Sunday: "My Crystals!" / The Final Gift

"Yes, it's not that after death a handful of dust turns into a speck of dust in the universe, but rather that the Body becomes Universe in the literal sense."

Gwen nodded in confirmation.

This idea originated from a certain Old King Otto was one with the universe at the time of its collapse, but it was not Gwen's wild imagination. Rather, it was some ideas that arose as he began to cultivate his Cosmo.

"Transform into the universe..."

Perhaps one day you could reach the level of a star god and become a part of the universe, and that would be enough?

Looking at Gwen's serious expression, Black Swan couldn't understand why Gwen would have such a thought—

Based on Black Swan's impression of Gwen, it seems unlikely that he would have such philosophical thoughts.

"That can't really be considered as becoming the universe itself; at most, it can only be described as merging into the universe and becoming a part of it, right?"

Gwen stroked his chin, dismissing the idea of Black Swan.

"!"

Upon hearing Gwen's reply, the Black Swan, who had only made a casual remark, raised an eyebrow, surprised that Gwen would have such a thought—

Isn't this the kind of thinking only people in the Genius Club would have?

However, before Black Swan could even react and tease Gwen, the sound of footsteps reached their ears—

"Gwen, and Miss Black Swan, we are about to reach the crash site of the Halovian's former territory. Please be prepared."

The robin, whose face showed some fatigue but whose complexion was much better than when they first met a few days ago, greeted them with a Robin.

"Almost there?"

Upon hearing this, Gwen and Black Swan, who were chatting casually, immediately stopped their conversation.

"Yes, we've started adjusting the flight speed and preparing for landing."

The Robin nodded, walked gracefully to Gwen's side, and without any hesitation picked up a piece of pastry from the small dish on the table and put it in his mouth.

Today, Robin is able to let go of her idol image in front of Gwen and act in a way that is more in line with her age, becoming more girlish.

Soon, the spaceship landed, Gwen and his three companions were the first to leave. Before them lay a lush green field, filled with the sounds of insects and birds—a vibrant scene of life.

Only the sharp-eyed Gwen could see that beneath this patch of life lay utter ruins.

Through the details, Gwen was even able to hallucinate the horrific scene that had once unfolded there.

A gentle breeze wafted by, carrying the scent of damp earth and the fragrance of flowers, stirring up different emotions in the four people who knew what had happened here.

When the Robin was still an infant, a star core descended upon the homeland of the Halovian, ultimately causing it to crash there. The Robin siblings then wandered with their mother, eventually arriving in Penacony.

Looking at this homeland that had been reduced to scorched earth in the past Star Core Disaster, but has now blossomed with new life, the Robin's heaviness in his heart quietly dissipated.

And beside the Robin, Sunday also had a puzzling expression—

Compared to the Robin who left this place in its infancy, Sunday has more memories of this place, having witnessed it turn into scorched earth.

Now, seeing the life emerging from the ruins, Sunday was filled with mixed emotions.

Although there wasn't much to see in the ruins, which had suddenly become somewhat alive—not even a half-destroyed statue—the group was still quite interested.

These past few days, we've been trying to comfort those who left with the Robin, and a sense of heaviness and sorrow has settled over us.

The life emerging from the ruins has washed away the heaviness, making people's steps much lighter...

Are you tired from walking?

Robin, who had been accompanying the girl for most of the day, Gwen and asked as he reached out to support the robin who had stumbled and lost her balance.

"Um, a little..."

The Robin stuck out its tongue, but didn't force it, only gazing at the faint green in the distance, which represented the vitality of life.

"Take a rest if you're tired."

Seeing the girl's relaxed state through her taut curves, Gwen smiled and waved, and a stone bench rose up, carrying the fragrance of earth.

"Good."

The Robin sat down, her skirt gathered around her waist, her smile undiminished on her pretty face. Watching the sunlight pierce through the clouds and illuminate the earth, the emotions brewing within her were quietly stirred—

"Gwen."

