Chapter 1247

"Toot! Toot!"

"Good~ uh, speaking of which, what is Danbao looking for here again?"

"I am recording as best I can all myths and related research about the Titans. Once we return to the Astral Express, everything about Wufangluo will become a precious entry in the knowledge bank."

"Fengjin suddenly realized: 'Ah… right. If everything goes smoothly, after this battle, Danbao and Huibao will be able to go home, right?'"

"Hmm, the premise is that we truly can break the curse of 'the Realm Beyond the Heavens'… although I have a feeling this won't be so smooth."

"Hey, could it be that Danbao now also possesses some kind of hidden prophetic power?"

"Dan Heng shook his head and said: 'No, that's not it. Just my earlier conversation with a Senate senator made me doubt the reality of all this.'"

——

Absolute Zone Zero

"Laigushi..."

"Zhu Yuan clasped her hands, her expression grave; just thinking about that unknown-origin automaton, a shadow seemed to fall over her face."

"I also agree with Dan Heng's view; I fear that conquering Eagley won't let them return to the train. If the sky's curse truly takes effect, then Eagley should first attack Laigushi. His coming and going unharmed at the entrance to Wufangluo and Aohema already says a lot……"

"Seth furrowed his brows: 'So, the only way back is to listen to that Laigushi? There's no other way out?'"

"Qingyi picked up the teacup before her and gave it a gentle blow: 'Still unknown. However, Zhu Yuan and Seth, you needn't worry excessively—when the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will go straight. The Astral Express crew has always overcome every obstacle along the way. As the saying goes, 'Misfortune may be what fortune leans upon; fortune may be what misfortune rests upon.' Perhaps behind this Wufangluo crisis lies some turning point beneficial to the galaxy…'"

"A turning point? Senior, could you be saying…?"

"Good. If the Astral Express learned that Wufangluo imprisons an Extinction Monarch powerful enough to threaten the galaxy, how do you think they would choose?"

"Of course it's to fight the Extinction Monarch head‑on!" Seth clenched his fists.

"Yeah, the Extinction Monarch is a scourge of the universe, and this opportunity is rarer still. Although Laigushi's stance is unclear, since it has been the one guarding and imprisoning that Extinction Monarch, perhaps we could reach an agreement on eliminating the Extinction Monarch."

"Qingyi slowly opened her eyes, a glint of sharpness flashing in her pupils."

"Laigushi is an Envoy‑level powerhouse, while the Black Tower is directly an Envoy. With two strong helpers, plus summoning the Flying Vanguard General of Yaoqing Xianzhou… that makes three Envoys, three against one—the Extinction Monarch has no chance of winning."

"But… senior," Zhu Yuan's face showed a hint of worry, "what if… the Extinction Monarch actually could prevail?"

"Heh… Zhu Yuan, if the Extinction Monarch were truly so formidable that even three Envoys could do nothing against it, then how could it have been captured, bound in shackles, and imprisoned in Wufangluo in the first place?"

——

"Toot… toot toot?"

"Fengjin scratched her head: 'Mm… I don't get it either, little Ika.'"

"\"Never mind, there are too many things I can't understand right now. \""

"\"Since we've happened to meet, would you like to come with me, Danbao? \""

"\"I feel the same. Shuting is now fraught with danger; one more person means one more layer of protection. \""

"Fengjin smiled faintly: 'No wonder you're called the Astral Express Guard—truly reliable. Shall we go?'"

"The two pressed forward through Shuting, walking and walking, when Fengjin suddenly felt the Rainbow Box vibrating, guessing that there must be an ancestor's memory nearby."

"Arriving at an open platform, Fengjin took out the prepared Rainbow Box—and sure enough, this little square box was emitting colorful light."

"Dan Heng looked at the little box floating in the air: 'This is…'"

"\"Yes, this is the sacred relic of the Skyfolk, the 'Rainbow Box.' According to ancestral teachings, when the descendants of the Sky Child prepare to challenge Eagley again… they must first use the Rainbow Box to awaken the ancestors' souls and receive their blessings. Only after completing this step can the chosen Sky Child return to the heavens. \""

"\"Is it to prevent unqualified people from needlessly losing their lives? \""

"Fengjin didn't deny it: 'That's a smart and cautious approach, right?'"

"\"Here sleeps an ancestor's soul… now I will awaken him. \" Fengjin clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and spoke devoutly: \"I am Yashintees of the Dim Light Courtyard, heir to the Fire Pursuit Journey of the Skyfolk. The time to fulfill my clan's destiny has come; I will return to the heavens alongside the heroes of the divine prophecy and retrieve the fire seed. Ancestors, please grant me your generous blessings…\""

"As Fengjin's words faded, a semi‑transparent figure appeared before her…… it seemed to be an old man with white hair."

——

Kamen Rider Builid

"Sen… I still can't understand."

"Ryuwo scratched his head, his face flashing with countless expressions—confusion, bewilderment… he clenched his molars, trying to understand what Sen had just said to him."

"Sen, you mean to say that a genius like Laigushi could never form a united front with the Extinction Monarch, right?"

"Exactly."

"But… why? Couldn't Laigushi be trying to use the Extinction Monarch to achieve some goal?"

"Sen put down the full bottle in his hand, turned the chair beneath him, and said somewhat helplessly: 'It's simple, just two words—"efficiency." Imagine what the Extinction Monarch seeks: indiscriminate destruction, or perhaps each Monarch has its own aesthetic of annihilation, but overall they still follow this path, leading all things toward "collapse.""

"So?"

"But in fact, if all they pursue is the result of 'making all things collapse,' geniuses tend to be more efficient. Know that the Imperial Wars of Rupert I and II sought to exterminate all organic life, and their impact even surpassed the 'Universal Locust Plague' calamity triggered by the stellar gods. If Laigushi wanted to use the Extinction Monarch for 'destruction,' it could just do it itself…… perhaps even more beings and objects would be destroyed."

"Ryuwo roughly understood his meaning, but still had doubts: 'Then why did it originally propose that Dan Heng and Xing give up helping the Fire Pursuit Journey and drive them away?'"

"Although substituting an automaton would seem somewhat absurd…… Sen paused, his eyes deepening: '…but if I were it, I might think that the addition of those two variables, Xing and Dan Heng, would loosen the Extinction Monarch's shackles…… the Fire Pursuit Journey is quite possibly related to the Extinction Monarch.'"