Chapter 10: Still empty inside
~Runeterra World~
Unfortunately, Jace didn't have the chance to see Herta's manuscript.
—
[ Not long after Stelle finished talking with Asta, a burst of urgent alarms suddenly echoed through the space station, and countless red warnings popped up on the main interface, filling the entire screen.
"Ah! What's going on?" March 7 looked around in horror.
On the screen, a giant claw slowly extended into the space station's shield. Accompanied by the sound of the shield shattering, the camera pulled back, revealing a dragon-like giant creature lying outside the space station's shield, attempting to tear apart the barrier in front of it with its claws.
Asta's azure eyes flashed with a hint of panic, but she suppressed it in the next moment. She took a deep breath and turned to Himeko, saying,
"You guys take the train and leave, I... I'll stay behind."
"Okay," Himeko nodded.
"But..." March 7 hesitated, wanting to say something, but was pulled away by Himeko in the next second.
In the dark light screen, only Asta's intermittent electrical sounds echoed continuously.
"The shield of the support module won't last long, you guys, hurry..."
"Leave it... to me..."
"You... hurry..." ]
[ ..... ]
~Jujutsu Kaisen World Future Timeline~
"Heh, this monster..."
Ryomen Sukuna crossed his arms. Although his expression was calm on the surface, Kenjaku, who was closest to him, felt his whole body enveloped in an icy chill.
It was as if he were immersed in cold water, and even breathing was a chore.
The two cursed spirits beside him were trembling visibly. They were shaking so violently that Kenjaku, who had just released them, felt that if they continued to shake, they would be crushed into nothingness by Sukuna's cursed energy in the next second.
The moment he saw the Doomsday Beast, Sukuna subconsciously released part of his cursed energy.
Beast-like intuition was something Sukuna had gained through countless battles. Facing such an enemy, he had to be on guard from the very first second.
Under the influence of the system, even through the light screen, they could feel the pressure from the Doomsday Beast.
This long-lost, blood-pumping sense of oppression reminded Sukuna of when he tamed Mahoraga. But the pressure from Mahoraga was like comparing mud to clouds compared to the Doomsday Beast. A hint of anticipation finally appeared on Sukuna's face.
He really wants to deploy Malevolent Shrine in the space station and let this big guy try his slashes.
—
In the light screen
[ Himeko and the others had arrived at a secluded place.
"... Communication is cut off," Himeko shook her head.
Thinking of the monster just now, Dan Heng, whose expression was usually calm, now had a hint of worry. He reminded,
"Should we go back? That's a Doomsday Beast, a stellar weapon of the Legion."
Himeko was very relieved: "This space station was built by Herta. Unless the Annihilation Gang takes action, there won't be any major problems here."
"But, but we can't just run away like this, right?" March 7 felt it was a bit unkind to just leave.
Dan Heng said solemnly: "The Legion has the blessing of the Destruction Aeon, Nanook. They came prepared, and the people here can't hold on."
Himeko looked at Star beside her and said calmly: "That's why we must leave - and take Stelle with us."
"She is the key to breaking the situation. Of course, I might be wrong."
"???"
"Stelle looked at everyone in confusion."
"What's going on? How did I suddenly become the key to breaking the situation?" ]
[ ..... ]
~Zenless Zone Zero World~
"Phew——"
"In this situation, I really admire Section Chief Miyabi for being able to adapt to this sense of oppression so quickly."
"I can only say, as expected of the youngest Void Hunter in New Eridu?"
In the office of the Air Defense Section 6 at the New Eridu Defense Force headquarters, Tsukishiro Yanagi slumped in his chair, looking as exhausted as if he had just finished twenty sets of strength training, covered in sweat, and unable to even move the documents on his desk.
On the other hand, the black-haired, fox-eared girl in front of him seemed unaffected, looking up at the light screen with an admiring expression.
"Looking forward to the fight and starting the 'fastest monster boss elimination training', "
Hoshimi Miyabi slowly sipped her tea, the tea smoke curling up, fragrant and overflowing, the warm breath leaving a shallow mist on Tsukishiro Yanagi's thin glasses.
"Section Chief Miyabi, this... doesn't look like a monster that could be born in a Hollow, does it?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi wiped his glasses and said awkwardly.
Since the appearance of this strange light screen, Section Chief Miyabi hadn't moved from her seat for an hour, and even when the overwhelming Doomsday Beast descended, she only paused for two seconds with her teacup in hand.
Saying something about "starting a training session to not leave the seat within ten hours"...
Tsukishiro Yanagi realized for the first time the value of Section Chief Miyabi's messy training sessions.
This light screen was initially investigated by the HAND headquarters and the Security Bureau. At first, they thought it was a companion phenomenon of the Hollow, but after checking, they found that no Hollow currently had such a spectacular companion phenomenon.
The light screen seemed to be connected to another world, yet it was completely unrelated to New Eridu. It was unclear what the higher-ups decided, but at least they didn't dispatch Air Defense Section 6 to take any action.
But now it was hard to say, the pressure from this Doomsday Beast might have already affected the normal operation of New Eridu.
Everyone felt it, their heartbeats were like drums, as if struggling to jump out of their chests - if you curiously looked directly into the eyes of the Doomsday Beast, the terror was very similar to the feeling of being sucked in when looking at a crystal-clear lake.
"The feeling of goosebumps is more real than watching a sensory movie,"
Asaba Harumasa said with lingering fear, lying on his desk.
"If the monsters in the Hollow weren't the Remains but this size, hiss... I'm done, I think those Remains are actually kind and friendly now."
"Speaking of which, Section Chief Miyabi, can I take three days of sick leave today?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi snorted unhappily:
"If you could be as energetic and passionate in dealing with the Remains as Miss Selle in the light screen is in beating up the Void Troopers, instead of hiding behind Soukaku and dozing off... maybe I would consider it."
"Vice Section Chief, really?!"
"Yeah,"
Tsukishiro Yanagi slowly raised a finger:
"Of course, there is another prerequisite, your body must also have a Stellaron stuffed into it like Miss Stelle."
Asaba Yuma's eyebrows, which had just perked up, drooped down again.
——
[ "Okay, what should we do next?"
Himeko looked around and pointed to the passage behind her: "This is the support module where the maintenance crew works, which leads to the nearest platform. Let's go there and meet up with Welt."
"Uncle Yang? Uncle Yang is here, too? Didn't he stay on the train?" March 7 widened her eyes in surprise.]
[ ..... ]