Fenille peered through the medical pod's transparent cover, gazing down at the sleeping Sora.
At this moment, Sora remained motionless, deep in an unnatural slumber.
"Did I give him a bit too much?" Fenille muttered uneasily.
That tranquilizer was strong enough to topple fierce cosmic beasts with ease.
Even mere skin contact would incapacitate an ordinary human immediately—yet she had directly injected several milliliters into Sora's bloodstream.
She felt slightly concerned—he wouldn't simply sleep forever, would he?
"Relax. His body's doing just fine," Titania reassured calmly, sensing Sora's current condition.
Though the sedative was enough to easily fell cosmic monsters, inside Sora's body, it seemed pitifully weak. From what Titania could sense, his metabolism was already accelerating rapidly; in just a few hours, his system would flush the drug entirely.
This metabolic speed had increased dramatically out of nowhere. Back on Tartaro, that dosage should've knocked Sora out for at least three or four days.
But as their ship had approached a nearby star, the speed of his metabolism suddenly multiplied severalfold.
"Is this guy secretly a plant or something?"
Why else would he become so energized just from exposure to sunlight?
Titania truly couldn't understand Sora's bizarre constitution anymore.
But it no longer mattered to her. Soon, Sora would leave this place anyway.
The spaceship drifted through the quiet depths of space, soon arriving at the edge of the black hole Sora had created.
From this side of the black hole, one could vaguely glimpse scenes on the far side.
However, the black hole was already showing faint instability, looking increasingly dangerous by the second.
Once Fenille arrived, she quickly sent a message via her terminal to those awaiting on the other side.
Moments later, starships emerged through the black hole, one after another.
"It's time we say goodbye," Titania murmured softly to the unconscious Sora.
"When I achieve victory, I'll defeat you properly, head-on."
Only then should we settle our battle once and for all.
...
Rocking. Noise.
Sora's brows furrowed slightly.
Familiar voices echoed near him amidst chaotic chatter.
"Fenille! I've brought every single weapon from that outpost!" Jobs shouted excitedly, followed by the sound of crates shifting and bumping around.
Then came the gentle voice of Fenille, filled with quiet resignation:
"Mom is still waiting for you to wake her up. If you two can live happily outside, I have no regrets."
A prolonged silence followed, then a burst of anxious, noisy concern.
"Sora?! What's wrong with Sora?!"
Hands touched him urgently, voices filled with worry. Every movement emphasized their anxiety for him.
And then, after all that noise… Sora finally awoke.
"An unfamiliar ceiling…" he muttered softly.
Lights shone down from above, illuminating the surroundings. He quickly recognized he was aboard his own ship—the Silver Radiance.
Memories flooded back instantly. He recalled that final fight with Titania.
That damn woman completely ignored the warrior's code! She deceived him, launching a sneak attack on him—a defenseless, untransformed old comrade!
Was this acceptable? Absolutely not!
Sora immediately wanted to jump up and demand an explanation—but the moment his foot touched the ground, overwhelming weakness surged through him.
His muscles remained dormant. Though consciousness had fully returned, his body was slow to recover.
"This is what Fenille's injection did?" Sora grumbled, clutching the bed to stop himself from falling flat on the floor.
A small effort helped him recover slightly, but he'd clearly need more time before regaining full mobility.
Just then, the door opened and someone entered, immediately noticing his condition. She hurried forward, helping Sora back onto the bed.
"Honestly, the drug hasn't even worn off yet, and you're already so eager to move around?" Robin complained helplessly.
"How long have I been asleep?" Sora immediately asked.
Hearing his question, Robin instantly understood his intentions.
By now, she felt she understood Sora perfectly well.
She could even guess which leg he'd move first if he bent over—well, not literally, but she'd certainly learned to anticipate his intentions accurately.
In the past, Robin might've felt powerless because she could never stop Sora from rushing headlong into danger.
But this time she was surprisingly at ease. "You've been asleep for two whole days. The black hole you used for the jump has already closed."
Robin handed him a glass of water, allowing Sora to soothe his dry throat.
"We've completely lost contact with the other side."
Sora drank the offered water, then frowned deeply. "What do you mean, 'completely lost contact'?"
Tartaro had direct communications with the IPC—how could contact possibly be severed?
"It's exactly what it sounds like. Due to the enormous swarm, that region has entirely lost communications with the outside."
Robin brought up the latest news on her terminal:
—[Due to signal interference caused by the swarm, certain regions have become entirely disconnected. Please evacuate these areas immediately.]
Below the announcement were several images. Within the indicated area, the name "Tartaro" appeared minuscule amidst a vast expanse engulfed by insects.
"The swarm has completely enveloped hundreds of light-years centered around Tartaro. That entire region is now officially labeled the 'Swarm Disaster Zone'."
"Communications can't reach the Disaster Zone anymore—we're effectively cut off from that entire area."
Hearing this, Sora fell silent.
