By the time Solomon and Dan Heng arrived at the second floor of the Master Control Zone, March and Caelus were already there, waving at them. Next to them stood a red-haired beauty — her white dress hugged her figure, a flower rested on her chest, and a brown coat draped elegantly over her shoulders.
"Oh, hello, Dan Heng and Mr. Solomon, I presume?" she greeted gracefully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"That's right, Miss?" Solomon replied, matching her poise, earning a soft giggle from the woman.
"Himeko, Murata Himeko," she said, extending her hand toward him. Solomon took it, shaking it lightly.
"Such a beautiful name, Miss Murata." Solomon smiled before gently letting go of her hand.
"Well then, let's go. Asta must be waiting for us below."
They immediately headed toward where Asta was. When they arrived at the first floor again, the researchers were still as busy as ever, their fingers flying across the transparent keyboards.
They continued until they found Asta, who was giving orders before the massive screen that displayed countless Anti-Matter Legions approaching the station.
"Shut down everything! Make sure the system is off and that no researchers are trapped inside!"
"Asta, is everything alright?" Himeko walked up to her, concern in her voice.
"Himeko—sigh—it's fine, but the Anti-Matter Legion's attack wasn't something we anticipated." Asta rubbed her temple, stress weighing heavy in her tone.
"Where's Herta, anyway? Doesn't she know her storage room is being attacked by Destruction's legion?" Himeko asked, pausing before adding, "It's rare for Herta to be this late."
"Madam Herta said she's coming, but… it's already been fifteen minutes, and she's still not here. If this place is destroyed, I might not even have a job left."
Before anyone could reply, a massive shadow passed over them — a colossal object slammed into the space station, shaking the entire structure. The tremor revealed its shape: a dragon, so enormous it nearly dwarfed Herta's Space Station.
"Doomsday Beast?!" they shouted together as the dragon let out a thunderous roar.
"Himeko, leave this place!" Asta urged desperately. Seeing the look in Asta's eyes, Himeko reluctantly nodded.
"Alright, let's go everyone!" Himeko ordered, retreating with Caelus, March, Dan Heng — and Solomon, who followed, his expression unreadable.
"Another phantasmal being… are dragons really this common in this world?" Solomon muttered in disbelief as he ran after them.
After several turns, they finally reached the dock. Before anyone could move forward, March spoke up, "Himeko, are you really sure we have to leave?"
"…I don't know, March. This is the Doomsday Beast we're talking about. If we stay, we'll win eventually — but the Space Station will suffer catastrophic losses. My cannon could destroy the beast, but it would also destroy the station." Himeko said grimly.
March frowned, while Dan Heng crossed his arms. "I read in the databank that the Doomsday Beast can tear through barriers like paper. The best option is to flee or find a way to fight it without risking the entire station."
"And let's not forget, it bears the Blessing of Destruction. Its very nature is chaos," Himeko added, before glancing at Caelus and Solomon. "That's why we have to take them too."
"Wait, why am I dragged into this?" Solomon asked, clearly confused.
"Are they really that important, Himeko? Enough to take them with us?" Dan Heng asked, studying Caelus and Solomon carefully.
"Indeed," Himeko said with conviction. "If my intuition is right, they can turn the tide in our favor. Let's go — we don't have much time."
With that, they arrived at the dock, only to find it empty.
"Himeko, where's the Astral Express?" March asked, scanning the area.
"I don't know — it's probably docked between the ships," Himeko replied.
Just then, a shadow streaked across the sky and crashed into the dock.
"Doomsday Beast?! As I thought, we can't escape it!" Himeko shouted. The beast lunged, its claw targeting March.
"BANG!"
The claw was deflected by a bat's swing — Caelus had intervened just in time. He grabbed March and leapt back, regrouping with Himeko and Dan Heng.
"I—I almost died from that! Sneaking attacks on me won't work! You hear me?!" March shouted, summoning her bow as an icy arrow formed.
"ROAR!" The dragon's bellow shook the air as it swiped again. Dan Heng thrust his spear, slowing its momentum.
"Hmh!" Caelus charged forward, scaling the creature's arm and leaping toward its head. His bat glowed bright blue as he swung.
"Take this!" The impact cracked the beast's head, forcing it backward.
"This is for that sneak attack!" March yelled, firing a flurry of arrows at the same spot.
"BOOM!" The arrows exploded on impact, scattering shards of light.
"Dan Heng, your turn!" March called. Dan Heng twisted his spear and hurled it — it struck true, though the dragon only growled in irritation.
Its body glowed yellow before releasing a massive energy beam.
"Cover!" Himeko commanded, her drones forming a shield. But before the beam could hit, Solomon stepped forward.
An unseen force expanded before him — a translucent wall. The beam struck, but vanished the instant it touched.
"What was that…?" March whispered, watching the "wall" crack and mend itself again and again. The Doomsday Beast's attack amounted to nothing.
"Everyone," Solomon said calmly, glancing over his shoulder, "I'll be counting on you."
"Go!" Himeko shouted as the dragon's energy faltered. They seized the opening.
"Don't aim for the head — go for the core in its chest!" Himeko ordered.
March froze its left arm; Dan Heng impaled the other. Himeko's drones bombarded the beast, shattering its defenses.
