The water March 7th splashed never even reached Welt Yang.
Before a single droplet could touch him, it suddenly dropped straight to the ground, scattering harmlessly at his feet without so much as wetting his pant legs.
After so many years, Welt's control over gravity had become frighteningly precise.
He could even:
Create a microscopic black hole in his throat.Swallow Himeko's devastating coffee whole.Do it without damaging himself at all.
Compared to that, redirecting a few droplets of water was effortless.
March 7th had no such protection.
Ah! That scared me!
She wiped her face, instantly freezing the water into tiny ice shards before flicking them away. Then she twisted around to look behind them.
Dan Heng! Who's that guy chasing us?!
Is he your enemy?
Dan Heng kept both hands on the controls.
That's a madman.
A madman who can't be killed.
We can't let him get close.
He's extremely dangerous.
Welt turned and narrowed his eyes.
His cane slid into his hand, and his grip tightened.
If I'm not mistaken... that's one of the Stellaron Hunters.
A high-level criminal wanted by the Interastral Peace Corporation.
Whether Blade was a criminal meant little.
What mattered was that he was chasing Dan Heng.
And the Astral Express crew were family.
Dan Heng suddenly began slamming buttons across the control panel.
Ironically, they were the exact same random-looking buttons he had just lectured March not to touch.
March stared at him.
Dan Heng, you—
She stopped herself.
...You know what? Fine.
Dan Heng answered quickly.
I studied Tekuan's racing spheres earlier.
The controls look chaotic, but there's a pattern.
The machine transformed instantly.
Wheels blasted free from the chassis.Rear thrusters ignited with a burst of plasma.A repulsion field wrapped around the vehicle.
The field protected the body of the racer while forming a vacuum shell to cut drag.
The machine broke the sound barrier in an instant.
Then it accelerated even harder.
It had clearly been designed with no concern for ordinary human survival.
Fortunately, no one inside it was ordinary.
Behind them, Blade's racer lifted into the air as well.
Missiles screamed past.
Lasers carved through the sky.
Dan Heng twisted through impossible angles, dodging strike after strike. Some of the maneuvers were so extreme that even he had no idea how he had managed them.
He fired back with the racer's mounted weapons.
It changed nothing.
Blade's vehicle had been modified into something absurd.
Dan Heng spent nearly all his effort avoiding fire.
March was thrown left and right in her seat.
Dan Heng!
Can we just get out and fight him?!
I'd rather fight than keep doing this!
She looked seconds away from being sick.
In frustration, she stood and loosed an ice arrow into the sky.
It burst overhead, showering the battlefield with countless Pom-Pom-shaped sculptures made of Six-Phased Ice.
Even in combat, she still shaped everything beautifully.
Because strength was temporary.
Style was forever.
Dan Heng shook his head.
You don't understand.
He isn't overwhelmingly strong.
I've killed him multiple times.
But he always comes back.
He's an immortal madman.
So fighting is pointless.
We only need to lose him.
Welt's gaze deepened.
Immortality...
Dan Heng had never spoken much about his past.
But some things were obvious.
Except for March, who remained blissfully unaware, both Welt and Himeko had long suspected Dan Heng's connection to the Xianzhou.
And now an immortal enemy had come chasing him.
That suggested only one thing.
A Mara-struck Xianzhou native.
If escaping is the goal, Welt said calmly, that's easy.
But he'll continue chasing you in the future.
If what you say is true... immortality itself isn't frightening.
He paused, then softened his tone.
This may concern your past, so I won't pry.
The decision is yours.
Then he added:
Dan Heng, you've always been calm and dependable.
But remember something.
You're not alone.
You have the Astral Express.
Himeko smiled faintly.
If there's something you can't solve by yourself...
You can rely on your seniors.
Dan Heng understood exactly what they meant.
Immortality was not invincible.
With the crew's help, Blade could likely be dealt with permanently.
But after a long silence, Dan Heng still shook his head.
He didn't want his past dragging danger onto the crew.
Behind them, Blade's racer suddenly surged forward.
Metal plates tore loose mid-flight.
Panels burst open.
The entire machine began falling apart while accelerating straight at them.
Blade stood at the center of the wreckage, eyes wild with madness.
Combined with all the dangerous modifications bolted onto the frame, it had become nothing less than a flying suicide bomb.
Welt adjusted his glasses.
If that is your decision, I respect it.
But if all you want is to escape...
I can help.
He raised one hand.
Star of Eden — Gravity Wave.
A crushing force descended on Blade alone.
The racer and its pilot were hammered straight into the earth.
Now watch me!
March immediately fired multiple arrows.
Walls of Six-Phased Ice rose around the crater, sealing Blade inside.
Then—
BOOM.
The explosion thundered inside the frozen prison, unable to escape.
Perfect teamwork!
March threw up her hand for a high five.
Welt blinked once.
Uncle Yang! Play along!
He chuckled and returned it.
As the ice mist slowly dispersed, the crater revealed only one thing.
A puddle of Blade.
Watching the scene, Dan Heng felt something inside him loosen.
He now had:
A new life.New companions.
There was no need to keep living inside the shadows of the past.
Or worrying endlessly about strange people like Blade.
Much later, Kafka arrived holding an umbrella.
The puddle on the ground slowly began to reform.
Blade's voice emerged first.
Kafka.
This chase was not a narrow miss.
And it was not because of poor driving.
Kafka shrugged.
Sorry, A-Ren.
I'm not sure either.
But Elio's script definitely said that.
Blade closed his eyes.
As though savoring the memory.
Then he said quietly:
At least...
I got to experience death once more.