Question.
What would you do if something incomprehensible appeared before your eyes?
Many people, upon hearing that, would likely feel rather puzzled.
There are actually many incomprehensible things in this universe.
Even the Genius Society, a faction possessing top-tier intellect, would not dare claim they could completely solve every mystery in the universe.
After all, because of the Aeons, many unsolved mysteries still remain in this universe.
Even so, ordinary people rarely encounter anything truly incomprehensible.
Because matters like that mostly already involve Emanators of the Aeons.
Those existences have already transcended the level of ordinary people.
Under normal circumstances, the two sides should never have any contact at all.
Yet these IPC employees never could have imagined that they would encounter one on this little Penacony.
After that inexplicably noisy sound ended, what appeared before everyone was a figure that looked much steadier and more composed.
That was right. Steady and composed was the first impression Platina Gotchard gave these IPC employees.
Though its steel body seemed calm and solid, the eyes beneath the train-like visor also revealed sharpness and ferocity.
Together with the black-and-gold color scheme that differed so greatly from its white armor, it gave off an inexplicable sense of dominance.
At a rough glance, it was like a king filled with authority, crushing its enemy head-on.
The other party's defense was already plain for all to see.
That was defense capable of withstanding a beam attack from a flagship's main cannon.
Under such a powerful attack, it had stood like an overlord and never retreated even half a step.
After changing into Platina Gotchard, however, with the mask gone, others could glimpse the eyes looking out from within.
To a certain extent, this reduced the pressure it gave off.
After the train visor was removed, biological antennae extended from its face, making it no longer look like a cold, unfeeling overlord.
At the same time, the golden lines across its body added a sense of luxury while also making it appear much more composed.
If Iron Gotchard was a figure that had just stepped onto the path of kingship, gradually bringing the world under its rule...
Then Platina Gotchard was a monarch who had long governed an empire.
It looked calm and steady, but in truth, its dominance was held within, carrying authority without needing to show anger.
And that was to say nothing of the methods the other party displayed.
"Can someone tell me..."
Martin looked at what was happening before him and found it simply unbelievable.
The other party had merely reached that slender hand into the pitch-black hole before him, and his arm had expanded dozens, even hundreds of times over.
That arm, even larger than armor several meters tall, swept the surrounding armor units aside as easily as sweeping away trash.
Before him, the IPC's new product was practically like children's building blocks.
"When did technology like this ever appear in the universe?"
This impossible sight was enough to make many people wonder whether they were dreaming.
After all, the memoria concentration in the Asdana system was quite high. Unknowingly falling into a dream seemed like a very normal thing there.
Yet the other party used his actions to prove that they were not dreaming!
After that massive arm swept the armor units together like trash, it did not stop moving.
Those armor units, damaged and unable to move, were pulled by some force and continuously gathered into that giant palm.
Under the effect of alchemy, those armor units were compressed and reforged without pause.
Seeing this, Martin knew this was absolutely not the time to be shocked!
"Interrupt his movement! Don't let him finish whatever he's doing!"
Watching helplessly as the other party unleashed a move was not something Martin would do.
Moreover, the threat the other party was displaying at this moment had already far exceeded his expectations.
Martin's words also snapped his subordinates back to their senses.
Although they still hesitated in their hearts, after Martin explained the stakes, they could only grit their teeth and follow along.
The enmity between the two sides had long since reached a point beyond reconciliation.
In this universe, what happened after provoking an existence like that went without saying.
So now, even if they did not want to do it, they had to!
Vast energy once again gathered in the flagship's main cannon.
In an area this rich with memoria, storing up energy did not take much time.
Seeing that preparations were complete, Martin immediately chose to fire.
And at that same moment, Sora's preparations were also complete!
Mercurin, Jupitta, Kinkiravina, Grandsaturn, and Firemars...
Through his palm, the five planets attached themselves to the five spheres he had created.
They devoured the energy of those armor units, making their own power surge even more violently.
"Planets, lend me your strength for a while."
