Kie's face was flushed, stifling a few muffled sounds.
Tamayo glanced up at Tatsuki with a fleeting look.
Kanae was starting to burn with lust again, her limbs becoming restless.
Tatsuki quickly figured out what was going on.
Kie must have used her Blood Demon Art through some sort of spatial portal to connect with him.
He sighed inwardly. These two can be really daring.
While using a portal to help Kie relieve her urges, Tatsuki's thoughts also drifted to March 7, who was complaining in the chat group.
March 7: "Ugh! This is so annoying! On Jarilo-VI, the Great Guardian of Belobog is so awful!"
Shinobu Kocho: "What happened? Weren't you exploring?"
March 7: "Yes! We arrived on Jarilo-VI – the planet's covered in a blizzard, invaded by the Fragmentum, all caused by a Stellaron's effect. We met Belobog's Great Guardian, Cocolia, and told her we came to help remove the Stellaron's influence."
Nami: "And how did this Great Guardian react?"
March 7: "At first, she said she understood; everything seemed fine. She even gave us a place to stay. But that night, she declared us wanted as dangerous outsiders! It makes me so mad!"
She was clearly angry.
Aqua: "So now you're in jail, huh?"
March 7: "Hmph, no way! I'm hiding in the Underworld—the lower district of Belobog. The path to the overworld is blocked off. People here in the Underworld look exhausted, everything is run-down, and the air is thick with despair."
Tatsuki knew March 7's words weren't wrong. When cut off from the overworld, the Underworld of Belobog was in dire straits—resources scarce, tension high, crime rampant. Only the part run by Wildfire might be a bit better.
At that moment, the chat group beeped with new arrivals:
[Ding! Silver Wolf has joined the chat!]
[Ding! Bronya has joined the chat!]
Those names caused Tatsuki to pause in surprise.
"Silver Wolf? Bronya? Honkai? Star Rail?"
A mere coincidence?
Someone else recognized Bronya first.
March 7: "Huh? Bronya? Isn't that the silver-haired girl from the Silvermane Guards who ended up down here with us?"
Bronya: "March 7… You're that outsider?"
March 7: "That's me!"
Saeko Busujima: "So the two of you are from the same world?"
Bronya: "Same world? What do you mean? Some kind of outsider technology?"
March 7: "Haha, it's not my tech."
Tatsuki stepped in.
Tatsuki: "This is the Apocalyptic Chat Group, a platform connecting different worlds that face apocalyptic threats. Welcome to you both."
Bronya: "Different worlds? That's impossible!"
The three-braided girl in the Silvermane Guards uniform stood on the streets of Rivet Town. Bronya frowned deeply at the translucent screen only she could see—no one around her seemed to notice.
"The outsider is on this too… Different worlds? Is that really a thing?"
…
Somewhere else in the galaxy, in a city of strange architecture, a petite girl lounged against a railing.
She dressed in an unusual gamer style: short silver-gray hair with partial blue highlights and gradient ends, wearing a rabbit-ear accessory and goggles, plus black ear studs. Her outfit consisted of an asymmetrical black-and-white bra top with an anti-peeping patch, covered by a white cropped jacket with a fur collar—only partly zipped—adorned with game pad icons, pixel designs, and straps. She wore low-rise fishnet shorts on one leg, with athletic shoes and a single fishnet stocking on the other.
She was playing a handheld console, blowing a bubblegum bubble.
Pop!
The bubble burst. The girl paused her game.
"Oh?"
She stared at something invisible in the air with mild surprise.
"What's up, Silver Wolf?"
A tall woman with purple hair strode over, her sultry voice tingling the ears. She wore a dark cape-like coat with spidery patterns, strapped around her arms and shoulders; a white shirt and black tight pants beneath, with slender, wrapped legs. Her eyes, hair, and outfit had a seductive spider motif.
"…"
Silver Wolf wanted to explain but held her tongue a moment. Then she smirked.
"Hehehe… Kafka, I've stumbled onto an unknown game I can't immediately hack."
Kafka's wine-red eyes narrowed slightly, glancing at the idle handheld game.
"Need my help to handle it?" she purred.
"No thanks. This game is mine to figure out alone."
Silver Wolf blinked, refusing politely.
"Oh? How interesting. In that case, let me know if you need anything."
Kafka turned and walked away, her footsteps elegant, planning to contact Elio. Something unusual was definitely happening with Silver Wolf.
Silver Wolf exhaled in relief, then grinned with excitement.
"Alright, let me see what exactly you are…"
…
March 7: "Bronya, they say you're Cocolia's daughter, right? Why is your mom suddenly trying to arrest us? That's so mean!"
Bronya: "You people are dangerous outsiders threatening Belobog; the Great Guardian is acting to protect our city."
