Nero didn't know what Argenti was thinking.
He only saw that after saying those words, Argenti gripped his spear and leaped out.
There was a certain resolve in his voice.
Although he now knew that Nero's body had been forged from fragments of Pure Beauty, he clearly didn't believe Nero possessed power comparable to an Aeon.
Perhaps because he was the strongest person aboard the Astral Express, he chose to step forward at this moment.
After all, even if his body had been forged from fragments of Pure Beauty, Nero was still walking the same path as ordinary people.
Unaware of the truth, Argenti perhaps thought that when Nero said he would call other Aeons for help, he was simply comforting the others on the train.
But regardless, when facing this enormous insect whose stomach seemed capable of containing entire star systems, Nero, recognized as the current incarnation of Pure Beauty, was someone he, as a knight, had sworn to protect.
So Argenti acted.
However...
Just as Argenti leaped forward with a knight's resolve and tried to drive his spear into the giant bug's stomach wall, a force suddenly came from behind and pulled him back.
Argenti landed on his backside atop the Ever-Rare.
A whirlwind slowly faded beside Nero, leaving Argenti momentarily stunned.
"I've seen your devotion. Just stay over there and watch now," Nero said, patting him on the shoulder.
"You, and that Aemdo we met before too, Pure Beauty Knights are always training themselves and pushing forward through trials. But it's been a long time since any of you received news of Idrila, right?"
As he spoke, Nero lightly shook the True Sting Bug in his hand, testing its weight.
"Even though I'm not Her, it doesn't matter. Just treat me as her for now."
"The IPC follows Qlipoth. The Garden of Recollection exists beneath Fuli's gaze. Lan's arrows always guide the Xianzhou's direction. And the Family constantly plays the melody of Harmony."
"Knights who work so hard in pursuit of their faith should rest once in a while too. Enjoy what it's like to be looked after by what you believe in."
"Leave this to me. Don't think I'm that weak. Dealing with a big bug is pretty easy."
Hearing Nero's gentle voice by his ear, Argenti froze slightly. It was as though air had passed through the clay flute he picked up in the ruins as a child, playing a pleasant tune.
Then he saw Nero throw the True Sting Bug in his hand.
The bug, larger than the boy himself, shot into the crimson darkness like a beam cannon, flying farther into the darkness and landing in a dangerous but non-lethal area.
A moment later, the dim starry sky began to tremble. Massive rumbling sounds echoed around countless celestial bodies like a symphony. He heard an aggressive melody, along with the painful echoes of the giant bug!
Argenti knew the throw had succeeded.
At the far end of the distant crimson starry sky, within endless darkness, at the very edge of the long night, a True Sting Bug remained with only its head intact. Its incredibly sharp horn had deeply pierced into the pink flesh wall ahead, covered in tiny blood vessels.
Blood flowed out as the flesh wall continuously contracted, expanded, trembled, and spasmed.
The sealed crimson night seemed to welcome dawn at this moment. A huge opening appeared in the distance, bringing gentle darkness and light. That pitch-black color formed a sharp contrast against the crimson curtain.
"Let's go. We'll head out too. I want to see if I can get this big guy to come with me."
Nero patted Argenti and explained his plan.
As for exactly how to do it, he had no idea. He would simply try talking to this giant creature that swallowed stars the same way he had spoken with the Luofu and see if it could understand him.
———
After Argenti finished his declaration, the scene visible to the players changed.
It was all thanks to Secretary Tong's work. Still, although Argenti sounded very determined, Nero was here too, so there probably wasn't much to worry about.
At first, that was what the players thought.
Until...
The surrounding scenery stretched endlessly until it became crimson light. The Astral Express shook as it traveled through this blood-red tunnel, and everyone aboard struggled to keep their footing.
When a blue light illuminated the train, it finally burst free from the crimson land as if welcomed, emerging into a massive crack spanning the universe.
Things did not seem to be unfolding like the story Nero remembered playing.
This giant beast was far larger than what had been recorded in the database.
The train's crew saw only a blood-red starfield and vortex. They saw jagged fangs appear in the black universe.
The enormous crack looked like a tear among the stars, like an abyss stretching across the sea of stars, as if that huge mouth had already swallowed several galaxies.
Its body was hidden among the stars, making its appearance impossible to discern. It looked like a horrifying monster formed from the fusion of Propagation and Voracity.
———
"Holy shit... this thing is way too big! This isn't what Dan Heng's information said at all! Even Phantylia wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth!
"That planet floating over there that looks like Jupiter isn't even as big as the tip of one of its teeth!" Siberian Duck exclaimed.
[Dan-heart Eternal: The hell is this Propagation? This is supposed to be Propagation? Isn't this actually Voracity?]
[Wind-Boy Solo-Stan: Damn, I'm wondering the same thing. The train's been dragged out so far already. No idea, but so many stars have disappeared from view. That should be several light-years, right? Yet the size of that mouth barely seems to have changed!]
[Nero's Sword: Looking at that mouth, I feel like it's drinking the universe like preserved egg and lean meat porridge.]
[Pure Beauty Knight: Good lord! What exactly are Nero and Argenti messing with?]
[Glue Man: There's no fight, but based on the visuals alone, I honestly feel like even a thousand Phantylias together would only be scratching its itch. Is there really a True Sting Bug this ridiculous? I don't buy it.]
———
At the same time, Argenti and Nero, who had also emerged from the creature's mouth, fell silent.
They were much closer and found it even harder to see the creature's full appearance, but there was one thing Nero could confirm,
This definitely wasn't some giant True Sting Bug.
Setting aside whether it even looked like a bug, even with his fuzzy memory of the story, he was certain that this thing and the giant mouth he had seen while playing were absolutely not the same creature.
Good heavens, what exactly had they dragged over here?
Just then, an insect of a size that still looked enormous compared to two humans crawled out from between the teeth of the monster spanning the stars.
The moment he saw that giant insect, Nero slapped his hand.
"Right! Now this feels correct. That's the Giant True Sting Bug!"
Hearing Nero's words, Argenti looked at the giant insect emerging from the teeth and froze briefly.
"That one is the Giant True Sting Bug?"
The next second, the knight finally realized what that meant. Looking at the huge mouth before him and its owner, he asked:
"Then what is this thing?"
"No idea," Nero said.
"But the plan stays the same. I'll try talking to it first. If that doesn't work, we'll kill it. A giant thing like this sitting here... who knows how many planets and innocent lives it's going to eat."
"Oh, right. You go deal with that Giant True Sting Bug. A thing that big should have plenty of parts that can be turned into weapons or something.
"Good luck. We can't just let that thing run around causing trouble. And making full use of everything is beautiful too!"
Argenti looked at Nero and nodded seriously, feeling as though another invisible ray of light had shone upon him.
"I understand."