"Hm? Faith?"
Tatsuki looked at Ayame, Mumei, and Horobi in surprise. He could feel it—faith radiating from each of them.
Mumei's faith was dependence. Ayame's was reverence. Horobi's… was absolute devotion—and something else. Desire?
Tch. Tatsuki rubbed his temple, half amused, half pained. Was he really turning into some kind of eroge protagonist? Did he come equipped with an aphrodisiac aura?
No—he knew better. Horobi was simply conquered—mind, body, and soul—by his overwhelming power.
"Well, since there's faith…" He spread his Wings of Salvation, letting golden light cascade over the three women.
Before everyone's eyes, their backs shimmered—wings and halos unfurling just like Seitenshi's.
At the same time, he linked them all into his divine lineage: the Chrono Clan.
He'd learned enough about this bloodline from Neko and Hai xiaomei. It had two main abilities—Time Acceleration and Time Deceleration.
Unlike his own mastery of time, theirs was limited: they could only speed up time for themselves and slow time for objects or people near them. A personal field, but still quite useful.
And as the Chrono King, their power would grow stronger as his own did.
"From now on, you are my Angels of Salvation," Tatsuki declared, "and members of the Chrono Clan. This world is yours to protect. Horobi, Mumei—support Ayame. Especially you, Horobi; Ayame's too kind for her own good. She'll need your firmness to keep her grounded."
"Yes!" both replied without hesitation.
"Good. Then we'll be leaving."
Tatsuki and his companions chose to return.
Ayame Stelleed into the fading light. "Tatsuki-sama… will you come back?"
Horobi said nothing, though the longing in her eyes was plain. Even after only a few hours together, she couldn't forget the heat that still lingered—that feeling. Like a drifting soul finally finding an anchor—a lost ship discovering its harbor.
Mumei smiled faintly and opened the chat group.
Mumei: "Tatsuki-sama, will you come back?"
Tatsuki: "Of course. You can call me Nii-san from now on."
Mumei: "Yes! Nii-san!"
Her lips curled into a sweet smile. Turning to the others, she said softly, "Nii-san will come back."
"Brother?" Ayame and Horobi echoed in confusion. Wasn't Biba dead?
"It's Tatsuki, my Nii-san!" Mumei answered proudly.
"...!!!"
…
When Tatsuki returned, he resumed his previous routine—being hand-fed by Chinu as if nothing had changed. He had perfected the art of seamless transitions between women.
A true master of time management.
Tatsuki: "Seitenshi, Vivi, Kusuo Saiki, Mikasa—all returned safely?"
Seitenshi: "I'm already back, Tatsuki."
Vivi: "I've returned to Alabasta Kingdom."
Kusuo Saiki: "Yes."
Mikasa: "Thank you for asking."
Mikasa: "There's something I want to ask."
Aqua: "Ask the great goddess! I'll help for a small fee—just join the Axis Church!"
Mikasa: "..."
She'd already heard enough warnings about that cult to know better.
March 7th: "Ahaha, Aqua never gives up."
Tatsuki: "Ignore her. Go ahead, Mikasa."
Mikasa: "I obtained an ability from the roulette—'Device: Narukami.' Is it powerful?"
Nami: "Never heard of it."
Exusiai: "An A-rank ability is already impressive. My 'Gun Genesis' is only A-rank."
Tatsuki pondered.
Device: Narukami… that name rings a bell.
Then it hit him—from Chivalry of a Failed Knight! That was the personal weapon of Touka Toudou, one of the strongest Blazers—those who manifest their souls as weapons.
Tatsuki explained, "In that world, Blazers manifest their souls as weapons. Narukami is a rare manifestation. It's not too powerful alone—Touka's real strength came from her sword techniques."
Tatsuki: "Mikasa, did you get anything else with it?"
Mikasa: "Yes. Two techniques—'Raikiri' and 'Takemikazuchi.'"
"Oh? Full skill set, then."
Tatsuki: "That's excellent. Focus on mastery—you can strengthen them further later."
Mikasa: "Understood."
Momonga: "Man, I envy you guys."
March 7th: "Silver Wolf! Come out, quick!"
Shinobu Kocho: "What's wrong, March? You sound panicked."
March 7th: "Something big! Really big happened!"
…
Meanwhile, aboard the Astral Express—
The time had come.
The Stelle Rail was about to leave Jarilo-VI's orbit once again, setting course for its next journey.
[Testing, testing…] Pam's cheerful voice echoed through the train's speakers.
"Thank you for waiting, passengers! Thanks to our trailblazers' hard work, the rift's activity is down to minimum, and all readings are nominal!"
"The Astral Express will soon depart. Please be seated and say your last goodbyes to this world!"
With a steady hum, the train began to move—and then pierced into the Stellery void once more.
…
In his quarters, Dan Heng lay on a thin futon, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. He was trapped in a nightmare.
"Five names… three sacrifices… You… are one of them…"
A whisper, low and demonic, jolted him awake. Gasping, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his eyes trembling slightly.
"Dan Heng, the meeting's Stelleting," came Stelle's voice from outside.
"I'll be right there."
Outside the door, March 7th sighed, hands on her hips. "Told you—he overslept again."
She laughed, glancing at Stelle. "People like him can go days without rest, but once they do, they sleep like the dead."
"You'll learn the trick eventually."
Stelle looked puzzled. "That doesn't sound healthy."
March 7th shrugged. "C'mon, the conductor's calling a route meeting. Let's go—don't be late."
As they walked down the corridor, March 7th kept chatting.
"See? If one morning you wake up and Dan Heng's gone, you probably won't see him all day."
Stelle chuckled awkwardly. "That bad, huh?"
"Oh, you'll see. Stick around long enough and you'll realize everyone on this train is weird."
Stelle glanced sideways at her. "Including you?"
March 7th puffed her cheeks. "Of course! Forgetful girl with no past—that's weird enough, right? I've made up, like, fifty backstories for myself already!"
Her bright self-deprecation made Stelle genuinely smile.
Before long, they reached the main cabin.
Welt Yang was waiting at the doorway, adjusting his glasses. "You two look well."
Stelle blinked. "Mr. Welt, you're joining us this time?"
"Yes. I thought I'd see a bit more of the universe."
March grinned. "Uncle Yang, got a destination in mind?"
"Hmm… a destination?" Welt mused. "If I had to pick—my homeland, perhaps."
A shadow passed behind his calm tone. "But unfortunately, there's no record of it in the Express's intact archives."
He smiled faintly. "Before I return home, I'd like to see other civilizations. I don't want to waste this time aboard the Astral Express."
He wasn't sure if he'd ever make it back.
At the same time, Tatsuki pondered the same question as he watched the live feed.
Welt Yang of the Astral Express came from the Honkai universe, yes—but from a different point in time.
In his world, the Honkai had already ended. Whereas Kiana was still attending St. Freya Academy.
The gap between them spanned entire eras. Were they from separate worlds—or parallel timelines?
Tatsuki didn't know.
Whether Welt could ever return to his original world… even he couldn't say.
...
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