"Indeed, they know of our existence—perhaps even understand the extent of our powers clearly."
"That man named Sampo—was his purpose to intimidate? Could he be trying to flaunt his power, demonstrating his ability to pierce through the Celestial Screen and reach our world?"
"...He must have some unknown trump card up his sleeve, no? Ah... this is truly troublesome..."
Ainz felt his nonexistent stomach begin to ache.
"Could he be intentionally displaying his power to force our submission?" Ainz's bony index finger tapped heavily on the desk. "...That possibility exists. In other words, everything that happened in Belobog was orchestrated by Sampo behind the scenes."
Whether it was Stelle and Bronya being taken to the Underworld while unconscious, or their initial entry into Belobog... every move Stelle's group made perfectly aligned with Sampo's plan. Upon calm reflection, this likelihood was alarmingly high.
"Ah, this is truly unsettling—"
Ainz let out an extremely heavy sigh in his heart.
——
At that moment, steady footsteps echoed in the room, followed by a reserved knock.
"Lord Ainz, the intelligence has been gathered."
"Mm, well done, Sebas."
A white-haired butler entered the room, bowing deeply to Ainz with utmost reverence. Only after receiving permission from the Supreme One did he slowly raise his head, presenting a document.
"After that man named 'Sampo' spoke to us, as you predicted, many nations have fallen into panic."
"This is intelligence regarding the current rulers of those nations."
Ainz's staff lightly tapped the ground, the crisp sound signaling Sebas to continue.
The latter understood immediately and proceeded: "First, the Jarnathan Empire. Significant unrest has already erupted within the empire. Some humans have proclaimed the establishment of a 'Church of Elation,' attempting to form a faction internally."
"However, the church's power remains weak for now. Emperor Jircniv is on the verge of exterminating them completely."
"Oh?" Ainz showed slight interest.
"Additionally, Jircniv himself is collaborating with the Slane Theocracy and several other nations, seemingly attempting to organize a large-scale Aeon worship ceremony. Among them, the Slane Theocracy—which treats faith-based magic as one of its national pillars—conducted a ritual to attract the gaze of the Preservation Aeon, hoping to obtain transcendent power like Stelle's."
"And the result? Sebas."
Sebas took a deep breath and calmly shook his head: "They failed. They attributed it to insufficient piety—so they've gathered high-ranking officials from many nations to prepare for an even larger ceremony. This subordinate believes their actions, though foolish, are worth allowing as an experiment."
"...They didn't specifically send anyone to inform us of this matter." Ainz's tone carried a hint of regret.
——
[Stelle slept soundly and woke up to meet with Dan Heng and March 7th.]
[Today was the day of farewell. To avoid prolonging the sadness of parting, they didn't inform Bronya or Seele of their departure. After taking one last look at the snow-covered city, the three finally set off on their reluctant journey of goodbye.]
[Qliphoth Fort.]
["Priority? What do you mean? Are you saying the reconstruction of the Underworld's towns isn't important enough?" Seele crossed her arms impatiently.]
["No! Of course not!" Bronya hurriedly explained. "It's just that our currently available resources are limited, so we must reorganize our priorities."]
["Resources... priorities... Why do you keep throwing these terms at me now?"]
["Forget it, don't bother with this. Looks like I'll have to handle it myself—Ah—" Seele waved her hand dismissively and was about to leave when she suddenly glanced out the window and let out a surprised sound.]
[Against the blue sky, a spacecraft soared toward the horizon, its golden light resembling a meteor flying upward.]
["They'll... probably face many more hardships on their journey, won't they?" Seele's voice unexpectedly softened.]
["Yes... perhaps even more perilous than the future we face," Bronya said firmly. "But we will overcome our difficulties. Even if it means... arguments like these will continue endlessly."]
["...Heh, I'm pretty good at arguing, you know."]
——
"They're already starting to argue?" Yanfei pouted discontentedly. "I was looking forward to some sweet romance between them... Will arguing affect their relationship?"
"Hmph, don't underestimate Bronya and Seele. Their bond isn't something a couple of arguments can break," Keqing said with the air of someone who'd been through it all, a faint smile appearing on her face. "Arguing over official matters... I've lost count of how many times I've argued with Ningguang over such things."
As one of the Liyue Qixing, Keqing oversaw land governance, planning, and management, which often involved dealings with Ningguang regarding Mora. As the Tianquan of the Qixing, Ningguang was less like a leader and more like a shrewd merchant—dealing with someone like that required having eyes in the back of your head.
"So, Keqing, after all those arguments with Lady Ningguang, how many did you win?" Yanfei rested her adorable little head on a thick law book, her deer horns swaying playfully.
Before the words had fully left her mouth, Yanfei noticed Keqing's smile freeze.
"Well..." The young woman instinctively turned her head to hide her awkward expression. After a long pause, she shyly held up two fingers.
"Probably just... one or two times."
——
[Inside the Astral Express.]
[Himeko and Welt warmly welcomed the trio back. For their first trailblazing mission, everyone held high praise for Stelle. Though Himeko and Welt hadn't been on the battlefield, they had carefully observed the battles from the cosmic channel.]
[After a brief period of rest, the Express was ready to depart again.]
["Welcome back, passengers Stelle and March 7th—the trailblazing mission has been successfully completed! The Express crew thanks you for your contributions!" Pom-Pom's voice came through the train's intercom. "The Fragmentum's activity has dropped to its lowest levels, and all stellar track data has returned to normal parameters!"]
["The Express will soon depart, leaving Jarilo-VI behind. Please remain seated and hold on tight. Let's say goodbye to this planet one last time!"]
——
"Whew, finally finished the Belobog storyline."
Fera stretched and moved his stiff body. Suddenly, he noticed that Honkai: Star Rail's official account had uploaded several PVs on Bilibili—one about the Arbiter-Generals of the Hunt, and an animated short titled "Flying Light."
With nothing better to do while waiting for his food delivery, Fera clicked on the first PV.