Columbia was in complete chaos, but that was no longer something Rhine Lab and the others needed to worry about. They had already achieved the ultimate goals and ideals of their lives. What happened afterward no longer mattered to them. All they wanted now was to complete their research.
The military was there. The Maylander Foundation was there. Scientists and researchers from the academic world were there. Government officials were there. Even Columbia's Vice President was there. They all entered the Rhine Lab building and attended the press conference held by Ferdinand and Justin Jr. The reason such a grand spectacle could be staged, without even the need for pretense, was simple: the King of Kazdel was standing behind them.
If things truly turned hostile, Rhine Lab could simply pack up its research institutes, leave Columbia, and defect to the other side. Everything depended on Columbia's attitude.
In Ferdinand's almost manic explanation, their actions would greatly advance the scientific community and place Columbian scientists at the peak of Terra. At the very least, that much was true. Kristen had led the development of Arc Light One and the Garden of Myriad Stars, and that could not be denied. As for the existence of the Preserver, no one present knew of it, and how much effort the remaining researchers had personally contributed was another matter entirely.
But at least for today, no one dared question Rhine Lab's achievements.
Behind the scenes, Felix listened as Ferdinand loudly announced the results of their work onstage, while Justin Jr. supplemented it with details about the future military, commercial, and civilian applications of the technology. After watching for a while, Felix pulled up his hood and quietly left the press conference.
When he looked up, the distant sky seemed perfectly normal to the average person. But through a telescope, or to someone with eyesight as sharp as Felix's, there was something clearly unnatural in the sky.
Those were the scars left behind by the shattered starpod.
Above them floated the Garden of Myriad Stars also known as Horizon Ark, where work was still ongoing.
Aside from Ferdinand and Justin Jr., who had returned to the ground because of business matters, Dorothy, Saria, Silence, and the others had also come back. They still had plenty of research and duties to complete, while some others returned because their fields of study differed. Only Kristen, Ahrens, and Nasti remained within the Garden of Myriad Stars, where they would continue their research in space.
And then there was Muelsyse.
Well, Muelsyse was holding Felix's hand right now.
Everything that needed to be done in Trimounts had been done. Rhine Lab was preparing to build an observation station in Kazdel, one that would allow them to closely study the void above Kazdel. As an expatriate researcher, Muelsyse now had a perfectly legitimate reason to remain at Felix's side. It was truly something worth celebrating.
Although Yara had worn a very displeased expression while approving the contract.
Before they knew it, 1099 was drawing to a close. Now that the matter in Trimounts had been settled, it was already nearly December. Time had passed far too quickly.
When Felix came to Trimounts, he had arrived by plane. When he left, the Doctor invited him to return to Kazdel aboard Rhodes Island. After considering it for a moment, Felix accepted. The Doctor said Rhodes Island would be taking a short break anyway, and spending the New Year on the journey back to Kazdel sounded rather nice.
Rhodes Island now had more rooms than before, apparently because it had undergone another expansion. Felix's room this time was also much larger. He stood by the hanging window and looked out toward Trimounts. Now that he had successfully stepped away, Columbia and its scientific community could do as they pleased.
A knock sounded at the door.
Felix opened it and saw Logos, ACE, and several other old comrades standing there.
"Disappointed to see us?"
ACE greeted Felix with a grin. "As for Miss Muelsyse, Dr. Kal'tsit invited her to the Research Department to discuss something related to the hydroponic tanks inside Rhodes Island."
"Good. It really has been a long time. We should definitely have a drink."
Felix smiled. He did not have many friends, but among the few he did have, the comrades who had fought beside him since the days of Babel were naturally included.
The group made their way to the lounge and sat neatly along the bar. Before long, the bartender finished mixing their drinks and placed a glass before each of them.
"You all look pretty relaxed."
After watching ACE drain his beer in a single gulp and let out a satisfied sigh, Felix answered him.
"It's almost the New Year, isn't it? 1099 is nearly over, and the twelfth century is already right in front of us."
ACE shook his head.
"To be honest, I always thought I'd die before the twelfth century ever came, and never live to see it. Back in the days of Babel, I always had the feeling that within a few years, I would die on some battlefield, fighting for my ideals. But I survived. Hahahaha."
"Isn't it said that dreams are the opposite of reality?" Scout said quietly as he sipped his wine.
"Who knows?" ACE laughed heartily. "Your Highness, is a war about to break out?"
"Where did you hear that?"
"After Your Highness left Kazdel, we went there for resupply... and we saw five brand-new battleships undergoing testing. So how many battleships does Kazdel have now? Ten?"
"There will only be more."
"Pff!"
ACE nearly spat out his drink. Felix glanced at the puzzled expressions on Logos and Scout. "They're all for the demons of the North."
Oh.
The moment those words were spoken, everyone understood.
The northern demons or Collapsals had plagued the neighboring nations for a very long time, even though Kazdel itself was not located in the North. From the very beginning, the demons had been one of the greatest threats to the people of Terra. They plundered the land, corrupted it, infected terrans, stole away their living space, devoured everything in their path, and then left only ruin behind, rendering the land forever untouchable.
That was what demons were: enemies that inspired both fear and hatred.
"So Kazdel is preparing for another war? Only this time, the enemy is the demons?"
"I've already contacted Laterano and Yan. We'll head north first as the vanguard. Laterano and Yan are still building battleships, so we need to buy them time and relieve some of the pressure," Felix said with a wave of his hand. "We will undoubtedly serve as the main force. As for the other nations and powers, either they lack the ability to build landships, or their internal politics make such a choice impossible."
"I see... Then I wonder what Rhodes Island can still do."
The members of ACE's team exchanged glances.
The form of war had quietly changed.
