Homecoming

*clank*

With a resounding clank, the Herrscher's body dissolved into fine dust, his life force ebbing away until only a solitary rock remained.

*squeak* *squeak*

Faint squeak squeak sounds echoed. Shroud, drawn by curiosity, approached the small rock. Initially, it appeared to be nothing more than a shimmering stone, but as he neared, unmistakable ripples of Honkai energy emanated from it.

Shroud deliberated over whether to claim the rock or not but, after a contemplative pause, he decided that it would be in his best interest to collect the spoils of war. Employing his [Sky-Capturing Net], he ensnared the small rock within the confines of the ethereal web.

With much better graceful and meticulous finesse, Shroud drew the rock near and began to scrutinize it. At first glance, it merely presented itself as a magnificent, glistening stone. However, as his examination deepened, he discerned a presence, or to be more precise, he felt the presence of someone.

"There seems to be a presence of mental energy within this rock, but... why are there so many?" Shroud mused, finding this revelation both intriguing and oddly amusing.

Yet, Shroud's contemplation was abruptly interrupted by a resounding and crisp cracking noise.

*CRACK!*

Startled by this sudden noise, Shroud instinctively turned his gaze skyward, only to behold a terrifying spectacle that sent shivers down his spine. Before his very eyes, the fabric of space began to rupture, not in a minor way, but in a formidable fracture.

"What the—" Shroud exclaimed, completely caught off guard by the unforeseen turn of events. It was precisely at this moment that Whisper interjected its voice laced with urgency, [You have to be kidding me?]

[Is that Zenith-ranked entity so petty that they'd descend to the lower realm just to address a damaged clone?]. Whisper's words echoed through Shroud's mind as they both sensed the tumultuous energy fluctuations stemming from the spatial rupture.

"Damn it," Shroud muttered, his concern etched across his face, for the descent of a Zenith-ranked entity into the lower world was a matter not to be taken lightly.

As the fracture expanded, an ethereal luminescence began to radiate from within. Gradually, the fracture yawned open, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of the cosmic heavens. At its epicentre, an eye took shape.

This eye peered down upon the mortal realm with a piercing gaze, unmistakably the visage of a Zenith-ranked being—a god-like existence.

Sensing an imminent and pressing threat, Shroud acted swiftly, issuing a command to the Nebulith to assault the spatial rupture, but...

As the eye fully materialized, an eerie stillness descended upon the entire scene. Time itself came to a standstill as the divine eye cast its gaze upon the mortal realm.

The planet ceased its rotation, and every living being, including Shroud, found themselves frozen in place, trapped in a temporal stasis.

The Eye shifted its attention from the devastated New York City to the epicentre of the catastrophe, Manhattan, where the Herrscher of the Reason had taken its final breath.

Perched atop a relatively tall building, the enigmatic divine eye fixed its gaze on the shattered dome that the Herrscher had constructed to shield itself. And on that very dome, it spied a peculiar sight—a yellow rabbit.

The entity behind the colossal eye peered down upon Shroud, who was clad in the HOMU outfit. Shroud's invisible ethereal net, though formidable, paled in comparison to the entity's divine scrutiny, for it effortlessly discerned the invisible net's existence, suspending the Herrscher core in midair.

A look of comprehension passed over the eye's features as it scrutinized the peculiar creature in yellow. It instantaneously reached the conclusion, 'This yellow rabbit is the cause of the Herrscher's demise.'

With the Earth halted in its rotation, New York City, awash in the twilight of dusk, combined with the mystique of the eye's presence, created a divine spectacle.

The eye, fixated on the yellow rabbit, attempted to pierce through the enigma of the HOMU costume to uncover the identity within. Yet, to its astonishment, it encountered nought but an impenetrable fog concealing the being beneath the attire.

