Willing to Do My Part
"Miss, if you don't mind, could I fight alongside you?"
Sera appeared beside Firefly with a smile.
"Um...?"
Sam, controlled by the Firefly, stood there in confusion, not understanding why anyone would step into this dream world, which was born out of people's fear of "Propagation" in the Swarm Disaster.
"Please go ahead."
Sam's voice made Firefly's gentle voice sound cold.
"As a gift for our first meeting, let me show you some fireworks."
Sera's words left Firefly somewhat confused. How could she be talking about watching fireworks when faced with Swarm "Propagation"? What did this girl mean by that?
"...?"
Firefly responded to Sera's words with silence.
"Watch closely, the fireworks rise from the horizon and soar into the sky."
Behind Sera, the six wings that had been hidden because she was too lazy to show her true face were unfurled, Herrscher of Corruption took full control of this dream in her complete form.
A massive Swarm, one after another, transformed into 'shooting stars' from the bottom up, shooting straight into the sky, and then... bursting open like fireworks.
"Miss, look at these fireworks. Although they're brief, they're incredibly dazzling."
Firefly knew that Sera's words had a hidden meaning. Immediately, Firefly took a step back, distancing herself from Sera.
"Who are you?"
"Me? I'm here to see you, Miss Firefly."
Sera stated it directly.
"Looking for me? What business do you have with an unknown Galaxy Rangers?"
The Firefly became even more vigilant, and flames rose from the mecha.
"I'm not looking for Galaxy Rangers, but the last survivor of the universe in the future ' Nihility ' Finality."
"The future? What a ridiculous lie... Wait, are you...?"
Firefly remembered hearing... a whisper from the "Finality".
"Seraphis, from another timeline, came at the request of the Terminus to resolve the problems of this timeline."
Sera took out the "Finality" pocket watch, Firefly felt a familiar power. Yes, it was the same feeling she had when He had glanced at her from the shadows.
Firefly's expression became complicated.
Was she the last survivor?
So, you're looking for me...
"That's right, you will be the one to turn the tide in the Finality ' Nihility '."
In Firefly's mind, the only possibility emerged... "Propagation."
"..."
Her inescapable past becomes the key to saving the galaxy?
"Don't worry, I won't force you to accept Him. If you're unwilling, I'll try to find the source and resolve it."
"No, no -- I'm just... a little sentimental."
As Galaxy Rangers, I will naturally do what I can for the galaxy.
This is what I, as Firefly, want to do, even if... I die. But as long as I save the Milky Way, then my life won't have been in vain, right?
Firefly deactivated her mecha, revealing signs of her Path illness, which had worsened during her battle with the "Propagation" Sam.
"Don't worry, I'm here. I'll make sure you live."
Sera wore a confident smile as he extended his right hand, revealing the character status bar. "Edit!"
The Entropy Syndrome marks faded from Firefly's body. She stared blankly at the disappearing marks on her body, stunned in place.
The problem that had troubled her for who knows how long was now solved. Like a long-term patient finding a cure, Firefly's body and mind were finally at ease.
"I'm a genius, after all. It's normal for me to do something like this, right?"
"... Thanks."
Sera sensed that Firefly's voice was low when she said those words, as if she was filled with complex emotions.
"So, Miss Firefly, would you like to transform into fireworks that aren't fleeting, together with me, to light the way to reality for everyone at Penacony?"
Sera extended his right hand in an inviting gesture.
"Huh?"
Firefly blinked, a determined look appearing in her eyes.
"Good!"
Firefly placed her left hand on it.
"Miss Firefly, may I borrow your fire?"
Firefly summoned Sam, who then entered Complete Combustion State.
A wisp of firefly was caught by Sera.
"That's fine."
After receiving Sera's approval, Firefly deactivated the Sam Armor.
"Hold on tight."
The flame she had borrowed from the Firefly was burning in Sera's left hand, while her right hand grasped the Firefly's left hand.
Sera stretched out her left hand, holding flames, and her six black wings were tinged with the color of fireflies. The wings burned like flames, and she and the two of them transformed into shooting stars with long, fiery tails, flying backwards.
The second layer of the dream also shattered.
The third layer is the fusion of the Twelve Hours with reality; the dream shatters the moment the second layer breaks, and it shatters the next second as well.
The Astral Express rose up from behind the crowd.
"If your [paradise] shines brighter than mine, then shoot me down..."
The Embryo of Philosophy, born of Sunday, spoke these words in everyone's ears with a sense of universal resonance.
"Brother... this dream was too cruel to you."
The Robin's eyes were resolute, determined to stop Sunday.
People should not remain stagnant in their dreams!
Himeko held her single-splitting saw high, aiming it at Sunday. Her arm strength is amazing, Navigator!
"That's right!"
On March 7th, he held up his bow and echoed Himeko's words.
"Dreams are powerless against the threat of ' Nihility '."
Acheron placed her hand on the unsheathed katana. She saw something in the "Nihility"—some endings that were almost beyond her control.
But... Acheron looked at Sera.
In the monotonous black and white, there seems to be an extra color.
She wanted to give it a try.
"Mr. Sunday."
Sera walked step by step to the Embryo of Philosophy.
"Before the final battle, I'd like to show you something."
"I'm all ears for the words of a genius."
Sunday stopped what he was doing, but soon... after Sera transmitted some images into Sunday's mind, he fell silent.
"Is this true, Mr. Seraphis?"
"If you don't believe me, take a look at this."
Sera took out the pocket watch that Xing had given him.
"You, who have almost reached the rudiments of philosophy, should be able to see that this is the power of the Terminus, right?"
"..."
The Embryo of Philosophy that Sunday embodied thus dissipated, and his figure reappeared.
"Since His threat is imminent, I am naturally willing to offer my humble assistance."
Sunday's face was filled with complex emotions. The mere Remembrance of the scene almost crushed him with its oppressive force, for the future of the universe, for the [paradise] he had fought for.
On Sunday, I decided to give it my all.
"Huh?"
On March 7th, he put down his longbow in a daze.
"Is that all?"