With the immediate danger resolved, Robin began searching the wreckage for anything that could help her contact her family.
Sora, meanwhile, knew full well he had zero knowledge about the ship's inner workings—so he focused entirely on restraining the fabric-wrapped intruder.
At the same time, a bit of curiosity began to stir in him.
Just what kind of being could survive on a world this lifeless and barren?
Could this be… my first time meeting a real alien?
Well—technically, even Robin was one.
But Robin's differences from humans were so subtle that Sora had forgotten she counted as a "non-Earthling." If someone just trimmed the wing-like ornaments from beside her ears, she could easily pass for a normal Earth-born human.
The one he had pinned beneath him now, however—this mysterious fabric-wrapped figure—was the real deal.
A genuine extraterrestrial.
Sora's curiosity grew.
"Found it!" Robin's voice rang with delight.
Sora looked up to see her holding an orange alloy case that glowed faintly. It looked solid—like something designed to survive a crash.
No wonder it wasn't destroyed by the Doomsday Beast… Looks just like a black box.
Robin wasted no time. She opened the case and retrieved something that resembled a pair of glasses.
"Quantum-Sync Remote," she explained—a device developed by Elia Saras, 56th seat of the Genius Society, capable of long-distance communication by bypassing normal spatial constraints using imaginary number links.
It was precisely what she'd been looking for.
"Mr. Sora, with this we can contact my family. We can finally leave this planet."
Her voice was lighter now. Hope had returned to her eyes.
After facing the Doomsday Beast and witnessing the carnage earlier, she had been holding herself together with sheer willpower. Now, just seeing the device had loosened that tight knot in her chest.
"…Useless," the intruder suddenly muttered.
Their voice, muffled by cloth, cut straight through Robin's relief.
"That thing won't work. We've tried it more times than I can count."
Robin and Sora turned toward the restrained figure.
"Quantum-Sync devices are ineffective on this planet," they continued. "When the Antimatter Legion invaded, they locked down all imaginary-number connections. We tried contacting the Interastral Peace Corporation for backup. Never got a reply. Not before the planet fell, and not since."
"If you're counting on that thing to get rescued, you'll be long dead before help arrives."
Robin froze, staring at the device in disbelief.
"…Then we try it anyway," Sora said gently. "If it doesn't work, we'll think of something else."
Robin nodded slowly and activated the Quantum-Sync.
There wasn't much more she could do right now. And truthfully, what she wanted most in this moment… was to sing.
But the Antimatter Legion probably wasn't big on appreciation for harmony—they'd much rather hear things explode.
Operating the device was simple. Within a minute, Robin had finished transmitting her distress call.
"Now we wait."
But if she'd been hopeful before… she wasn't anymore.
The intruder's words had shaken her. It was like someone had poured ice water on the little flame of faith in her heart.
"Don't worry," Sora said, trying to cheer her up. "Hope will come. Eventually."
Whether or not the message was received, they still had to keep going. Giving up now was premature.
"…But are you sure this is the best time to sit around and chat?" the intruder cut in again.
"If the Legion detected that signal—and they are made of imaginary energy, after all—then we might have just blown our cover."
Sora and Robin locked eyes.
And then—Sora's enhanced hearing picked up a faint, unsettling sound outside.
Something… walking across the sand.
"Robin, keep suppressing him with your Harmony powers!" Sora barked. Then he stood and moved swiftly toward the opening.
His heart sank.
The intruder was right.
Where the wreckage had once been deserted, Antimatter Legion units were now gathering, wandering closer and closer.
They didn't have minds of their own, but their movement left no room for doubt—they were converging here.
And among them, Sora saw something he really didn't want to see.
A towering centaur-like figure, armored and dreadful, stalked forward from the rear of the formation, surrounded by Voidrangers like a dark parade.
A Voidranger Trampler.
Or, as some called it: "Youth-Edition Yanqing with a Horse Body."
And it was heading straight for them.
"What is it, Mr. Sora?" Robin asked.
Though his expression was hidden by the G3X helmet, she could sense his tension immediately.
"…We've got a bit of a problem. But nothing we can't handle."
The Legion hadn't fully surrounded them yet. Their encirclement was incomplete.
That means we still have a shot at breaking through.
Sora turned toward the fabric-wrapped intruder, who was still held down by Robin's Harmony field.
"We're leaving."
Then he paused.
"Bring him too."
The intruder blinked.
"…You're taking me with you?"
He had half expected Sora to leave him behind as a decoy.
"Of course I am. Unless you'd rather stay and die."
"Wha—No! I never said that!"
He immediately began struggling again. As if any creature with a brain wouldn't want to survive.
Besides, he still had someone he had to protect…
"Then we're allies. For now," Sora said. "Once we're out of here, we go our separate ways."
The intruder glanced at the armored fists of G3X and sighed.
"…Do you people always fist-bump using metal gauntlets?"
Robin blushed slightly and released her Harmony field.
Outside, the Voidrangers had nearly encircled the wreck.
And this time, they weren't just melee units like the two Sora had encountered before.
There were ranged units carrying heavy ordnance.
Floaters, built for speed and aerial assault.
And at the center of it all—the Youth-Edition Empyreal Archer General, standing proud and dreadful.
They had detected fluctuations in the imaginary plane.
And now—
WHRRRRRRRR!!!
An engine roared to life.
A streak of silver-white light exploded out from the ruins!
The Legion turned to see it: a figure astride a roaring motorcycle, one hand on the bars, the other gripping a triple-barreled minigun. The Cerberus' AI had already locked onto every target.
"Open fire."
DADADADADADA!!!
Bullets rained down like a divine storm, shredding the Legion's front line into smoking, scattered wreckage.