"Exactly as the words say. With his help, we broke free from the shackles of the Empress!"
The more Firefly listened, the more her mind went blank. Stop, stop, stop!
What the hell had happened?
"You didn't feel it?" Shunji was a little surprised.
When the Empress was resurrected, every single one of them had felt that trembling deep in their bloodline.
Some had even been dragged into Titania's perspective through the resonance between bloodline and destiny. Even she herself had experienced it.
And all of it—only when they formally raised their rebellion against Titania did it finally disappear.
"Of course I felt it." Firefly's heart leapt when she heard this.
Wasn't this exactly the same as what she had gone through?
"Then... the Empress?" Firefly's emotions tangled. She didn't know how to face that existence which had carved itself so deeply into the Glamoth Iron Cavalry.
"The Empress, huh." Shunji sighed. "She's already dead."
"Ah? Oh." Firefly nodded, then suddenly realized something: "Huh?!"
Wait—what the hell happened?!
"Yes. That burning planet over there is the Empress's final radiance."
Firefly's eyes turned to the blazing world not far away.
That planet... was the Empress?!
The sudden turn left her thoughts scattered and messy. She found herself unable to speak.
While she had been absent... what exactly had happened here?
Shunji began to briefly sketch out the events they had experienced.
The Empress resurrected, effortlessly suppressing everything. Sora and the rest thrown into a desperate battle!
The Empress adapted and unleashed [Heavy Acceleration]—Sora and Hotaru couldn't match her speed, fumbling one mistake after another!
The critical figure struck down unconscious by the shock of her power. The planet shrouded by the Reverse Rainstorm, the battle lost beyond doubt!
Firefly clutched at her heart just listening. The Empress, awakened to the full power of Propagation—how could anyone stand against that?
Even aboard the ship, the others were hooked, wanting to know how this scene had turned out.
And finally... Sora and the Glamoth side delivered their victorious declaration.
"...After countless hardships, we finally defeated the Empress. Ah, what a fierce and exhilarating battle it was."
Shunji sighed as she spoke the conclusion, then looked to Firefly. "You think so too, don't you?"
"Uh?" Firefly froze again, drifting in space.
No, that's not right.
"What about the process? The process?" Silver Wolf was the first to feel something off. "I didn't hit SKIP, so where did the most important part go?"
"Mm..." Blade said nothing, only clutching his sword tighter.
"Heh." Kafka let out a light laugh. "Looks like there's some hidden detail here."
After all, what they'd faced was the genetic origin awakened to Propagation's power. To win, they must have relied on some particular method.
"Firefly, try probing her. That special 'someone' she mentioned—who exactly was it?"
Kafka's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
That "special one" in Shunji's words might well be the true key that guided the battle's end.
Firefly nodded in acknowledgment.
But before she could ask, the other side spoke first.
"And you now?" Shunji noticed Firefly had fallen silent again and grew a little concerned. "Do you... have trouble communicating?"
This kid looked so dazed, so blank. Could she have been deceived by someone?
"Eh?" Firefly had no idea how the other party reached that conclusion, but quickly collected herself.
"Could I... meet the 'him' you mentioned?" Firefly asked carefully.
"Of course. The Empress has been completely vanquished. From now on, we are free people."
Shunji extended the invitation with patience. Toward this clanswoman lost outside, she could only show understanding.
"Come. We'll go together."
Hearing this, Firefly asked if the ship behind her could also accompany them to meet this person.
Shunji readily agreed. So the two led in front, the Stellaron Hunters following behind.
And as they advanced, she said to Firefly, "Join us. Here you'll never need to worry about deceit or trouble—someone will handle it all for you."
"Of course, before that I'll have to give you a detailed introduction..."
Inside the ship, the three listeners couldn't shake the sense that something was off.
"Did we just stumble into some galactic cult's gathering?" Silver Wolf muttered. "That bizarre performance earlier—wasn't it the cult carrying out their ritual?"
Otherwise, who in their right mind would parade around in space carrying things and forming patterns?
And now, rows of Iron Cavalry lined the ship's sides, forming a pathway leading forward.
Their gazes pressed down on Firefly, but also on the ship itself.
