[One Week Later, New Federation, Star Envoys Association Headquarters]
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the sycamore leaves, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow onto the bluestone pavement.
Valentina, secretary to the General President, walked expressionlessly along the corridor of the small courtyard. The leather document bag in her hand swayed slightly, producing the faint rustle of shifting paper. Contained within this bag was the summary report of the Trial of Longevity Island, which she had just finished organizing.
Although the current New Federation had entered the era of comprehensive quantum information, Enite still preferred physical documents. In his own words, illusory quantum data lacked a sense of reality; paper that smelled of ink felt much better to the touch.
On the other side of the courtyard, Enite sat in a rattan chair beneath a grape trellis, holding a ceramic teacup from the old era.
"President, here is the summary report for this trial."
Valentina approached Enite and handed him the thickest document. Having served by Enite's side for many years, she had never seen him take such a personal interest in any young student, to the point of personally reviewing their reports.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Enite took the file, the corners of his mouth curling upward. On the front page was a photograph capturing a silver-haired man standing atop a pyramid; a vector light-blade was slicing through vines while a golden radiance illuminated half the sky.
Aside from the photo, the document recorded his experiences on Longevity Island in great detail—such as his clash with the "Rose Gentleman," Wilfred, upon landing, and his subsequent final battle at the crown of the Divine Tree. It detailed how he used "Vector... Reversal" to tamper with Libra's Equivalent Exchange and even forcibly tore an opening through a Time-Stop Field.
Indeed, that structure resembling a pyramid was actually Libra's true form—or rather, its true form in this current cycle. Due to the unique nature of the Miracle Stones, they could manifest as conscious beings, unconscious objects, or even something incorporeal and ethereal.
"It seems the boy has already received the gift I left for him."
After finishing the information regarding Tendo, Enite smiled and set the file down. A tea stain bloomed into a faint yellow mark on the edge of the page.
Valentina blinked, then asked curiously, "President, it seems you've been watching this child for a very long time?"
Enite did not hide much, saying meaningfully, "Of course. I knew of this child's existence even earlier than Dragon did."
"..."
Valentina fell silent. According to the background data she had investigated regarding Tendo, he had been encountered by Yun Meng by chance after his city was overrun by a beast tide. She had then brought him to the Cinder Base to participate in the Stars Project.
But now, it seemed things were far more complicated than she had imagined. Could there have been secrets regarding that beast tide that she was unaware of?
Seeing Valentina's expression, Enite seemed to read her thoughts. He laughed and said, "Don't overthink it. This child is much more special than you imagine."
"Did you think geniuses appeared so easily?"
"His origins... are far more interesting than you think."
With that, Enite handed the file back to Valentina, his tone returning to his presidential authority. "Seal Tendo's file. No one besides me is permitted to access it. As for the others, archive their information according to standard procedures."
Valentina nodded, took the documents, and turned to leave Enite's small courtyard.
Once Valentina had completely disappeared, Enite slowly rose and walked to an old locust tree in the corner of the yard. The setting sun stretched his shadow long across the ground. He raised a hand to stroke the blade scars on the trunk, his face reflecting a sense of reminiscence. Those scars were left behind from his battles against Star Beasts in the old era.
After a long while, Enite snapped out of his memories and whispered, "Teacher, your grandson's performance... might be even more exaggerated than you imagined."
"And if it is him, perhaps he truly can create the perfect world we once envisioned. After all, humanity only discards all conflict and unites completely when facing a common external enemy."
With those words, Enite turned and returned to his room.
In the corner of the frame, an old photograph sat on Enite's desk. It was an old-era group photo of the New Federation Fallen Zone Clearance Team. Due to the lighting, the faces of many people in the photo were obscured by reflections. Only the two standing in the very center were clearly visible.
One was an elderly lady with iconic silver-white long hair. The other was a young, arrogant, and unbridled Enite.
[Heavenly Martial Capital, Heavenly Martial Training Base, Half a Month Later]
Boom!
A deafening roar nearly lifted the roof of the training base. Jing Liuli had just pushed open the soundproof door when she was forced to shrink back by the searing heat wave.
Inside the Heaven-tier exclusive training grounds, a giant crater thirty meters in diameter was emitting black smoke. The walls of the pit were covered in fine cracks, and the air was thick with the scent of ozone from Star Energy overload.
Tendo stood at the bottom of the pit, his silver hair swaying slightly in the wind. He wasn't wearing his blindfold, and faint golden patterns shifted subtly within his pale blue eyes. This was the sign of the deep fusion between the Stellar Eclipse Eye and the Vector Field.
Witnessing this, Jing Liuli couldn't help but speak up. "Tendo, have you developed another new move? Such a huge commotion... and also..."
Jing Liuli walked around the perimeter of the giant pit and said curiously, "This is the third training ground you've wrecked this week. The administrators from the maintenance department have complained multiple times that you're increasing their workload."
In the face of Jing Liuli's teasing, Tendo casually put on his blindfold, covering his eyes. He then spoke to the empty training grounds: "Repair the field."
The next second, the hum of mechanical operation resonated through the area. The cracks on the floor began to heal rapidly, and the giant crater in the center was leveled by metal plates at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Once the repairs were complete, Tendo looked at Jing Liuli, who had walked over to him, and said flatly, "It's nothing. I'm just becoming more familiar with my current body."
Though Tendo's tone was calm, as if he were discussing a trivial matter, Jing Liuli knew full well that this guy had definitely grown stronger again. However, she didn't pry further. When anything unreasonable happened to Tendo, it always felt reasonable.
