Praise

'Should I just run at this point?'

With his back still facing Ruan Mei, Yuuto released a bunch of curses in his head as this was the last thing he needed right now.

With a calm and steady sigh, he turned to Ruan Mei who was intently staring at him, and showed her a small smile.

"Sorry, but I need to go somewhere right now so—"

"That's fine, I just need to check something."

"...Is that so? Well I also need to check something with a friend so—"

"It will be quick so don't worry."

Yuuto felt the corner of his mouth slightly break at her attitude towards his refusal to talk with her. Reaching to a point where he thought she was pretending not to notice.

'Yeah, I should just book it.'

The appeal for this idea grew more the longer he thought about it but his body soon moved to the left and Yuuto felt a faint gust of wind pass by him.

"..."

"..."

Ruan Mei's hand fell aimlessly as Yuuto moved his shoulder to the side and the two stared at each other silently.

Feeling the distance become shorter and shorter, Ruan Mei raised her hand once more so she could reach for his shoulder. But was once again stopped as a firm grip held onto her wrist.

"Isn't it a bit impolite to suddenly touch a person without their permission?"

Yuuto said firmly but Ruan Mei didn't pay any attention as her eyes stared at the hand holding her. She moved her wrist slightly, feeling the firm grip stopping her from moving.

Ruan Mei looked at Yuuto who wore a blank expression that matched her own and an unknown emotion began to form within her eyes.

Contemplating for a few seconds, a soft expression grew on her face that gave Yuuto a small shiver.

"My apologies, I guess I was a bit impolite. I just noticed that you have a few strands of hair that seem to belong to the little lifeforms that roam beneath the Space Station."

"Hair you say…"

"I wanted to help brush it off since it looked like they might have caused you some trouble."

Yuuto let go of Ruan Mei's wrist and she maintained her soft expression while subtly pointing to the corner of his shoulder.

She leaned forward and brushed the few strands of hair sticking onto his coat and silently hummed as she picked the remaining strands to show him.

A floral scent entered Yuuto's nose and he noticed how her turquoise eyes landed on the gap between his jacket. 

He pulled up the collar of his jacket to shield a part of his skin from her before staring at the remaining pieces of hair still stuck to his shoulder.

'It must be from when Gray Bean Paste was sitting on me and a few others.'

Yuuto saw the colors each hair had and recognized it from the cake cats who he had gotten acquainted with during his brief journey below. There also seemed to be an abundance of brown hair which most likely came from his little friend.

'I should visit them one last time before I leave.'

He made a note to himself as he recalled the cute creatures he saved and felt an urge to see them.

"It's nice to know that they aren't as recluse as I thought they would be."

Breaking him from his brief recollection, Ruan Mei didn't put any more distance than what she originally had and stayed within arms reach from him.

Yuuto felt a bit apprehensive as he couldn't tell her exact objective but what he knew for certain from his brief interaction was curiosity building up within her. 

Something he didn't want.

"I hoped that their nature would change over time but thankfully my wishes came true. Have they been well?"

"It would be best to have them answer that question as I only met them for the first time today."

"Oh? But I noticed the scent and presence of quite a few." Ruan Mei held her chin while tilting her head. "I guess you have a talent for befriending creatures you met for the first time."

Her eyes landed on the Wubbaboo snuggled near his chest. It shivered after noticing her attention land on it.

"Who knows, maybe they just felt lonely."

Yuuto shrugged his shoulders and said nonchalantly while shielding the Wubbaboo to the side. Ruan Mei didn't seem to mind and shook her head which caught his eyes.

"It's a possibility. Allowing them to communicate among themselves was one of the decisions I made to foster a sense of association within them."

'Yeah right, more like abandoning them.' Yuuto thought as Ruan Mei let out a deep sigh.

The two continued to talk as Ruan Mei would ask him some trivial questions but this was slowly catching up to him as Yuuto wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Ruan Mei should have also noticed his reluctance to answer from his blunt responses to her questions but the gleam in her eyes grew brighter with each second that passed.

There were also instances where she would sneakily reach towards him during their mundane conversation where if he didn't know her true nature, Yuuto would have mistaken it as being friendly.

Or even subtle flirting.

But knowing well enough that she was instead attempting to scan his body.

'I guess I have to use it…' 

Thinking about a certain skill that would be the best to escape this predicament, he waited for the right time to use it.

"Ah right, Miss Ruan Mei I heard that—"

"Just call me Ruan Mei."

"....Ruan Mei. I heard that you enjoy desserts."

