Returning home, Juviel felt a pang of homesickness. He missed Hua—badly. She must’ve been worried sick, especially without a way to reach him. With that thought in mind, he stepped inside and tried a new idea. Using Honkai Energy, he formed a basic sensory technique he’d thought up on the way.

[Congratulations, you have developed a Rare Skill: Sonar.]

He let out a low whistle. Didn’t expect that to work. But the skill clicked, stabilizing like it had always been a part of him. He activated it.

Two signatures appeared—Hua and Kalsfer. Separate rooms, distinct walls between them. Even though he wasn’t sure which room was which, he didn’t need exact precision. He just needed Hua’s direction.

He cut off the skill and faced where he sensed her.

“Her room... probably. Kalsfer’s next door. Should be right.”

Grinning, he walked quietly toward her door and peeked in. She was on her bed, playing a game—clearly trying to distract herself from something; most likely his departure. Perfect opportunity.

He snuck behind her and gently covered her eyes.

“Who is it~?” he whispered.

She tensed—then gasped with joy. “Juviel!”

She turned and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. Her eyes shimmered with tears. Anyone else wouldn’t believe this was the same composed, fearless Hua who would later hold her own against a Herrscher with 5 Cores.

“I called you so many times,” she mumbled. “You never answered. I was so worried...”

His heart softened. He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “The Herrscher self-destructed. Took out my phone in the blast.”

Her eyes widened, scanning him for injuries.

“That crater in Siberia... that was you?!”

He raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you know about that?”

“It was on the news,” she said.

“Yeah,” he nodded. Thinking to himself of how lacking MOTHs were, not even able to cover up the 2nd Eruption. Chuckling, he changed the subject in a different direction. “I actually died once. Luckily, I have a skill that lets me come back—once a month.”

She blinked. Then blinked again. “You... died?”

“Yep.”

Hua stared at him like he just told her he was the moon. Then her expression changed—equal parts shock and admiration. It made her remember that they were engaged. Her cheeks turned crimson as she buried herself further into his arms.

“I want to fight by your side,” she mumbled against his chest.

Juviel felt something stir in his chest—not desire, but pride. That was the Hua he knew. But she wasn’t ready. Not yet. Honkai Energy exposure alone could kill her. At the very least, she’d need to reach MANTIS level.

“Is there no other way I can give others my skills?” he asked.

[Maybe if you had the skill Bestow.]

“And how do I get that?”

[Through Gacha. Or certain Quests or Missions.]

He raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t we broke, how would you issue the rewards?”

She chuckled at that and cleared up his confusion. 

[There’s something within the Law of Equilibrium, a sub law, as per say, called Equivalent Exchange. Rewards are based on difficulty, rank, and other details which are decided by me.

Quests and Missions must be designed by me while the rewards depend on how difficult or complex I want them to be, is what I'm saying.]

“.. So that's why you’re still working on Acheron’s quest?”

[Yeah.]

“Guess I’m not getting that skill soon.”

[Maybe not. But I’ll see if I can add it as a Salvation Technique in a future update.]

The System’s voice—still cold, but oddly soft—lifted his mood. Meanwhile, Hua adjusted herself in his arms, trying to find a comfortable position. He ran a hand along her back to reassure her he was present.

“So,” he said, “what do you need for the next update? You mentioned something about items.”

[Yes. Nothing too crazy. Just a tree branch.]

He narrowed his eyes and pulled up the item description.

[Mythic Grade Material, Branch of the Ambroisal Arbor. 

Branch of a tree located in the Xianzhou Luofu.] 

He closed his eyes, letting resignation sink in.

“Seriously? That’s OBVIOUSLY not just any tree.”

[Nope.]

“Where the heck is this Xianzhou Luofu?!”

“Juviel?”

He blinked and looked at her. “Yes, dear?”

Her face went tomato-red. But she smiled shyly.

“Hua, I want you fighting beside me too. But for now, focus on mastering your current training. When I get my hands on the technique, I’ll let you know. Until then, how about a spar later? I want to see your progress.”

Her eyes lit up. That was all she wanted to hear. She gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“Thank you—Eek!”

His restraint broke. All those days holding back while cuddling with the other Hua had built up. That kiss tipped the scale. He pinned her down.

“I missed you, Hua~ and how you taste~.”