From the earliest clashes of cold weapons and Originium Arts, to artillery and tanks, and then to battleships and aerial warships, the evolution of warfare had unfolded in barely twenty years. For middle-aged men like ACE, all that remained was a sense of awe and resignation.
Elite operators like them could still serve as infantry on the front lines, but compared to battleships, they were simply not on the same level. Their combat power could not even be measured in the same terms. And beyond that, the demons were still capable of influencing minds while continuing to exist. These elite operators could risk their lives fighting and bleeding on the front lines, only to accomplish less than a single shot from a battleship.
Thinking of this, ACE felt a little dejected. He wanted to help Felix, but the truth was that he could do very little. Just a few years ago, they might still have fought side by side, yet now he could only stand at a distance and cheer him on.
"There is a way for you and me to fight side by side again in the future."
"Then say it already!"
"Aren't you planning to go to Kazdel? You can enroll in the Imperial Naval Academy. With your abilities, you should be able to graduate in a few months. After a few real battles, you might even be promoted to vice-captain, or perhaps even captain."
ACE's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily. "Then I'm definitely signing up."
Logos glanced at the eager Blaze and Scout beside him and inwardly shook his head. He knew he was not naturally suited for that path, but for the sake of the future, he was still prepared to attend the classes so that he could continue fighting alongside them.
After a few more drinks, night fell.
The group said their goodbyes, and Felix returned alone to his room. He lay down on the bed to rest and soon fell into a deep sleep.
[...]
[Detected artifacts related to a Predecessor... Project Four...]
[PRTS... is... receiving...]
It was a dream.
Felix stepped into the void and looked down upon Terra.
When he raised his head, what he saw was not a dazzling galaxy, but a dim and lifeless universe on the verge of being swallowed by darkness.
"No one can escape that law."
A voice spoke.
"That is a phenomenon. Before it, the laws of physics are shattered, scientific formulas lose all meaning, everything we know disappears, and even our sight is devoured by that darkness and chaos."
"What you are seeing is a dead galaxy. This is the true starry sky."
Felix looked up. "Are those all galaxies destroyed by the Observers?"
"Yes, you are correct," the voice continued. "The Observers are a low-dimensional phenomenon, a discovery once made by a Predecessor through pure chance. It was a one-way gateway from another low-dimensional realm, and what poured into this universe afterward was nothing but chaos and darkness."
"At first, the Predecessor sought to study this phenomenon. They believed that if they could fully control the Observer, they would master portal technology and travel into higher-dimensional universes... But the experiment spiraled out of control. The demon possessed by the Observer ran rampant, and the chaotic laws destroyed everything. The science, physics, laws, existence, and order upon which humanity relied all vanished, and the Predecessor was utterly defeated."
Felix lowered his gaze once more.
Beneath his feet was a mirror, and within it he saw himself. There were no traces of Teekaz, or rather, no racial characteristics belonging to Terra's people remained on his body.
That was Felix, a human.
He clenched his hand, and a flicker of flame danced faintly above it.
His power was still there.
Then he looked at the person who had drawn him into this dream. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair with a headband, dressed in white, standing not far away and watching him. Brilliant prisms shimmered in her eyes, the mark of Originium.
"You called me here, and I thought you were going to tell me how to defeat the Observer."
"The Observer is not invincible, but for humans, as beings of pre-civilization, accomplishing that is still extraordinarily difficult," the woman said slowly. "Humans, as individuals, cannot become rules, cannot shape laws. We are only human."
"So I have to become a law?"
"Only a confrontation between laws can defeat the Observer."
The woman gave a quiet laugh. "Artillery fire can destroy the body of a demon, but it cannot destroy the laws that govern it. Surely you understand that better than anyone. The soil of Yan cannot be restored. It has already become barren, already lost its nutrients. No matter what methods are used, the wounds of the land cannot be healed by the laws of nature."
"How does one become a law?"
"That is not my field of research." The woman smiled with a trace of regret, then turned her head to look once more at the dim starry sky. "Both you and Kristen have broken the original plan. Originium was meant to devour the world and then be reborn as data after the Observer left this dead universe. At that point, we would have been able to step into a higher-dimensional universe and rebuild our civilization there."
"Unfortunately, now that the starpod has been broken, time is running out, as you can see."
She raised her hand and pointed into the distance.
There, an energy mass intertwined with chaos and darkness drifted in space, something too strange to be clearly called matter or life. Yet in the next moment, the darkness slowly shifted into the shape of a living being, becoming an octopus suspended in the universe. But that form lasted only briefly before it changed again, transforming into a giant dragon.
"This is..."
"When the Previous civilization was destroyed, we fled like stray dogs. No... everyone did. But no one can defeat the laws of nature, just as no one can defeat time." The woman smiled sadly. "Only the Doctor and I managed to leave the star system where the Previous civilization once existed, escaping into the outer ring of a remote universe. We wanted to forget all our troubles through interstellar travel, but unfortunately, there was never enough time."
"The Observers have already turned their gaze here, because the surrounding planets have long since been destroyed, eroded, and devoured by those laws. The universe we see, those glittering planets, actually died thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of years ago. What we see now are only luminous tombs drifting through space."
"I see."
Felix nodded slowly. "Thank you for the information."
"No, I should be the one thanking you, Felix." The woman turned to him. "I am not the scientist in charge of Project Fourth Calamity, but I watched you throughout the previous simulations, or at least, that is how I see it... That is why they chose you as the core of Project Fourth Calamity."
Darkness slowly descended, and the woman smiled.
"My name is... Priestess. A linguist. I am researching the final sound waves emitted by planets as they die. I like quietly spending my time alone, but I also wanted to find someone to explore the universe with... Felix, I hope you can take good care of the Doctor. And I hope that one day, we may meet again beneath a clean and clear starry sky."