AN: Ah.. It's finally here... the last chapter for Volume 2....
To think I would really reach this point....
I would like to thank those who reads and follow this my fic... really thank you for coming along with me up to this point...
So by posting this chapter volume 2 will not close and when we meet again this Wednesday Volume 3 will start.
Again thank you for those who read up to this part..
I hope you will enjoy this chapter and anticipate the next volume.
See you!
PS: Special thanks to SparkleEyeMole, Joldered and Novel_Pirate for the power stones!
=====<< START >> =====
Act 1: The Reborn Monarch
Hachiman Hikigaya was once just a quiet, average, normal teenager. In his childhood he was often shunned, teased, and called names by his classmates. The only light in that time was his childhood friend, Mana Nagase. She was the only one who treated him like a normal person, always standing up for him against bullies.
But during their fifth grade Mana had to leave due to her parents' job transfer. It was a heartbreaking farewell. Mana clung to him, refusing to let go, but in the end, she had no choice. With tears in her eyes, she whispered, "Stay strong for me, Hachi… I'll come back one day and give you the biggest hug ever."
Hachiman swallowed hard, his small hands fumbling as he pressed a plastic toy ring they had won together at a summer festival into hers. "Then… let's make it a promise. I'll wait."
"It's a promise," Mana nodded through her tears. Just before she turned to leave, she leaned forward and gave him a shy kiss on the cheek, her face burning red as she hurried away.
Years passed. Now in his second year of Middle School, Hachiman remained withdrawn, often used and mocked by classmates. One day, a misunderstanding with a female classmate. thinking he was confessing, spread like wildfire. The verbal bullying intensified.
Concerned, his teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka, forced him into joining the Service Club. There, he met Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama. At first they clashed due to Yukino's sharp tongue often cutting through Hachiman's cynicism, while Yui's kindness disarmed his defenses but over time, with their shared struggles drew them closer.
"Your logic is twisted as always, Hikigaya-kun," Yukino would say with a cool stare.
"And your pride is as unbearable as ever," he would counter dryly, earning an exasperated sigh.
"Umm… can you two not fight all the time?" Yui would cut in, laughing nervously as she tried to ease the tension.
Through these awkward moments, the three slowly formed a bond, and eventually became real friends. He also met a cheeky kouhai named Iroha Isshiki, who teased him constantly. Their exchanges often turned into playful banter:
"Senpai, you're supposed to be reliable, you know."
"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you," Hachiman replied dryly.
"Ehh, how cold! How could you say that to a girl! No wonder you're still single," she said with an exaggerated pout.
"Hmmp! Yet despite that, you keep hanging around me. What does that say about you?" he replied in deadpan
Moments like these felt less like mockery and more like the easy back-and-forth of friends.
One day, his father, an idol producer, brought him to a company party. There, Hachiman met a fragile yet stunning girl using a cane, like a silver fairy. Her name was Arisu Sayanagi. He helped her pick out desserts, noticing her smile was beautiful but clearly forced. It reminded him of Haruno Yukinoshita, who always wore a mask in front of others. When Hachiman called her out on it, Arisu was startled but intrigued.
That encounter sparked something. Arisu challenged him to a game of chess. Though Hachiman lost, it wasn't the overwhelming defeat she was used to handing out. Amused and curious, Arisu introduced him to her father. That was the start of his unusual, tangled rom-com life.
Arisu invited him to attend her father's elite school, Advanced Nurturing High School. But Hachiman wasn't fooled by the marketing. He pointed out its flaws: the too-perfect employment rate, the overly polished image. His analytical mind impressed Arisu's father and even some involved politicians. Before long, Hachiman found himself forcibly admitted into ANHS for the coming spring.
"Once school starts, we'll always be together, Hachiman." Arisu gave him a genuine smile, one so warm, it nearly made him blurt out a love confession.
Then fate took a sharper turn.
One night, Hachiman stepped in to protect a woman being harassed by an older man. He stopped it but the man turned out to be a powerful politician. The narrative flipped. Hachiman was painted as the assailant, and the old man as the victim.
Despite the support from the Sayanagi and Yukinoshita families to clear his name, Hachiman told them not to and simply accepted the punishment.