Something in those eyes made Silver Wolf shiver instinctively.
"Why do I feel like they've set their sights on us? Did we offend them somehow?"
"Hehe... who knows?" Kafka's mysterious smile only deepened. Her interest was growing.
"Hmph." Blade gave a cold, handsome snort.
Whatever the case, the Stellaron Hunters, ringed by the Glamoth Iron Cavalry, pressed on toward the front.
At last, besides Shunji, three others stood blocking their way.
Hotaru, Unkyō, and Mitsutake.
So these were the special figures?
Firefly's eyes immediately locked onto Hotaru. Of everyone present, her armor was utterly distinct from the others.
"Hello, I'm—" Firefly began.
But Hotaru cut her off: "If you want to see him, you must erase every recording your ship has made."
They would not allow their earlier antics to be captured.
Otherwise it really would be: Sisters, situation urgent—let's dismantle this ship!
Her words left everyone present stunned.
So... it wasn't her?
Doubt welled in Firefly's chest.
And inside the ship, the others instantly sharpened their vigilance.
"Opening move, confiscating recordings—tell me again this isn't a galactic cult?" Silver Wolf deadpanned. "So what, do we play 'The New Man' next to cooperate?"
"What's that?" Kafka blinked.
"Huh? You don't know? It's an anti-cult game! I literally saved everyone in the cult by blasting them with music. Look—" Silver Wolf pulled up her game achievements. "See this achievement? 'Deliver All to Salvation.' Exactly what I did!"
Kafka stared at the condition for that achievement, and her lips twitched.
So—broadcasting cult propaganda and sending every brainwashed believer to heaven counted as 'salvation,' huh?
But... thinking carefully, it kind of made sense.
"All right, enough games. Just cover up a bit. Let's see what these people are really after."
Kafka's interest only grew stronger.
Following the ship's orders, Firefly obediently granted access.
Hotaru and the others immediately crowded in, beelining for the ship's recording module, wiping every trace of what had been stored.
Only after finishing this did they relax.
The black history erased—all was well.
"In that case, come with us."
Once the record was gone, their moods lightened.
The Stellaron Hunters advanced further, at last reaching the med-pod where Hoshigaki Sora lay.
...
In that instant, silence fell across both sides. The entire space froze in brief stillness.
Sora gazed at SAM before him, then through the ship's glass at the familiar figures beyond.
Kafka too stared in surprise. She could hardly believe she was seeing old acquaintances here.
"Allow us to introduce him!"
"This is our leader now—the mortal who stood against the Empress, the pioneer before us all, the symbol in every heart..."
Shunji quietly sidled up beside Firefly, coaxing her softly. "Join us. If you join, you'll never have to worry again."
"When something troubles you, confide in him. When setbacks strike, he'll solve them for you. Any other problem—he'll be there too!"
"Stop, stop, stop!!!" Sora hastily cut her off, horrified as her words grew more outrageous.
How did he not know he was that omnipotent?!
"Eh? Couldn't you at least let me finish?" Shunji pouted, annoyed her pitch was ruined.
"Hehe... who would've thought we'd encounter such an unexpected figure here." Kafka's smile turned dazzling.
"It's been a long time, Sora-san."
"I didn't expect to meet you here either... Stellaron Hunters."
Their words made the atmosphere lapse into silence again. Everyone present understood at once.
Shunji slowly drifted back from Firefly's side, her fervor gone.
If they already knew each other, her persuasion was meaningless.
"It's been some time since our last parting. It seems Sora-san's spirit is doing quite well."
Kafka's gaze lingered on him sealed in the med-pod.
"So, Sora-san—just what are they taking you to do?"
Silver Wolf's "galactic cult" theory was already struck down.
There was no way Sora was some cult leader. So what exactly was going on?
Kafka recalled Silver Wolf's analysis: the Empress's genes meant most clones would surely be female.
And here was a man, sealed inside a med-pod, surrounded by women—all wandering the galaxy with him in tow.
A charming smile bloomed on her lips as she asked:
"Sora-san, is this because you failed to handle certain interpersonal relationships... and things turned problematic?"