Her face turned scarlet. She tried to hide it, but he didn’t let her, pulling her into a kiss.

[Enjoy your well-deserved res—Hm? Shi—]

The System’s voice cut off abruptly. Juviel froze. That last part had a very distinct note of panic.

He groaned.

“Really? Stuff always goes wrong right when things are getting good...”

But Juviel didn’t stop the kiss—not right away. He kept it going until Hua was breathless and limp in his arms. Only then did he pull back with a satisfied sigh.

“System?” he called out mentally.

No response.

“System!”

Still nothing.

Now he was genuinely worried. But before panic could set in, her voice rang through his head—and it was... different. Richer. More mature. Not the usual icy tone, but something smoother. Like an older sister with gravity in her voice.

[Fly to the moon!! Now!!!]

He didn’t have time to question the voice change.

[Use any means!! JUST GO!!]

...

A few moments earlier, in the System’s exclusive space—

[The Traveller’s Proof has awoken.]

“Hm? So it was alive after all.”

She closed the Health Check Subsystem panel. Though she chuckled, she was disappointed. She hadn’t been able to extract the full Divinity from it because it was still alive.

With a snap of her fingers, the object materialized. A cracked, glowing device hung suspended by cables, black mist swirling around it. It looked like someone had tried to force it open and failed.

“So you were still alive. Hm? What’s that?”

The watch was silent for a moment. Then, in a despondent voice:

“Wouldn't it have been better to die?”

The System paused. She hadn’t expected that. The poor thing was depressed. Though she’d wanted its Divinity to help Juviel, she wouldn’t force it.

“Nihility... As expected, you were affected.."

She analyzed the gas clinging to it while continuing her chat with Juviel.

The watch didn’t respond for several seconds. Then came a helpless murmur:

“Who knows... maybe. Who cares.”

Now she was confused. But not afraid of the sudden eerie change. This was her domain. Nothing in here could threaten her—not even the Cocoon.. Condition being that she was at her peak, of course. 

“That gaze injured you too, huh,” she said, studying it. 

“Laugh all you want. What’s the point in all this?”

Then, another whisper from the watch:

“Meh. What’s the point of life?”

She blinked.

Alarms blared. Many Subsystems lit up in warning: Nihilistic energy was spiking.

She spun, eyes locking on the glowing black core. Her face dropped.

“You’re insane. Self-destruction? You’ll take out a piece of this galaxy with you!”

Even as she spoke, her hands were already moving. She took control of every molecule in the space, trying to suppress the violent surge of energy.

But it wasn’t enough.

A brilliant light exploded outward. She stopped it just short of herself—but her injuries reopened. Blood ran down her mouth. This was her space. Dying here would be humiliating. Worse—this could erase everything in the Solar System other than the Divinity grade lifeforms.

She ground her teeth and raised both hands. With her palms open toward the explosion, she gripped space itself and twisted.

Time began to rewind.

She coughed up more blood. But she kept going. The watch slowly reassembled, energy curling back into its original form. Eventually, the light faded.

It was back—but empty. She couldn’t sense any Divinity. Absolute Death had occurred, even here.

Panting, she muttered, “Let’s extract what’s left.”

She waved a hand. Three orbs floated out: one blue, one violet, one black.

But before she could analyze them—

The watch flared black again.

She grabbed it between her palms, pouring in all her power. Her form shifted—taller, more powerful, more beautiful; this was her at full power. She held the now-energy-based watch tightly, compressing it by sheer force.

Blood sprayed across her domain. Injuries ripped open again. She held steady, trembling, still seated.

She glanced left. She needed Juviel—but hadn’t activated her voice filter. He’d hear her true voice.

“Damn it... No time to worry about that.”

She needed a solution. Fast.

“[Fly to the moon!! Now!!!]”

“[Use any means!! JUST GO!!]”

—End of Flashback—

Juviel blinked. The last time she’d sounded that urgent was when the Cocoon took over the 2nd Herrscher. He decided to ask her about the voice change later. 

He turned to Hua, regret in his eyes.

“Sorry, my love. Something urgent. I’ll be right back.”

Before she could speak, wings burst from his back and he blasted through the roof, leaving a gaping hole behind.

He couldn’t use Active Honkai Reaction Mode—not with only 1000SP. He’d only stay sane for one second. That wasn’t enough to reach the Moon.

[Faster! You’ve got two seconds!]