And so instead of ANHS he was admitted to Shujin Academy. After spending the first day at his new school, branded as a criminal, Hachiman was dragged into a mysterious realm, the Metaverse. There, he faced a distorted version of himself. And when he accepted that version, embraced his inner truth, he awakened a power deep within.
A Persona.
Months of training and battles within the Metaverse, Hachiman now stood at the edge of his greatest challenge yet. Before him loomed Nyx, the embodiment of humanity's collective desire for the end. Her descent from the moon heralded the collapse of the world. Hachiman stepped forward to stop her. Not because of some noble goal to save the world but to protect his family, his friends and the people he came to care about.
And at his side were the Astral Express crew, those he had met throughout this surreal journey. Among them, Noah and Hajime, his first real male friends. They had a habit of dragging him into impossible situations, half-mad and always reckless.
"Why do I always end up in the middle of these disasters since I met you two?" Hachiman muttered once, deadpan, while ducking behind cover.
"Because you're the only one we can trust to keep a cool head," Noah shot back with a grin.
"More like the only one dumb enough to follow us both," Hajime added with a laugh, clapping Hachiman's shoulder.
Hachiman sighed. "And somehow I'm still alive. Miracles do happen."
Through moments like these complaints, banter, and laughter, Hachiman stood by them, just as they stood by him.
Together, they brought Nyx down.
But it wasn't over.
The ritual of cleansing had already begun. Nyx's core still fell from the heavens and the moment it touched the world below, everything would end.
Hachiman made the call.
Before Noah and Hajime could react, he stepped forward firmly, without hesitation. They shouted, tried to stop him. but he only shook his head.
"Hachi! Dammit, don't do this!"
"There's still time! We can figure something out, together!"
"No. We don't have time."
Drawing on the power of the Universe Arcana he called his ultimate Persona, born through his bond with the crew, Hachiman used his soul as the seal. He placed himself between Nyx and the world, becoming the final wall that would hold back oblivion.
It was this act of pure selflessness that caught the attention of Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance and gaze at him. In that moment, Hachiman was reborn as a memetic entity.
After the final battle, Hachiman's body died, his soul remained as the Great Seal, holding Nyx back from the world. Noah, who did not want to give up on Hachiman, used the 5th Divine Key, Key of Suspension to preserve his Physical body, promising him that in the future he will return to his normal body. Hachiman just accepts the good will of his Bro.
Accepting his new life, Hachiman chose to join the Astral Express crew, to walk the cosmos beside them. He claimed the 9th Astral Emblem, marking his place among them, and awakened the element of Geo, symbolizing his resilience and unyielding will.
Before leaving from his world, Hachiman reached out to those closest to him. Through dreams, he gave them his farewells and a promise to meet again: to his parents, to Komachi, his sister, always bright and caring. To Mana, the girl who first stood by him. To Hiratsuka-sensei, who refused to give up on him. And to Yukino, Yui, Iroha, and Arisu each of them leaving a mark on his heart.
He didn't use grand words. A warm smile, a true smile. A promise that he would always be watching, just a little out of reach, somewhere far beyond the sky.
—--
Act 2: The Thunder's Wish
Raiden Mei's life was like Cinderella's story with a twist of steel and thunder. Born as the only daughter of Raiden Ryoma, a prominent industrialist and CEO of Massive Electric Corporation, an Anti-Entropy subsidiary much like Schicksal, both organizations fighting against the Honkai. Mei lived a life of wealth and privilege, yet it came with strict expectations. With her mother long since passed, it was her father who shaped her upbringing.
Despite his loving care, Raiden Ryoma's work kept him extremely busy, leaving Mei often lonely. Which is why she treasured every rare moment they shared, especially when he recognized her potential and began training her in the family's kenjutsu style.
"Focus, Mei. The blade is an extension of your will," he would say, correcting her stance with patient firmness. She would nod, biting back the urge to smile too brightly, and answer, "Yes, Father!"
Under his tutelage, Mei proved to be a prodigy in the way of the sword as she swiftly mastered the Raiden clan's Hokushin Itto-ryu and grasping the principles of Bushido while still young. These lessons made her disciplined and gave her strength, though they also set her apart from other children.
