Chapter 422: Champions

"...Andrea?"

Even with the endless sea of snow that drowned his eyes, Van was not feeling any change of temperature in the air due to the suit provided to him by Vivati. But now, his voice could not help but tremble as he stared at the woman slowly approaching him.

Although it was quite hard to see with the curtain of snow blocking most of his vision, Van was sure the person approaching him looked very much like Andrea, albeit a lot older. Her facial features, down to the color of her hair-- everything looked exactly the same.

"You… are you Andrea?" Van then once again muttered as the woman got closer to him. Of course, of course, he knew that it wasn't her. Everyone he knew had told him that Andrea already perished… but still, he could not help but stare at the woman's face; finding a sort of weird comfort from it.

...Was it possible that one of Azrael's feathers reached here? But as far as Van knows, Azrael and Hermes's fight was isolated in their pocket of the universe-- the Portals exist nowhere but within their Barrier's galaxy.

"..."

"Why… does it say here that you have Pauline's tracer?" The woman that looked like Andrea slightly squinted her eyes as she looked back and forth between Van and her tablet.

"...Tracer? You mean this tablet?"

"Yes. Are you someone I know? I can't see your face with all the snow," The woman said as she squinted her eyes even further, trying her best to make out Van's appearance, "Why do you have Pauline's tracer?"

"She… gave it to me," Van could not help but slightly stutter. It has been a long time since he last heard Andrea's voice, but as the woman's words reached his ears, he was sure that even their voices were similar, or Van could even say the same.

"Hm," the woman then stared at Van for a couple of seconds, before letting out a small but deep sigh,

"So the aliens really are real-- of course they are," she then said, "I thought the government was just using it as some sort of propaganda since the guy said I'm supposed to be the only one sent here."

"...The guy?"

"No, it's nothing," the woman shook her head.

"And you know I'm not from this planet?"

"Yes," the woman's eyes then started to glow as several pentagrams floated in front of them, "Even though I can't see your face, the energy you are putting out is vastly different from mine and the people of this world… not to mention it's beyond anything I have ever seen."

"I… see," Van continued to stare at the woman's face; completely still in a sort of stupor.

"And who is Andrea?" The woman then muttered.

"It's nothing-- I mistook you for someone else."

"I see, my name is Diana," the woman then said as she slightly bowed, "Should we go to where the others are, then? I assume you already took the buffoon there since he suddenly moved from where he was just moments ago?"

"...Do you have a magic that could protect your body from high-speed travel?"

"...What?" Diana's eyes blinked a couple of times as she heard Van's words. But after a few seconds, she nodded,

"Yes," and as soon as she said that, several pentagrams lit up around her, "I'm ready to--"

And before she could even finish talking, the scenery in front of her all started to shift haphazardly, changing from one ecosystem to the next. Until finally, as if her whole body was suddenly slapped by a wave of very soft water, her scenery finally stabilized.

Diana was about to drop to the ground, but before she could do so, someone caught her.

"Are you alright, Dr. Diana?"

"W… what?" Diana blinked her eyes a couple of times to try and adjust her vision since it was filled with nothing but white just moments ago-- and as soon as the blurs were gone, she was finally able to see who caught her,

"P… Pauline?" Diana muttered as Pauline gently held her up, embracing her body tightly as she did so, "T… thanks."

Diana's eyes then started to wander around, instinctively trying to clear out their confusion; her eyes reached Mcgregory, but she just quickly ignored him as she continued to look around, "Did… did we teleport?"

"No, we ran."

"Oh, you--" Diana quickly turned towards Van as she recognized his voice, but as soon as she saw his face, she leaped a few steps back,

"Y… you!? What are you doing here!?"

"...I brought you here?" Van furrowed his eyebrows, "I just told you, we ran."

"Do you have a mission for me, is that it!?"

"...Yes? That's why I gathered all of you here."

"Y--"

"Dr. Diana," and before Diana's words could stutter even more uncontrollably, Pauline stepped in between the two, "This is King Evans, he's from the other world and is the leader responsible for warning us about the threat of the World Eaters."

