After the battle, Paulo eventually made it back to the Cosmic Base, looking like he had been through a blender, bloody and totally wrecked but the key thing was he successfully hauled back the remains of Momoi and Tetsuya.
Riku saw Paulo's mess and instantly got it: to defeat that enemy, Paulo clearly had to unleash everything he had, going full throttle.
Riku hurried over, eyes wide as saucers, and stammered, "Whoa, you actually won? Tell me what happened out there!"
Paulo hung his head, looking super defeated, and admitted, "They merged forces, man. I had to empty the tank, but check it out, I got way more powerful! I hit a power level of 75 million from that fight."
Yuki, catching wind of this insane update, looked totally shocked. "They fused, and you didn't even need the tengu mask? How the heck did you manage to pull off the victory?" Paulo just stared back at her and explained, "Simple, I became a tengu hybrid."
Haruka immediately sneered, her voice dripping with nasty sarcasm, "Hold up, Tengu is a demonic tier higher than Oni! There's no way some random human could grab that kind of strength, no offense to you, Paulo."
Paulo just laughed a little bit, shaking his head. "I literally merged with what I fought, so my old tengu mask is gone for good."
Everyone just screamed when they heard that bombshell, but Paulo quickly told them to chill saying that he was totally exhausted and needed to use his revival spell on Momoi and Tetsuya before he totally crashed.
He then threw an arm over the siblings' bodies and chanted 'Arise,' and then Cosmic energy enveloped them, bringing Momoi and Tetsuya back from the dead.
***
The sheer exhaustion overwhelmed Paulo, forcing him into unconsciousness as he collapsed dramatically to the ground.
Yet, his ordeal was far from over; he snapped back into a vivid memory, finding himself once more in the presence of Antares and the Cosmic King, but now accompanied by a startling newcomer: the radiant girl known as Lucy Lightheart.
Antares immediately erupted in disbelief, cornering the Cosmic King with a fierce accusation, "Are you utterly devoid of sense, Cosmic Kind? Do you genuinely believe entrusting Paulo to Lucy for safekeeping is wise? She is the Monarch of Life, a force undeniably fraught with peril!"
Lucy, deeply offended by this slander, instantly bristled, her pout transforming into a furious glare.
"HEY! I am perfectly capable of safeguarding the young monarch! Antares, you speak of things you clearly do not comprehend!" she retorted, incensed by being branded dangerous.
Desperate for backup, Lucy then pleaded, "Ash, for goodness sake, back me up here." Antares's eyes widened in horror at the familiarity. "What in the blazes, how dare you utter the Cosmic King's true name! That identity must remain absolutely veiled!"
Ash, however, offered a casual reassurance with a slight chuckle, "It's genuinely fine, truly." Antares quickly pivoted to the most critical concern: "But the paramount issue we must address is the catastrophic fallout if Paulo perishes in the very realm we dispatched him to govern; the vampires will descend into utter madness!"
Lucy dismissed this with an eye-roll of supreme confidence. "He absolutely will not die; he possesses true immortality!"
Pressing further, Antares challenged, "Fine, but what if he manages to escape the confines of that planet?"
Lucy calmly provided the crucial contingency: if he attempts planetary departure, he will instantly trigger this memory sequence and awaken.
The very instant she finished explaining this failsafe, Paulo's eyes flew open, the ordeal finally broken.
After Momoi and Tetsuya helped Paulo recover from collapsing, Momoi asked sharply, "Do you faint often, Paulo?"
Before he could reply, Riku jumped in, saying, "Paulo doesn't just sleep, he passes out to see future disasters!"
***
Paulo's eyes flew open as he realized something urgent. "I need to return to Earth immediately. A new threat is rising!"
Yuki, deeply in love, asked, "What's the danger, my dear Paulo?" He replied with one chilling word: "Vampire."
Riku, confident in Paulo's strength, patted his shoulder and laughed, "You have got this! We will protect the base."
Paulo hesitated, "Are you sure?" Yuki nodded and declared, "The newly formed 'New Order' will keep things safe!"