"Rules are meant to be broken!" Caelus shouted.
"Why are you naming your attacks?!" March retorted in disbelief.
Caelus grinned and swung — BANG!
"HOMERUN!"
The strike connected with the core, sending it crashing into the ground. Cracks spread across the dragon's body before it collapsed, defeated.
"Nice one, Caelus!" March cheered, running to him.
"Not bad, Caelus," Himeko added, smiling.
But before they could celebrate, the beast twitched. Its shattered core reattached itself, glowing violently. A blinding beam of energy shot toward March.
Solomon noticed — but didn't move.
March froze, unable to react. Caelus lunged instinctively, shoving her away and taking the hit full on.
The dragon finally collapsed for good, but Caelus's body floated midair, glowing with golden light, his hand clutching his head in agony.
"Caelus!!" March screamed, trying to reach him — but the force of the wind threw her back.
Himeko shielded her eyes. "March, stay back!"
The golden light flared brighter, distorting the air around Caelus. His body trembled as if he was being torn apart from within.
"His energy… it's unstable," Dan Heng muttered, gripping his spear tightly. "He'll destroy himself if this continues."
"Then we stop it now!" March shouted.
Before anyone could react, someone abruptly intercepted the incoming disaster. A cane sliced through the turbulent golden energy, its tip lightly tapping Caelus's forehead.
The raging energy around him stopped instantly. Caelus's body went limp, falling gently as March rushed forward and caught him in her arms.
"Mr. Yang!" March cried out.
Welt Yang adjusted his glasses coolly and said, "I've sealed the energy bursting from his body. He should be fine now."
With that, he turned to face Himeko—only to freeze mid-motion.
"...?" His expression shifted from composure to disbelief. The cane slipped from his grasp and clattered onto the floor as his gaze fixed on someone behind her.
"Welt, it's been a while," Solomon greeted with a gentle smile, raising his hand in a casual wave.
"..." Welt blinked—not once, not twice, but eight times—just to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.
"Oh? You know Welt, Solomon?" Himeko chuckled softly.
Welt exhaled deeply, rubbing his temple. "Solomon… How in the world are you here? And why do you still look exactly the same as before?" He muttered under his breath, "Even here… is Honkai still not planning to leave me alone?" His sigh carried both exasperation and resignation.
Solomon only smiled at Welt's silent complaint. "Well, I'll see you later. I need to find someone before something happens to her. We'll talk after that, Welt."
Leaving those words behind, Solomon turned and walked away, his coat swaying lightly with each step. Welt bent down to pick up his fallen cane, his face unreadable as he watched Solomon's retreating back.
Welt straightened his posture, fingers tightening slightly around the handle of his cane. He watched Solomon's back as it disappeared into the dim corridor beyond the dock.
"…Some things never change," he muttered under his breath, pushing up his glasses. "How did he even get here?"
"Mr. Yang?" March called softly, still kneeling beside Caelus.
Welt glanced back, forcing a small reassuring smile. "Don't worry. He'll be fine now. Keep an eye on him until he wakes up."
Then, without another word, Welt turned and followed Himeko to stabilize the station systems, though his thoughts were far away—drifting toward a name he hadn't spoken aloud in years. Honkai… doesn't have plans to leave me alone…
---
Meanwhile, Solomon's footsteps echoed softly through the quiet hallways of the Space Station. The chaos from earlier had mostly died down—just faint alarms and the occasional spark of broken machinery breaking the silence.
He walked with his usual calm, his hand brushing along the metal walls as if tracing faint echoes of lingering energy. "Residual Honkai traces… she must be nearby," he murmured to himself.
As he turned a corner, a faint blue light flickered from one of the research rooms. The door was slightly ajar, and the rhythmic clacking of a keyboard filled the air.
Inside sat a familiar figure—a purple-haired girl with golden eyes, legs tucked up on the chair as she leaned close to a floating screen. Her expression was blank, yet her fingers moved with mechanical precision.
Sirin.
She was furiously tapping the keyboard, eyes reflecting the game on the monitor playing. For a moment, she seemed almost human—focused, content even—until the faint distortion of her aura rippled through the air like static.
Solomon quietly stepped inside, his coat brushing the floor. "So this is where you've been hiding," he said softly, his tone carrying both fondness.
Sirin's hands stopped. She didn't turn around, but her voice came out low and childish.
"…You took your time."
Solomon smiled faintly. "You could've waited somewhere less… dramatic. The entire Space Station nearly collapsed."
Finally, she turned her head slightly, her golden eyes meeting his with a half-smirk. "I got bored. Besides, they were interesting." Her gaze flicked toward the monitor.
Solomon chuckled quietly. "Playing video games is not healthy for your body, Sirin."
"Don't start," Sirin replied, rolling her eyes before spinning her chair toward him. "So? What now, big brother?"
Solomon looked around the room—the flickering lights, the chaos outside, the faint hum of the station barely holding together—and then back at her.
"Now?" he said, smiling as his eyes glowed faintly with golden light. "Now we played together."
[END]
A/n: 'I am strangely tired. Not from having talk so much but a mere thoughts for what I am about to say'- Franz Kafka.
And thanks for reading, took a lot of time because been busy reading Metamorphosis by Kafka.