"It is true. As someone who has a sensitive palette, I tend to favor pastries that contain seasonal ingredients such as fresh fruits or herbs."

"That's great! I was wondering if you would try this dessert a dear friend of mine made. It should be up to your alley."

"Is that so?"

Ruan Mei seemed interested and Yuuto's eyes seemed to turn sharp as he felt like the opportunity began to finally show up.

And of course, the secret skill he wanted to use—-

"Great! I will be back and be sure to have you taste them. If not then I will have someone deliver it in my place."

—-Was to run away.

"Ah."

A tactical retreat to be more exact.

Seeing Yuuto smile and turn his back on her, Ruan Mei reached out towards him but was too late seeing as her hand was only able to grasp the space ahead.

Seeing his back quickly disappear among the sea of researchers ahead, she lowered her hand and crossed her arms. 

The gentle expression she wore gradually faded and was replaced by an impassive face that carried no emotion.

"He was oddly guarded for some reason."

She remembered the moments his body avoided her touch which made her a bit skeptical. Especially during moments that seemed too unnatural.

Feeling like he knew her intentions all too well.

"That physique, however… resembles hers, albeit certain differences that made it unique in its own way." Ruan Mei mumbled to herself.

"Especially the way faint signs of fragmentum corrosion came off him but instead of devouring him it was more like reinforcing his body."

There were also other interesting observations she made and her eyes gradually landed on the wrist Yuuto held onto.

"A possible genetic mutation in regards to fragmentum corrosion…? This could be a possible path to go on…"

Turning around to walk into Herta's office, she took off the glove Yuuto held and placed it in a container for further observation. 

Willing to see if a piece of skin, hair or oil managed to stick to it.

"Ruan Mei. Welcome, Herta is currently inside the Simulated Universe installing a few components so it will take a while before we can enter." 

"It looks like that search for those missing components was somewhat successful."

"Affirmative: Sir Yuuto was of great help in searching."

Screwllum greeted Ruan Mei who was putting on a new glove and stood in front of the Simulated Universe watching the light fluctuate. 

Signaling the changes Herta was making at the moment.

She returned the greeting and stood beside him. Not failing to catch a certain piece of information that caught her ears.

"Sir Yuuto… is that the person who came out just a few minutes ago?"

"Yes, you are correct. I guess you met him on the way in."

"We had a short conversation." Ruan Mei crossed her arms and stared at the light which hid her expression.

"A question, have you gotten to know him closely? It sounds like you made quite a connection with him."

"It was only briefly but he's an interesting person." Screwllum chuckled and remembered Yuuto's interactions with both him and Herta.

Going by his flow while also not hesitating to confront Herta whenever the two argued over certain thoughts. As if he wasn't fazed by Herta's title which would put most people on their toes. 

Ruan Mei stood silently sensing his familiarity with Yuuto and her finger began tapping the edge of her arm.

"Do you mind telling me your impressions? I was only able to make brief contact so I'm curious as to what kind of person he is."

"Is that so…"

Screwllum felt an odd sensation when he heard the subtle tone Ruan Mei had and wondered why she had an obvious fixation on this person she just met.

'I hope her curiosity doesn't end up harming him…' 

Ruan Mei, unaware of his thoughts, took out her tablet and swiftly tapped her fingers on the screen to create a new folder.

[Unnamed Project #222]

She glanced at the wrist that he held onto and a promising glint appeared in her eyes. Anticipating their next meeting as she felt there was more to come in the future.

***

"Shit.. I hope she's not talking about me…"

Yuuto rubbed his arms and frowned as he felt a shiver and somehow had a feeling that Ruan Mei was the source of this.

Usually, the thought of a beautiful woman thinking about him would be a pleasant thought.

But the woman in question looked at him like he was a piece of unopened treasure. Just waiting for her to dig her hands into.

Knowing that completely avoiding her was already out of the question he knew that the next best thing was to limit the amount of contact they had until he left.

Which seemed easy enough as he only had a few things he needed to do before leaving for the Luofu. One of those things was to look for a certain researcher and he would be out of here.

Relaxing his body to ease the tension that came from suddenly meeting Ruan Mei, Yuuto took an elevator to the Storage Zone where countless rooms were located.

Rooms where various researchers would conduct their projects. Whether it would be about trends within Geopolitics or identifying hidden curios.

All of them would take a space to focus. And in one of these rooms was a person Yuuto wanted to quickly meet.

"Hey! Are you listening!?"

"....Phasing through space while containing a singular flow where the energy is…."

"Hey!!"

Near a small corner in the Storage Zone where a few researchers were quietly sitting, a certain pair managed to stand out.