"Um?"

"I suddenly thought of a song."

"I would be happy to be a listener."

"Then please taste it for me..."

Leaning comfortably on Gwen's shoulder, the lighthearted song drifted on the breeze, as if even the blades of grass sprouting from beneath the ruins swayed in rhythm with the hopeful melody, bursting forth with the colors of life...

Chapter 499 Sunday: My Crystal!

Strolling through the revitalized ruins of my homeland, I felt unexpectedly at peace on Sunday.

During these days, Sunday are the busiest for Penacony, when he is a priest guiding people.

However, although I was quite tired on Sunday, my mood, while heavy, also carried a strange sense of ease.

At least, compared to Penacony's morbid "forgiveness," the anguish and sorrow in the hearts of those who followed the Robin away were real, and their yearning for beauty was incomparable to those who were gradually rotting in their dreams. It even made Sunday feel a bit like when he first started working in the family.

Walking amidst the ruins of his homeland, watching the tender new shoots sprout anew, Sunday couldn't help but think of those on the ship who had endured so much hardship yet never gave up hope—

They followed the Robin away not simply because they were squeezed out of their place, but also to create a better tomorrow—they wanted to learn, to enrich themselves, and then continue to create a better future.

This allowed Sunday, who had been gradually becoming disoriented by the rotten smell of the Penacony, to rediscover the beauty of the world.

On this revitalized ruin, a gentle breeze caressed Sunday's face, carrying the cheerful voice of a young girl.

"Um?

What is that?

Noticing the unusual sound brought by the breeze, Sunday paused for a moment, then a look of surprise appeared on his face—

He recognized his sister's voice, but Sunday had no recollection of when she had developed this ability...

However, despite his surprise, Sunday didn't rush to investigate. Instead, he listened intently for a moment, then set off on his journey, following the sound of the song, accompanied by a gentle breeze.

Under the cheerful singing, all the unhappiness that had accumulated in Sunday's heart seemed to be gently wiped away by a pair of soft little hands.

However, when Sunday followed the wind and saw the Robin that had stopped singing, a sudden chill swept through my previously peaceful state of mind—

On the bench, which seemed somewhat out of place with its surroundings, the girl's head rested on the man's shoulder, her two earlobes drooping relaxedly, one of them even landing on the back of the man's neck. Together with the vitality that had sprung from the ruins, they formed a touching picture.

But this scene, witnessed by Sunday, made the young head of the Oak Family Lineage's patriarch's heart skip a beat—

On Sunday, he suddenly realized that he had relaxed in the breeze because of his busy schedule, and even forgot that his sister had left with Gwen!

"Oh no, I was too relaxed just now and neglected the Robin..."

A sense of foreboding washed over him. Sunday's gaze lingered for a moment on the Robin, who was visibly relaxing from the inside out, before slowly settling on Gwen, the man who was supporting her—a complete enigma to him.

Sunday knew nothing about how Gwen Robin, how Robin usually communicated, what they usually talked about, how he suddenly appeared next to the Robin, or any other questions about Gwen.

While I was happy that my sister, who was already troubled by being a celebrity, had found such a reliable friend, the uncertainty still made me uneasy on Sunday...

While witnessing the filth and darkness of Penacony, Sunday also gained a lot of strange knowledge.

I've seen many stories like the Robin Sunday gets tricked out of everything and ends up all alone.

Although he trusted his younger sister's intelligence, Sunday still subconsciously worried and suspected everything about the unknown men appearing around her—

Having seen too many stories that end in tragedy, Sunday also knows that people lack rationality when they are swayed by emotions.

To prevent my younger sister from being deceived by bad people, I felt it was my duty to protect her on Sunday!

His thoughts drifted to Sunday in the Athedna system. His gaze toward Gwen grew increasingly solemn as he stepped forward.

However, before Sunday could shatter this harmonious scene, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Sunday's shoulder, stopping him from moving.

"Please be patient, Mr. Sunday..."

