— — — — — —
"Don't you think you're overdoing it a little?" Whitebeard grumbled from the ground, looking up at Rimuru.
"It's been a while since I stretched my muscles. Guess I got a bit carried away." Rimuru scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.
"Forget it. Actually… this method isn't bad. Maybe I'll try it myself next time. I need to focus more on Magic. Even Andros from Hermione world was able to create a gaint using Patronus Charm after all." Whitebeard stroked his chin thoughtfully.
While they were still chatting, a few Honkai beasts—apparently too stupid to realize they were outmatched—finally shook off their fear and charged straight at them.
"Tch. Can't we at least finish a conversation first?" Vista sighed. He casually swung his blade a few times, then sheathed it as though he was done.
The charging beasts didn't even slow down. But just as they were about to reach the group, their bodies shattered into countless fragments, scattering across the ground.
No one even looked their way. They all kept talking like nothing had happened.
"Seele, is that you?" Cocolia's voice broke the air as she approached, eyes fixed on the girl. Before Seele could answer, Cocolia rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Mom!" Seele cried out, tears streaming down her face.
"Seele!" Rozaliya and Liliya came running and threw their arms around her too, crying as they clung to their sister.
"That's actually kind of touching," Rimuru said with a small smile, watching the emotional reunion.
"Himeko!" Theresa rushed forward next, staring at Himeko in disbelief. "You're alive? That's amazing! Everyone's going to be so happy—why did you have to do something so stupid?!" She hugged Himeko tightly, quietly sobbing into her shoulder.
"I'm back, Theresa." Himeko gently stroked her hair and reassured her, "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere again."
"Alright then. We'll handle the cleanup." Whitebeard, feeling like he didn't belong in such an emotional scene, volunteered for some work. He and his sons went off to finish clearing out the remaining Honkai beasts.
Rimuru stayed behind to keep the others company.
After a while, when emotions had settled, Cocolia turned to Rimuru. "I don't know who you are," she said sincerely, "but… thank you for bringing Seele back."
"No need to thank me. Seele's so cute—I couldn't just leave her stranded in the Sea of Quanta all by herself." Rimuru grinned.
"Bronya thanks you as well," Bronya said from the side, wearing a rare, faint smile.
"Anyway, can we find somewhere to sit down? This really isn't the best place to talk." Rimuru looked around.
By then, Whitebeard and his crew had finished mopping up the beasts and returned.
"If that's the case, let's head to the Hyperion," Theresa suggested. "We can rest there and talk everything through properly."
"Of course," Rimuru replied with a calm smile, though inside he was practically bouncing. 'The Hyperion! I've boarded it hundreds of times in the game, but this is the real thing! Should I take some pictures? Or maybe, when all this Honkai mess is over, I should just… keep the whole ship for myself? Oh, that would be amazing!'
No one else could hear Rimuru's inner fanboying. Together, the group headed for the massive battleship.
"This ship's incredible! Can you give me one?" Whitebeard asked, staring up at the Hyperion with a gleam in his eye. It would make a perfect spaceship for the Whitebeard Pirates.
"If you really want one, there are plenty more back at Schicksal HQ," Einstein—who had been quiet this whole time—spoke up at last.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed, thrilled. "Then it's settled! I'll buy one—no, as many as I can! Sengoku will lose his mind when he sees this."
"Hey! I'm standing right here!" Garp barked. "If you can buy one, I can too! The Navy's got more money than we know what to do with!"
"Like we Whitebeard Pirates are broke," Whitebeard shot back with a teasing grin.
"Alright, alright. You two can fight over your warships later," Rimuru said, trying to keep things on track.
The Hyperion was an impressive sight up close—278.5 meters long, with a 182-meter deck, powered by six nuclear fusion reactors, and armed with enough firepower to level cities. Originally an aircraft carrier, it had been converted into a battleship by Himeko herself.
The entire group gawked as they boarded, murmuring in awe.
"This is one hell of a warship," Roger said once they were seated in the lounge.
"The Hyperion is my pride and joy. Don't even think about laying a hand on it," Himeko warned him.
"Aw, seriously?" Rimuru slumped in disappointment.
"Wait, were you planning to steal my ship?" Himeko gave him an exasperated look.
"Anyway, I think everyone's caught up now, right?" Rimuru asked, shaking off the topic.
"I believe so." Cocolia glanced at Rimuru, still struggling to fully process everything. 'So they really are from another world… no wonder they're so powerful.'
"It's hard to believe," Theresa said, rubbing her forehead, "but it does make sense."
"So no objections?" Rimuru asked.
Einstein crossed her arms. "Just one question: why are you helping us? If you have no reason, I can't believe you'd risk yourselves just out of kindness."
"If you need a reason, let's just say helping you also benefits us. Good enough?" Rimuru replied.
"I don't care about the reasons," Veldora said lazily, not looking up from the game on his phone. "But at least now you know we can be trusted."
"In that case, we can work with you—for now," Einstein said with a nod.
"So, what's our next move?" Himeko asked.
"I think we should split up," Rimuru said. "One group contacts Otto. As much as I hate to admit it, that man's knowledge of Honkai could be invaluable. The other group will go find Kiana and the others and bring them back safely."
"If we're contacting my grandfather, leave that to me," Theresa volunteered. "And I'd like someone powerful to come with us. He's… not exactly easy to convince."
"Not me~ I can't just pause right now," Veldora said with surprising seriousness.
"No problem," Whitebeard agreed without hesitation. Roger and Garp also nodded.
"Then I'll go with Himeko and help find Kiana," Rimuru said, feeling a rush of determination. 'Kiana… this time, I'm going to save you myself.'
"Then it's settled. Let's move." Rimuru stood, rallying the group.
And just like that, the counterattack against the Honkai had begun.
Honkai… are you ready for us?
.
.
.