After hearing Nero's words, everyone else agreed.
Screwllum said, "I will go to Herta's office and activate the folded space of the Curio Containment Room. With a slight adjustment to its settings, it can block its transfer route and trap it inside the space station.
"Mr. Nero, Mr. Ratio, Ms. Stelle. Please take care of containing that spirit flame and rescuing the missing researcher."
The remaining three had no objections.
After Screwllum finished his work, the three left the meeting room. Outside, they found a blue flaming vortex in the corridor. The space here had already been cut off.
Ratio reminded Nero and Stelle that the spirit flame had just transferred again. He told them to stay alert and be ready to rush through the flaming vortex.
The Nameless had seen all kinds of situations before. They naturally were not nervous about something like this, nor would they make such basic mistakes.
Once they were ready, the three stepped through the doorway opened by the flaming vortex.
As the flames slowly faded, three figures appeared. The moment their feet touched the ground, they looked up and saw a cluster of blue fire. At its center seemed to be a small face.
As an energy lifeform, looking like this was quite normal. Most Heliobi looked similar. Tail and Phantylia were the unusual ones, one turning into a wolf-shaped flame and the other into a giant eyeball.
Looking at the flame, Ratio smiled.
"See? It's still inside the space station. Just as Screwllum said, it can't escape.
"Do you know what you should do with prey that has nowhere left to run? Chase it until it reaches a dead end."
Nero and Stelle nodded, but none of the three were in any hurry. They casually walked over to the flame.
The voice they had heard before, belonging to the Duke Inferno, sounded again.
"The fire... is going out... This space... is strange..."
The next moment, the flame disappeared right in front of them.
"It is still trying to struggle. The folded space has changed again. It's easy to tell where it fled."
The professor then led the other two in and out through the flaming doorway, and before long they found the spirit flame again.
"Human... why? This has nothing... to do with you..." The spirit flame looked at Ratio, seemingly unable to understand why someone who wasn't from the space station was making things difficult for it.
"The flame is getting weaker. Duke Inferno can no longer sustain it." Ratio raised an eyebrow. His tone was relaxed, as if he were casually working on a puzzle in his spare time.
"Isn't chasing it like this a bit slow?" Nero said.
"Hm?" Ratio looked at the boy with slight confusion.
"If it's basically a maze, then shouldn't the fastest way be to head straight for the destination? Stelle and I always do it that way."
Stelle nodded beside him.
Memories of Nero clearing mazes came back once again.
Unlike everyone else, who searched for a path, Nero followed a simple rule whenever he entered a maze, "There was no road in the world. But I made one, and then there was a road."
After a brief silence, Ratio understood what Nero meant. He frowned.
"Spatial transfer is not an ordinary maze. If you recklessly destroy the spatial structure and throw it into disorder, the consequences could be severe and irreversible."
"I know. But the Hunt's arrow hits its target before the bowstring is even drawn. It's the same when catching prey.
"But don't worry. I don't plan to directly destroy this place."
Nero had originally planned to kick apart the spirit flame's transfer path with one blow. But seeing Ratio's expression becoming more serious, he changed what he was about to say.
"I happened to bring Little Nero Cake out for a walk today. While we were in the meeting room, I already made arrangements to catch this guy. I had Cirrus notify it to bring an expert over."
"An expert? Little Nero Cake?"
Ratio looked puzzled. Then he saw an astonishing sight.
A blue Cat Cake ignored both the folded space's blockade and the spatial barriers created by the spirit flame. It bounced forward again and again, pushing a strange cube with its head.
Ratio recognized the cube at a glance.
"This is... the Fright Maze?"
"That's right. It's also very good at controlling space. This way, no matter how that flame runs, it'll end up coming toward us." Nero grinned.
Ratio narrowed his eyes. It was indeed a workable plan. But what surprised him even more was this creation of Ruan Mei... no, although it had been made using Ruan Mei's Cat Cake system, this one should really be called Nero's creation. Not to mention its appearance, and the name Little Nero Cake...
The professor fell into thought as he watched the Cat Cake rubbing against Nero's leg affectionately.
Meanwhile, the moment the Fright Maze saw Stelle and Nero, it let out a terrified scream.
"Ahhh!! It's you two again! You two again! Send me back! Send me back! I didn't run out this time! Aahhh!!!"
"What are you yelling for? We're not here to scold you today," Nero said.
"Not... scold me?" The Fright Maze stared at Nero in disbelief.
The boy nodded. Looking at that face, although it was the same beautiful face that had made its life miserable before, the Fright Maze chose to believe him.
But in the next moment, it shrank back.
"Ahhh! Don't step on me! Don't step on me! I haven't caused trouble for a long time! It was this thing... I don't even know what it is... that brought me out! Don't step on me!"
Nero: "..."
Stelle: "..."
Ratio: "..."
After a moment of silence, Ratio looked at Stelle and Nero with a complicated expression.
"What exactly did you two do to this Curio before?"
"It slipped out during the Antimatter Legion's attack. At Asta's request, Nero and I contained it. We didn't use any tools, though. Nero talked until its mentality broke down, then we stomped on it together because it really didn't know how to talk."
Stelle briefly described what had happened.
The professor's expression became even more complicated.
It was obvious the two children had left an unforgettable traumatic memory in this Curio.
At the same time, Cirrus, who had returned together with Little Nero Cake, froze for a moment.
She was currently possessing Little Nero Cake and was not controlling the Cat Cake's body herself. After hearing Stelle's story, Cirrus once again felt fortunate that she had surrendered so early.
"We're not planning to scold you or hit you this time. We brought you here because we need your help. How about it? Please help us!"
Nero picked up the Fright Maze, held it in his hands, and looked at it.
"I... I..." Staring at the face so close to it, the Fright Maze felt fear unlike anything it had ever experienced. Its voice started trembling.
But in the next second, it suddenly became firm. Even its voice turned loud and powerful, like a well-trained Cloud Knight.
"I have to help! Just say it. What do you need?"