Her father instilled in her mental fortitude and the ability to withstand adversity during these lessons, hoping these qualities would aid her in the future. This rigorous training made Mei the 'true incarnation of silk hiding steel,' tempering her gentle outward demeanor with inner strength and discipline. With such a strict and disciplined routine, she had few close companions. Even simple childhood joys were limited, for instance, her upbringing was so strict that she was never even allowed to keep pets.
As a teenager, Mei attended Chiba Academy in Nagazora, an elite high school famous for the wealth of its students. She was known as the "Raiden heiress," or "Queen of Thunder," a beautiful and elegant honor student, but this reputation was a double-edged sword. Many of her peers were eager to befriend her only because of her family's name and riches, not out of genuine affection. This made it extremely difficult for Mei to form real friendships. In class she remained polite and soft-spoken, but she kept a careful distance from classmates, unsure who she could trust. One of the few people Mei felt remotely close to was her chauffeur, who drove her to and from school each day. He would kindly ask about her day and share little bits of news about her father's work, providing a rare sense of warmth and normalcy in her otherwise lonely routine. On occasion, he would even joke lightly, trying to coax a smile from her. "
Miss Mei, did you finally beat your father's record in training today?" he'd tease, and she'd respond with a faint, grateful smile. Aside from this caretaker figure, Mei largely ended up isolated at school, admired by many yet truly known by none.
Then suddenly Mei's world came crashing down. Her father, Raiden Ryoma, was arrested on charges of massive financial fraud. Overnight the Raiden family fell from grace. In truth, Ryoma was innocent, framed by his rival in Anti-Entropy, Cocolia, who made the embezzlement charges to seize control of ME Corp. But to the public, and to Mei's classmates, he was now a disgraced criminal.
The impact on Mei's life was devastating. The few 'friends' she thought she had at Chiba Academy immediately cut ties, afraid of being associated with a criminal's daughter. Others with more opportunistic motives tried to get close to her, feigning sympathy while aiming to exploit her vulnerability or lay claim to any scraps of her family's fortune.
One afternoon, as Mei passed through the school gates, whispers chased after her. "That's her, the daughter of a fraud."
Another voice added mockingly, "Maybe if we're nice, she'll buy us off before the rest is gone."
Mei kept her eyes forward, grip tightening on her bag, but every word cut deeper. The false smiles, the feigned concern, hurt far worse than silence ever could.
Feeling utterly betrayed and exploited, Mei concluded that no one truly cared about her as a person, they only cared about the prestige and money of the Raiden name. With her beloved father imprisoned and her social ties shattered, she withdrew completely. She began to distance herself from everyone, building walls around her heart.
In her own words: "I realized that no one cared about me. They cared only for the Raiden name. I distanced myself from people… Being isolated and alone gave some peace to my heart."
In the months after her father's arrest, Mei withdrew completely. Solitude became her routine, a fragile shield against the sting of betrayal.
Most afternoons, she went to the Shrine in Nagazora. After class she would walk there staying until the evening. Sometimes, she would sit so long the cicadas fell silent and the night breeze cooled her skin.
"The stars shine brightly tonight as well…" she whispered, voice barely louder than the rustle of leaves.
She stretched her hand upward as if she could take hold of one, her fingers trembling halfway. Slowly, she pulled it back to her chest, lips pressed tight. A sharp bite on her lower lip stopped her tears before they could fall.
"If I don't have a place in this world anymore…" her voice broke in the still air. "…Will I at least have a place among the stars?"
Her shoulders shook faintly. With no one left to lean on, Mei's heart whispered its most fragile wish.
"Can I find a home where I can truly belong?"
—---
Act 3: Elation's move.
Asterisk, Earth (Noah's homeworld)..
Inside a conference room, various people from different sectors and nations sat together, their eyes fixed on the projected screens in the center. The footage rolled on, each scene heavier than the last. One projection showed the clash against the Abyss in Teyvat. Gasps rippled through the room as they watched the monstrous beings of the Abyss tear through the battlefield, their towering forms radiating corrosive power and crushing pressure that was unbearable even through a recording. Some attendees fidgeted restlessly in their seats, pale at the sight.
On another screen, Touya, Mahiru, and their friends tested their strength against simulated Abyss creatures. The Alden siblings defeated the monsters with leeway, while Koutaro Satomi, Yuuya Tenjou, and Ayato Amagiri cut through minor enemies with relative ease. A few of the others struggled, some taking longer to prevail, and others failing altogether. Soft murmurs spread among the council members watching.