“Two seconds!? That’s suicide!”

[Faq!]

The System snarled and summoned another limb—this one from her back—channeling the power of Abundance. She opened a screen showing the Moon and pointed her arm at it.

[We are here!]

She clenched her fist.

In an instant, the scenery shifted.

They stood behind the Moon, directly in front of the Cocoon of Finality. It was the first time Juviel had seen it with his own eyes.

It noticed them immediately. There wasn’t enough SP left to cloak him, and the System couldn’t shield him.

“How surprising,” the Cocoon said. Its voice wasn’t loud, yet it rattled his mind. “You have not died.”

The words nearly split his head open.

Then the System’s voice rang out, sharp:

[Palms facing the Cocoon! Now!]

He obeyed without hesitation. As he raised his hands, a small ball of light launched from him at light speed—straight toward the Cocoon.

Instantly, Juviel was yanked back to Earth.

Back in space, the Cocoon stared at the light.

Then it exploded.

The detonation of a Finality Divinity—one connected to Space-Time. The blast caused all of reality to tremble; a Space-Time Quake would be a good term. The entire Solar System shook. Thankfully, they were within the Supreme Prison. The shockwaves didn’t reach the Cosmos outside.

But it did reach the Present Solar System! Albeit extremely weakened, so it only shook softly before calming down. Barely anyone noticed. 

A crack appeared across the Cocoon’s massive, eye-like structure.

It had been injured.

Even that wasn't enough to cause a severe injury to it. But it had done something rare.

“Is this... pain?” the Cocoon said. “You have made me experience something I have never felt before, Variable. You have caught my attention.”

Meanwhile, Juviel was teleported to a random spot in Nagazora. As he regained his footing, he glanced around. Recognition hit.

“This... is the same alleyway I got isekai’d to.”

[Quick, we don't have time to reminisce! Put up a shield around everyone you know!]

“What?” he muttered. “Why!?”

Still, he obeyed. He tried shielding Nagazora, the Sakura siblings, and Sapphire City. The moment he activated the barrier, his body buckled.

“Urgh—what the hell!?”

It was only the activation, but it felt like it was draining his life.

[No! Put one around Earth!!]

“Are you trying to kill me!? Is the Cocoon attacking!? What are we defending against!?”

No time for answers. He summoned Hua.

“Give me your energy. Now!”

Hua didn’t hesitate. She placed her palm on his back. As energy began flowing into him, her eyes widened—her energy was being devoured like a black hole was on the other end.

She could see a faint golden hue in the air, it felt familiar, she felt that it was from Juviel through their connection. But.. The atmosphere felt wrong. Heavy.

“What’s happening?” she whispered.

Juviel didn’t know either. But then—

BOOM!

A deafening shockwave cracked the skies. They both looked up. Their jaws dropped.

The Moon... was glowing like the sun.

Night had become day.

“Is that even—”

A spurt of blood shot from Juviel’s mouth. The pressure of the barrier was crushing him. It faltered for a moment.

And that’s when they felt it.

The Earth trembled.

No, not trembled—shook.

Everything shook. Buildings, trees, oceans. A rolling quake that passed through the very crust.

[Put the barrier up again! Now! Otherwise Earth will be destroyed! I’ll assist!]

He clenched his teeth and poured in the last of his energy. Hua’s hands trembled as she felt her energy being sucked out at an even faster rate.

The System was already past her safe limits—but she didn’t stop. He needed her help.

[Match the output, Hua! I’ll stabilize things, but... I need to rest. Check on the Kaslana siblings... they’re... affected... most... bec—]

The System’s voice faded out before finishing the sentence.

“System!?”

No reply.

Juviel gritted his teeth and pushed harder. He relayed the message to Hua through their mental link. She nodded, her face pale and serious. She didn’t know what disaster had just brushed Earth—but whatever it was, they’d just barely survived it.

After two agonizing minutes, the pressure stopped.

No more energy slammed against the barrier.

He dropped it.

And collapsed.

Hua caught him mid-fall, but the effort made her knees give out. They both hit the ground, Juviel in her arms.

They lay there, barely conscious.

She gently pulled him closer, cradling his head.

The golden hue of the barrier had vanished. Above them, clouds parted unnaturally, revealing an eerily quiet sky.

Somewhere, the world breathed a sigh of relief, unaware how close it came to annihilation.