A series of approaching footsteps interrupted Himeko’s turbulent thoughts.

She looked up to see Black Swan and Sunday walking over, one after the other.

Both wore expressions of varying degrees of seriousness; this was clearly not a casual visit.

Black Swan spoke first, her voice still carrying that familiar softness capable of soothing the wrinkles in memory, but the gravity in her tone was unmistakable:

"Miss Himeko. We’ve just received two critical pieces of information. One could be called bad news, and the other... perhaps news that could be considered good. Which would you like to hear first?"

The words "bad news" pricked Himeko like a cold needle.

The coffee cup she had just raised again faltered abruptly, the saucer letting out a sharp clink before she set it back down on the table with some haste.

She took a deep breath, her gaze sharpening as she fixed it on Black Swan:

"Just say it directly, no need to beat around the bush. What’s the good news? And the bad news... what is it?"

Black Swan exchanged a glance with Sunday, then stated clearly:

"The good news is that the distress signals we sent out earlier in the name of the Astral Express have mostly received positive responses. The Strategic Investment Department of the Interastral Peace Corporation, and... the Xianzhou Alliance, have both formally replied."

She paused slightly, emphasizing the weight of the latter name. "In their replies, they both stated that campaigning against ’Irontomb’—this significantly weakened Lord Ravager—is a duty incumbent upon every responsible intelligent civilization across the star seas, and they are willing to provide necessary support."

"The Xianzhou Alliance... not just a reply from the Xianzhou Luofu?" Himeko acutely caught this detail. It meant a much larger force had already turned its attention to this place, which was undoubtedly a powerful reassurance.

"So, the bad news?"

Black Swan’s expression grew even more solemn, her voice dropping a few notes:

"The bad news is... just now, we detected large-scale space warp signals on the periphery of Amphoreus."

"After analysis and confirmation... it’s the fleet of the Antimatter Legion and more importantly... we’ve detected traces of the Lord Ravager, Celenova, herself. Her legion is currently amassing in the star regions surrounding Amphoreus."

This news hit Himeko like ice water, sending an instant chill through her.

One Lord Ravager, Irontomb, not yet fully dealt with, plus another notoriously infamous, veteran Lord Ravager, Celenova... The situation in Amphoreus had instantly escalated from crisis to deathtrap.

The faint hope kindled by the news of reinforcements was immediately engulfed by an even heavier shadow.

"The Antimatter Legion? A Lord Ravager? Right near Amphoreus?" Each word seemed forced through Himeko’s teeth.

"Doesn’t that mean... they’re already closing in on the space where the Astral Express is located?! How many Antimatter Legion forces are there?"

Black Swan quickly pulled up the freshly received monitoring data, her expression equally grim: "Currently, just in the vicinity of Amphoreus, the confirmed legion signals have reached... approximately three hundred million individual units. And this is just the scale of the vanguard and reconnaissance forces."

"How many?! Three hundred million?!" The number nearly made Himeko’s voice fail. She shot up from her seat, bracing her hands on the console.

A force of Antimatter Legion this size could, within a few standard days, completely erase a highly developed civilized planet like Blue Star from the star charts! Of course, that’s assuming The Herta wasn’t there.

"How could they suddenly appear in this kind of... this kind of ’backwater’ with not even a decent star system within dozens of light-years?!"

"♪～!"

A burst of urgent prelude music abruptly blared from the radio sitting on a small side table.

The sound was especially jarring at this moment, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.

Immediately after, a broadcast voice, steady in pace but carrying an undeniable official tone, rang out:

"Attention. This is an Interastral Peace Broadcast. We interrupt this program for an urgent sector security announcement:"

"According to multiple sources, a massive Antimatter Legion cluster, long stationed in the Sedounirama Star Cluster and under the direct command of the Lord Ravager—Celenova, has been detected in an abnormally large-scale maneuver as of six standard hours ago."

"This legion cluster, with a total scale approaching the trillion-unit level, was previously engaged in high-intensity confrontation and skirmishes with the joint defense fleet formed by the six major galactic civilizations of the Sedounirama Star Cluster before the maneuver commenced..."

"Currently, the specific trajectory and strategic intent of this colossal legion remain unclear; its warp signature exhibits a high degree of stealth."

"The Interastral Peace Corporation reminds all civilizations, space stations, and navigational units located along its potential path to immediately activate the highest level of emergency protocols and prepare for possible impact..."

The broadcast continued, detailing the legion’s characteristics and potential risk assessments, but Himeko and Black Swan had no time to listen to the rest.

They suddenly locked eyes, both seeing shock and a glimmer of disbelief reflected in the other’s gaze.

Celenova herself appears at Amphoreus... and her main legion, a near-trillion-strong force that should have been fighting in a distant galaxy, just "coincidentally" vanishes without a trace at the exact same time?

Was this really... a coincidence?

Just as Himeko and Black Swan were sinking into deep suspicion and unease over this overly "coincidental" intelligence,

Sunday, who had been standing quietly by the window, suddenly raised a slender finger, pointing towards a specific direction outside the parlor car’s window. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

His voice retained its characteristic composure, but it was now laced with a distinct note of confusion:

"Everyone, please wait a moment... If I recall the star charts correctly, was there always such a conspicuous orange asteroid belt in that direction?"

...

Earlier, at the heart of the battlefield where Phaethon and Celenova clashed.

The "Pseudo-Omniscience Domain" that Phaethon had constructed not only perceived everything on the battlefield but also touched upon a certain higher level of "observation."

He could clearly sense that the will originating from the universe’s ultimate destructive impulse—the gaze of the Aeon of Destruction, Nanook—was shifting.

This perception weighed heavily on his heart. Earlier, though the Aeon’s attention had been a prickling presence, it had been more broadly enveloping the entire Amphoreus star zone, or focused on himself as a newborn variable.

But now, that "gaze," saturated with destructive desire, was unprecedentedly and with high concentration, focusing directly on the interior of the Path of Destruction itself!

’He’s noticed Phainon...’ This thought flashed through Phaethon’s mind like ice-cold lightning.

This was no good omen. Phainon’s desperate charge, under the focused scrutiny of Nanook himself, was no different from exposing himself completely to the flames of destruction.

He had to get there. Fast.