"It was SAM after all!"
March 7th suddenly realized it, already having identified the true culprit.
This time, Sparkle's analysis was just too reasonable—it really did seem possible.
"It does seem possible."
Stelle rubbed her chin, her golden eyes filled with wisdom.
"Possible my ass!"
Firefly couldn't help poking Stelle.
She had already made her identity clear to Stelle long ago, yet this idiot was still seriously suspecting things here!
Stelle nodded and couldn't help saying, "But what she said really makes sense."
Firefly was rendered speechless, her gaze turning hostile as she looked at the instigator, Sparkle. "You're talking nonsense!"
She was clearly right here—when would she have had time to go cause destruction?
And besides, she didn't have that kind of power at all!
She really wanted to initiate scorched-earth combat mode and burn this Masked Fool who was splashing dirty water on her to ashes!
"On what basis are you saying I'm talking nonsense!" Sparkle argued confidently, not backing down at all. "SAM is one of the Stellaron Hunters. You're all here, but he's not—so obviously he's the one up to something!"
Of course, she knew Firefly was SAM. That was exactly why it was fun.
Firefly puffed up with anger and said, "I am SAM! I've been with all of you this whole time—how could it possibly be me doing bad things!"
The people who were supposed to know already knew her identity, and those who weren't supposed to know also knew it by now. Saying it outright didn't really matter anymore.
"Oh!"
March 7th suddenly understood—so Firefly was SAM.
In that case… had she trusted the wrong person earlier?
"Then it was you who did the bad thing!"
Sparkle pointed at Firefly and casually made up a truth. "You must have secretly commanded your mecha to do bad things, then stuck with us to create an alibi!"
"Firefly-Type IV!"
Firefly finally snapped and was about to initiate armor synchronization to teach Sparkle a lesson.
"Look at her, look at her! Why is she being so mean to me!"
Sparkle hid behind Kafka, looking extremely aggrieved.
"Enough."
Kafka reached out with one hand, lifted Sparkle from behind her, and gently set her down beside her.
"Oh."
Sparkle instantly became obedient and adorable, like a well-behaved little girl.
"Hmph~"
Firefly snorted, but could only suppress her anger.
Kafka raised her hand and looked toward the ever-silent Welt Yang. "Mr. Welt, I've noticed you've been frowning this whole time. Have you discovered something?"
"There is something."
Welt Yang withdrew his gaze from the sky and said in a deep voice, "This is a power that shouldn't exist here—one I am extremely familiar with, yet dare not confirm."
"Oh?"
Everyone focused their attention on him.
This middle-aged man, usually so composed, seemed to be suppressing intense emotions.
Himeko's eyes shifted slightly as she thought of something. "Could it be… this power comes from your homeland?"
"Very similar." Welt Yang pushed up his glasses and took a deep breath. "In terms of its nature, it's almost identical. At its core, it's a superweapon that controls molecular thermal motion."
"It reminds me of a weapon from my homeland—a greatsword known as the Judgment of Shamash."
"I possess a weapon of the same series. You could say they share the same origin."
"I won't go into the detailed structure. I'll just say that the one who wielded that greatsword back then was far stronger than I am."
How could he fail to recognize the Judgment of Shamash?
Even with such an obvious signal aside, even if he were only allowed to smell the Honkai energy, he could still tell whether it was Kevin or Kiana.
"So… someone from your homeland has come here?" Himeko asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Unlikely." Welt Yang shook his head, deeply confused. "My arrival in this galaxy was purely coincidental. Replicating my experience would be nearly impossible."
"And the powerful individual I know doesn't seem like the type to do something like this. Moreover, the energy intensity this time surpasses what I remember."
He was very confident in his judgment, and very confident in his memory.
Comparing the two, aside from the absence of a demonic karmic aura and some differences in intensity, this was almost identical to the complete Judgment of Shamash in Kevin's hands.
"But something familiar to you has indeed appeared here. Could there have been an accident that caused your companion to arrive in this world as well?" Kafka crossed her arms, suddenly intrigued.
This was her first time encountering information related to Sol Mercer's abilities. No matter what, it was worth collecting properly.
"That is exactly what confuses me." Welt Yang shook his head slightly and said with melancholy, "During the time I was away from my homeland, I don't know what kind of upheaval occurred that would allow Kevin to come here."
"Nor do I know what kind of experiences made Kevin far stronger than he was back then."
"He has grown so powerful, yet I have made so little progress. Heh."
He and Kevin might not be friends, but they were confidants.
Given that man's mindset, unless a major upheaval occurred in their homeland, he absolutely wouldn't leave.
Such upheavals included two extreme possibilities: humanity being destroyed by Honkai, or humanity defeating Honkai.
The latter would be ideal, a happy ending for all. But if it were the former, then he would have to consider how to deal with Honkai on a galactic scale.
There was also another terrible possibility—someone might have gone to his homeland and stolen everything.
"It seems Mr. Welt's homeland is quite advanced," Aventurine said with interest.
To possess such terrifying weapons, it had to be a highly developed civilization.
Perhaps the Interastral Peace Corporation could find opportunities to cooperate with them.
If he acted as the intermediary, maybe he could even rise to P47 rank and sit at the same table as Diamond?
The already on-edge Welt Yang reacted instantly, casting a cold glance at Aventurine. "Mr. Aventurine, how my homeland is does not require your concern."
His homeland had no need to cooperate with the IPC.
The notorious colonization department's Market Development Division was something countless planets avoided like the plague.
Even the relatively mild Strategic Investment Division still carried the image of ravenous wolves.
"Alright, alright, my fault." Aventurine raised both hands, signaling no ill intent. "At least now we're clear on one thing—the force that attacked Penacony is related to something familiar to Mr. Welt."
"Do not introduce ambiguity," Welt Yang warned sternly. "I only find that power familiar. It has nothing to do with my homeland."
He refused to believe Kevin would casually go around causing destruction.
If it really were Kevin, then sorry—he would revoke Kevin's Earth citizenship on the spot.
No matter what, it was best not to let this mess be associated with his homeland. Compared to this treacherous, peril-filled interstellar universe, the warriors of his home were still far too naïve.
"Prejudice between people is like a great mountain."
Aventurine sighed, utterly helpless about Welt Yang's bias against him.
March 7th complained from the side, "But don't ask how that mountain got there."
She still remembered Skott from the Xianzhou—an executive of the IPC, and a textbook villain if there ever was one.
"Alright, I'll shut up."
Aventurine shrugged, drawing a line across his lips with his fingertip to indicate his mouth was sewn shut.
But how that mountain got there—let's not worry about that for now.
"Uncle Yang, then should we just go find that person?" March 7th looked at Welt Yang and suggested, "Follow that mark in the sky—search upward, search downward. We'll find them eventually."
"No, where that person is doesn't matter," Welt Yang said softly, shaking his head, his gaze heavy. "Figuring out how to extinguish the fire in the sky is what matters most right now."
This wasn't like on Jarilo-VI, where they fought before Cocolia could release the Stellaron and stopped the crisis beforehand.
Now the disaster had already occurred. The priority was disaster relief, not hunting villains.
If the flames were allowed to spread, the entire dreamscape would be burned to nothing.
===BREAK===
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