A small girl looked annoyed seeing as she was being annoyed by the boy who was absorbed in a booklet in his hands. The researchers around her gave comforting looks as signs of droplets began to pool in her eyes.

But knowing the person she was attempting to talk to, they knew it would be better to talk to a brick wall compared to the efforts she was currently showing.

"Fine! If you're going to ignore me then I'll just leave…."

The girl looked disheartened seeing the boy continue to ignore her and walked away sadly while mumbling her grievances under her breath.

"You know you shouldn't make a girl cry off on her own."

"Gradually combustion shall be one possibility when…"

"Woah, ignored just like that poor girl~."

Finally finding the person he was hoping to see, Yuuto slowly made his presence known by grabbing a seat near Adler who was immersed in a booklet. 

Looking past his shoulder he noticed the page he was on and raised his eyebrows.

[Sserkal's most notable creation during her short-lived life was a technique known as the Phase Change. Gradually applied to ions as an experiment, the birth of the Phase Flame came into fruition as a successful result.]

Yuuto was curious as he continued reading what was on the page and was surprised to find out the origins the flame had.

"I wonder if that flame can—."

"Hey, can you turn the page? I'm done reading the last part."

"...!!!"

As Adler was about to stretch, he noticed a voice call out to him and quickly jumped out of his chair. 

The chair dropped to the ground and caused him to fall off. Making Adler rub his back and Yuuto awkwardly turned his face away.

The sound was pretty loud as a few eyes grouped towards him so Adler bowed his head and offered an apology.

Not forgetting to glare at Yuuto who was looking at him innocently.

"Please don't sneak on people. Especially when they're concentrating." Adler grumbled as he picked his chair back up.

"Don't blame me, I nudged you a few times and you still didn't budge."

"But still…"

Adler looked at Yuuto cautiously, feeling like he was a familiar face after staring at him for a while but stopped his train of thought when he noticed the creature snuggled near Yuuto's chest.

Its beady eyes and faint presence made his heart jump but he couldn't contain his smile that was growing by the second.

"A Wubabboo!"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"How are you able to hold something like that!!"

"Just reach and grab it if it allows you to?"

Yuuto raised his eyebrows when he noticed the shift in attitude he had towards him after seeing the Wubabboo he was holding but he didn't mind as he wanted to speak with him for a bit.

"Do you not feel weary or anxious when you hold it?"

"No, it doesn't feel any different from holding a soft plushie."

He eventually began to answer a few of Adler's questions as he was curious about the Wubabboo after finding out it was one of, if not his favorite rare species to research.

"Would you like to hold him?" Yuuto offered as he saw the sparkle in his eyes. While also tensing his body feeling like the thing he was waiting for was finally about to appear.

"Can I!"

"Sure, just come here for a second."

Adler's eyes beamed at his offer and sat close to Yuuto. Not noticing the faint prismatic light that radiated off Yuuto's body.

With Yuuto's eyes peering into the distance and looking at something gradually appearing, Yuuto placed the Wubabboo on Alder's lap and told him one thing.

"Don't scream and know that you don't need to find me."

'What?---"

Adler was about to ask him what he meant but a sudden outburst of blue flames stopped him from doing so.

Flames that bloomed past his arms towards the tip of his foot. A sinister chill crept down his spine as his instincts yelled at him to run.

To break from the grasp a certain entity has on him.

"You still tried to grab him even when you knew I was right here. Should I feel happy or sad that you're disregarding me…"

Pouring more energy in [Clarity] and finding the hidden 'seed' left behind by Duke Inferno, Yuuto rotated the Stellaron inside him and pulled the blue energy towards him.

Yuuto reached towards Adler's head where a small spark was located and the blue aura gradually rose up his arms and began to engulf Yuuto.

"Wait!"

Adler managed to understand what was happening and quickly reached out to Yuuto but ultimately failed to do so. As all that was left was an empty chair.

As Adler tried to process the disappearance that happened right in front of him, Yuuto felt like his body was floating underwater and the space around him distorted to teleport him somewhere else.

Yuuto looked around and saw the appearance of a few threads that made him reach toward them.

"The thicker one is connected to Duke Inferno I assume but there are more thinner ones gradually pulling me towards them."

Floating through the space he noticed a few thinner threads pulling him closer and after looking at the destination, Yuuto saw the dark outer space waiting for him.

He honestly didn't want to turn into a comet again recalling how he was first found by the Astral Express way back then. 

But thankfully he didn't need to worry too much about ending up in outer space.

As someone eventually arrived to save him.

[Why are you here?]