Sora pushed his five enormous fingers forward, and Mercurin, Jupitta, Kinkiravina, Grandsaturn, and Firemars each settled onto one of his fingers.
Under the effect of his power, a pentagram formation was instantly drawn.
The attack from the universe arrived before him in an instant. Unfortunately, before the five planets that had already devoured the armor units' energy, that beam was nowhere near enough!
BZZZZZZZZTT!!
The beam from the universe continued firing without pause, yet failed to produce any effect at all.
It could not even break through the pentagram formation.
The enemy's attack continued for a long time, and the final result was merely that the light of the five planets dimmed slightly.
But only slightly!
"Is your attack over? Then... it's my turn!"
Sora was not the type to sit back and wait for death in the face of the enemy's attack.
Since the other party's attack had ended, it was time for him to counterattack.
And so that enormous palm abruptly clenched into a fist and smashed toward the pentagram formation before him!
After the fist passed through the alchemical formation formed by the five planets, it instantly became wrapped in incomparably surging energy!
That energy made the fist larger and stronger!
In only an instant, that platinum-white hand expanded hundreds, then millions upon millions of times over!
"W-what is this?!"
Martin was completely stunned when he saw the giant hand reaching out from the planet.
Now even he was starting to suspect that he was dreaming.
Otherwise, why would he be seeing something like this appear before his eyes?
A person reaching out to grab a spaceship in space—if that was not a dream, what was it?
Yet reality was telling him that what he was experiencing now was not a dream.
Because the effect of those approaching hands had already made the ship's alarms blare madly.
Whether it was the ship's probes or the asteroids drifting through space, all of them were smashed into dust by that reaching hand.
And the energy reading detected by the probes before they were destroyed was...
"I-Infinite..."
Martin's subordinate trembled as he reported the energy level emanating from those hands.
This "infinite" reading did not mean its energy was truly infinite, but rather that it had already exceeded the probes' limits.
Even so, that reaching hand was terrifying all the same!
At the very least, crushing their little ship would be effortless.
Martin closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then suddenly shouted, "Route all power to forward thrust, stage four!"
Run. Run at all costs!
Though he already knew the hope of escape was extremely slim, even so, he had to try.
Escape from the nightmare that was Asdana. Escape from that nightmarish palm.
Following Martin's order, the entire ship's thrusters immediately completed their directional shift, then spewed out fierce flames.
Under such violent propulsion, the flagship immediately fled into the distance.
If given more time, perhaps Martin really could have escaped.
Unfortunately, the ship had not fled very far before an energy torrent suddenly shot out from the side!
The energy level of this torrent was not especially high. At the very least, it could not compare to the hand behind them.
But even an energy torrent like this was enough to damage the ship they were currently piloting.
Especially since the other side's aim was extremely precise. It targeted the ship's largest thruster.
And so, after a burst of flame exploded, the flagship's largest thruster stopped working.
As for the ship hidden nearby that had fired that energy torrent, Martin knew it all too well!
Although it had already undergone some modifications and repainting, he could still recognize the model of that ship at a glance.
"Director Martin, isn't that the ship we lost last time?"
That was right. The one who struck Martin from behind at this moment was precisely the command ship he had lost before.
When sweeping through Asdana earlier, he had been wondering where that command ship had gone.
Yet what he had not expected was that this ship would choose this exact moment to appear behind him.
It was simply impossible to guard against.
"He came back to catch the bad guys. I have to help!"
The command ship drifted through space and spoke with a huff.
"You damned thing..."
Before Martin could finish cursing in his heart, the giant hand reaching out from the planet had already grabbed them.
CREEAAAK.
Accompanied by a wave of twisting sounds, the command ship lost connection.
At the same time, this also caused the armor units wreaking havoc on the planet to stop moving.
It seemed that this crisis had ended just like that...
...
"Tick-tock! Could we perform a piece at this concert too?"
Clockie came cheerfully to find the Navigators.
"Oh? Of course you can."
