Ryan? That sounds like such an ordinary name, and he hasn't been replaced in two thousand years?
Raiden Mei and Kiana raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed somewhat incredible. If this person named Ryan was the supreme leader of the Fire Moth-Chaser, why hadn't he shown his face for two full millennia?
'Perhaps it's a codename, passed down through many generations. The original one must have been one of the Flame-Chasers.'
Mei made a reasonable guess, as it seemed illogical for one person to wield such immense power, with their name only circulating on the dark web.
He seeks neither fame nor profit. What is he after?
"It's just like a novel! I never expected anyone to be older than Immortal Fu Hua!" Kiana's eyes lit up, showing a hint of longing. "Mhm, I'll work hard with him as my goal! One day, I'll stand before this Ryan and make him tell me what secrets the world is hiding!"
She's talking big again. Bronya's news isn't guaranteed to be true; does she actually believe it?
Mei showed an almost imperceptible faint smile. Kiana's confidence was truly enviable. She subtly undermined her: "You'll have to graduate first. If you fail another course, you'll be held back."
As the words fell, Kiana wilted like a frosted eggplant. But before her two good friends could comfort her, she perked up again.
"It doesn't matter! Even with good grades, I'd still end up as a beat cop like my blockhead sister. Even if I have to become a private detective, I'm going to find the world's secrets! Mhm, mhm, mhm. I'll go badger Mom during the break. She definitely knows something..."
"If you know, what then?"
Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya froze simultaneously. It was as if their throats were constricted by an invisible hand, leaving them speechless. Their constricted eyes slowly rotated, seeing a person appear silently behind Kiana, resting her head beside Kiana's face.
First, they saw the golden earring representing 'Infinity,' then the green hair. The mature and alluring face carried a faint smile, but the snake eyes looked exceptionally dangerous.
"A ghost!"
Kiana instantly leaped several meters away, crossing her arms defensively. Raiden Mei was much calmer. She drew a katana from the void, gripping the hilt.
"Who are you?"
So terrifying. She got this close, and I didn't even sense her!
"Mobius, a great name." The woman looked at the three of them, spreading her hands for an evaluation. "One rude brat. The two of you are slightly interesting, especially you. Your name is Raiden Mei, right? I'll remember you."
Gulp.
Locked by the snake eyes, Mei swallowed hard, gripping the sword tighter. They were in the plaza in front of the teaching building, and there were students just a dozen meters away, yet no one noticed the anomaly.
It was utterly bizarre, but she knew this woman named Mobius was strong—terrifyingly strong.
Bronya was equally horrified. This woman was like a walking source of interference. Her appearance had jammed all signals; she couldn't even send a distress signal.
The silence was deafening. The woman seemed to enjoy the atmosphere until another voice sounded.
"[Please] don't frighten the children. It makes you seem childish."
The voice was as gentle as a clear spring, but in Mei's eyes, it was even more terrifying because she couldn't find the source of the voice. She only saw a few azure butterflies fluttering in the dark night, and her mind grew chaotic.
Did some evil organization invade the academy? No, I must find a way to get the message out! Kiana, why are you watching? Go find Teacher Himeko!
Just as Mei was panicking, the snake-eyed woman suddenly scoffed, dangling an ID card in front of them. This allowed Mei and Bronya to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
An S-rank clearance card. This was a high-ranking official of the Fire Moth-Chaser. She didn't know which Valkyrie senior this was, but her personality was truly awful.
Due to the low casualty rate and the high number of trainees, even Mei couldn't recognize all the seniors. Who knew if she graduated centuries ago?
"I apologize, but next time, please state your identity earlier." Mei quickly released the hilt and stood straight.
"Hmph. You didn't ask. Just treat it as an intrusion test. Raiden Mei, your reaction was quite good." Mobius didn't know why, but she found the purple-haired girl somewhat pleasing to the eye. She then glanced at Kiana, who was secretly observing her.
"Truly the Paramecium gene. How many generations has it been? No progress at all."
Without elaborating, she put her hands back into the pockets of her white lab coat and walked away with the crisp sound of high heels, leaving the three girls staring at each other.
Who was that? So random! Kiana blinked, raising her small fist to protest loudly at the retreating figure.
"Why are you calling me a Paramecium!"
Mobius passed through the bustling plaza like a ghost, brushing past pretty girls. Her snake eyes scanned the young, vibrant figures. She made no attempt to hide, yet no one noticed her.
She looked at the girls with interest, sighing at how 'young they are' and how much they 'waste time.' She had intended to show off in front of the crowd but saw the constantly-trailing azure butterflies and could only scoff, walking straight into the castle-like teaching building.
Tap, tap, tap.