March 7: "Huh? Well, from what I heard in the Underworld, she's a total villain who abandoned them."
Bronya: "…"
Bronya: "It's my first time seeing the Underworld in person, and there's so much devastation…I have many questions too. Even so, I trust the Great Guardian's judgment."
March 7: "But we came to help with the Stellaron on Jarilo-VI! She can't be a good person."
Bronya: "Please don't insult the Great Guardian."
Bronya: "Also, I've never heard of Jarilo-VI or a Stellaron."
Because of 700 years of isolation, Belobog's technology and knowledge regressed, losing contact with the stars. People of Belobog barely knew what their planet was called.
March 7: "Your planet is Jarilo-VI. The eternal freeze is caused by the Stellaron—why don't you guys know that? Must be Cocolia hiding the truth."
Bronya: "Our home is called Jarilo-VI? The blizzard is Stellaron's doing? That doesn't make sense!"
They argued, each lacking crucial information. Others in the group wisely refrained from interrupting—since there's a saying: Without knowing all sides, don't judge.
But someone did know more.
Silver Wolf: "Hey, mind if I chime in?"
Shinobu Kocho: "The newcomer wants to butt in?"
Silver Wolf: "Mm-hmm. I just dug up some data on Jarilo-VI."
Exusiai: "Silver Wolf…sir? Ma'am?"
Silver Wolf: "I… I'm a girl."
Exusiai: "Okay, Ms. Silver Wolf, are you from the same world as March 7?"
Silver Wolf: "Not sure yet. All I know is I found info on Jarilo-VI, but I'm not sold on this multiple worlds story."
Tatsuki interjected.
Tatsuki: "Silver Wolf—Stellaron Hunter, correct?"
Ainz: "Ooh! The big shot has spoken!"
March 7: "Stellaron Hunter? I think Himeko mentioned them—top fugitives from the IPC."
Emilia: "Tatsuki, you recognize the new arrivals?"
Silver Wolf: "Oh-ho? Interesting. Care to tell me how someone from another world knows of me?"
Tatsuki: "Don't ask, too complicated. Go on with your Jarilo-VI info."
Silver Wolf: "What a mystery you are… but sure, here's what I know: Jarilo-VI was indeed affected by a Stellaron. They lost contact with the stars a long time ago, so the planet is basically doomed. I suspect it won't be long before it's destroyed.
Anyway, I also see a note about the Astral Express traveling there, though I couldn't confirm its exact location. Possibly Elio predicted it."
Silver Wolf: "Jarilo-VI faced an invasion from the Antimatter Legion seven centuries ago. Some city-builder prayed to the Stellaron to stop them, and the Stellaron responded by creating the eternal freeze to trap the legion. But Stellaron basically brings disasters—this blizzard can't be halted, and the Fragmentum will keep spreading until the planet collapses. Because of that, the IPC withdrew from Jarilo-VI. Logically, their highest ruler—Cocolia—should know all this."
Bronya: "But…Mother never told me any of that…"
March 7: "See? I told you, that Great Guardian is super suspicious!"
Tatsuki: "Could it be that Cocolia herself fell under the Stellaron's influence?"
Silver Wolf: "That's quite possible. Stellaron can seduce people. Maybe she already made a new pact with it."
Bronya: "…Mother…"
Bronya's resolve was shaken.
Silver Wolf: "By the way, Tatsuki, what's this Future Apocalypse (9-star) on my info screen?"
March 7: "I see the same for me—Future Apocalypse (9-star). So we are from the same world?"
Tatsuki: "Yes, it indicates your world has a potential 9-star apocalypse in the future."
Silver Wolf: "What's the max star rating?"
Tatsuki: "Known highest is my world's, 12 stars."
Silver Wolf: "Interesting. Could there be an entity stronger than an Aeon? Huh…
Anyway, Bronya said her screen shows Future Apocalypse (6-star)."
Reinhard: "Why would the same world have different apocalypse levels?"
March 7: "Yeah, how's that possible? Bronya's literally in the same city I am!"
Tatsuki frowned thoughtfully.
Tatsuki: "I have a guess."
Silver Wolf: "Let's hear it."
Tatsuki: "For Bronya, the apocalypse is limited to Jarilo-VI. For March 7 and Silver Wolf, the apocalypse is for the entire universe.
I think this is about the observer's perspective. Bronya's entire known world is just Jarilo-VI—she doesn't even realize it's called that. In her eyes, the planet is the only world, so her apocalypse is a 6-star planetary threat.
March 7 and Silver Wolf, on the other hand, travel among the stars—one on the Astral Express, one as a Stellaron Hunter. Their vantage is universal, so the apocalypse is measured for the entire cosmos."
Silver Wolf: "Heh, that's a logical theory."