A huge blue-scaled azure dragon, backlit by a deep-blue planet that looked as if it were tied with a crimson ribbon, bared fangs and claws as it flew toward the small, delicate-looking pale moon in the distance.
This was Kaido, newly awakened and returned to Starfish.
As for the injuries he had sustained earlier—though they had looked severe—given his physique and the abilities of an awakened Zoan-type user, two days of sleep and a hearty meal of meat and liquor had him mostly recovered.
Put simply, so long as he wasn't killed on the spot, someone like him would always heal rapidly in a short time.
"Huh?"
However, just as Kaido was approaching the lunar base, a beam of pale pink-white light suddenly flared.
"What is that?!"
Bewilderment flashed in Kaido's eyes. In the distant dark starfield, a scarlet sphere had appeared, swelling larger and larger.
"Hear my order!"
"All forces to Level One combat readiness!"
He bellowed at once, his voice resounding across the lunar surface.
At the same time, he snapped his dragon tail and, treading on billowing clouds of flame, flew straight toward that pale light.
Kaido took it to be some method of the space pirates—or perhaps the legendary Galactic Empire or the Cosmic Federation.
[Wooooooo——]
Soon, a shrill alarm tore through the silence.
The eight satellites—including the lunar base—flared to life at once.
The Air Force units garrisoned on those satellites surged out in full strength.
However, the moment Kaido caught sight of that familiar silhouette, he knew it was a false alarm.
No matter—treat it as a drill.
Watching the crimson crystal swell ever larger, Kaido's curiosity stirred. He immediately shifted back to human form and, treading through the thin air of lunar orbit, sped toward it.
"Lord Imu, what is this?"
Imu did not answer at once. He simply watched in silence as the "little red sphere" returned to its original size.
Seeing this, Kaido held his tongue.
Only when the spherical crystal ceased changing did he finally hear Imu speak: "This is Starfish's ninth satellite. You may call it 'Igu.' It will bring Starfish inexhaustible magical power."
"A new satellite!"
Kaido was stunned.
"Should the Air Force dispatch a garrison up there?"
Without looking back, Imu said, "No. It can protect itself."
He paused, then gave his next instruction: "Head back first. I still have things to do here."
"Alright."
Kaido answered breezily; with his temperament, deference only went so far.
Imu didn't mind—obedience was enough.
Once Kaido had gone, a glowing white "five-ring cross" sigil rose on the back of Imu's right hand.
It was the gateway to his pocket dimension.
An instant later, a silver-white spherical gem appeared before him.
It was the soul of Falmart World's chief deity, the Moon Goddess Elange.
After erasing its sapience, he had refined it into a Philosopher's Stone using Stigmata Alchemy.
This, however, was a Philosopher's Stone imbued with divinity.
He had been pondering how best to use it.
Now he had his answer.
He would give it directly to the "Igu" before him; it ought to produce some kind of evolution.
Naturally, the Covenant of Truth and the like had already been bound to it.
At that moment, the "Divine Philosopher's Stone" Imu had cast out let "Igu" sense its extraordinariness at once.
It immediately rolled up a pale pink-white radiance of magic and "swallowed" it into its body, seeming almost impatient.
[Vmmm——]
In the next instant, the vast crimson crystal erupted in a blinding white light.
Its brilliance was so intense it lit the entirety of lunar orbit, forcing the air force personnel, alchemists, shinobi, and mages stationed on every satellite to shut their eyes.
Even across many regions on Starfish, people could clearly see a second sun suddenly appear in the sky.
Yet the light it shed seemed to carry no warmth at all.
The phenomenon lasted for nearly 1 h.
Meanwhile—on Imu's side, as the radiance before his eyes faded, a beautiful figure appeared out of thin air.
"The Moon Goddess, Elange?"
Imu murmured the name without thinking.
However, when the woman lifted her skirts and bowed, her self-introduction was: "Great and noble Lord Imu, thank you for granting me new life, and for bestowing the name 'Igu,' which fills me with honor!"
Her voice, like a trickling spring, was soothing; her gaze brimmed with tenderness and worship.
Imu understood at once: though the woman before him bore Elange's appearance, within she was still Igu.
"So you possess divinity now, do you? Tell me specifically—what abilities do you have?"
Igu thought for a moment.
She opened her palm and condensed a pale pink-white sphere of divine power.
Imu grasped it immediately.
With a casual gesture he drew the sphere to him, then extended a finger and slid it inside.
In an instant, a torrent of information poured into his mind.
A moment later, the sphere of light vanished.
Imu returned to himself, satisfaction glinting in his eyes.
"Good. From now on I'll entrust the Satellite Orbital Defense System to you."
"Igu pledges to you: any attempt to attack or intrude upon Starfish will be annihilated under my magic!"
Igu gave her solemn guarantee.