"But rest assured—before you left, Jobs already sent every available weapon and piece of equipment from our base over there."
"Those weapons won't matter much against an endless swarm, will they?" Sora murmured quietly.
If conventional weapons worked, why would Glamoth have needed the power of Propagation to combat the insects?
The swarm was limitless, endlessly dividing and increasing.
Their numbers multiplied exponentially, while ammunition inevitably depleted.
In the end, it was just a matter of time until total annihilation.
"Regarding that, you might want to wait a bit and attend a certain meeting," Robin suggested mysteriously.
Sora looked puzzled. "A meeting?"
"A meeting to discuss the elimination of this massive swarm threat," Robin's expression turned serious. "The insects gathered here constitute the largest swarm witnessed in hundreds of Amber Eras."
"If we seize this opportunity, we might deal a critical blow to the swarm."
The insects gathered in the Disaster Zone accounted for over seventy percent of the universe's entire swarm population. Moreover, the remaining thirty percent were still steadily converging toward it.
"Noticing this situation, numerous influential powers have already decided to act..."
"It's a conference involving every major power in the galaxy—to eradicate the swarm."
News of Sora waking up spread quickly, prompting Iron Cavalry members to visit one after another. But when they arrived, Sora had already vanished.
He had dragged his weakened body straight to find Jobs.
Though Jobs was still emotionally overwhelmed by the parting with his daughter, he quickly understood why Sora had come.
As a director of Interastral Peace Corporation, Jobs naturally had access to this crucial meeting.
"To tell you the truth, Mr. Sora, I'm even more eager for this meeting to begin than you are."
Jobs hoped desperately the conference might offer some strategy capable of rescuing his daughter.
"Things will get better," Sora smiled gently, sitting weakly beside Jobs as they waited for the conference to begin.
...
A short while later, someone knocked at the door and entered the room.
To Sora's surprise, it was Tingyun and Robin.
"Oh my! Benefactor, you're here as well?" Tingyun greeted cheerfully upon seeing Sora.
"Sora! I spent half the day searching for you, and you ran off without saying a word!" Robin scolded lightly, irritation clear in her voice.
"Haha, I was just a bit impatient," Sora chuckled awkwardly, then curiously glanced at them. "What are you two doing here?"
"Benefactor is joking," Tingyun laughed softly. "We're both here to attend the conference. Since it concerns the universe's greatest threat, the Xianzhou naturally won't sit idly by."
"Miss Robin is attending as her family's representative, I believe."
Surprised, Sora turned toward Robin. Had he forgotten Robin's identity after spending so much time together?
Seeing his expression, Robin sighed dramatically, the tiny wings on her neck drooping helplessly.
"You… Ugh~" Robin shook her head. She'd long accepted that Sora's thought processes were hopeless.
"Side-effects of the tranquilizer! Definitely the drug's fault!" Sora hastily blamed his forgetfulness on the injection.
Robin simply shot him a look that clearly said: "Do you really expect me to believe that?"
Their playful argument briefly dispelled Jobs's gloomy expression.
Time passed swiftly, and soon the meeting began.
The lights dimmed, and holographic projections of participants filled the room.
Sora scanned the virtual hall, spotting several familiar faces immediately.
Among them, beside Yukong was a certain man gazing curiously at him from the Xianzhou delegation.
On the other side, representing the Genius Society and Intelligentsia Guild, a woman in traditional robes embroidered with plum blossoms stood serenely, a figure with a plaster-covered head leaning casually against the wall nearby.
In the distance sat a man, fingers intertwined beneath his chin—mimicking Commander Ikari's iconic posture—gazing intently toward Sora's direction…
More precisely, the stares were aimed at Robin, standing right beside Sora.
The representative of the family faction.
The rest were individuals Sora barely recognized.
A mechanoid bearing a triple-gear emblem; a crystalline being in heavy robes, expression gravely solemn; the Galactic Mercenary Brigade bristling with weaponry...
One figure after another filled the conference room.
When no further attendees arrived, a representative dressed in IPC uniform cleared his throat to speak:
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to this conference. On behalf of our host—the IPC—I sincerely thank all of you for your attendance."
"Now, let us officially commence our meeting regarding the Swarm Crisis. I'm confident that this time, we will decisively eradicate those pests threatening our universe!"
Bugs were something anyone in the universe would find disgusting.
Nobody wanted to touch them, let alone allow these creatures to roam freely through space.
Thus, it was natural that a conference aimed at exterminating the swarm drew such widespread attention.
"According to IPC's forward observation stations, the Swarm Disaster Zone's boundary has stabilized and is gradually contracting."
The IPC rep swiftly projected a set of data. "Currently, the hazard zone covers exactly 233 light-years, and continues to steadily shrink."
"Get to the point," interrupted a man from the Intelligentsia Guild, his head wrapped entirely in plaster bandages. "If you waste my time with pointless numbers, I might as well leave and read another book."