"Hi, Doctor! I hope you didn't miss me too much."

[Noisy. Should I just leave you to fend for yourself?]

"Ehh? Come on, don't be like that. I still need to be tutored so I can't suffocate just yet." 

Yuuto smiled as he heard Dr. Ratio's annoyed tone and felt a flame that was different from the ominous blue that was currently surrounding him.

The direction he was gradually approaching quickly changed and noted that Dr. Ratio was interfering with Duke Inferno's forceful teleportation. Attempting to place him in a safe room where the other victims were currently at.

However, he quickly stopped him as he wanted to do something else while Duke Inferno had a hold on him.

[You want me to wait for a few minutes?]

"Yes, that is correct."

[Do you understand that you sound like a lunatic right now? I have no guarantee that I can hold onto your form for a few minutes with this puny spark.]

[Even more so knowing that other casualties are just waiting to happen. I can't prioritize your unknown intentions for something so risky.]

Dr. Ratio was very stern in his tone as he began pulling Yuuto towards him but Yuuto didn't mind.

"Don't worry, that was only a rough estimation."

Yuuto's body radiated a prismatic hue as his hands reached towards the thick thread connected to him. In his other hand was a 'seed' that he took from Adler that made him take his place and uttered a word in his mind.

'[Archive]'

His palm glowed and the shape, structure, and form of this 'seed' turned into a memory and he began to understand how this was connected to Duke Inferno.

"Now let's meet this guy properly."

Clenching his fist, Yuuto rotated the Stellaron and a dense golden energy began to mix with the prismatic hue covering his body.

As this took place the blue flames surrounding him immediately turned docile as if it faced a sudden monster and tried to retreat. But the Stellaron inside Yuuto didn't miss a beat and quickly absorbed the fleeting flames.

"As I thought, this thing is greedy…"

Yuuto mumbled as he thought back to his first interaction with Duke Inferno. That time when he grabbed the Wubbaboo and tried to escape the flames, it oddly converged towards him instead and disappeared when it touched him.

The strange sensation he felt before was probably the flame entering his body as the only source of energy his Stellaron absorbed so far was fragmentum corrosion.

And the rest being a large quantity of pure Stellaron energy.

The blue flame probably felt like tasting cheap manufactured food after eating countless high-quality meals its whole life. 

Yuuto closed his eyes and sensed the energy gradually dwindling around him. Feeling like it was about time Duke Inferno felt something, Yuuto clenched his palm around the thick thread connected to him.

"If I can't go to you then I'll just bring you to me."

Tugging with all his strength he felt something on the other side resist his pull before voluntarily rushing towards him as it noticed who it was.

{My Infernal Flame was being consumed by you…}

"It's nice that you finally arrived. I wanted to ask you a few things but you rudely ran away before I could say something."

{Hah! It is you who can be considered rude! Interrupting this one's plan when we're on the same side. You—!}

"Stop. Why do you keep on insisting I'm on the same side as you?"

{You're asking why…? HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!}

Yuuto frowned as he heard Duke Inferno suddenly burst out laughing and he pulled on the thread connected. 

Duke Inferno didn't stop laughing and feeling like he was overdoing it, Yuuto lightly waved his hand on the thread and a small cut was eventually done.

The cut sent a sharp pain toward Duke Inferno who groaned and his laugh finally stopped. Fading into a chuckle.

{You gave me quite a laugh at your jokes.}

"Answer my question."

{Of course, it's because of the atmosphere you radiate! Such pure destruction inside you! It reminds me of those weapons, the warforge…}

Yuuto felt like rubbing his head as heard Duke Inferno's fanatic rambling and felt like he was wasting his time.

'So it was because of my Stellaron. But that doesn't explain the ambiance of Destruction he said before.' 

After thinking for a while he honestly figured it was the Stellaron as it was the only thing he had that could be mistaken for. 

But if that was the reason then why hasn't Stelle, the source of his Stellaron also be seen as someone who can be mistaken as someone from the Antimatter Legion?

Compared to his, Stelle has a pure Stellaron filled to the brim compared to his where he had to fill it up himself.

So there must be something else in play.

{Wait.. I knew it was strange for an unknown person to have such pure destruction… it's as if...}

Seeing Yuuto deep in thought, Duke Inferno began to be skeptical seeing his attitude but something suddenly clicked in his mind.

{....!!!!!}

Pure destruction and the ability to devour his Infernal Flames. And his constant refusal to associate with the Antimatter Legion.

Duke Inferno collected himself as his fervor toward Nanook grew and he bowed his head formally. 

