"Did you really have to go that overboard?" Whitebeard stood on the ground and grumbled to Rimuru.
"It's been so long since I fought, I got a little itchy, that's all," Rimuru said sheepishly, scratching his head.
"Whatever. That said, your method is actually pretty interesting," Whitebeard admitted, finding the approach quite appealing. Maybe I should try that sometime?
While the group was still chatting, a few Honkai Beasts, apparently unaware of what they were dealing with, reacted late and charged straight at them.
"Tch, can't you let us finish our conversation before attacking?" Whitebeard said, glancing at the incoming enemies. He swung his blade lazily a few times in the air before resheathing it.
The beasts didn't even flinch and kept rushing forward. But just as they were about to reach the group, their bodies simultaneously shattered into pieces and crumbled to the ground.
Nobody paid the charging monsters any attention—they just kept on talking.
"Is that you, Seele?" At that moment, Cocolia walked up, staring at her with wide eyes. Before Seele could even answer, Cocolia rushed forward and hugged her tightly.
"Mom!" Seele burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Rosalia!" Rosalia and Liliya came running over as well, throwing their arms around her.
"That's pretty touching," Rimuru said, smiling softly at the reunion.
"Hi—Himeko!" Theresa ran over too, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You're actually alive... That's amazing! Everyone will be so happy. But why would you do something so reckless!?" She clung to Himeko and began crying softly.
"Theresa, I'm back," Himeko said gently, stroking Theresa's hair. "Don't worry—I won't leave again."
"Then we'll take care of the remaining enemies." Whitebeard, feeling awkward in such an emotional scene, took the initiative and led his sons off to clean up the rest of the Honkai Beasts.
Rimuru stayed behind with the others.
After a while, once everyone had calmed down, Cocolia approached Rimuru.
"Even though I don't know who you people really are... thank you, for bringing Seele back to us."
"No need to thank me! I mean, Seele's so adorable—I couldn't just leave her alone in the Sea of Quanta," Rimuru replied cheerfully.
"Bronya, thank you too," Cocolia added. Bronya stood nearby with a rare smile on her face.
"But is there somewhere we can sit down first? This really isn't the best place for a conversation," Rimuru asked.
While they were chatting, Whitebeard and his crew finished wiping out the remaining beasts and returned.
"If that's the case, how about we head to the Hyperion to rest? We can talk more there," Theresa suggested.
"Of course, no problem," Rimuru said calmly—at least on the outside. Internally, she was practically bouncing with excitement.
Oh my god! The Hyperion! Sure, I've been on it hundreds of times in the game, but this is real! Should I take some photos as a keepsake? Or maybe when this is all over, I can just take the whole ship for myself! Just the thought of it is thrilling!
No one noticed Rimuru's inner monologue. The group moved together in a lively crowd toward the Hyperion.
"This ship's incredible! Think I could get one for myself?" Whitebeard stared at the massive warship, itching to claim it as his own. It would look amazing under his flag.
"If you want one, the HQ of Schicksal has plenty," Einstein chimed in quietly—she'd been low-profile until now.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Then it's settled. I'll head over to Schicksal and buy as many as I can! Sengoku will be green with envy!"
"Hey, hey hey! I'm still here, you know," Garp grunted. "If you can buy one, so can I! We Navy folks may not have much else, but we've got money."
"You talk like the Whitebeard Pirates are broke," Whitebeard shot back with a smirk.
"Alright, alright. Take it inside, guys," Rimuru interrupted, trying to defuse the brewing ship-envy showdown.
The Hyperion—278.5 meters long, 182 meters of deck space, powered by six nuclear fusion reactors and armed with an array of heavy weaponry. Originally an aircraft carrier, Himeko had transformed it into a battleship.
Everyone, even Rimuru and Whitebeard, gawked in awe as they boarded, like tourists in a futuristic museum.
"This really is one impressive battleship," Whitebeard remarked from the lounge.
"Hands off. The Hyperion is my pride and joy," Himeko said sharply, immediately on guard.
"Aw, really?" Rimuru visibly deflated.
"You've been eyeing this ship all along? Rimuru, I didn't take you for that kind of person," Himeko said, holding her forehead in frustration.
"Now that everyone's settled, I assume you understand the situation?" Rimuru asked.
"We've mostly figured it out," Cocolia replied, casting Rimuru a long look. She couldn't believe these people were actually from another world. That would explain their strange powers. Though still shocked, she chose to trust them—for now, they had no reason to lie.
"It is hard to believe, but that would make sense of everything," Theresa said, rubbing her temples.
"Any questions?" Rimuru asked.
"If I may," Einstein said coolly. "Why are you helping us? Without a good reason, I find it hard to believe you're doing this out of pure goodwill."
"If you want a reason... helping you helps us, too. That should be enough," Rimuru replied with a smile.
"I personally don't care about gain or loss," Whitebeard added. "But with that answer, you should be able to trust us now."
"In that case, we'll trust you—at least for the time being," Einstein agreed.
"So, what's our next move?" Himeko asked.
"I think we should split up. One team should head to Schicksal and contact Otto—he might be able to help us a lot, given how much he knows about the Honkai. The other team will search for Kiana and the others, and bring them back safely."
"We're going to find Grandpa?" Theresa volunteered. "In that case, I'll take charge of that. And if possible, I'd like Whitebeard to come with us—he might be the only one who can persuade Otto."
"I've got no problem with that," Whitebeard nodded.
"Then I'll go with Himeko and the others to find Kiana," Rimuru said. Just thinking about seeing that airhead again made his heart stir. This time, I'm here to save you.
"Alright, let's begin," Rimuru said, seeing no objections.
And so, the battle to strike back against the Honkai had begun.
Honkai, are you ready?
-------------------------
To Access 30+ Advance chapters head over to Patreon:
patreon .com / Samorash
~~Do leave a comment!