"You all continue your meeting. I'm just here to observe—I won't say anything!"
You already said something! Great… there's no way to even complain about it.
"May I ask what advice you have for us?" someone asked.
Duran leaned forward with both hands on the conference table, looking down at everyone present.
"If you don't court death, you won't die. I hope you remember that well."
With that, he teleported out of the meeting room.
Teleportation really was incredibly convenient. Soon after, Duran took out his camera and began taking commemorative photos with Teresa aboard the Minerva battleship.
"Hey kid, come here. Take a photo of me and my wife together," Duran called to a young trainee from the equipment team.
The boy wasn't nervous at all. He took the camera and started snapping pictures.
"Your camera… doesn't look any different from the ones on Earth," the boy said curiously.
"That's because it was made on Earth."
"..."
"Actually, besides being the frontline commander of the United Cosmic Civilization Alliance, I'm also the commander of the Ninth Fleet under the Space-Time Administration Bureau."
Hey, hey—your job title changed again, you jerk!
Even Teresa couldn't help but laugh quietly.
"Are there really aliens and people from other worlds?" the boy asked.
"Of course there are. Want to see one?"
The boy nodded immediately.
"This ship is too small. Once we arrive at Orb, I'll show you a real alien."
"How do you know we're going to Orb? Orb might be neutral, but we're ZAFT!" the boy said proudly.
Duran smiled.
"Not only do I know we're heading to Orb… I know many other things too."
"For example—the Freedom Gundam will be shot down by your friend Shinn Asuka."
"I also know that the woman Shinn loves will die."
"I know that your friend Rey, your captain Talia, and your chairman Gilbert will all die."
"And unless humans on Earth do something extraordinary… the destruction of Earth will be unavoidable."
The boy broke into a cold sweat.
Clearly, the future predictions had terrified him.
"I can see everything," Duran said coldly."So I have the right to judge."
Teresa grabbed Duran's arm, stopping him from continuing to scare the poor kid.
News of Duran's ability to predict the future quickly spread back to the meeting room.
Everyone fell silent.
"The legendary Gundam… really will be shot down by Shinn? That's impressive,"Lunamaria Hawke tried to lighten the mood.
But most of what Duran had said involved people dying.
"That's impossible! That's nonsense! Kira will never return to the battlefield!"Cagalli slammed the table and stood up.
She hated weapons and believed weapons should not exist at all.
No one else spoke.
Shinn looked extremely uneasy.The mention of his lover dying made his eyelids twitch.
Somehow, deep down, he believed Duran's words.
Rey remained silent, his face dark with thought.
"Regardless," the chairman finally said,"Our next destination is Orb. We must safely escort Lady Cagalli back to her homeland."
Cagalli instinctively didn't want Duran entering her country.
But when she was about to speak, Athrun stopped her.
He shook his head.
"Getting back safely is the most important thing right now."
Reluctantly, Cagalli agreed.
The Minerva began entering Earth's atmosphere.
In the lounge, Shinn, Rey, and Lunamaria sat in silence.
It was a heavy atmosphere.
Naturally… this was when Duran appeared again.
"Hey girl, get me a cup of coffee," he said to Lunamaria.
She clearly didn't want to, but after Rey gave her a look, she reluctantly went.
"So, Mr. Duran," Rey asked first,"What are your plans once we reach Earth?"
"No plans. I like traveling and photography."
"Oh right—let me show you some photos I took before."
Duran took out a Capsule.
"360-degree holographic projector!" he announced dramatically, like Doraemon.
A projector appeared, displaying images in every direction.
The sudden appearance of the capsule shocked the three pilots.
"WHAT?!"
The images showed landscapes…but also mission photos.
There were photos from the Dragon Ball world, and photos from the Claymore world.
Rey pointed at one picture.
"The blonde women… what are they killing?"
"Yoma," Duran replied ominously."Monsters that eat human organs."
The three pilots gulped nervously.
"Those monsters really exist?" Shinn asked skeptically.
"Let me open your eyes."
"Girl, go call my wife. Tell her to bring her sword."
Lunamaria pouted and left.
"Clear some space," Duran said.
Shinn and Rey stepped back.
"This spot will do."
Duran threw another capsule.
BOOM
A cryogenic container appeared.
Duran kicked it open.
"Wake up."
Inside, Riful of the West slowly opened her eyes and sat up.
"Dauf… go find me some organs. I'm starving."
Everyone froze.
She looked like a little girl—but her presence was terrifying.
"My husband Dauf is still asleep," Duran said.
"No organs. Only Senzu Beans."
He tossed her one.
Riful examined the tiny bean and reluctantly ate it.
"Hmm… I'm full now. Interesting."
She stood up and looked around.
"You woke me up to fight?"
"Isn't your wife the Smiling Teresa? Why would you need me?"
"No fighting today," Duran replied."I just wanted to introduce you to some people."
"This is Riful of the West, one of the Abyssal Ones."
"Her hobby is eating organs—preferably human ones."
Riful frowned.
"I am an Abyssal One, but I was human hundreds of years ago!"
"And my hobby isn't eating organs—it's finding companions."
"By forcing Claymores to awaken?" Teresa said coldly.
Riful chose not to argue.
"Where am I? My body feels light."
"You're in space. Zero gravity."
"I see… Well, I'm not hungry now, so I'll go find something fun to do."
"Don't push your luck," Duran warned.
"You can walk around the ship—but if I catch you using Yoki, you're dead."
"Yeah, yeah."
Riful waved her hand and left.
Rey's eyes shone.
"Cryogenic life-preservation technology… I didn't expect it to be so advanced."
"Just a small trick," Duran said casually.
"I'm starting to believe you really are an alien," Rey said.
Duran smiled.
"You're a clone who doesn't even qualify as human."
"Why would I care about your approval?"
Duran had become extremely sharp-tongued.
Rey's face turned pale.
Everyone else looked shocked.
Cloning was a taboo topic in this world.
"Hey… you're joking, right?" Shinn immediately spoke up.
"I said before—I know many things."
"I can see everyone's past and future."
"For example—you, Shinn Asuka."
"Your family died in the last Orb defense battle, didn't they?"
"You hate Orb for bringing war to your home."
"But you also admire Orb's ideals."
"That's why you chase power."
"But in truth, you're just drowning in your past grief."
"You're still carrying your sister's phone, aren't you?"
"I told you—I can see everything."
"There's no need to doubt it."
"Just like when I say that Earth civilization is nothing more than a parasite in the universe."
Duran kept talking endlessly.
And strangely enough—
He seemed to be enjoying crushing people psychologically.
Duran was becoming more and more twisted.
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