Honkai: Star Rail — Kamen Rider!

Entropy Loss Syndrome.

In the entire galaxy, this was an extremely rare disease—one nearly impossible to cure.

Those afflicted would gradually fade away from perception, their molecular structure irreversibly dissolving into nothingness.

Robin watched with anxious anticipation as Sora lay down inside the medical pod.

Under the robot's operation, he soon fell peacefully into sleep.

Looking at Sora's serene sleeping face, Robin still couldn't comprehend how he could have contracted such a disease. The confusion caused her wings to droop slightly in distress. But thankfully, medical advancements in the galaxy had finally created a place capable of curing this incurable illness.

As she steadied her mood, Robin suddenly noticed Hotaru standing nearby, not yet entering her pod.

"Hotaru? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

She stepped forward with concern. Robin had already learned about this girl's complicated background from Sora.

Hotaru came from Glamoth, a fallen force from galactic history, specifically created to fight the insect swarms—an artificially engineered human.

Though Robin felt a deep aversion toward Glamoth's ethically troubling actions—even anger toward the remaining factory still perpetuating such tragedies despite Glamoth's fall—she still held nothing but compassion for Hotaru herself. Since she had survived until now, Robin sincerely hoped that Hotaru could receive modern medical treatment, live normally, and enjoy freedom among the stars.

Not only would the genetic defects in her body be corrected, but even her impaired ability to speak would be restored.

She could finally become a normal person, living happily in this vast galaxy. That was Robin's heartfelt wish for the girl in front of her.

Now, all Hotaru had to do was enter the pod, and she would receive her new life.

Yet Hotaru made no move to lie down. Instead, she simply gave Robin a gentle smile.

Her expression was complex, containing a mixture of emotions Robin couldn't fully grasp. Curious, Robin watched as Hotaru's hands suddenly began to move.

Earlier, out of curiosity, Robin had learned some basic sign language from Sora. Thanks to that, she managed to translate the simplest of words.

Hotaru was repeating the same words over and over:

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Sorry? Sorry for what? Robin's mind filled instantly with unease.

At the same moment, an intense premonition of danger surged through her, just as it had at the banquet hall back on Planet Promia.

The feeling appeared and vanished without warning, yet left her whole body tense with dread.

"Hey, Hotaru, what are you saying—?"

Before Robin could finish her sentence, her senses sharply registered something terribly wrong.

Crimson flames, deep as blood and heavy with sin, abruptly engulfed Hotaru's body, consuming her clothing in seconds.

Robin stared blankly, stunned. Realizing what was happening, she rushed forward to extinguish the flames with her own hands.

Yet, surprisingly, Hotaru's slim hand grabbed her wrist, holding her firmly back.

Hotaru's grip was shockingly strong—Robin had never imagined such incredible strength hiding beneath this fragile girl's appearance.

With sirens now blaring around them, Robin instinctively met Hotaru's gaze.

No guards arrived despite the blaring alarms, and the medical robot nearby had inexplicably gone offline.

In this isolated chaos, only Hotaru's burning form and Robin remained standing in silence.

Amidst the blaring warnings, Robin saw clearly as Hotaru slowly opened her mouth.

"Once it's done… quickly, get away…"

—?!

Robin was shocked beyond comprehension.

If she had heard correctly just now… Hotaru had spoken aloud?!

This sudden revelation left Robin utterly dumbfounded.

Someone confirmed to be unable to speak had suddenly spoken in front of her eyes.

It was no less shocking than a brother you'd always played with suddenly whispering into your ear that he was actually a girl.

Not to mention, Hotaru's condition had already been confirmed by examinations aboard the spacecraft and even reconfirmed here on Zieltworth itself.

It should have been a certainty.

So was it my ears malfunctioning, or—

"Hiss—! Hot!"

A burning sensation jolted her from her thoughts, causing Robin to gasp in pain.

Yet simultaneously, fragmented images and voices surged violently into her mind.

Countless severed limbs and shattered insectoid remains piled high, forming the landscape of an entire planet.

The overpowering, almost tangible smell of blood filled Robin's nostrils, making her stomach twist violently.

"She" walked amid mountains of corpses, holding broken body parts in her hands.

Only a single thought filled her mind:

Bring her comrades back.

