Chapter 424

——That indescribable power severed the 【Preservation】, the surrounding spacetime instantly fell into stagnation, and her thoughts were twisted into a knot in that instant. Her senses failed; only gravity tore at her brain as she plunged into endless darkness…

…until a cluster of firelight embraced her.

She opened her eyes, and Sam's cold mechanical voice came from beside her: "…You're awake."

Sam gazed at the hazy, flowing memory-space before him and calmly said, "I've been waiting for you here for a long time."

"Is it… you? What did you do?"

"I haven't done anything; I've just been waiting for you to wake up. You've already seen me, Star Core Hunter Sam. I wanted to appear before you sooner and tell you some facts, but the interference I've received exceeded expectations. Eleven times I tried and failed, and without realizing it, my connection to this world has become too tight to escape the 【Script】's constraints."

"…Aelio is right; in this land of dreams, we will both gain unforgettable rewards."

"I'm not as good at reading people as he and Kafka are, nor do I have the special talent of Silver Wolf and Blade. Most of what I excel at applies only to merciless villains."

"So——the only means I can use is one: to show you…"

Scorching flames instantly wrapped around Sam's whole body; the heavy armor plating gradually dissipated, the airflow lifted Star's clothes, and in the incoming heat wave, Star's pupils trembled violently—

At the heart of the flames, a slender figure slowly descended.

Liuying gripped her transformer tightly; the entropy‑loss cracks on her cheeks were fading, she turned around, and spoke with a gentle yet firm tone.

"…My everything."

—

One‑Punch Man.

"She… she… how is that possible? That Sam—he isn't a man, is he?"

Genos could hardly react; he stared fixedly at the girl who had descended lightly from the flames—Liuying's slender figure overlapped with the memory of Sam's awe‑inspiring, lethal armor, the stark contrast making his pupils quake.

"How can she master so many combat techniques? Where did she learn them? And why does she have an armor with such exaggerated power, its firepower even greater than mine… and Drive Knight's? Who built it for her?"

A flood of questions burst out at once, but what frustrated him more was that a youthful girl was so skilled in combat, even earning the teacher's approval, while he…

"Teacher, what do you think of this?" After feeling down for about a minute, Genos finally pulled himself out of his slump; getting stronger was urgent, and he had to cherish every second.

"Me……?"

Qiyu scratched his head, then suddenly brightened: "I want to hear her recite her lines from inside the armor in her current voice! Like that… uh, hem hem…" He cleared his throat: "'I will… ignite the seas,' 'Agreement passed, execute scorched‑earth operation,' 'Just leave, no one will be hurt, otherwise you'll all die'… That should be fun, right?"

KING, who had put down his controller nearby, nodded repeatedly: "Exactly, exactly! And it has to be said in front of Star! You must adopt that very solemn tone! Armored girl… my galgames probably have similar bridges—

As KING was chattering on, he suddenly noticed Genos beside him, hurriedly cleared his throat, and affected a solemn tone: "Basically I want to hear her say these lines to gauge her fighting spirit."

"So the teacher's idea is like this? There's even this deeper meaning…" Genos nodded as if suddenly enlightened, "…Then I'd like to hear it too."

—

Gintama.

"Liu‑liu‑liu‑liu‑liu‑Liuying‑chan——?!!"

Gintoki's dead‑fish eyes suddenly went wide, and with a "boing" he sprang up from the sofa, almost hitting the ceiling.

"To find out, at the final showdown, that the shy girlfriend who confessed to me was sitting inside the Star Core Hunter's super‑armor… that plot twist is totally cheating!"

"Only after being confessed to by Pinokangni's first beauty did I learn she was actually the pilot of the Star Core Hunter's secret ultimate humanoid weapon!"

"I just wanted to be a regular pioneer, yet I accidentally discovered that the operator of the strongest humanoid armor is my rumored girlfriend who's been secretly crushing on me?!"

…

In an instant, countless light‑novel titles popped up in Gintoki's mind like firecrackers.

— This kind of dreamy development that only happens in light novels and anime is something he really, really needs!!

"Damn it! Can't I also get to be the protagonist for a day? To romance a beautiful girl while piloting her mech… I'm so jealous! Unfair!!"

Gintoki, overcome with grief, slammed his fist on the table, tears of jealousy streaming down.

"You're already the protagonist and you still want to chase romance?" Shinpachi pushed his glasses up beside him, the lenses reflecting a blinding light: "All I need is to get Liuying's transformer; women only slow down my speed to ignite the seas."

"Bastard! The soul of a mech is the beautiful girl—just like Unit Zero without Rei Ayanami is incomplete! You, Shinpachi, don't understand the romance of mechs at all!"

"Hey, you two, that's enough."

Kagura beside them couldn't help but pick her nose, "How about we take a nap, Alu? Maybe the mech and the beautiful girl will appear in our dreams."

—

Sword Art Online.

"Liuying? She really isn't dead…… but why is it her?"

Asuna was instantly dumbfounded; although after hearing Shajin's words she had vaguely guessed that Liuying might have survived, the fact that Star Core Hunter Sam was… whatever to Liuying… still dealt her a considerable shock.

But upon reflection, many earlier suspicious points now made sense.

When they first met Sangbo, why did Liuying have such keen observation, unlike other girls, and why did she wander about in the primal dream? Asuna couldn't see it then, but now the identity of her companion is easy to guess…… probably Silver Wolf.

"Asuna, do you still remember Liuying mentioning the 'medical pod'?" Kirito also looked suddenly enlightened, "I didn't expect this armor to be her medical pod…… Surely only by staying long‑term inside that mech can her entropy loss be kept under control, right?"

Saying that, he couldn't help but laugh: "Medical pod… mech…… just what kind of pervert could combine these two?"

—

"On another note, inside the Oak family's manor."

"Galad strolled leisurely across the red carpet in the hall, taking in the luxurious décor nearby, and chuckled, 'Labyrinth‑like corridors and rooms, traps everywhere… the owner of this manor is a bit paranoid.'"

"Passing the miniature buildings on the sand table, Galad fixed his gaze on Xingqiri, who stood with his back turned not far away."

"Xingqiri slowly turned his head: 'You're quite humorous, Officer. I hope this humor has already helped you find the culprit of the serial murder case.'"