【"Stellaron Hunters, what are you scheming? The Xianzhou Alliance isn't as accommodating as we are. Once targeted by 【The Hunt】, you won't be Hunters anymore—you'll be prey. The Alliance will pursue you to the ends of the universe—"】

"Lady Serie, there's one thing I find rather strange."

Jian Ze, who was watching the light screen, suddenly spoke up and asked, "Even though the Astral Express Crew has the ability to seal Stellarons, that doesn't mean they're the only ones in the universe who can do so, right? Madam Herta can do it, for one."

"With Emanator-level figures watching over it, the Xianzhou Alliance appears to be vastly more powerful than the Astral Express Crew. Could there really be no one among them capable of sealing a Stellaron?"

"I believe there are," Serie said, resting her chin on her hand in contemplation. "To produce warriors like Jingliu and Jing Yuan... the Xianzhou Alliance must be teeming with talent. I'm not sure if anyone in the Alliance can destroy a Stellaron, but someone capable of handling one ought to exist."

A nation blessed with longevity... Serie could easily imagine just how formidable its military strength would be.

She lamented the brief lives of her disciples... No matter how brilliant their talent, they would eventually fade across the sky like shooting stars. Even a disciple of extraordinary gifts like Flamme could not escape the fate of Death in the end.

And seeing a civilization of true immortals, without Serie even realizing it herself... she felt a trace of envy.

With humans given enough time to study and inherit her magic, the exceptional ones could branch out on their own. Among future generations, there would always be prodigies capable of reaching heights even beyond hers.

"Jian Ze, rather than what you mentioned, I'm more interested in Kafka's true objective."

"True objective?" Jian Ze gave her a puzzled look.

"Going to such lengths just to lure the Astral Express Crew to the Xianzhou Luofu—I fear it's not as simple as just the Stellaron."

Serie said with certainty, "There must be a far more important goal concealed beneath the pretense of the 'Stellaron'... Even if we can't guess it right now, it should be revealed soon enough."

"When that woman was at the Herta Space Station, even if she only revealed the tip of the iceberg... one could tell she is far crazier than that young girl, Silver Wolf, and far more calculating. People like her... cannot be judged by common sense."

【"Speak plainly, Kafka. Cut the riddles," Himeko said, having no intention of playing Kafka's games any longer.】

【"...It's quite simple. This Stellaron has nothing to do with us, yet the Xianzhou has pinned the blame on the Stellaron Hunters." Kafka looked helpless. "My companion, Blade, was taken by the Cloud Knights. I want to bring him back, resolve this Stellaron crisis, and clear our names."】

【Another projection appeared beside Kafka—Blade.】

"Huh? Isn't that the guy Jing Yuan caught? So he and Kafka are companions."

Inside the "Summer Moon Room" on the third floor of Takamagahara, Basara King and Ukyo were drinking with a plump woman in her forties. She was the daughter of an important official in the Tokyo Tax Bureau, and Zatou Kujira had instructed them to entertain her well.

Because of the appearance of the light screen, their plan to infiltrate Genji Heavy Industries had been canceled. The Headmaster's latest instruction was to sit tight, and then... he himself had gone out of contact.

With nothing better to do, Johann Chu and Caesar simply watched the light screen with the lady. The atmosphere in the private room resembled a luxurious private cinema—after all, the content was thrilling: just the fight between Jingliu and Jing Yuan alone was countless times more exciting than any action movie.

"Basara King's vibe is quite similar to Blade's, isn't it?" The plump woman gently swirled the champagne in her glass, her gaze sweeping over Johann Chu with obvious adoration.

"Yeah, a bit," Johann Chu replied expressionlessly, stammering slightly.

His Japanese was the worst in the team, but since he could earn money just by acting cool, he hadn't bothered to spend much effort on the language.

Caesar agreed in his mind. Although Johann Chu didn't think so himself, his perpetual poker face plus that stone-cold, Asura-like killer aura whenever he held a blade really did bear a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Blade.

The only difference was probably that Blade seemed even crazier and more bloodthirsty—though Caesar had yet to see him fight.

Finishing the champagne in her glass, the plump woman lightly tapped the rim, signaling Ukyo to pour her more.

Among all the hosts at Takamagahara, her favorites were Ukyo and Basara King. The latter was cool and handsome, while the former was like a gentle breeze from the Aegean Sea brushing against the cheek. With his blond hair, blue eyes, and tall, athletic build, Caesar's Western features made him stand out strikingly among the sea of Asian faces.

But the only drawback was... as a host and the marquee star of Takamagahara, his gaze rarely lingered on her.

So tapping the rim of her glass was also her way of reminding Ukyo to pay more attention to her.

Caesar immediately caught on. Refilling her glass with champagne, he offered an elegant smile. "If Basara King is Blade, then you must be Kafka. Though—you look far more elegant than Kafka, my lady."

Since becoming a host, he had grown accustomed to flattering lies like this, but comparing the lady before him to Kafka still made him feel as though his tongue had been scorched by a flame.

【"Nothing to do with you?" March 7th's face was full of doubt. "Who'd believe that? How could it be such a coincidence? You showed up right after the Stellaron broke out... Besides, we don't have any ties with you. What does whether the Stellaron Hunters are innocent or not have to do with us?"】

【"We could do the Stellaron Hunters a favor," Stelle said after some thought.】

【Even though she only remembered her name, facing Kafka, Stelle still felt a vague, faint sense of trust.】

【"No way! I don't want to listen to her," March 7th huffed angrily. "The Alliance is so powerful—can't they even deal with a single Stellaron? We're the Astral Express, not Stellaron sealing specialists!"】

【Kafka smiled faintly, not at all surprised by their reaction. "You can certainly stay out of it. Before the Stellaron contaminates this sector of space, initiate the warp jump, and you can be off to the next world."】

【"I can tell you what the future holds: If you do not go to the 【Luofu】, the Stellaron will eventually contaminate the entire Xianzhou, and roughly half the inhabitants aboard the ship will perish..."】

【"Brave and fearless Trailblazers, The Nameless who naturally act for good—surely you wouldn't stand by and watch."】

"How despicable, actually using moral blackmail..." Aki sighed. "I suppose that's only to be expected from a wanted criminal?"

"Moral blackmail?" Power furrowed her brows in deep thought. Such a term was somewhat difficult to grasp for a devil with little schooling.

"Does that mean... as long as I have no morals, I can't be blackmailed?"

Power had a sudden flash of insight, enlightened.