[—That indescribable power severed [Preservation]. The surrounding space-time instantly fell into stagnation, and her thoughts were twisted into a knot in that single instant. Her senses failed; only gravity tore at her brain as she fell through the boundless darkness...]
[…Until a cluster of firelight gathered her into its embrace.]
[She opened her eyes. Beside her ear came SAM's cold mechanical voice: "…You're awake."]
[SAM gazed at the blurry, flowing memoria space before him and said calmly: "I have been waiting for you here for a long time."]
["It was you… What did you do?"]
["I did nothing. I only waited for you to wake. You have already met me—Stellaron Hunter SAM. I originally wanted to appear before you earlier and tell you some facts. But the obstruction I received was greater than expected. Eleven times I made attempts, yet they all ended in failure. Unknowingly, my connection with this world became too tight, making it difficult to escape the constraints of the [Script]."]
["…Elio was right. In this land of dreams, both you and I will obtain unforgettable gains."]
["I am not as proficient in reading people's hearts as he and Kafka are, nor do I possess Silver Wolf's or Blade's unique skills. Most of the things I excel at are only applicable to villains who require no mercy."]
["Therefore—the only method I can use is one. That is to show you..."]
[Scorching flames instantly coiled around SAM's entire body. The heavy armor shell gradually disappeared. The airflow lifted the hem of Stelle's clothes. In the heat wave that washed over her face, Stelle's pupils trembled violently—]
[At the center of the flames, a slender figure slowly descended.]
[Firefly gripped the transformation device in her hand. The cracks caused by Entropy Loss Syndrome on her cheeks were gradually vanishing. She turned around, her tone gentle yet firm.]
["…My everything."]
——
One Punch Man.
"She… she... how is that possible? That SAM—wasn't he a man?"
Genos could not quite process it. He stared intently at the girl who had gracefully landed from the raging flames—Firefly's slender figure overlapped with the imposing and murderous armor of SAM in his memory. The intense contrast made his pupils quake.
"She can actually master so many combat techniques. Where did she learn them? And why does she possess a set of armor with such exaggerated output—its firepower is even higher than mine… and Drive Knight's? Who built it for her?"
Too many questions burst out all at once, but what made him feel even more defeated was that a girl in the bloom of youth was actually so proficient in combat and had even received the teacher's recognition, while he...
"Teacher, what is your opinion on this?" After being dejected for about a minute, Genos finally walked out of his depression. Growing stronger was already a matter of extreme urgency; he had to cherish every single second.
"Me...?"
Saitama scratched his head, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "I want to hear her recite the lines she said inside the armor using her current voice! For example that one, ahem..." He cleared his throat. "'I will… set the sea ablaze,' 'Protocol approved, execute scorched-earth operation,' 'Leave now and no one will be hurt—otherwise, you will all die'! ...It should be pretty fun, right?"
Beside him, KING, who had put down his controller, nodded repeatedly: "Yeah, yeah! And she has to say it right in front of Stelle! She absolutely has to use that very serious tone! Mecha girl... my galgames seem to have similar plots—"
While still rambling, KING suddenly realized Genos was still beside him. He hurriedly cleared his throat and put on a serious tone: "The main point is to use the way she says these lines this time to gauge the fighting spirit in her heart."
"So that was Teacher's thinking? There was actually this deeper meaning..." Genos nodded as if he had suddenly understood. "…Then I want to hear it too."
——
Gintama.
"Firefirefirefirefirefirefly-chan—???!"
Gintoki's dead-fish eyes suddenly widened into perfect circles. With a "whoosh" he bounced up from the sofa, nearly smashing into the ceiling.
"Discovering only at the final showdown that the shy girlfriend who confessed to me is sitting inside the Stellaron Hunter's ultimate mecha—this kind of super development is way too against the rules!"
"After being confessed to by Penacony's number-one beautiful girl, only then learning that she is actually the secret ultimate humanoid weapon pilot of the Stellaron Hunters!"
"I only wanted to be an ordinary Trailblazer, yet I unexpectedly discover that the operator of the strongest humanoid armor is actually the rumored girlfriend who has a crush on me?!"
...
In an instant, countless light-novel titles popped up in Gintoki's mind like exploding beans.
—This kind of dream-like development that only appears in light novels and anime—he really needed it too ahhhh!
"Damn it! Can't this kind of protagonist role let me play it for just one day too?! Dating a beautiful girl while being able to pilot her mecha or something—I'm so envious! Kisamaaaa—!"
Gintoki pounded the table in utter grief and shed tears of jealousy.
"You're already the protagonist and you're still thinking about dating?" Shinpachi pushed up his glasses beside him; the lenses reflected a piercing light. "As long as I can get Firefly's transformation device, that's enough. Women will only slow down the speed at which I set the sea ablaze!"
"You bastard! The soul of a mecha is the beautiful girl! Just like how Unit-00 without Rei Ayanami is incomplete! Shinpachi, you fundamentally don't understand the romance of mecha!"
"Hey hey, you two are really enough already."
Kagura beside them could not help picking her nose. "How about you just go to sleep first, aru? Maybe you'll have both the mecha and the beautiful girl in your dreams."
——
Sword Art Online.
"Firefly? So she really didn't die... but why is it her?"
Asuna was instantly stunned. Although after hearing Aventurine's words she had vaguely guessed that Firefly might still be alive, the fact that Stellaron Hunter SAM was Firefly still dealt her heart a considerable shock.
But thinking carefully, many previously suspicious points could now be explained.
Back when they met Sampo, why did Firefly possess such keen observational skills that were different from other girls, and why did she keep wandering around inside the primordial dreamscape? At the time Asuna still could not see through it, but now the identity of that companion who had been with her was not hard to guess... It was most likely Silver Wolf.
"Asuna, do you still remember the 'medical cabin' Firefly mentioned?" Kirito also showed a look of sudden realization. "I never expected this set of armor was actually her medical cabin... Presumably only by staying inside that armor year-round can her Entropy Loss Syndrome be kept under control, right?"
Saying this, he could not help laughing: "Medical cabin… mecha... just what kind of pervert managed to combine these two things?"
——
[On the other side, inside the Oak Family residence.]
[Gallagher walked leisurely across the red carpet of the main hall as if strolling through a courtyard. He looked around at the nearby luxurious decorations and chuckled: "Labyrinth-like corridors and rooms, traps and mechanisms everywhere… the master of this mansion is a bit of a paranoid, isn't he."]
[Passing the miniature model of the mansion on the sand table, Gallagher stared straight at Sunday, who stood with his back turned not far away.]
[Sunday slowly turned his head: "You are quite humorous, Mr. Security Officer. I hope this sense of humor has already helped you find the culprit of the serial murder case."]