Since the day she met him, his strength had never ceased to amaze her. Techniques that took others months to master, he could grasp in half a day. Troubles that others fled from, he could solve with a relaxed smile. Tendo was a monster that couldn't be measured by common logic.
Therefore, Jing Liuli didn't dwell on the topic and stated her reason for coming. "Tendo, the Association's patrol quotas have been released. This is a mission I specifically picked for you according to your requirements."
Tendo nodded and picked up his data terminal to look at the information Jing Liuli had sent. The details weren't complex; it was an Association mission he needed to complete.
While the students in the Starry Sky Ladder Rankings primarily competed based on "Tower Floor Counts"—meaning the number of Fallen Zones explored—they also had daily tasks. These included dealing with relatively dangerous entities.
The New Federation's territory was vast, and not every city was as safe as the seven Great Floating Cities. Due to specific local reasons, some cities were prone to attacks from Star Beasts or Dark Star Envoys. As members of the Star Envoys Association, handling Star Beasts and rogue Envoys was part of their duty.
After quickly scanning the mission details, Tendo nodded. "Understood." He stood up and headed for the exit.
Seeing this, Jing Liuli asked curiously, "Tendo, aren't you going to bring Caroline?"
Tendo replied without looking back, "It's just a simple clearance mission. I'll be back soon; there's no need to call her." He then vanished from Jing Liuli's sight.
[Above Mt. Tsuki City, Boundary Gate Exit]
With a tear in a subspace rift, Tendo stepped out wearing a black tactical suit, the hem of his clothes still carrying the residual chill of subspace.
The New Federation's unique "Boundary Gates" allowed Star Envoys to travel quickly to other locations. While convenient, they consumed massive amounts of energy to open, and not everyone's body could withstand the tearing force of subspace. Consequently, the Association mandated that only Envoys of Rank 3 or higher who met specific criteria could use them. Tendo, on his mission, happened to meet those requirements.
Tendo stood in the sky above the unfamiliar city, looking down at the brightly lit streets below.
"Has something happened...?"
According to protocol, Star Envoys from the Mt. Tsuki City branch should have been waiting at the exit to receive him. Yet there wasn't a soul in sight, which was highly unusual.
His mission was to help local Envoys deal with a special Star Energy that had infiltrated the city. Because that beast could scramble the memories of Envoys below the Calamity-tier, the local branch had been unable to find it for quite some time, leading them to seek outside help.
What was particularly noteworthy was that the request for aid hadn't come from a high-ranking Envoy above Rank 3, but from a young Envoy who had recently joined the Association.
Tendo judged that there were only two possible reasons for this. One was that the individual happened to discover the beast and realized the branch couldn't handle it, bypassing them to contact headquarters directly. The other was...
"It seems that fellow has already turned this place into its nest."
Tendo stood a hundred meters in the air, his Stellar Eclipse Eye glowing faintly. The city lights turned into countless energy nodes in his eyes, and within those nodes, a strange grey aura was drifting. It was the scent of Star Energy energy fused with human Star Energy. The place where the scent was strongest was none other than the Mt. Tsuki City Star Envoys Association Branch.
[Mt. Tsuki City, Outside the Star Envoys Association Branch]
"Captain, Vice-Captain... have even you fallen?"
Outside the branch, a Rank 1 Envoy wearing glasses looked at the two people before him in disbelief. These were the two people he had once trusted and admired the most.
Now, not only were their gazes foreign to him, but their appearances had undergone earth-shattering changes. The Captain's arm had turned into a claw covered in scales, and the Vice-Captain had grown bat-like membrane wings from his back. Both had pupils turned a murky yellow, and their auras were as violent as out-of-control Star Beasts. It was as if they weren't Star Envoys at all, but two humanoid feral beasts.
He had considered escaping, but given the massive gap in power, he had no choice but to run.
"Mitchell, don't blame me. Blame yourself for taking the initiative to contact headquarters. Orders have come from above; you must die here tonight." The Vice-Captain's voice was as raspy as sandpaper, devoid of emotion.
Hearing this, Mitchell's eyes filled with complete despair. Although he had received word that someone from headquarters was coming to investigate, he wasn't sure if they would arrive in time or if they would realize how strange this branch was.
In fact, Mitchell had an even more desperate thought: the person from headquarters might also suffer the same fate as the Captain and Vice-Captain, being assimilated by that terrifying monster. If that happened, everything would be over.
However, none of that seemed to matter to him anymore. The monsterized Vice-Captain had already spread his demonic wings and flown in front of him, raising a blood-stained long blade.
But at that moment, an anomaly occurred!
Boom!
The monsterized Vice-Captain was suddenly struck by something heavy, falling from the sky and slamming violently into the ground. The impact caused his wings to snap under the burden; he spat out blood and was unable to get up for a long time.
"?!"
Mitchell froze on the spot.
"It seems the situation here is much more complicated than the report suggested. After all, the report didn't mention that the entire branch had fallen."
Mitchell looked toward the source of the voice. Coming into view was a very young-looking silver-haired man. When he saw the black tactical suit and the Headquarters Envoy badge on the man's chest, a flash of wild joy appeared in Mitchell's eyes.
Reinforcements! It was the reinforcement from headquarters!
He watched the man descend from the sky. Though the newcomer looked like a young man barely twenty years old, he radiated a mountain-like pressure more intense than any high-ranking Envoy Mitchell had ever seen.
It seemed he wouldn't have to die! At this moment, Mitchell was overcome with relief and joy.