"Those kids… they're actually holding their ground," one official said in disbelief.
"Impressive for their age, but look closer," another countered, gesturing at those who failed. "Not everyone can withstand that kind of power."
A younger delegate whispered nervously, "If even trained fighters can't keep up… what chance would ordinary people have?"
The tension in the room deepened, the contrast between strength and vulnerability painfully clear.
And then the final recording appeared. Noah, alone, stood against what looked like an endless horde. Hundreds of Abyss creatures, lectors, and heralds lay before him as if they were fragile glass. Each swing of his blade more monsters fall. Seeing such a sight made even the seasoned commanders in the room gripped their chairs tighter. What unsettled them most wasn't only the sheer scale of his strength, but the effortless grace with which he wielded it. Even Caelus Alden, the living legend whose name still inspired generations, who also tried his skills against such horrors and required every bit of his strength. Yet Noah cut them down as though they were nothing.
The room fell into breathless silence as Gosoythoth emerged on the screen. The air grew heavy, suffocating, pressing down on every chest. The monstrous presence radiating from the projection alone caused several officials to faint, collapsing into their seats. Those who endured clenched their jaws and wiped cold sweat from their temples, too shaken to speak. The presence of Noah's opponent stole words from their throats, leaving only the sound of hearts hammering in dread.
"Haa… so these are the horrors living in the vast universe…" one national leader whispered, his voice trembling, as though admitting the fragility of everything they thought they knew.
Another minister leaned forward, brows furrowed. "If such beings exist out there… then what does that make Noah Alden?"
Silence followed, heavier than before. Some eyes remained fixed on the screen glowing with Noah's image, others dropped to the floor, unable to confront the question head-on. It was clear to everyone in that room that the universe was far larger and stranger than they had believed—and Noah Alden stood at the very center of truths they could no longer ignore.
"This kind of power…" a general muttered, his fists tightening. "Is he even human anymore? Or are we staring at something beyond our reach?"
"He's still one of us," argued a diplomat, her voice shaking. "He was born here, raised here. He's still a child of this world."
"Besides, without him, that world we saw would've been annihilated already," another reminded firmly.
"But what if one day he turns that power against us?" an official pressed, sweat sliding down his temple. "What then? Who could stop him?"
"He's already being called the Strongest Alden of this generation, perhaps even the strongest to have ever lived," added a businessman from the Integrated Enterprise Foundation, his trembling hand barely steady enough to lift a glass of water.
Murmurs spread through the room, voices carrying fear, awe, and doubt in equal measure. Some clung to hope, others to suspicion. The debate grew louder, clashing opinions crashing together in a storm of uncertainty.
And then, cutting through the noise, came a smooth, silky voice from one of the seats.
"Perhaps the better question is not what the Trailblazer is… but how we will make use of this situation in a more fun way."
Heads snapped toward the sound. There sat a man in a red suit and a mask carved into a mischievous smirk, two crescent-shaped eyes flowing downwards to form a wicked expression. He lounged casually, as if he had been there all along.
Several members exchanged startled glances, whispering nervously.
"Who is that?!" one shouted.
"Was he here from the start?" another hissed, panic edging their tone.
The masked man tilted his head, clearly entertained. "Why so surprised? Aren't I a part of this very council? A member of this precious group? Hmm, what was the name again?... ah! Golden Bough Alliance!! Yes! I, Kagetane, am part of it."
A strange wave of power washed them over, and slowly the council's confusion and suspicion melted away.
"That's… right… Mr. Kagetane is part of our alliance…" one national leader murmured, his voice oddly hollow.
"Yes… how could we forget?" another diplomat added mechanically.
Soon, more murmurs of agreement spread, some even offering apologies. Kagetane nodded in satisfaction, amused at how easily he made them accept it.
"Continuing from our conversation, I want to find a very joyful solution to our predicament." The masked man rubbed his chin theatrically, making the council wait in uneasy silence. Then, with a sudden snap of his fingers, he leaned forward, voice dripping with excitement. "I hear this world has something, yes? The Stellaron?"
"Stellaron? I've never heard of that," a young aide to a minister said, tilting her head in confusion.
"Mr. Kagetane, are you perhaps referring to the Star Seed?" a stern-looking general asked.