Perplexed, the eye furrowed slightly, and then, from its clear form, enigmatic lights began to materialize. These radiant beams intensified, transforming into ethereal tentacles that extended toward the enigmatic rabbit. (image here)

However, the tentacles abruptly halted in midair, detecting an unsettling presence within the entity's shadow. As the divine eye shifted its attention to the shadow beneath the rabbit, it discerned an eerie pair of glowing eyes, akin to phantoms gazing back from the depths of the abyss.

This shadowy entity was none other than 'The OO,' Shroud's hidden trump card, or more precisely, his guardian angel and...

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The remnants of Shroud's former self.

The longer the divine eye observed those eyes, the clearer they became. A wide, enigmatic smile adorned the shadow, and it opened its mouth to utter cryptic words. (image here)

[-.. --- / -.-- --- ..- / -.. .- .-. . ..--..] The shadow taunted. The divine eye, perceiving the taunt, appeared affronted. It launched its newly formed tentacles towards the shadow, but before they could close the gap of even 10 meters, the tentacles disintegrated into dust.

Taken aback and increasingly frustrated, the divine eye mustered another attempt, deploying a second tentacle with increased vigour. Nevertheless, it met with the same disappointing result.

Growing agitated and determined to exert greater force, the entity behind the eye prepared to unleash its attack once more. But just as it was on the verge of doing so...

*Tic*

Time momentarily resumed, if only for a nanosecond, before returning to its stagnant state. The entity behind the eye noticed this brief disturbance, albeit for just a fraction of a second, and turned its attention back to the shadow. It concluded, 'It was the Shadow's doing.'

[-.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / -. --- - / - .... . / --- -. .-.. -.-- / --- -. . .-.-.-], the shadow cryptically declared. The entity behind the eye determined that it was unwise to engage with this entity in its present form and began to retreat, using its remaining tentacle.

Before departing, it waved its tentacle, conveying a message, [.-- . / ... .... .- .-.. .-.. / -.-. .-. --- ... ... / .--. .- - .... ... / .- --. .- .. -. .-.-.-].

Understanding the cryptic message, the shadow's grin widened before it retreated back into the shadowy realm, and the world resumed its normal flow.

When Shroud returned to his senses, he found himself amidst the twilight scene as the sun gradually dipped below the horizon, ushering in the night.

Shroud surveyed his surroundings but found nothing amiss. He then muttered, "Whisper?"

In response to his query, and aware of his impending question, Whisper replied directly, [It was 'The OO'].

Upon hearing these words, Shroud nodded in acknowledgement. However, a sudden, excruciating sensation pierced his head, akin to a high-powered drill boring into his skull.

Shroud's body trembled, and the agony extended beyond his head to engulf his entire form. It felt as though his body had become as heavy as lead, and the sensation of blood coursing through his veins was akin to needles piercing his flesh. His body struggled to circulate blood, and his vision blurred, leaving him with an overwhelming feeling of weakness.

In the midst of this torment, Shroud's throat burned with an unquenchable fire, and it was parched to the point of feeling like a desert. Violent coughs wracked his body, and to make matters worse, he sensed a swarm of microscopic entities crawling beneath his skin, intensifying his distress.

*Breagh*

Unable to endure the excruciating pain any longer, Shroud began vomiting blood, and crimson streams trickled from all seven of his orifices. The agony he was enduring was the merciless aftermath of 'The OO.'

****

Skill: {The Authority of OO}

An enigmatic skill / authority associated with the entity known as the OO, a pinnacle Zenith-ranked being.

Origin: Unknown

****

Although this skill was at Shroud's disposal, it was not one he could wield without restrictions or consequences. The searing pain he now experienced was the repercussion of activating this skill.

Given his current rank, Shroud had significantly overextended himself, and though he hadn't voluntarily activated the skill, the backlash continued to torment him relentlessly for a full 40 minutes before gradually diminishing in intensity.

However, it persisted for a total of two hours before Shroud, weak and trembling, managed to pull himself up from the ground. In a feeble voice, he uttered a single word, "Hungry."