Faced with Clockie's suggestion, the Navigators barely thought before agreeing.
They could sense the power flowing through these little ones.
Though that power was somewhat faint, they could still feel that they belonged to the Trailblaze.
Since they were connected to the Trailblaze, naturally there was no need to be overly strict.
"Yay!"
After receiving a definite answer, Clockie cheered and ran off to find his companions.
Watching that bouncing figure leave, a faint smile appeared on Dolly's face as well.
She was very curious about these strange little ones too. And wasn't seeing strange sights like this precisely the meaning of the Trailblaze?
After handling Clockie's matter, they turned their attention to the stage, which had more or less been finished.
With Gallagher's help, they had quickly found the instruments best suited to them.
Everything was ready. This hastily prepared yet eagerly anticipated Trailblaze concert could finally begin.
However, before it began, they all had one question.
Because one crucial person had disappeared for a very long time.
"Where did Sora run off to?"
Dolly was somewhat puzzled. She realized that after Sora said he was going to deal with that lost Stellaron, she seemed not to have seen any trace of him again.
Normally speaking, dealing with a Stellaron should not take this long, right?
"No need to worry about him. Who knows where he's run off to now?"
Gallagher's voice sounded from behind them. "Maybe he's gotten dragged into some incident again and can't get away."
After hearing Gallagher's words, Dolly instead glanced around with some confusion.
"Does that mean things still haven't been resolved?"
Looking around, wasn't Penacony already calm and peaceful?
"Who said I meant now? Maybe he's gotten dragged into some other time period again."
What Gallagher said felt somewhat absurd, but after thinking it over for a moment, Dolly actually nodded in agreement.
After all, the fact that these Navigators had appeared here was already unbelievably strange.
"I wonder if he'll make it in time for the start of our concert."
Dolly still really wanted him to participate too.
"I don't know the specifics, but... he probably can."
Gallagher thought of what had happened in the past...
...
Martin Hall had been captured alive. Naturally, this greatly lifted the spirits of the people of Asdana.
But the threat that followed could not be ignored.
"You think capturing me means this is over?"
Martin shook his head and looked at the people outside the prison who hated him through gritted teeth, speaking each word clearly.
"Rather, by capturing me, you will only make the situation even worse."
If before this was merely a prison riot, then capturing him, the IPC operative specifically assigned to handle this place, would escalate the situation.
"In other words, you will be defined as interstellar terrorists."
This was very likely to happen.
Because Martin Hall understood the IPC, and he likewise understood his superior.
This time, the product promotion he had been responsible for had suffered such a disastrous failure. His superior was probably racking his brains right now for ways to preserve his own position.
To preserve his position, the first priority would be resolving the situation currently unfolding before them.
"When that time comes, the IPC's Strategic Investment Department and Security Department will mobilize every force they can to suppress this armed rebellion."
The IPC did business in the universe by relying on more than just money.
Military force was also an essential measure of power.
One had to know that status was not bought with money, but won through struggle.
The reason the IPC could move unhindered through the universe was the strength supporting it from behind.
Now that Martin had been defeated and captured, Austin had to make up for his failure no matter what.
Though doing so might still not allow him to keep his current position, the punishment he received could at least be lightened somewhat.
In order to reduce the severity of his punishment, Austin would absolutely use all his connections and pull enough manpower and equipment from the IPC's Security Department.
"At that point, it won't be some minor skirmish anymore. Do you think the manpower and equipment at Asdana's Frontier Prison can hold out?"
Martin's words did not conceal his mockery of this place at all.
His words were grating, enough to make people unable to resist wanting to smash his head in.
However, smashing his head in would not solve the current problem.
Because what he said was the truth. With Asdana's current manpower and equipment, it was absolutely impossible to confront the IPC head-on once it got serious.
"And against a fleet that massive, do you think he alone can withstand it?"
At this moment, Martin delivered another heavy blow.
The numbers and equipment the IPC would send as support this time would absolutely not be on the level of this minor skirmish.
