Three months later...
MEI hadn't been in a good state of mind lately.
The nearly ten Prometheus-class Ark Spaceships she had launched recently had all abruptly lost contact shortly after departure. She still didn't know why.
Not a single ship had made it out of the Solar System.
As far as MEI was concerned, that should never have happened.
Each successive Ark had a more advanced propulsion system than the last. The latest, launched only a few days ago, had even reached the threshold of "Warp" technology through the Authority of the Herrscher of the Void.
In the designs she had drawn up with the few Vill-V Personas she had preserved, a Warp system was practically standard equipment for rapid interstellar travel. It could send an Ark Spaceship out of the Solar System in an instant.
That should have been more than enough for the core mission of "Kindling Migration."
And yet...
"Where did it all go wrong?"
No matter how she approached the problem, MEI couldn't make sense of it.
By now, her science was bordering on "mad science," the sort where things seemed to work simply because she wanted them to.
In the original timeline, she had reverse-engineered the Herrscher of Binding's Authority to create Selene. Now she had even reached the threshold of Warp technology, something theoretically beyond a civilization below Level 1.
But the data she had collected offered far too few clues.
Then, one day...
"Huh?"
At the Newborn World Serpent's lunar base, Pardo had been idly passing the time when a series of clear messages suddenly reached her.
The catgirl (?) froze.
"Boss Ling Ke, are you serious?"
"No, no, I'm not questioning you! It's just... this is too..."
"Okay, got it, got it! Thank you, Boss Ling Ke! Thank you, thank you so much!"
The catgirl (?) suddenly bowed deeply in a particular direction. Beside her, even Can-chan copied the gesture with a catlike bow.
After a long moment...
"Huuu..."
Pardo let out a long breath, then snapped her fingers.
Just as she had several months earlier, she teleported all the core members to one place. Many had been resting. She even took the opportunity to replace their pajamas with formal clothes in an instant.
Only once everyone was assembled did she announce:
"Emergency!"
Under everyone's gaze, Pardo took a deep breath and began to speak slowly.
"First of all, Boss Ling Ke just sent word. His verdict is..."
"This Civilization Trial is officially over."
"We're all 'Losers.'"
"..."
Silence.
For a group that had been teleported here without warning, they were surprisingly quiet.
Several seconds passed before MEI spoke.
"And then?"
She seemed to have already prepared herself for this.
"The Civilization Trial is over. What happens to us now?"
"Er..." Pardo scratched her head. "According to Boss Ling Ke, 'Losers' are supposed to leave the stage gracefully."
"But he has no intention of disposing of us himself. He's leaving us to fend for ourselves... Actually, his exact words were, 'I've found something more interesting. I don't have time to deal with you any further.'"
"And..."
She pointed to the ground beneath their feet.
"Boss Ling Ke told me the Solar System will be completely destroyed in three days."
"So any 'Losers' who fail to escape in time... won't need him to finish them off."
!!! (×N)
That finally drew a reaction. Shock spread across their faces.
"Three days?" Sim Su opened her eyes. "Isn't there still nearly a decade before the Nihility Embryo hatches?"
"Th-this... don't ask me!" Pardo hurriedly waved her hands. "I'm just repeating what Boss Ling Ke said."
"Besides, he didn't explain exactly why the Solar System would be completely destroyed in three days."
"..."
Sim Su, MEI, and the others fell silent in thought.
But they didn't have to deliberate for long.
"Since the information came from that person, we have to take it as the truth."
As she spoke, MEI unconsciously glanced at Pardo.
She had long since noticed the special treatment Ling Ke gave her. They hadn't antagonized the "God," but they had only survived this long because of his favor toward Pardo.
"Three days. We have very little time."
MEI's expression grew grave.
"Pardo, since that person has declared the Civilization Trial over, your abilities..."
"Yeah. I can use them freely now."
Pardo answered before she could finish, and everyone breathed a little easier.
Thank goodness...
With Pardo free to use her powers as the Emanator of Harmony, a great many things would become easier.
For now...
"Boss Ling Ke said the Herrscher of Blood, as the 'Winner,' has already received the reward she wanted most and left this universe."
"The Herrscher of Thunder went with her... Uh..."
Pardo faltered. Her sharp eyes had caught the downcast expression on Kiana Kaslana's face.
The mention of the Herrscher of Thunder had reminded the white-haired girl of a dear friend. But that friend had been an enemy of Ling Ke. Any future she might have had was long gone.
"In any case, there are no Herrschers left on Earth."
"But the number of survivors..."
Pardo checked with her Cat's Eye.
"..."
Fewer than a hundred million.
In just three months, the global population had plummeted again.
This time, the Herrscher of Blood wasn't responsible. The Herrscher of Stars had freed the ELF Unit, and its hostility toward humanity had done the rest.
The Newborn World Serpent had known about these developments for some time. But to preserve the kindling of Earth's human civilization, and especially to keep Pardo from being banned altogether, MEI and the others hadn't dared to act rashly.
Otherwise, Pardo alone could have acted swiftly enough to prevent most of those deaths.
But now...
"Pardo, one more question."
MEI had thought of something crucial.
"The rules no longer bind you, and the 'Winner,' the Herrscher of Blood, has already left this universe with the Herrscher of Thunder. Yet I can still use my Herrscher Authority... so what about the Cocoon of Finality...?"
"What's this? You weren't forced off the stage, so now you're pushing your luck? A 'Loser' shamelessly asking for a 'reward' too?"
A clear, cold female voice reached them.
Everyone reacted with surprise. Pardo alone seemed unfazed.
Until the speaker broke the silence, no one had detected her presence.
They turned toward the voice and froze once more.
A strikingly familiar figure stood before them.
Her long white hair hung loose. A small crown rested on her head, and her flowing gown lent her a divine air.
In her right palm rested a Cocoon no larger than an eyeball.
She looked exactly like Kiana.
But the "Returnee," Kevin Kaslana, remembered that face.
Only, the figure in his memory had been far, far larger.
She was...
"The Herrscher of Finality?"