"You know… if you just chased after Argenti properly, none of this would've happened."
"Instead, you just had to attack the train."
"I, Evan—mechanic of the Astral Express—have something to say about that."
With a flick of his hand, Evan constructed a wrench using mimicry.
Step by step, he walked toward the IPC employee.
"Let me tell you something."
"Fixing trains is a real pain."
Buzz—buzz—
Evan's aura wrapped around the man completely.
"Who would've thought…"
"That a Dominator-class insect would hide on a human host."
"You IPC folks sure have guts."
"You were already infested by a bug and didn't even notice."
"But now…"
"You'll join your little swarm as their funeral offering."
The pressure surrounding Evan intensified.
Argenti widened his eyes.
"What a magnificent radiance!"
"Mr. Evan, I never expected you to possess both the beauty of wisdom and the beauty of memory!"
"Praise Idrila!"
"The Goddess of Beauty is peerless!"
Meanwhile, the IPC employee—Villet—was trembling violently.
He had no idea what was happening.
The Nameless from the train was walking toward him.
Radiating unmistakable killing intent.
Especially that wrench.
If it landed—
He would die.
But there was nowhere to run.
This was the Astral Express.
Even if he tried to dodge—
Evan moved faster.
The wrench came down.
CLANG!
It smashed into his armor.
Villet's consciousness blurred instantly.
In his mind—
Images flashed rapidly.
Returning to the IPC headquarters…
Receiving recognition from the higher-ups…
Even becoming the eighth member of the Seven-Person Board…
His entire life flashed before his eyes.
Then—
He heard Evan's voice beside his ear.
"Clack clack."
"Why are you staring at me?"
"You didn't even notice when this thing crawled into your armor?"
"Your awareness is terrible."
Evan pulled something out of the armor.
A tiny insect.
It was unbelievably small.
Yet one could clearly feel a strange energy emanating from it.
That energy was influencing the swarm outside.
The moment Evan removed the insect—
The bugs Argenti was fighting suddenly began shaking violently.
They rammed into Argenti's domain again and again.
Trying to eliminate and assimilate everything in sight.
"What is that thing?"
"So small!"
March 7th and Stelle leaned closer.
A strong pheromone filled the air.
"That's their boss," Evan said.
"The leader of the swarm."
"The Swarm is weird. The smallest one can be the boss."
"That makes no sense…"
March scratched her head.
"A tiny bug is the boss?"
"Then what about the giant one that swallowed our train?"
"A minion."
"The weakest kind. Even you could defeat it."
"What?! I'm not that weak!"
March puffed her cheeks angrily.
Stelle leaned closer and whispered like a devil on her shoulder.
"If I actually fought it… I could probably defeat it too."
Instant retaliation.
March grabbed Stelle and started tickling her mercilessly.
Meanwhile—
Argenti had already finished dealing with the swarm.
Dozens of insects lay defeated.
Truthfully—
If anyone else had encountered that many bugs, it would've been disastrous.
But Argenti alone handled them all.
On Jarilo-VI, even the Antimatter Legion forced Bronya and Seele to activate the Stellaron and hide for 700 years.
If the Swarm had appeared instead—
The planet probably wouldn't exist anymore.
Because the Swarm left nothing alive.
That was why the name Tayzzyronth once terrified the entire universe.
"What a beautiful battle."
Argenti brushed dust off his armor.
"I never imagined the Dominator bug was hiding inside this gentleman's armor."
"If not for Mr. Evan's sharp insight…"
"This could have been an even grander battle."
The danger had passed.
The train was safe.
Argenti's homeland had once been ravaged by endless war.
His earliest childhood memories were filled with blood and smoke.
One day, while hiding from the fighting, he lifted a loose stone tile.
Beneath it—
He found a small clay flute.
He tried to play it.
The sound was… terrible.
But despite that—
The flute became a symbol of beauty in his heart.
After leaving his homeland, he trained under an elderly mentor.
The old man told stories of ancient times.
Of wandering bards who claimed they had witnessed pure beauty itself.
One story described a world frozen in agate—
So breathtaking that everyone who saw it wept.
According to legend—
After her fall,
Idrila would be reborn after thirteen Amber Eras.
Returning somewhere in the universe in the thirteenth month.
Argenti's mentor repeated the teachings of Beauty every day.
Not with poetry—
But with battle.
That was the spirit of a knight.
The scars on Argenti's spear were proof of his devotion.
Every mark—
A testament to his journey.
"So… you're leaving?" March asked.
The train was still inside the giant bug's stomach.
Yet Argenti had already decided to depart.
After all—
The creature was just oversized.
In truth, it wasn't that strong.
Just as Evan said—
Even March could defeat it with enough effort.
"Yes," Argenti replied calmly.
"I will escort this gentleman to safety."
"Then I will continue searching for traces of Beauty."
He wiped his spear clean.
Evan walked to the carriage door.
Then he said quietly,
"I truly believe the Goddess Idrila's beauty is unparalleled."
Argenti blinked in surprise.
Most people ignored him when he spoke about Idrila.
After all—
The Aeon of Beauty had disappeared long ago.
And the legend of rebirth after thirteen Amber Eras was only a myth among the Knights of Beauty.
Evan wasn't even a follower of Beauty.
He had blessings from Nous and Fuli.
So why would he say such a thing?
Evan thought for a moment.
"I once heard a story."
"There were about thirteen people."
"In that story, there was a girl—"
"Like an elf."
"She was pure."
"A child of the stars and the moon."
"She walked beside humanity."
"And in the end…"
"She chose to sacrifice herself."
"For the future."
"She turned the impossible into reality."
"She carried everything on her shoulders."
"Wouldn't someone like that also be… pure beauty?"
"What do you think, Argenti?"
Argenti listened quietly.
"What was her name?"
"Elysia."
"Elysia…"
"What a beautiful name."
"Perhaps in her world…"
"She was their Goddess of Beauty."
Argenti nodded solemnly.
"Very well, my friend."
"I will depart now."
"Do not worry."
"I shall proclaim loudly—"
"The Goddess Idrila's beauty is unmatched."
"I will ensure the train escapes safely."
"And await the day we meet again."
"If you witness that moment…"
"You will understand my ideal."
"In the crimson night of the universe—"
"My devotion will burn brighter than any star."
With that—
Argenti grabbed the IPC employee and jumped off the train.
The Astral Express accelerated again.
It charged forward at full speed.
"Will he be okay?" March asked worriedly.
"Don't worry," Evan said calmly.
"He's simply walking his Path."
"Huh?"
Moments later—
The golden light of Trailblaze enveloped the train.
The Astral Express shattered the subspace wall.
A giant bug was nothing compared to that.
The train burst out of the creature's mouth.
At that exact moment—
A magnificent explosion lit up the starry sky.
Far in the distance—
Argenti's crimson figure could be seen.
His spear pierced straight through the monster.
The explosion blossomed like cosmic fireworks.
Whether it was the bug's corpse—
Or Argenti's farewell gift—
No one could tell.
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