Yun Fan: "..."
Everyone: "!!!"
Asta, Himeko, Stelle, and the others were all stunned by Herta's words. The former was shocked because she understood the weight of being an Emanator, while Stelle, seeing everyone else's astonished expressions, felt it would be awkward to remain calm and thus put on an exaggerated look of surprise.
This scene didn't escape Yun Fan's notice, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Herta, who still needed his help to refine the "Simulated Universe," had just outright exposed him. This woman really...
As Yun Fan silently complained to himself, he failed to notice a pair of eyes secretly observing him.
Near the main control console, Asta was discreetly studying Yun Fan. She couldn't shake the feeling that he seemed familiar—almost like... the Aeon of Causality she had glimpsed when she first stepped onto the Path of Causality.
Moreover, his name was identical to that of the Aeon. Was this a coincidence, or was this self-proclaimed Emanator of Causality actually the Aeon himself?
"Ahem, apologies for our reaction. May I ask, Mr. Yun Fan, are you truly an Emanator of Causality?" Asta cleared her throat and inquired politely.
"Mhm." Yun Fan responded with nothing more than a simple sound. When Asta posed her question, their eyes met briefly, and he sensed that the young woman might have noticed something.
Thus, it was better to say less. Of course, Yun Fan could have used the authority of Causality to deduce Asta's thoughts.
For an Aeon, unless interfered with by an equal existence, they could effortlessly perceive everything in the universe—nothing could remain hidden. But if he were to do so, this journey would lose all its charm.
A life devoid of novelty, curiosity, adventure, and excitement—where everything was firmly under his control—was not what Yun Fan desired.
To prevent this journey from becoming dull, Yun Fan had sealed away a portion of his power, reducing his perception to that of an ordinary Pathstrider. Thus, regarding Asta's thoughts, all he could do was speculate.
"To be honest, Mr. Yun Fan, I am also a Pathstrider of the Path of Causality. When I first set foot on this path, I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of that great being. However, all I saw was a somewhat blurry silhouette. So, I'd like to ask you a question—what does the Aeon of Causality truly look like?"
Asta posed her question, and at her words, the others also turned curious eyes toward Yun Fan. The appearance of an Aeon was indeed something worth wondering about.
Yun Fan raised an eyebrow. This question... Could this girl have figured out his identity?
Boom! Boom! ...
Just as Yun Fan was pondering, the space station suddenly trembled violently. Caught off guard, March 7th lost her balance and fell hard onto the floor.
"Ouch! What's going on?"
Rubbing her sore backside, March 7th wobbled as she stood up. Sigh... That had hurt more than she expected.
"It's the Doomsday Beast! It's attacking the energy barrier of Herta Space Station!" Asta explained calmly, watching the footage transmitted by the monitors.
"The Doomsday Beast?" Stelle was utterly confused. Ever since earlier, everyone had been talking about things she couldn't understand. What was an Emanator? And what was this Doomsday Beast?
"There's no time to explain now. Our priority is dealing with the Doomsday Beast's assault. Lady Herta... Huh? Where did Lady Herta go?!" Asta's composure faltered slightly when she realized Herta had suddenly vanished.
"Wait... Yun Fan's gone too..."
The Doomsday Beast was the Anti-Matter Legion's planet-destroying weapon. The reason she had remained so calm earlier was precisely because Herta and Yun Fan—both Emanator-level powerhouses—were present.
But now, these two formidable figures had disappeared without a trace. While this didn't mean the space station was defenseless, defeating the Doomsday Beast would likely come at a devastating cost.
"Ms. Himeko, please take your group and evacuate on the Express first. Leave the Doomsday Beast to us."
————————
"What are you up to now?" Outside the space station, Herta shook off Yun Fan's hand with visible disdain. Just as she had been about to deal with the Doomsday Beast, this guy had suddenly grabbed her and teleported them both into space outside the station.
"Nothing much. I just wanted to see how far the crew of the Astral Express can go. You sensed it too, didn't you? The power of the Stellaron within that girl, Stelle."
"Indeed, there are Stellaron energy fluctuations within her. It's likely the dormant Stellaron I had contained."
"How ironic. We built an entire space station to seal the Stellaron, while the Stellaron Hunters went back to basics and used a human as its vessel. Tch." Herta scoffed, her tone carrying a hint of something indescribable, though Yun Fan interpreted it as nothing more than bruised pride.
"Haha, let's sit back and watch. I'm curious to see just how far this Stellaron-bearing girl can go."
————————
"Lady Asta, the evacuation is complete," Arlan reported respectfully.
"Understood." Asta nodded, then turned to the Astral Express crew. "Everyone, thank you for your assistance."
"We... Well, Asta, take care." The kind-hearted Stelle wanted to say more, but Himeko gently patted her shoulder, signaling her to stop.
The group left the Master Control Zone and sprinted toward the platform where the Astral Express was docked.
Meanwhile, back in the Master Control Zone...
"ROAR!" The Doomsday Beast, which had been tearing through the energy barrier, suddenly let out a deafening roar, as if receiving a command, then turned and flew straight toward the Express platform.
"The Doomsday Beast is— Oh no!" Asta broke out in a cold sweat and immediately shouted into the communicator, "Be careful! The Doomsday Beast is heading your way!"