"King… Evans? You mean you can see him!?" Diana bellowed as she once again looked everywhere.

Seeing the usually composed Diana like this, the other people in the room could not help but raise an eyebrow. She was usually not fazed by anything, but to think she even stuttered her words now. Was… being carried by King Evans really that life-changing?

Diana then once again looked at Van from head to toe, and after a few more seconds, took in a small but deep breath and started to pat herself calm.

"F… forgive me, I thought you were someone I knew," she then breathed out.

As for Van, he also had a slightly confused look on his face. In truth, his heart skipped a bit when he thought that Diana actually recognized him. But seeing as she calmed down when she heard his name, she truly was not the Andrea he knew. But still, for her to react like that as soon as she saw his face… just what is going on here?

"..." Van then shook his head. He was thinking too much of the situation-- since there are trillions of humans out there, it wouldn't be uncommon for someone to look like Andrea.

"Alright, since everyone is here…" Van then gestured for everyone to gather up as he explained the full situation, with the representative from the Common Council adding a few details here and there.

It took a couple of minutes, but after he was done, only silence remained in the dome.

"There's a chance that all of you-- all of us would die as soon as the Ark arrives," Van then let out a sigh, "This planet will just be swept up like some sort of bug."

"Doesn't that mean we need to stop them before they could enter our galaxy!?" Mcgregory then lightly slammed his fist on the table, "If we destroy the two ships that are already here, then they might think twice before entering!"

"Can you do it?" Van then quickly said as he looked Mcgregor straight in the eyes.

"I… That's… if you take me there I can--"

"We can't do anything."

And before he could even finish bumbling, Pauline also placed her hands on the table,

"At least not from the outside," Pauline then said, "If we can find a way to get inside, then it would be easy to cause chaos and maybe even destroy it from within."

"Hm," Van nodded before glancing at Apollo, "So, how do we go inside?"

"That's… there are also civilians inside the ship, King Evans," Apollo shook his head, "I am on your side… but the weight of these people's lives do not equal those of my friends."

"Cough it up or we will kill you right here and now!" Mcgregory rushed to the front of Apollo's confinement, his arms now wrapped in some sort of huge gauntlets.

"Enough," Van then waved his hand as he slightly pushed Mcgregory away, "There will be reinforcements arriving here in less than 24 hours… Let's all hope the Ark doesn't arrive until then."

"..."

"..."

"Should we not tell the people about this?" Some of the soldiers then muttered as they looked at their country's president, "If the reinforcement comes, then we should be able to evacuate--"

However, even with all the words of concern of the soldiers, their president only shook his head,

"No," she breathed out, "If this… calamity is as big as King Evans portrayed it, then any efforts we make would just be meaningless. I do not want our people to turn on each other in the last moments of their lives."

"..."

"..."

"That's your decision to make," Van then slightly nodded,

"I am going out there to check what's happening again." Van's wings once again protruded, before he turned to look towards Pauline,

"You are in charge here."

"Yes, sir!" Pauline saluted.

"Hm," Van was about to fly away, but before he could do so, Diana suddenly grabbed his arm.

"...That was dangerous," Van muttered as he looked at Diana's hand.

"Can we talk alone before you go?" Diana didn't seem to care though, as she looked Van straight in the eyes.

"...Very well."

***

"What game are you playing at!?"

"...What?"

Van and Diana walked towards the edge of the Dome, and as soon as the two of them were the only people within each other's reach, Diana quickly pulled Van's arm.

"Why are you pretending to be one of us!?" Diana then bellowed.

"What… are you talking about?" Van furrowed his eyebrows.

"You said I am the only one you'll be sending to this world! Why are there suddenly beings popping out from everywhere!?" Diana did not stop screaming into Van's ears, "What kind of sick game are you playing at here!?"

"We don't have time for this, Diana," Van then let out a small sigh as he shook his head,

"Whatever it is you're thinking it's--"

"Sage!" Diana once again screamed,

"You said you would bring me back to my world if I manage to save this one, but isn't this mission impossible!? You reincarnated me and then just--"

"...Sage?" Van then placed his finger on Diana's mouth,

"...You met with Sage?"

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