The hallway lights switched on ahead with her footsteps. Climbing the stairs, Mobius swept through the darkness like a shadow, slowly making her way to the top of the castle. As she pushed open the iron door, she slightly narrowed her snake eyes.
The cool night wind brushed past. Outside the rooftop stood a tall, slender figure. In front of her were the dazzling city lights in the distance.
But she wasn't looking at the city nightscape. Instead, she raised her long neck, staring motionless at the ringed Moon in the sky, a gaze that made one forget the passage of time.
Mobius stood at the entrance, her legs slightly apart. She spoke with a teasing tone, "Wooden Pole, looking any longer won't help. We can't even get close to the Moon. Or are you planning to pierce the atmosphere with your body again?"
"Mobius, I believe Aponia was scheduled for the shift change." Hua, or Fu Hua, turned around. Aside from the maturity left by the years, her face hadn't changed at all.
"She came. But I recently finished a research topic, so I'm free to come see an old friend."
"Then why were you hiding in the lab when the Fire Moth-Chaser was being restructured?"
"I don't like such tedious tasks. Is that reason sufficient?" Mobius answered as if it were the most natural thing, a reason that made Fu Hua frown slightly.
"You stinky snake, you still haven't changed."
"Wooden Pole, you haven't either. Your appearance doesn't age, but your personality has changed too much. What if he doesn't recognize you?"
Her words were languid but contained a sharp edge, causing Fu Hua to sigh softly, unable to refute.
Time was cruel, after all. Maintaining one's original self over such a long period was a difficult feat.
She looked at the ringed Moon again, losing the mood to argue with Mobius, and waved toward the shadows.
"Kallen, you may go rest."
"Yes, Lady Fu Hua."
In the dark corner, a girl in a purple long dress, with pure white hair braided into pigtails, walked into the moonlight and curtsied slightly, then nodded to Mobius.
"It has been two centuries, Doctor."
"Mhm. You're smarter than last time. You must have finished the reading list I recommended, then." Mobius glanced at her.
Kallen froze, her breathing noticeably heavier. But remembering her ancestor's instructions, she had to swallow her anger and quietly retreated.
Hmph. I can't mess with you, but I can take it out on your descendant. It's not my fault that the Paramecium's genes are too strong and she inherited none of your intelligence.
Mobius felt a secret delight, meeting Fu Hua's gloomy eyes, which only made her feel better.
She gently waved her hand. The gusting night wind on the rooftop suddenly ceased. Then, an exquisite round table and high-backed chairs appeared in the air. A pot of black tea sat on the table.
Mobius poured two cups, and visible steam rose from the delicate teacups.
Fu Hua stared deeply at Mobius and sighed. "Your power has grown stronger again."
"I'm not like you. You've done nothing since waking up all these years, just standing around like a devoted wife waiting for her husband. I completed two hundred research projects in the last millennium alone." Mobius took a delicate sip of the tea, a satisfied smile on her face. "Nor am I like those lazy bums who just sleep when they can't find anything to do."
"Nonsense. I've done a lot! I've protected humanity for over two thousand years!"
"With no Herrschers around, what Mei and I came up with in our research is more than enough for them to handle. If anything, you've protected them too well. Compared to our time, this is child's play."
"Then why don't you quit being a Flame-Chaser?"
"Hmph. I'm not that foolish. If I stood by, wouldn't that guy settle accounts with me?" Mobius shifted her body, lowering her voice. "Of course, I also want to settle accounts with him."
Fu Hua fell silent. To survive long-term in the World Bubbles and prevent the remnants of their forces from being noticed by 'Sa,' the wandering humans slept for tens of thousands of years, as per the 'Star Era' plan. During this time, the Flame-Chasers would wake up in shifts.
After the Fourth Divine Key restored Earth's ecology, about two thousand years ago, under Mei's command, they began rebuilding Earth's civilization with the warriors as the core. Sure enough, just as Vita had predicted, as soon as the survivors of the Previous Era awoke, Sa immediately cast a hostile gaze upon them.
So, humanity split into two factions. One integrated with the embers left by Mei to rebuild civilization. The other chose to remain in the Sea of Quanta. The former encountered monsters with both Imaginary and Quantum properties, while the latter faced the threat of 'Sa' directly.
However, after a period of probing, they found Sa to be the greater threat, and the monsters on Earth were easy to handle. They refocused on the Sea of Quanta, because without the threat of the Cocoon of End, what if that entity decided to follow the trail and become a returning menace?
Fortunately, the war wasn't intense. Sa seemed wary of something and never dared to launch a full-scale offensive. The two sides settled into a standoff in the Sea of Quanta, allowing the Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era to finally relax. They hadn't just ended one catastrophe only to immediately face another.