Sora was only one person. As long as the other side could hold him back, they could exploit the opening.
Besides...
"Relying on him for everything feels... not quite right."
Hanunue found Mikhail and spoke, conflict clear in his voice.
Sora was here now, yes. But what if he disappeared?
That was not impossible.
Sora did not belong to Penacony.
This was only a temporary stop for him. Eventually, he would set off again.
That much could be seen from the fact that he had once taken Mikhail and left before.
"Some things, in the end, we have to face ourselves."
Hearing this, Mikhail looked at Hanunue in some surprise.
"You mean?"
We face the IPC fleet ourselves?
Hanunue nodded.
"You can say I'm crazy. You can ask whether something is wrong with my head. But I feel that if we always rely on others for certain things, then we will never grow."
Setbacks were also a part of growth that one had no choice but to experience.
Smooth sailing would only cause people to sink into comfort.
And comfort was the poison most capable of corroding the human heart.
That was why Hanunue had never stopped moving throughout his life, even if he himself died on that road.
Sensing Hanunue's resolve, Mikhail asked once again, "Have you truly decided?"
Hanunue hesitated for a while, then finally nodded.
"What about you?"
Hanunue looked at Mikhail and asked.
If this was only his decision, then it would be far too selfish.
Under Hanunue's gaze, Mikhail voiced his own decision...
"I'm in!"
This inevitably surprised Hanunue.
In his eyes, Mikhail, a perfectionist to a certain degree, should not have been very likely to agree with this decision of his.
And yet reality had given him an unbelievable answer.
"Support from outsiders may be useful, but the Dreamville we ultimately want to build must rely on our own strength."
Moreover, he had already seen the future. Their decision would absolutely not fail.
On top of that, Hanunue's idea seemed, to a certain extent, capable of avoiding DESTRUDOS.
So how could Mikhail possibly refuse?
If reaching a perfect future required wading through this mire of sin...
Then Mikhail did not mind covering himself in mud. This was the resolve he ought to bear.
"Then let us each gather intelligence and see how we can carve out a path to survival from the IPC's encirclement this time!"
Hanunue laughed happily.
And their conversation was also heard clearly by another person outside the door.
"So you're telling me you don't want me to take you back?"
Sora felt somewhat surprised by Sunday's decision.
One had to know that the present was separated from the future by hundreds, even thousands of years.
If Sunday did not leave with him, that would be equivalent to enduring hundreds or thousands of years in this place before he could see him again.
This was no ordinary test.
"I will naturally not regret something I have decided."
Besides, he still had something he had to complete.
Sunday already understood where the parts used to combine into Trailblaze Brave had come from.
They required him to forge them personally.
The one and only person capable of balancing ORDER and the Trailblaze was him.
So this also proved that there had once been another version of him who made this choice.
The words on that note were that person's reminder to him.
"I must atone for the sins of my Dream of ORDER, which toyed with countless lives."
The Dream of ORDER had caused all life on Penacony to loop endlessly within those seven days according to his personal will.
In order to erase that sin, he had to remain here and forge the key parts of Trailblaze Brave to fight DESTRUDOS.
That way, he could save all living beings on Penacony from DESTRUDOS's influence.
And by doing so, he would make amends for the sin of once toying with everyone's consciousness.
"You've really decided?"
Faced with Sunday like this, Sora asked once again.
Naturally, the answer he received was yes.
"Be careful. The next time we meet, I will absolutely reclaim my pride!"
Sunday was extremely confident.
He refused to believe that even after hundreds or thousands of years, he still would not be able to beat Sora once.
Unfortunately, in response to Sunday's words, Sora could only roll his eyes.
"Guess how I got back here?"
As he spoke, he took out the gift box that had caused him to return to this point in time.
Inside the gift box was a very weak Stellaron.
Upon seeing this, Sunday was somewhat surprised as well.
From behind him, he took out the object he carried with him.
The fluctuations emitted by these two Stellarons were actually exactly the same.
"What is going on?!"