****

*BOOM*

The following day, the formidable walls encircling New York City were brought to the ground as a substantial number of heavily armed SWAT teams were deployed to search for survivors.

As they advanced through the nightmarish streets, the teams encountered a grim tableau of lifeless bodies, a sight that weighed heavy on their hearts. Nevertheless, they pressed on, clinging to the hope that they might yet find survivors in this harrowing landscape.

Yet, despite their thorough search, the soldiers scoured every inch of New York City without discovering a single survivor. Tears welled up in the eyes of some, while others wore sombre expressions.

However, it was when a radio signal crackled to life, originating from one of the teams dispatched to a different location.

"This is Delta 004; we've located a survivor on the Outerbridge Crossing," the individual who appeared to be the team captain relayed over the radio.

"Really, are there more?" came the eager inquiry from the person in charge, hoping for additional survivors. However, the response from the Delta 004 team leader dashed those hopes, as they replied, "No."

"Ah, I see. Alright, bring that survivor to safety and provide them with water and food. I'll be arriving shortly to conduct an interrogation before granting them release," the captain declared with certainty, eliciting a crisp, "Yes, sir," in response from the other end.

****

"You are free to go now, young man," a man in his 50s stated to Shroud, signalling the end of the interrogation.

Shroud, while finding the ordeal somewhat bothersome, cooperated with the authorities. Fortunately, they opted not to delve too deeply into their questioning, granting him an early release. However, they made it clear that they might need to revisit him at a later date and requested his address.

"*sigh* I am tired," Shroud uttered, his fatigue palpable after the recent events.

Exiting the base where the SWAT team had established their temporary shelter, Shroud heard someone call his name, "Shroud!"

He turned in the direction of the voice and spotted Julie, who rushed to hug him, whispering, "I am so glad you're okay. I am so glad."

Behind her, Shroud's former group members were also present; Robert, Emery, Marie, and Amelia and they also soon joined in the heartfelt embrace.

It took some time for them to settle down, and after their emotional reunion, they began asking Shroud questions to which he responded briefly. Finally, Robert inquired, "So, what are you going to do now, Shroud?"

"Hmm, for now, I guess I will return to Georgia and try to get back to my daily life as things start to settle down," Shroud replied.

"I see. So when are you leaving?" Robert asked to which Shroud replied decisively, "Today, and I have already called an Uber." Just then, the sound of a motor approached, and an Uber vehicle pulled up in front of the group.

*Skrrr* - The Uber's brakes squealed, creating a sharp skidding noise as it came to a halt. The Uber driver inquired from inside the vehicle, "A ride for Shroud?"

Shroud looked back at the remembers of his group with an apologetic expression before bidding them all goodbye. It was unclear whether they would ever cross paths again, but they knew they each needed time to heal from the traumatic events they had experienced.

*Vroom*

The Uber started its journey, and as Shroud settled into the comfortable seat, he soon succumbed to drowsiness and fell into a deep slumber.

The end of volume two...

****

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please feel free to comment. Your thoughts and criticism are valuable in helping me improve and stay motivated to write more.

Firstly, thank you to all the readers for providing helpful feedback and support for this fanfiction. I was unsure whether this fanfiction would be a complete failure because of me doing things on my own, but it seems like everyone who has read this fanfic has enjoyed it, albeit with some exceptions.

So, this marks the end of volume two, and moving forward, we will be diving into the main storyline of the previous era. I hope that I've done well so far, and if I haven't, I promise I will strive to improve the quality of my writing in the future.

I hope the readers liked the second volume. Please comment on your favourite chapter from this volume and whether you found it good or bad. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Additionally, I've decided to use four asterisk signs (****) instead of the '---------' sign since some people like to listen to audio, and hearing a minus sign for an extended period may not be a pleasant experience. I will also update the minus signs in previous chapters accordingly.