Paulo looked confused. "New Order? Is that a new team?" Riku explained it includes every member of the Cosmic Army.
Tetsuya, excited to be free from the corrupt Ghostface Group, shouted, "Forget that who's the strongest in the New Order?"
Paulo stood tall and announced, "Everyone listen! I am revealing the official rankings of the Cosmic Army!"
He displayed the list, In first place is Paulo Satoshi. In second place is Tetsuya Saito. In third place is Momoi Saito. In fourth place is Riku Masusa. In fifth place is Maki Satō. In sixth place is Haruka Yurei. In seventh place is Yurei. In eighth place is Akikage Shirogane. In nineth place is Minako Kanamoto. In tenth place is Hiro Yamamoto."
But when Paulo saw Riku's last name, he suddenly got angry and punched the wall.
Riku asked what was wrong, and Paulo snapped, "Your last name! We will talk about this genuine issue later!"
Riku, wearing a puzzled expression, confused, "Very well. We shall move that discussion for a more appropriate time."
With the matter temporarily set aside, Paulo proceeded to the armoury within the cosmic facility, where he retrieved two daggers crafted from concentrated cosmic energy.
Yuki, concerned, posed a question to Paulo: "How do you plan to transport these weapons without drawing attention from Earth's native population?"
Paulo calmly explained, "I will secure them within my personal vault using my unique ability, Cosmic Storage." After successfully storing the daggers in his designated dimensional space, Paulo turned his attention to Ava.
His demeanour grew soft as he addressed her: "Ava, once this mission is complete, you and your friends are allowed to return to Earth. My presence has only brought misfortune. I accept full responsibility for Alexis's death."
Ava, visibly shaken and on the verge of tears, responded, "That is not true. We chose to be here. Saya and Tsuki encouraged me to spend more time with you. Alexis's passing on that day was not your fault…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed Paulo overcome with grief.
Then, with renewed determination, Paulo declared, "Upon my return, the Ghostface group will be systematically dismantled and hunted under the authority of the newly established leadership, the new order."
Paulo summoned a shimmering dimensional portal, its swirling energy casting reflections across the room. He turned to the group with a firm tone. "Make sure no one invades this time," he said.
Yuki rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him, her eyes dreamy and full of affection. "I'll make sure, handsome," she whispered, clearly lovestruck.
Paulo tilted his head awkwardly, unsure how to respond, just as Riku rolled his eyes and muttered, "Do you have to flirt with him every chance you get?"
Breaking the tension, Saya, silent since the invasion, Finally spoke up. "I am coming with you, Paulo. I will use Yuki's tengu mask for protection." Paulo looked at her, surprised. "Are you sure?" he asked. Saya nodded without hesitation.
Paulo sighed and glanced at Yuki, who was still gazing at him with heart-shaped eyes. She smiled sweetly and said, "I don't mind sharing my mask if it means I get to be closer to you."
Then she leaned in and nuzzled against him, her affection impossible to ignore. Yuki gave Paulo a playful, lovestruck smirk and stepped closer, her voice soft but full of emotion. "Let's go," she said, her eyes locked onto his with unwavering affection.
Paulo held back, his tone firm but calm. "Yuki, we cannot rush into this. We need a solid strategy before we confront the vampires."
Yuki's expression darkened, her voice laced with jealousy. "Oh, I see. You just want more time alone with Saya, don't you?"
Riku, amused by the tension, burst into laughter at Yuki's jealous outburst. That was a mistake. Without hesitation, Yuki swung her fist and knocked Riku's head clean off his shoulders.
It bounced once before his body casually regenerated it, as if nothing had happened. Paulo stepped in, trying to soothe Yuki's temper, speaking gently to calm her down.
But instead of easing her fury, his kindness only made her heart race, her feelings for him growing stronger.
Saya, clearly fed up with the drama, shouted, "Can we please focus on the mission?" Paulo nodded in agreement, finally turning his attention back to the battle plan.
He began outlining their approach, hoping the group could pull themselves together before it was too late.