Silence.
A long silence.
No one knew whether the Lord Ravager, who had been roasted into speechlessness, was now so angry that he was spitting fire.
After a while, Ratio looked at the flame before everyone and said, "The faint consciousness residing inside it has disappeared. The Lord Ravager of the Everflame Mansion has abandoned this flame..."
Stelle blinked, then instinctively copied Mr. Xiyan's storytelling tone.
"What a Nero! His sharp tongue and quick wit were impossible to withstand. He scolded the Lord Ravager until he couldn't say a word and could only slink away in defeat."
Ratio glanced at Stelle. The girl's mental state was rather concerning. She was completely offbeat.
Just then, the flame seed, now stripped of its consciousness, suddenly lost control. It shot upward and disappeared, then immediately opened countless portals throughout the area.
But the next moment, the Fright Maze reacted at once. Space twisted and shifted. The fleeing flame seed fell back, while the monsters it had summoned rained down from the portals and crashed onto it.
Then Professor Ratio took out a containment device.
This time, the flame seed had nowhere left to run.
After everything was over, everyone was rescued. Thanks to the actions of the Nero Knights, the researchers all knew that even Asta had not escaped this disappearance incident.
The conflict that had been building up also died down because of it.
Afterward, Stelle went to talk with Screwllum again. Professor Ratio was nowhere to be seen and seemed to have already left. Screwllum said she still had things to take care of, and Stelle didn't think much of it.
There wasn't much time left before the trip to Penacony, so she accompanied Nero to walk the Cake Cats.
Nero had no intention of secretly listening to the conversation between Ratio and Screwllum, and the System Secretary wasn't going to remove that part of the story either.
Quite a few people would probably be moved after seeing Ratio's ideal.
Now he had truly become the "Father of Compulsory Education" in the Honkai: Star Rail universe.
———
[Many Days Later]
Deep in the universe, the Everflame Mansion burned with raging fire.
Inside the mansion, flames covered the ground. Beside a magnificent golden throne, Lord Ravager Ifrit sat collapsed on the floor, his blazing crown already lying off to one side.
Across from him stood a tall woman with blue-purple hair. The long blade in her hand remained sheathed. She held the hilt with one hand, the tip of the scabbard pointing at the leader of the fire demons.
The Lord Ravager had originally planned to attend the gathering at Penacony and turn it upside down.
He had never expected to suffer such a disaster halfway there.
Amid the crackling flames and the scorching air, the Lord Ravager let out a long breath and calmly said, "...It seems the outcome had already been decided."
He had fought the woman before him and been defeated almost instantly.
It reminded him of what had happened before he set out, when the sliver of his consciousness left at Herta Space Station had run into trouble.
That white-haired child had cursed him mercilessly. Though he was arrogant, faced with that situation, he couldn't answer back. He simply couldn't win the argument.
And now, not long afterward, he had lost again.
He couldn't help recalling the boy's words, "Little skill, huge temper. Ambition higher than the sky, fate thinner than paper."
Earlier, although he had been unable to answer back, he hadn't taken those words to heart. His mind had always been clear, and his goal unwavering. Naturally, he wouldn't waste energy on such things.
But after what had happened now, those words seemed to have come true like a prophecy, or like a curse that had always been hanging over him.
The Lord Ravager couldn't make sense of it, but he no longer had the time to ask. If it really was just a coincidence, then that alone was remarkable.
The thought flashed through his mind for only a moment before disappearing, and his attention returned to the woman before him.
Her voice was steady and slightly low, as if it carried countless stories and secrets.
"They're still alive, just like you."
"You still have a choice. Leave the music box behind, and go."
The music box referred to the invitation from Penacony, the Planet of Festivities.
"A choice?" the Lord Ravager said. "The bloody path of Destruction has never allowed hesitation."
"The fire demons of Tophit..." the woman said. "Even if you offer your life to that Aeon, you will never receive Its favor."
"Ranger, you walk the narrow path of the Hunt. Naturally, you cannot understand."
The Lord Ravager spoke calmly. Even now, he still carried himself with "noble pride."
"We came from fire and were born in fire. We spread, we burn, we destroy, until the fuel is exhausted, leaving behind only ashes."
"Burning is the life of a fire demon, both its beginning and its end. We are born to die, only to prove one truth of the universe: all things are born for Destruction."
"Your companions don't seem to think so. They fought to give you a chance to live."
"They are my children. Like I once was, they are flames that have yet to burn white-hot. They are still young. I will not blame them."
"But my own fire has already grown hoarse. My time is running out. Do you see that Planet of Festivities in the distance? I will bring hellfire there."
"So before that... I must overcome you."
"Why?" the woman asked.
"Because on the path They opened... you've gone farther than I have... Emanator."
The woman said nothing, only let out a quiet, helpless sigh.
"You can't hide your identity." The Lord Ravager looked at her. "Draw that sword."
"We may both remain here, and we are destined to fight to the death, because I have chosen it."
"Destruction is a magnificent instant. If one survives through disgrace... then life is simply too long."
"Even if the answer... is your own destruction?"
"The answer isn't important. What matters is that it exists, just as you exist. Everything exists to be destroyed, even an Emanator is no exception."
"Even the void can give birth to beautiful dreams. What people call impossible is only something that has not yet come to pass."
The woman sighed once more. She had once again witnessed Lord Ravager Ifrit's conviction and resolve before saying, "...Very well. I accept."
"You will witness the brightest and fiercest flame in this world. May its burning light up your bottomless dream," the Lord Ravager said.
"A bottomless dream... indeed."
The woman spoke without much emotion.
"But you've misunderstood one thing."
"This sword remains in its sheath not out of mercy or contempt. It is a secret I do not wish others to see. But in return..."
As she spoke, she gently rested her hand on the guard of the sword.
"...I will be honest with you."
"The Hunt... is not the path I walk."
The woman slowly drew her blade.
In that instant, the Lord Ravager felt a lonely coldness. It was as though the entire world had lost its color. Every memory drifted away. Time withered where it stood. Everything froze in an instant.
A bottomless abyss opened its eyes to him.
"May death end your long dream... and guide you back to the waking world."
That voice lingered in the Lord Ravager's ears until the last moment before his consciousness disappeared into darkness.
Acheron sheathed her sword, picked up the music box, and let out a long sigh.
Just as she was considering what to do next, countless brilliant colors suddenly burst forth, lighting up the cold, silent universe.
Magnificent colors spread without end, filling the entire starry sky, covering the sea of stars, and linking the stars together.
The gates of the Everflame Mansion slowly opened, and a group of handsome knights walked inside.
Acheron wondered how she should deal with this unexpected group and whether she would have to fight them.
The knight at the front, wearing silver armor and having fiery red hair, stepped forward and said, "Beautiful lady, I assume this is the Everflame Mansion. May I ask if Lord Ravager Ifrit is here?"
[🎉 Shoutout to Photobug, ZaberZ and Enthessi for joining p@treon. All the support is very welcomed. Thank you very much.🤗]