"Very well. I now formally appoint you a member of the Star God Hall, confer upon you the title 'Moon Witch,' and charge you with guiding Starfish civilization's magical system in a beneficial direction."
"By your command, Lord Imu."
...
The appearance of the Witch of the Moon, Igu, gave Starfish its own source of magic.
However, this would not cause Starfish's ecological environment to undergo vast, visible changes overnight.
According to Igu, for a super-large planet like Starfish, just saturating it with magic alone, Igu estimated, would take about two to three years.
She recommended that, if they wished to accelerate this timetable, the windstone lodes of the "Zero-Magic World" be transferred to Starfish in large quantities, because those lodes continuously radiate wind-type magic.
Yet when Imu thought of the Halkeginia Continent, which had broken apart because of the "Windstone Catastrophe," he had no desire to see the Red Line turn into a heap of floating islands.
That said, this problem was not difficult to solve: gather the windstones together into great "wind islands," and distribute them at key nodes across Starfish.
Besides, since the "Zero-Magic World" was fated to perish, leaving those windstones there would be a waste.
...
Imu had just returned to the Teigu World and slipped into the study aboard Noah's Ark.
With the Star Den-Den Mushi activated, a holographic projection sprang to life over the desk.
Soon—
The image showed Brimir, having left the "Door-Door" space, returning to the side of Louise, Joseph, and the others.
Just as he had told Imu earlier, he indeed conveyed his intentions truthfully to Louise and Hiraga Saito.
The two were saddened at first.
But when they thought of Kirche, Mimoza, and the others—who had been imprisoned precisely because they had helped them—simply letting Louise and Saito leave Impel Down felt unacceptable.
In the end, they agreed to return together to the "Eternal Hell," and they earnestly asked Brimir to rescue the others first; they would be the last to go.
Seeing this, Imu nodded in satisfaction, thinking: 'This is the Louise and Hiraga Saito I like. When you get out, come enjoy the good life on Starfish.'
Next, he watched Brimir perform Void magic, coaxing forth the four elemental spirits from the ruby ring on Joseph's hand, then sealing them into the Founder's Prayer Book for temporary safekeeping, before causing the four rubies to turn into crimson energy, gather together, and re-manifest Sasha's soul.
From that moment, as Sasha slowly opened her eyes, her consciousness awakened.
Watching Brimir in the projection—eyes brimming, clutching Sasha in a tight embrace—Imu felt genuinely pleased.
Sasha's resurrection meant Brimir now had bonds—and a weakness.
...
Falmart World.
At this moment, a gentle, steady rain was falling over the sky above the capital of the Saderan Empire.
It soothed, in its own way, this ancient city that had been occupied by Colonel Eisenhower's First Brigade, now permeated with the stern air of martial law.
Communication between the two sides was still far from fluent.
At the start, Colonel Eisenhower could only barely catch their key words using the "translation record" provided by Umigakure.
The vocabulary at the beginning was very limited.
Fortunately, after occupying the capital, they arranging for personnel to find cooperative locals, and began matching words and meanings one by one.
In this way, the vocabulary in the "translation record" gradually expanded.
Though conversations were still a bit halting, with frequent glances at notebooks, in the end, both sides could understand each other.
[Knock, knock, knock.]
Inside the imperial castle, at the office that had once belonged to the Chancellor, someone lightly knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Colonel Eisenhower sat behind his desk, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the two who entered.
"Report, Chieftain Tyuule has been brought!"
The soldier with a rifle at his back straightened his posture, his voice ringing with force.
"Good, thank you. Stand by at the side."
"Yes!"
The soldier immediately stepped to the corner of the room, his gaze fixed on the beautiful woman with snow-white hair and a pair of long rabbit ears.
"I'm very glad to see you again, Colonel Eisenhower!" Tyuule greeted respectfully, her voice full of anticipation.
"Mhm. You'll be even happier in a moment."
Colonel Eisenhower said, "The World Government's orders have arrived—concerning the handling of the imperial family, the nobles, and people like you."
Tyuule's head jerked up, her reddened eyes trembling violently within their widened sockets.
She knew the decisive moment had come.
"Heh, then I'll speak plainly."
Colonel Eisenhower, knowing what she had gone through, added no jokes or wasted words.
"Our side will declare the Empire destroyed. Its royal family will be executed publicly, all nobles reduced to commoners, and eighty percent of their assets confiscated."
"I—I… ahhhhh!"
Tyuule's body swayed; suddenly her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes until at last she broke into loud sobs.
"Wonderful! This damned Empire, that damned Zorzal—they're finally facing their end!"
"My people! Do you hear this?"
"Our blood vengeance has been avenged!"
She was completely consumed by her emotions.
"Eh."
Colonel Eisenhower shook his head at the sight, silently waiting for her to vent her feelings.
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