Spirit Whisper?
The thought flashed through Felicity's mind without her noticing.
In an instant, after the woman with burgundy hair had spoken, "Listen to me, stop," her movements slowed ever so slightly.
"Impressive," Felicity murmured, her voice tinged with awe.
She had always thought words were fascinating.
"Thanks."
Kafka bowed with elegance.
"But alas, all good things must come to an end. It's time for us to part ways."
"Finally finished," Silver Wolf stretched lazily. The Stellaron Hunter's reputation, said to rival the power of the Aeon's Emanator, was certainly earned. Even Kafka had acted. It seemed the curtain was about to fall on this scene.
"Yet I'm not ready to say goodbye," came a soft murmur in Silver Wolf's ear, making her jump. She instinctively sidestepped, only to crash into a tangle of vines sweeping across from the other side.
Kafka blinked, caught off guard, and her gaze snapped upward. She saw that Felicity had risen to her feet, her body surrounded by a glowing emerald light.
"Abundance resounds in all things; all things are fleeting."
"Speech rich, complete in Nirvana."
"Abundant sounds, all things devoid of self."
"Now... let's begin phase two."
The ground beneath her shattered like fragile glass, and dozens of vines encircled Felicity. With a soft tap of her index finger to her lips, she tilted her head, smiling sweetly.
"This level of Abundance... Could this guy suddenly vanish?"
Struggling against the vines, Silver Wolf muttered in stunned disbelief.
"Darling, this doesn't seem right."
Kafka narrowed her eyes. Her hands rose again, summoning two small submachine guns, which she aimed with no hesitation. Her fingers squeezed the triggers.
The air was filled with the roar of gunfire.
Felicity raised her hands, and in an instant, the vines coalesced into a spherical shield that enveloped her.
As the last bullet reverberated through the air, Felicity waved her hand, dispersing the vines. But just as the barrier opened, a grenade slipped inside, landing at her feet.
Clang—
The grenade rolled to a halt right before her.
"Oh?"
Felicity made no move to dodge or defend. It wasn't that she was unconcerned by the grenade, but her speed left no room to evade in time.
Instead, she decided to embrace the moment.
Boom—
'Life is but a fleeting moment.'
Emerald light flared once again, mending the damage in the blink of an eye. The vines dissipated, but Kafka and Silver Wolf were nowhere to be found.
"They've escaped."
Felicity sighed softly. After all, this was her first real battle, and to have fought to this extent was an achievement in itself.
That said, she couldn't help but feel proud. She had managed to hold her ground against two formidable opponents—though, admittedly, they hadn't been entirely serious.
Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She waved her hand, dispersing the summoned vines. If anyone asked, she'd claim it was those two who caused the damage. She wasn't about to foot the bill for the space station's repairs.
And what was with that gray-haired girl?
Having spent quite some time aboard Herta's space station, Felicity had come to know its staff well. Yet, this gray-haired girl was a mystery to her.
Logically, someone with such striking beauty should have been memorable.
Felicity tapped her chin, lost in thought, when she heard voices drifting from outside the room.
"Dan Heng, do you think someone else might still be here?"
"Possibly. No signal from the space station there."
"Well, when things go wrong, they go wrong. Let's check it out."
"..."
Just as the door opened, a pink head peeked inside, her bright pink-blue eyes widening upon seeing Felicity.
"Told you! Someone's still here~!"
She rushed in, speaking to the man behind her.
"..."
The black-haired man, Dan Heng, stepped in as well. His eyes narrowed as he took in Felicity, who was tending to the gray-haired girl. His posture stiffened, a frown tugging at his features.
"An evil creature of Abundance…"
"Dan Heng, what are you talking about?"
March 7th glanced at him with a puzzled expression, not understanding his words about "Evil creature of Abundance."
"Forget it."
Dan Heng sighed and scanned the room. His gaze lingered on the gray-haired girl, then returned to Felicity. After a pause, he spoke cautiously:
"Are you... the Emanator of the Path of Abundance, Felicity?"
"Do you know me?"
Felicity raised an eyebrow in surprise.
She recognized them. They were passengers aboard the Astral Express, regulars at the Herta Space Station. She'd met them by chance once, though it hadn't seemed particularly noteworthy at the time.
But it was clear they hadn't recognized her.
Given that even Herta's sanctuary had been attacked, Felicity's caution grew.
"Don't misunderstand," Dan Heng said, raising a hand in reassurance. "We're from the Astral Express. I'm Dan Heng, and this is March 7th. We're here on a rescue mission from Stationmaster Asta. This space station was attacked by the Antimatter Legion."
Dan Heng subtly positioned himself between March 7th and Felicity, his demeanor one of quiet vigilance.
"Dan Heng, you're really going to scare her like that!" March 7th pouted, stepping out from behind him with a playful smile.
"Sorry, sorry, he's not great at expressing himself. No harm meant."
"..."
Dan Heng remained silent.
"It's fine."
Felicity blinked, her guard lowering. She didn't sense any malice from the pink-haired girl. As for Dan Heng's wariness...
She couldn't quite understand it, so she decided not to dwell on it.
"By the way, you mentioned the Antimatter Legion attacking the space station. Could you tell me more about what happened?"
"Huh?"
March 7th tilted her head, her large eyes blinking in confusion as she answered:
"They were Nanook's thugs. They blew a hole in the space station and broke in."
"...Hm?"
Felicity's brow furrowed in confusion.
"...What?"
March 7th blinked again, just as bewildered.
--+--