The Black Swan, which had quietly appeared behind Sunday, gently shook its head, its gaze falling on the young couple leaning together not far away.

There, the Black Swan witnessed a scene that was somewhat difficult for it to understand.

"?"

Upon hearing this, Sunday frowned and looked at the Memory User, who was always shrouded in mystery, wondering why she wanted to stop him.

"Working and living in Penacony dream city that is now gaining fame, you must be able to see some different things."

The Black Swan's gaze remained fixed on the distance, but its voice reached Sunday's ears.

As she spoke, the Black Swan gently touched her eye socket, indicating that Sunday should look carefully.

Faced with the riddle-maker's remarks about the Black Swan, Sunday, though puzzled, did not act on its own, but instead gazed intently as instructed.

Gradually, Sunday's face also showed surprise and uncertainty, and he focused his attention more intently on the faint shadow that appeared and disappeared in the bright sunlight.

As the Black Swan and Sunday arrived one after the other, looking on with Robin Gwen, who had lent his shoulder to the tired robin, also stared intently.

After training with Sage and Manigoldo in the Sanctuary for some time, Gwen's mastery of the soul realm has become increasingly profound.

Given his mental strength, which far surpasses that of Sunday and the Black Swan, Gwen, a frequent visitor to the Underworld, could sense it even without careful observation—

Those illusory figures that quietly appeared after the Robin's song began.

These ethereal figures, invisible to the naked eye and seemingly about to vanish with a gust of wind, mostly possess celestial halos identical to those of the Robin siblings, and some even have ear feathers, clearly indicating they are all Halovian.

At least, that was true while he was alive.

Gwen did not sense the same resentment or unwillingness in these phantoms as he did in the aimless wandering souls of the Saint Seiya world's underworld.

It's as if... they appeared here simply because they were here, not because of any obsession or unwillingness to linger here, turning into earthbound spirits or legendary tales of rules and strange phenomena.

The only thing Gwen felt was that after the Robin's song began, these phantom-like figures seemed to become a little clearer.

"Um?

"Gwen, what are you looking at?"

After singing until it was tired, the robin rested on Gwen's shoulder for a while. When it opened its eyes, it saw that Gwen seemed to be observing Robin and followed Gwen's gaze.

Chapter 500 The Last Gift

After observing carefully for a while, the Robin finally spotted the barely perceptible phantoms lingering there amidst the interplay of light and shadow.

"That is..."

Thanks to its own exceptional talent Robin.

"Perhaps it's the last lingering attachment of the Halovian, who once lived here but whose world was destroyed by the Star Core..."

Looking at those illusory figures, Gwen pondered and offered his own guess.

"Then what about them..."

Upon hearing that they were his own people whom he had never met before, the Robin blinked, a complex expression appearing on his thin, bony face.

Even though the star core that once brought annihilation to this place has been sealed away, the damage it caused cannot be erased, and those who died because of it cannot be brought back to life.

"Thanks to your singing, they have... completely let go..."

Although these phantoms never displayed the same obsession as the souls in the Underworld of the Saint Seiya world, Gwen still came to this conclusion after comparing the increasingly illusory figures.

Have you let go?

Upon hearing Gwen's words, Robin squinted, staring intently at the illusory figures, but even with her innate talent, she could hardly make them out clearly.

"Um..."

Noticing that the girl beside him had somewhat withered ear feathers, Gwen raised his hand and swept it across the girl's eyes, instantly making the world clear in her vision.

"If you want to do something for them, then keep singing—"

Let's pass this hope on to them.

Seeing the girl's expression grow even more somber after she had seen clearly, Gwen sighed softly and said in a low voice.

With that, Gwen took the girl's hand and handed her the specially made microphone that he had created with his Cosmo.

A warm current flowed from Gwen Robin caught the microphone. Although it didn't understand what Gwen had done, it already knew what it had to do—

"Um!"

A smile returned to her pretty face, the girl gripped the microphone tightly, and her clear voice began to sing again.