The reason was simple: besides the self-sufficient strength of the Previous Era's survivors, the more crucial factor was that the Cocoon of End had indeed vanished.
"This new Earth is the result of Senior Brother Ryan's sacrifice, and it is our rear base. Kallen will lead the new S-rank Valkyries and S-rank Knights to the front line. After long-term training and real combat, they are competent enough." Fu Hua sat in the chair, running her finger along the rim of the teacup, casually asking:
"How is the front line? With small-scale skirmishes for almost two thousand years, I've forgotten when I last fought with all my might. It's time to stretch my body."
"The usual. Still probing. With Mei's new technology, it's hard to even die. Instead, the new forces are accumulating more and more. That blockhead Kalpas is constantly clamoring for a full offensive. Poor Ludicyna." Mobius yawned. She didn't want to fight anymore.
In her view, things couldn't be better. An external threat kept humanity from internal strife. The war intensity was low, and they could live a predominantly peaceful life.
Earth was sending fresh, qualified recruits to fight in the Sea of Quanta, rolling the snowball of civilization bigger and bigger, ensuring humanity's indefinite evolution. At least, some humans had already broken the shackles of 'lifespan.'
Fu Hua's hand, holding the cup, paused. She frowned. "It's been two thousand years of probing, hasn't it yielded any results yet?"
She had been on Earth all these years. The last time she asked was a hundred years ago when Kosma came for the shift change. He hadn't explained clearly, instead rushing back to his hibernation pod to sleep.
Time was so long, and there was so little to do. Most Flame-Chasers chose to sleep to pass the time. Eden had changed over a hundred pen names and finally grew so bored that she was now writing web novels.
Mobius yawned, saying casually, "Most of the civilization's achievements are in the Sea of Quanta. In any case, the dangerous experiments can, at worst, lead to the destruction of a World Bubble. Don't worry, we've accumulated several hundred times the strength we had during the End War. We're not afraid even if a fight breaks out."
"But it will still lead to widespread suffering. Even after all these years, I don't want to experience that again. But Sa's patience is too good, isn't it? Just watching us snowball?"
"Sa has existed for at least ten million years. Two thousand years is just a nap for Him." Mobius put down her cup, tilting her head back, her snake eyes reflecting the purple stellar ring. "But He's surely done enough probing by now and could launch an attack at any moment. You should know that Sa has also been accumulating power all these years to deal with our threat."
As survivors of a civilization, both smelled the scent of war. The crucial point was that this time—
"We need to face this threat without Ryan."
Following a gentle voice, countless azure butterflies fluttered. A figure condensed into human form on the remaining high-backed chair. The beautiful nun maintained an expression of compassion.
Fu Hua and Mobius showed no surprise. However, this was the first time three Flame-Chasers had gathered in centuries.
"Sa fears the Moon Ring and desires the Moon Ring. He will come." Aponia smiled faintly, reaching out to stroke Fu Hua's fair hand. "Don't worry. A truce of over fifty thousand years is long enough. Even since the civilization's restart, we have silently developed for over two thousand years. Our own strength should be enough."
Even Mobius didn't know how many trump cards humanity held, only being able to roughly estimate.
There were second-generation Fusion Warriors like Rin and Griseo, and new civilization forces like Kallen and Yae Sakura. Even in the plaza outside the teaching building, there were various talented individuals, some potentially reaching or surpassing the potential of the Flame-Chasers.
Furthermore, the remnants of the Previous Era, led by Kevin, had all made progress over the years, and they even had Vita as an ally.
"Aponia, I'm not worried about the odds of victory. With Mei, she'll arrange everything. It's just..."
"Just tired, annoyed that it never ends, and desperately wanting to be a bystander?" Mobius quickly interjected, earning two eye rolls in return.
"Nonsense. I just feel that if Senior Brother Ryan's hard-won achievement is met with another cruel war and one of us falls, he would be heartbroken when he finds out." Fu Hua sighed. Her true thoughts were simple and considerate.
No wonder this Wooden Pole has been practicing constantly for two thousand years. Hmph, she wants to become Ryan's second and shoulder everything, does she?
Mobius felt her creativity was being plagiarized. She raised her hand and pointed at the ringed Moon in the night sky. "Then go ask him! According to Prometheus's calculation, there should have been a change fifty years ago."
"That Fatty keeps going to look every couple of years, and nothing ever happens. If he gets heartbroken, he deserves it. Hey, are you two even listening to me?"
Mobius blinked, seeing Fu Hua and Aponia staring at the sky. A dazed expression filled the faces of these 'worldly experts.' Then, she heard the St. Freya Academy erupt into a clamor and gasps, causing her to subconsciously look up.
After just one glance, Mobius wore the same dazed expression.
The Moon Ring had shattered!