Just as Aeons are unique, Stellarons are also unique.
Every Stellaron has its own rhythm, one no other Stellaron can imitate.
So there should only ever be one of any given Stellaron.
And yet at this moment, two exactly identical Stellarons had appeared.
This was simply beyond Sunday's expectations.
"This one of mine should have already reached the end of its lifespan."
With a light pinch from Sora, the Stellaron that had supported his passage across time turned to dust in his hand and scattered.
The one in Sunday's hand was likewise draining away, though at that rate of loss, it would likely still take hundreds or thousands of years.
The reason its energy was draining was, of course, because a Stellaron from another timeline did not match the present.
But now, another question appeared in Sora's mind...
How did you come into contact with this Stellaron?
Shouldn't it have already been collected and stored away by the Navigators of the Trailblaze?
With Himeko keeping an eye on it, this thing should not have been something Sunday could casually touch.
"Someone gave it to me."
Realizing this, the two of them immediately looked at each other.
Could there be another person outside the whole affair?!
...
"Kohane, did you have fun?"
The man hiding himself beneath the hood of a windbreaker asked Kohane warmly beside him.
"Uncle!"
The instant she saw him, Kohane immediately cheered.
Hearing her cheer, the man immediately pulled back the hood of his windbreaker, revealing the face beneath.
Who else could it be but Sunday?
Though perhaps it would be more accurate to call him Future Sunday.
At this moment, his face wore a doting smile as he scooped Kohane into his arms.
"Yes, Uncle's here!"
He played with the little girl for quite a while.
However, Kohane did have one question in her heart at this moment.
"Uncle, why didn't you let me go with Mom?"
Just now, when Sora disappeared, Kohane had also wanted to go with Robin.
But unexpectedly, at that moment, countless divine chains of ORDER had stopped her.
When asked this question, Future Sunday's expression darkened slightly. He could not exactly let Kohane see the sight of him failing to pry Robin's hand off, could he?
As the embodiment of the perfect uncle, how could he let something like that happen?
So Future Sunday had immediately acted and stopped Kohane!
"Ahem. Of course it's because if you went with them, you wouldn't be able to make it to what's happening here!"
Future Sunday brought Kohane across countless distances in an instant and arrived atop a tall building.
From this place, they could see Trailblaze Brave crouched on the ground, and they could also see the concert venue prepared below.
"Isn't this place much nicer to look at than that warehouse?"
As its builder, Sunday knew very well that aside from those paintings, there was nothing else interesting in that warehouse.
Rather than going to that place, it would be better to watch from here this concert he had missed time and again.
"Besides, there'll be a good show to watch in a little while."
As he spoke, a mysterious smile appeared on Future Sunday's face.
"Huh? Really?"
Future Sunday only smiled without answering.
And so, under the gaze of the two of them, the concert venue ahead finally began in earnest!
...
"Ahem. Tick-tock. Microphone testing is complete!"
Clockie spoke cheerfully.
"Next up, let us perform the first piece!"
"Oh? What are you going to perform?"
Dan Heng was truly curious about the performance of Memory Zone Memes.
More importantly, what kind of song would beings born from the emotional fragments of countless people perform?
"Hmph, hmph. It is an echo that resounds within our souls!"
Clockie looked proud.
Brother Hanu let out an incomparably confident "Hmph!"
And in the next instant, an incomparably noisy sound completely covered the currently silent venue.
At first listen, the tune seemed like random playing, but after listening closely, one discovered it was not as random as it first seemed.
And at this moment, this band that looked so out of place began to sing!
As these small figures sang, the fragments released by those Memory Zone Memes also gathered into scene after scene.
Those scenes showed the moment when Mikhail and Hanunue found Sora and told him of their decision.
"Let us people of the past handle the matters of the past. You should return to the future and rest."
Mikhail said confidently.
"Hmph!"
Hanunue gave a cool snort, then revealed a faint smile.
"Sunday told me that I have to keep an eye on you, so you don't abduct him again!"