The IPC representative choked slightly at the bluntness, before awkwardly adjusting. "Dr. Ratio is correct. Let's move straight to the main point."
"Within the Disaster Zone, countless stars exist. We propose deliberately inducing stellar decay, triggering supernova explosions."
"The resulting shockwaves will certainly deal catastrophic damage to the swarm. Subsequently, IPC will deploy powerful weaponry such as [Imaginary Implosion Pulse]."
"This way, even if the swarm isn't entirely exterminated, they'll suffer severe losses."
IPC's suggestion was undeniably effective. A combination of supernova detonations and heavy weaponry could realistically inflict devastating harm upon the clustered insects.
Considering its feasibility, the various faction leaders began lively discussions.
Most importantly, the plan carried minimal risk. Once a star was set to explode, they could evacuate immediately without lingering.
However, Jobs immediately objected—after all, a star stood dangerously close to Tartaro.
A supernova's destructive force would obliterate every planet nearby, inevitably killing Fenille yet again.
"I believe this approach—"
His protest was swiftly drowned out by another voice:
"You bunch of hopelessly stupid imbeciles. If I'd known, I wouldn't have wasted my time coming here."
Dr. Ratio's sharp words silenced the room instantly, directed fiercely at the IPC representative.
"Did whoever thought up this idiotic scheme get their brain caught in a door? You walk the Path of Preservation, yet did you even consider how many inhabited worlds are within these 200-plus light-years?"
Just as the IPC rep opened his mouth, Dr. Ratio mercilessly continued:
"I'll tell you right now."
"Within that starfield, there are 163 inhabited worlds. Setting aside population figures, 142 of those planets are affiliated with the IPC itself!"
"Most are within solar systems targeted by your plan. Are you trying to frame us, placing massive bounties on our heads, then having your IPC swoop in to collect the bounty?"
At that statement, the entire assembly erupted in an uproar.
IPC had deliberately withheld critical information. If they had truly executed their plan, every faction here would have hundreds of millions of innocent lives on their hands.
"What is IPC's Strategic Command even thinking?!"
"If you don't give us a satisfactory explanation right now, all previously negotiated agreements are null and void!"
"Is this truly the Path of Preservation you supposedly follow?!"
Wave after wave of harsh criticism assaulted the IPC, severely undermining trust in their chosen path.
The IPC rep quickly tried to clarify, but Dr. Ratio once again seized control of the conversation:
"And there's one more crucial detail your profit-addled brains completely overlooked."
He calmly posted news articles—headlines detailed shattered planets, displaced stars drifting through space...
"These news reports were all released by your IPC media. Did you conveniently forget about them?"
"What do these have to do with the swarm crisis?" asked the representative from the Galactic Mercenary Brigade, puzzled.
"Of course they're related. But perhaps Ms. Ruan Mei from the Genius Society can explain it better than I can."
Everyone's attention shifted toward Ruan Mei, who had been silently sipping tea despite the noisy outburst. Only when she gently set down her teacup did she finally speak:
"Ordinarily, these phenomena indeed have nothing to do with the swarm."
Creatures capable of shattering planets or radiating stellar-level energy were rare but not unheard of.
"But when considered alongside the unusual swarm gathering... well, then things become rather problematic, don't they?"
With a slight smile, Ruan Mei sent detailed data directly to everyone's terminals.
"The Five Emanators of Propagation may have faded into history, but perhaps now is a good time for all of you to refresh your memories."
As they opened Ruan Mei's report, everyone's expressions immediately turned grim.
The characteristics described within aligned precisely with the earlier news stories, perfectly matching details alongside the swarm's behavior.
The truth practically slapped everyone in the face.
"As of now, our information indicates that aside from the Deceiver Swarm King and the Phantom Swarm King, the other Emanators are already converging toward the Disaster Zone."
"I wonder, did IPC even consider this little detail?"
Ruan Mei's words rendered the IPC representative utterly speechless.
The room plunged into absolute silence.
Jobs, staring at the report in puzzlement, whispered quietly: "Mr. Sora… Doesn't this Deceiver Swarm King sound exactly like the one we encountered earlier?"
Every detail lined up perfectly—mental illusions, hallucinogenic powders... almost identical.
His faint voice, previously insignificant amidst the noise, now echoed clearly through the silent room.
Immediately, every gaze locked onto Jobs's position.
Could they have truly encountered the Deceiver Swarm King itself?
"No way. If they encountered an Emanator, how are they still alive?"
This was an Emanator. Ordinary beings had zero chance of survival.
Could it be... someone among them possessed power comparable to an Emanator?
They scanned the group closely—Jobs was immediately dismissed; he held some influence within IPC but no such strength. Robin was similarly ruled out; everyone knew the Songstress of the Universe, Pathstrider of Xipe.
Then that left only one possible candidate.
All eyes inevitably converged upon Sora.
Could this man actually possess power equal to an Emanator's?