{I apologize Mr. Dusk Leviathan. I didn't know that you wished to have your identity hidden. On behalf of the Ever-Flame Mansion, I will follow through with your wishes.} 

'Okay, what is this idiot spouting out now?'

Yuuto looked at Duke Inferno as if he lost a screw somewhere and rubbed the center of his forehead.

"What are you spouting now..?"

{Rest assured Mr. Dusk Leviathan, I will promise to keep your operations a secret.}

'What is Dusk Leviathan nonsense he keeps saying now…?'

Yuuto thought Duke Inferno's sudden change of attitude came out of nowhere was far too strange. But the word Dusk Leviathan caught his attention as it seemed this was the reason why he was so polite to him.

The word sounded familiar as he read it somewhere before and he quickly browsed through his memories to find out where it was from.

"If I remember correctly, the foundation of the Doomsday Beast was made from the corpse of leviathans so—-!!!"

Something clicked into place as Yuuto thought of the Doomsday Beast and recalled a certain memory he received from it.

[Antimatter Engine]

The core and heart of the Doomsday Beast.

"Is this why my Stellaron is so greedy for energy?"

The combined memories of [Stellaron], [Antimatter Engine], and [Heart] ultimately resulted in his core that provided him with boundless energy that was steadily growing.

But that wasn't his main thought on this. He remembered that there was a certain entity that was both a Levithan and an Aeon at the same time.

Oroboros the Voracity

"So my Stellaron took a slight path towards Voracity due to the memory of [Antimatter Engine] which originally belonged to a Dusk Leviathan. A being of the same species."

Feeling like his thoughts finally settled, Yuuto's fingers felt itchy as discovering this fact brought so many interesting ideas to appear.

What if he brought the memory of a certain path into his Stellaron? Can he have a Stellaron that can possibly hold countless paths for him to use?

If the Stellaron on the Luofu….

Various thoughts swirled and Duke Inferno patiently watched Yuuto in silence as he wanted to prove his loyalty towards the Antimatter Legion.

"...It is good that you understand. I was about to abort my mission due to your interference."

Yuuto finally opened his mouth and looked at Duke Inferno with a cold gaze.

{I apologize! It was not in my right mind to interfere.}

"If you understand then leave this station immediately."

Yuuto waved his hand but the corner of his lips couldn't help but twitch.

{Thank you for your benevolence.} 

"Wait before you leave I will ask you one last thing."

{What must I do?}

"Become food for my… heart.." Yuuto felt a bit of shame when he got into character but he held on. "The Supreme Destroyer will see this favor as a contribution towards my personal plan of Destruction."

"The Lord Ravagers have also instructed me to find individuals who have the potential to be graced by the Lord Supreme. And you, I find that potential!" 

{Is this true…}

"Yes! Allow the blessing to be bestowed upon you as you offer your loyalty towards the Lord!"

{I am honored!}

Duke Inferno shook in bliss as he looked at Yuuto's body which glowed a bright golden hue and imagined the future where Nanook would land his gaze on him.

{I will detach my consciousness so be free to take this lowly flame.}

"I shall receive it with grace. May Nanook's blessing be with you."

{May Nanook's blessing be with you.}

Yuuto saw the thick thread attached to him gradually disappear and within seconds, all that was left was a ball of flames that eventually entered his body.

"…I want to die."

Covering his face as he remembered his moment of shame, Yuuto reeled in the Stellaron's energy within him.

Not forgetting to punch the air to overcome his embarrassment.

[Hey! Hey, can you hear me!]

"...Yeah, I can hear you. Don't panic."

[What happened? I suddenly lost connection to your body and thought your form disappeared.]

Dr. Ratio let out a small sigh as he heard Yuuto's voice and increased the rate at which he pulled him.

"I just had a sudden… confrontation with Duke Inferno.."

[With the Duke?]

"Yeah, it ended in me injuring him fatally so he ran away. You should check if he finally left just in case."

Yuuto said but knowing that Duke Inferno left for good, he still wanted to give them a chance to confirm for themselves.

The space around him finally grew brighter and the air pulled him out of the dark space he felt himself floating in for the past couple of minutes. 

Feeling the sharp gaze of a certain doctor land on him while he corrected his balance, Yuuto waved his hand and anticipated the interrogation he would find himself in.

***

Hi, it's your missing author. Another chap tomorrow as a present lol.

Got my Feixiao as expected and she's really fun to play. And after playing Lingsha on the trial, I need to get her too. Too many characters that I want.

And Honkai x Starrail collab?? Hopefully that one doesn't take too long to arrive. I need an Elly on my team asap.