, to explore the universe.
It was a brilliant starting point, and the beginning of a tragedy.
Fragments of memory flashed through Murata Ryusuke's mind:
---o---
"Your wife's condition is stable for now, but we can't guarantee it won't suddenly worsen. It would be best for you to stay by her side."
White gauze veiled the sunlight streaming through the window. A red-haired woman lay quietly in bed.
"...I will hire a caregiver for her."
"The companionship of family is also an important factor in a patient's recovery. If possible, we hope you can personally..."
The argument between the two men sounded exceptionally clear in the small space.
"Are you kidding me!? This is the most critical juncture of the research! This concerns the history of spaceflight, the development of all human civilization!"
"Ryusuke..."
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Don't worry about me. Go and do what you need to do."
"But..."
The doctor, wanting to say more, was cut off.
"Thank you for your concern, doctor. I'm really fine. I can take care of myself and Himeko."
"..."
Murata Ryusuke noticed it.
That sentence was the most obvious of lies. His wife, feigning ease, was only pretending to be fine. Her condition was nowhere near that optimistic.
But.
Murata Ryusuke deliberately ignored this... for the sake of something more "important" in his heart.
---o---
"Why?"
"Why was the institute's spacecraft development project canceled?"
"They're even going to dissolve the entire aerospace research department!?"
In a laboratory where nearly all the lights were off.
"Ryusuke, now is not the time to be researching these things. The Honkai is the greatest threat to all of humanity," the director said without turning around.
"That's all the more reason we should explore space! We might find clues and experience from contact with other civilizations to fight the Honkai..."
"Ryusuke."
A long cigarette butt fell to the floor.
"You don't actually believe aliens exist, do you?"
"If you have time for daydreams, you might as well look at the latest report. Tianming's St. 7308 Institute is willing to take on our current researchers. The pay there is much better than here."
Click.
Inside the room with the tightly shut door, only the faint glow of a screen flickered.
---o---
Phew.
He closed his eyes, then opened them.
The memory that tore open old wounds slowly receded from his mind. Murata Ryusuke took a deep breath.
"It doesn't matter."
"Since you won't do it..."
"?"
As Peppermint watched with a confused expression, Murata Ryusuke plucked his alien ally from his shoulder and brought it towards his own wide-open mouth—
"I'll do it myself!"
SPLAT!
---o---
"!?"
A red liquid tasting of rust trickled from the corner of his mouth.
His lips were torn by his own teeth, revealing a massive gash that exposed muscle fiber.
But...
Not only did his body not undergo any [Transformation], but even the inhuman traits in his hair and pupils gradually returned to normal.
"Murata Ryusuke."
Welt's voice came from across him.
The simple act of him pushing up the frame of his glasses brought with it an immense pressure, far greater than anything before.
"Your goal is correct."
"It's rare to find a soul not bound by gravity, one who understands that the sea of stars is the true direction for civilization."
Although it was an undisguised compliment, Murata Ryusuke only felt a chill run down his spine.
"Unfortunately..."
"Your method is wrong."
Snap.
He snapped his fingers.
With the sound, an olive-shaped, human-sized doorway appeared. A figure with long red hair leaped out from it.
"Hime... Himeko!?"
Even more shocking was the small thing she was holding: Peppermint, who had suddenly vanished from his hand, and the Candy House, which was being used as a "cushion" to prop Peppermint up. Outside, in its physically manifested form, the Candy House had become a short dagger wreathed in flowers.
"Betraying your allies."
"Abandoning your wife and child."
"Using a step-by-step plan to lure 'Professor Welt' here."
Himeko's appearance shook Murata Ryusuke even more than what had just happened.
"Although you're my father's counterpart... no, because you are my father's counterpart."
Swoosh.
Immediately after.
The real Welt Yang walked out of the portal without a word.
"I need to make an incompetent person like you—"
The red bracelet on Himeko's wrist disassembled and reconfigured, gradually becoming a red baseball bat.
"—wake up!"
CLANG!!!
---o---
Thud.
Murata Ryusuke collapsed.
"I thought you were going to 'solve' it directly," Welt said, somewhat surprised.
"Ehh~"
"Is that the kind of person I am in your eyes, Professor Welt?"
Himeko glanced at the fallen Murata Ryusuke. Above him, a "black mud" flowed out from the portal and quickly enveloped him—a standard first-aid and restraint method frequently used by the Empire's legions on the front lines.
"He's my 'dad,' after all. How could I bring myself to do it?"
"But his actions have crossed the Empire's bottom line."
"...Mm, that's true."
Himeko raised a finger and gently rubbed her delicate chin.
WHOOSH—
CLANG!
Before the bat could be swung by the red-armored right arm, a rope made of data chains rapidly bound the weapon in Himeko's hand.
"Oh my~"
"Professor Welt, you don't practice what you preach."
"...That wasn't a [Benchmark Test]."
"Are you sure you're not just feeling sorry for a certain 'temporary student'?"
"His life is already nearing its end. There's no need to be in such a hurry."
"..."
"No rebuttal. You really do feel sorry for him."
Despite her words, Himeko retracted her bat.
"No matter how noble the ideal."
"Someone who abandons their family... is not worthy of sympathy."
Himeko lowered her head slightly and spoke to the unconscious Murata Ryusuke, who was gradually being drawn into her personal imaginary space by the "black mud."
"..."
Without waiting for anyone else to react, Himeko quickly took two steps back, positioning herself at the edge of the hangar wall.
She casually patted Welt's shoulder.
"Professor Welt."
"I'll have to trouble you with the boring stuff like negotiations."
---o---
Welt Joyce, Welt Yang, and the Shoggoth race.
Inside the small spacecraft, members representing three civilizations gathered together. In fact, the Sky People were nearby as well, albeit in the form of ruins. Before Welt had arrived on the Valhalla, Himeko had single-handedly taken care of the Scout Star. The Silver Bullet, the explosion, and even the shockwave seen earlier were all illusions created by the Authority of Sentience.
"We come from a parallel world."
"We are members of a power known as the [Empire]. You may not have heard of this name, but I'm sure the Shoggoth race is familiar with the term [Emissary]."
Welt ignored the Shoggoths' shock, not even giving them a chance to interject.
"Our goal is also simple."
"First—"
"'Mr. Welt's' Herrscher Core is very special, so we took it. We then installed a version with higher controllability for you."
Welt's gaze shifted to the Shoggoths. As a race that had also experienced the Honkai, they understood very well just how special a Herrscher who sided with civilization was.
"This core is a product of the Empire's military-industrial complex... Although it's an adaptive, mass-produced model, its quality is absolutely guaranteed."
"If you wish, it wouldn't be a problem for you to go and blow up Tianming by yourself right now."
"Second—"
"Our alien friends, the Shoggoths."
After this long detour, it was time for the main event.
"The Empire is willing to offer you protection."
"We will annihilate the Sky People to prove our reliability."
"In exchange..."
"Once your days of hiding are over, the [Candy House] should be of little importance to you."