Kagetane's eyes lit up with delight. "Yes! Of course! The Star Seed! It should have exploded before, yes?"
Confused murmurs spread through the chamber. Representatives glanced at each other warily.
"Mr. Kagetane, the Star Seed does exist," the old emperor admitted gravely. "It is in the hands of the Council of Nations, which many of us here represent. But why would you seek such a dangerous thing?"
"That Star Seed nearly destroyed our world ten years ago," an elderly woman, president of a powerful nation, added. "It summoned creatures we did not understand, infected ordinary people, and even left entire regions uninhabitable."
Nods of agreement rippled across the table, the heavy memories weighing on them. But Kagetane only smiled wider, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.
"Good. Very good," he said smoothly, before scanning the uneasy crowd. "What you say is true. But think about this, if we can harness the power of the Stellaron—ah, pardon me, the Star Seed, we could protect (LOL) ourselves against the vast horrors of the universe!"
He rose slowly, spreading his arms wide in mock grandeur. "You've all seen it yourselves—the sheer difficulty of fighting the creatures summoned by the Star Seed. You know their strength. Imagine how reassuring it would be to have such beings as allies instead of enemies."
The members of the alliance shifted uneasily, expressions torn. They remembered all too vividly how the Stellaron-born creatures had shredded defenses like paper, slaughtered their finest soldiers, and leveled proud cities with ease.
"Such a tempting suggestion, but… I would rather never see those monsters again," the old emperor muttered, his face hard with memory.
"I lost my entire family to those vile creatures," the prideful lady minister said, voice sharp with grief. "That will always be a no for me."
"Besides, if we ever attempt such a thing, the Aldens and their allies will surely intervene," a diplomat added cautiously.
"No, no, no! You're all thinking far too narrowly!!" Kagetane exclaimed, his voice cracking with manic delight, drawing heated stares. He leaned across the table, his mask catching the light. "If we turned those creatures into our weapons, bound them under our control, then tell me, who could stop us? Not the Aldens. Not their allies. Not anyone!" His tone trembled on the edge of glee. "We could make slaves of the very monsters that killed our families, destroyed our cities and use them as weapons to defend (Really, Seriously LOL!) our world against even greater threats!"
His words made the others in the room silent, whispers spreading as the dangerous idea began to take root. Some murmured anxiously, others leaned closer to their neighbors, already weighing the implications.
Smiling beneath his mask, Kagetane pressed on. "You should know this already, but people from other worlds have come here. Take the Forthorthe people, they walk among us now as if they truly belong. But what if, one day, they turned their dangerous weapons on us? Tell me would we even survive?"
A few delegates gripped their armrests so tightly their knuckles whitened. Others trembled, and the veterans shut their eyes, recalling all too clearly how easily such weapons could erase their world with the press of a button.
"And then there's the matter of the Aldens," Kagetane continued, his voice like the devil's whisper. "As that girl in the footage said, if you want to fight an Alden, you'll need an Alden. So why not create one of our own? Not just any Alden…" His gaze slid to the projection screen, where Noah held the Solgratia, its divine light shining like a beacon of hope. "But the strongest Alden."
The sight of Noah wielding the radiant weapon as he struck down horrors from another world made hearts pound faster. Awe and temptation mixed with fear, binding the council in a silence heavier than any command.
Seeing the gullible people actually listening to him, Kagetane almost jumped in elation but he stopped himself, slowly taking out his final trump card from his pocket: a vial of red liquid. He held it high for all to see, his voice dripping with mock reverence. "At my hand is the blood of the Trailblazer, taken right after he began his journey. The moment when he first reawakened the Astral Express and left that forgotten world."
Gasps rang around the room as every gaze locked onto the vial. Some leaned forward, as if hypnotized by its crimson glow.
"The very key," Kagetane declared, "to our coming joyful future!"
No one knew who began it, but slowly, one by one, as though caught in a trance, the council members rose from their seats and began to clap. The sound grew, awkward at first, then louder, until it became a rhythmic applause that filled the room.
"Kuku… KUKUKAKAKA! AHAHAHAHAH!!" Kagetane threw his arms wide and laughed, his voice ringing with madness. He bowed theatrically toward the screen above, a wicked glint flashing in his eyes. "Let the games begin, Trailblazer."