Sora's face darkened. Sunday was slandering him!
But he still respected their decision. "Since you won't let me intervene, I'll only do one thing."
"Let me fire the first shot of the battle."
The image shifted again and again. In the next moment, what appeared before their eyes was already a galaxy filling the sky and countless warships.
Facing these warships, Asdana, which had just experienced a calamity, looked so fragile.
Even so, they still chose to refuse help.
There were some things they had to do themselves!
And within this scene, standing before everyone was a figure clad entirely in white.
"We agreed. You can only fire this one shot. Don't you dare try to go back on your word!"
"Relax. I don't break promises easily."
Sora toyed with the Gotcharge Gun in his hand.
♪ FROM THE DEPTHS OF SILENCE~ ♪
♪ THOSE PILLARS AWAKEN BEYOND TIME~ ♪
♪ CRIMSON BLOOD~ ♪
♪ THAT BRINGS THE COURAGE TO STAND UP~ ♪
"It's Dad!"
Kohane cheered.
Sunday sat to the side, however, and did not show much interest in that. Because he was watching Trailblaze Brave nearby.
Just now, he had sensed a familiar fluctuation of power.
"Has that guy finally started moving?"
...
At the same time, inside Trailblaze Brave, Masked Clown was excitedly stuffing the thing it had just "seized" into the ship's energy system.
"They're holding a concert and didn't even invite me. I'm clearly a Nameless too. I'm clearly one of Clockie's friends too."
Its words were full of resentment.
So, in order to take revenge on these people who did good deeds without bringing it along, Masked Clown was going to fall from being an ally of justice into evil!
It was going to ruin this concert!
And so, along with the object it had just thrown in mixing with the energy, Trailblaze Brave finally began trembling nonstop.
The Astral Express crew soon noticed Trailblaze Brave's trembling.
"What is Pom-Pom doing?"
Everyone looked at Trailblaze Brave's shaking in fear.
"I didn't do anything, pom!"
Forget the Astral Express crew and the Navigators—even Pom-Pom himself was shocked by this sudden change.
It was as if threads were controlling Trailblaze Brave!
"Everyone, get farther away! Make sure you don't get hurt!"
Pom-Pom hurriedly reminded everyone.
Unfortunately, under these circumstances, those little Memory Zone Memes still stubbornly continued performing.
♪ IF INHERITED LOVE IS CALLED FATE~ ♪
♪ TAKE YOUR NEXT STEP WITH SMILING EYES~ ♪
As this line was sung, Sora in the fragments of memory also loaded a special bullet into the gun in his hand.
Since you said people from the future can't help, then just let someone from the same time help.
He grinned and raised the gun in his hand.
At the same time, under Future Sunday's manipulation, Trailblaze Brave rose to its feet!
In the next instant, Sora pulled the trigger!
A backward-flying shooting star streaked across the silent night sky, and at the same time, streaked past the IPC fleet and everyone watching.
♪ FOOL DARKNESS, DODGE IN AN INSTANT~ ♪
♪ AVOID THE BLADE, FIND AN OPENING AND STRIKE~ ♪
♪ PENETRATING FEELINGS OPEN THE FUTURE~ ♪
♪ LIKE A BLOODY STORM~ ♪
♪ HOT LIKE A BLOODY STONE~ ♪
♪ THE DESTINY WRITTEN INTO YOUR LINEAGE~ ♪
♪ THE UNDYING BONDS OF HONOR ARISE~ ♪
♪ TAKE HOLD OF THEM~ ♪
BOOOOOOOOOM, POP!
Firework after firework erupted from Trailblaze Brave.
That brilliant radiance bloomed in the sky, illuminating everyone's faces.
Seeing this, Acheron, standing beside them, suddenly thought of something and caught the object Sora had knocked back.
"I came to return something."
---
T/N: WOOO VOLUME END!!! VOLUME 4 END!!! only is this volume 4 idr teheee but it is the end of the volume!!!!!!
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and so on
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