Fu Xuan stayed silent for quite a while.
"…I understand now."
Originally, she thought the Stellaron Hunters had smuggled a Stellaron onto the Xianzhou, attracting the gaze of the lord ravager who wanted to use the chaos to destroy the ship.
But now… it looked far more likely that the Stellaron had been brought by that yet-unseen lord ravager.
Its target had been the Xianzhou from the very beginning.
And yet… there was still no sign of that lord ravager's whereabouts.
She had tried asking Xun Yu earlier, but he simply answered: "I don't know."
A frustrating situation indeed…
"I still have matters to discuss with the General. Kafka will remain above the array. Ask her whatever you wish—and for as long as you wish."
Fu Xuan didn't even turn back; she hurried toward the Divine Foresight Palace immediately after finishing.
"…Stelle, you should go."
Welt glanced at Stelle after a moment of hesitation.
"I know you still have questions you want Kafka to answer."
"You go by yourself, Stelle. I am not talking to that woman~"
March 7th crossed her arms.
"And be careful—don't let a mature big-sister type trick you again."
Stelle nodded seriously, stepped forward—
"Mom!"
—and dove straight into Kafka's arms.
Everyone: "… … …"
No one had predicted that.
March 7th slapped a hand over her face.
Her concern had been unnecessary. Stelle indeed wouldn't be tricked—she just handed herself over voluntarily!!
Kafka also hadn't expected this sudden tackle-hug.
"…Mm. I'm here."
"…You really haven't changed."
"Alright. You must have a lot you want to ask me."
"And there are other people watching."
Stelle reluctantly let go and stepped back.
"Why did you leave me at the Space Station?"
"Because that was the only way to avoid a future of destruction."
"I didn't want to leave you… but for everyone's survival, I had no choice."
"What about you? Do you like your time on the Astral Express?"
"I do. It feels… like a home."
"…Then I'm relieved."
From the moment Stelle hugged her, Kafka's smile never faded.
"Fu Xuan—why was she so shocked?"
"Elio foresaw three questions. But at their core, they were the same."
"If you asked any one of them, I would tell you the real purpose of our mission here."
"The Grand Diviner was shocked because she realized three truths."
"First: The Stellaron Hunters are not enemies of the Xianzhou."
"Second: The one who brought the Stellaron here was someone else."
"And third… the Hunters appeared here because of you."
"In the future, we need the power of the Hunt."
"That is why the Stellaron Hunters spent so much effort arranging things on the Xianzhou. Shocking, isn't it?"
"…Do you know, Stelle? Even Aeons can be killed."
Aeons… can die?
Stelle's expression froze. She didn't argue—only waited quietly for Kafka to continue.
Unfortunately—
"Time's nearly up. You can ask the Express crew member about the rest."
"Oh—here it comes."
Kafka looked to the side.
At that moment, the Ambrosial Arbor of Luofu suddenly awakened.
The massive tremor disrupted the Matrix of Prescience: Ultima, letting Kafka break free with ease.
And Blade appeared as well, covering her retreat.
"Oh? Ambrosial Arbor revived. If the Aeon of the Hunt hears about it, do you think He'll fire an arrow in response?"
Xun Yu watched the reborn tree with interest.
"I hope He doesn't… If an Aeon fires, not just Ambrosial Arbor—the entire Xianzhou is done for."
"That aside… Kafka ran. What are we supposed to tell the Grand Diviner?"
March 7th turned toward Xun Yu, since he was the one most familiar with Fu Xuan.
"Relax. Now that we know the Stellaron Hunters aren't enemies, and we understand their purpose, whether Kafka ran or not doesn't matter anymore."
In the Honkai universe, you can provoke almost any faction—as long as you don't shove it in their face, they might ignore you.
But the Hunt is different.
Declare war on them, and by tomorrow, the Xianzhou armies will be knocking on your doorstep—and they'll win again.
Xun Yu gave Stelle a look, signaling her to repeat Kafka's words.
While she summarized, Xun Yu quietly fiddled with something… producing two badges.
"…Xun Yu, how does one kill an Aeon?"
Stelle finally asked, remembering Kafka's ominous line.
"There are three methods—but really only two."
"First: Two Aeons with the same conceptual domain overlap. The broader concept devours the narrower."
"Second: A divine war—one Aeon annihilates another by sheer superiority."
"And third… force an Aeon to abandon their Path.
The fall of tayzzyronth, the Aeon of propagation, is… related."
[TL note: okay I can actually see that as the third one]
"In short, combine methods two and three, and an Aeon can die."
"So if an ordinary person wants to slay an Aeon, my advice is—"
Xun Yu grinned at Stelle's hopeful stare.
"Go to sleep. In dreams, anything's possible."
Everyone: "...…"
"Previously, I led the Cloud Knights to clear out disciples of sanctus mediscus remnants and wiped out their strongholds."
"But unfortunately… their leader escaped."
"…General, you didn't let them escape on purpose, right?"
Fu Xuan clearly did not believe a single word.
A Cloud Knight General, a Hunt-arbiter general, personally leading an operation—and a mere disciples of sanctus mediscus leader fled?
"General, you might fool others, but don't bother fooling me."
"Your goal was to use the disciples of sanctus mediscus leader to draw out the hidden lord ravager, wasn't it?"
"…Am I correct?"
Clap clap clap—
Jing Yuan applauded her.
"As expected of you, Fu Xuan. Nothing escapes your eyes."
"...General."
"Yes?"
"You're terrible!"
Fu Xuan stomped off while Jing Yuan chuckled, tossing a chess piece casually toward the direction of Ambrosial Arbor.
The farce was nearing its end…
Among the Six commission, the Alchemical Commission—its "purification" was long overdue.
With Ambrosial Arbor revived, its roots spreading wildly, the effects shook the entire realm.