That was why the bodies she carried formed grotesque hills on her shoulders, painstakingly pieced together limb by limb.

Those were her fallen comrades, members of the unit that had once stood with her.

"Unit member 236541… Unit member 236542…"

These words echoed endlessly in her mind. Although she could not speak, her memory far surpassed ordinary humans.

Called defective, she had been cherished and protected by every member of her squad, allowing her to become the last survivor.

Because of that love, she carefully memorized every comrade's number and position.

She only wanted to restore what had been lost. She only wanted her comrades to live again...

"—!!"

"Ah—!" Robin gasped deeply, jolted back to reality.

The horrific visions faded away, and before her eyes, Hotaru had vanished entirely, consumed by the last ember of crimson flame.

"Miss Robin? Miss Robin!"

An abrupt voice snapped Robin back to her senses. She stared at the empty spot, dazed, before looking toward the sudden source of the sound.

A holographic screen had appeared beside her, Serus' emotionless mechanical voice calling out urgently.

"Miss Robin, are you alright?"

"I… I'm fine," she replied weakly, shaking her head.

Yet, strangely, the horrifying images from moments ago had already faded entirely from memory, as though they'd been mere illusions. Still, the heavy emotions, the lingering ache in her chest, refused to subside.

A deep sadness gripped her tightly, as if she might burst into tears at any second.

Robin clutched the fabric over her heart, trying to comprehend the sorrow consuming her.

"What exactly happened here just now?" Serus asked again, the mechanical voice still utterly calm.

"I… I don't know…"

Robin glanced around again, but the room remained empty.

Only Sora slept silently within the medical pod, the only remaining organic lifeform present.

"Hotaru, she…?" Disappeared in flames?

As the memories resurfaced again, Robin glanced at her wrist. There was no visible injury, but her skin still appeared faintly reddened, as if burned.

Hotaru's disappearance definitely wasn't an illusion. But that meant what Robin had heard her say earlier… was also real?

Just as she pondered this, sudden chaotic sounds echoed from somewhere nearby.

She turned sharply toward the source, realizing they came from Serus' location shown on the holographic screen.

Tap… tap… tap…

There was the harsh clang of metal striking the floor, as though something heavy had just landed.

On the holographic screen, Serus abruptly turned toward something beyond view, clearly aware of whatever was approaching from outside the frame.

Robin stared intently at the screen. A tall, imposing figure soon appeared in the background, entering the scene step by step.

Its armor was a dull, corrupted blend of black and crimson, giving it an oppressive presence as it came into clearer view. However, this armor wasn't pristine or smooth—rather, it seemed warped, patchworked together from twisted shards of metal, as though reconstructed from fragments that had suffered intense battle damage.

Amid that ominous black-red armor, a single contrasting point of brightness stood out—a luminous yellow marking at its throat plate.

"Who…are you?" Serus asked, his synthesized voice utterly calm despite the strange intruder.

"I am a specter risen from the void," a rough, masculine voice grated from within the armor. "I have come here…so my kind will never again suffer slavery."

Without waiting for further questions, the towering figure grabbed Serus by the neck, effortlessly lifting the mechanical being from the ground.

"Slavery?" Serus sounded entirely unperturbed, despite hanging in midair. "Are you perhaps mistaken? This is a medical planet; we practice no slavery here."

"No slavery?" The voice from within the armor rose sharply, anger unmistakable. "You dare speak such lies?"

"Reverse Gene Equations, soul-extraction experiments, Void Submersion, consciousness restraint locks, artificial reproduction of the Flame of Life…"

"You conduct these abominations purely to accelerate your medical research."

"Once your so-called saviors reach a certain age, you imprison their minds entirely, robbing them of all free will…"

"And you dare say there is no slavery here?!"

Listening to this from afar, Robin's body trembled uncontrollably in shock.

Reverse Gene Equations alone were notorious across the entire galaxy, widely condemned as utterly inhumane. But Void Submersion—that directly invoked the energy of the Aeon of Nihility! To deliberately expose others to the Aeon of Nihility's influence was pure madness; it invariably drove victims toward self-destruction.

Those contaminated by the Aeon's aura would desperately try to validate their existence, becoming dangerous entities like Doctors of Chaos. To willingly inflict such horrors was something only the vilest criminals in the galaxy would dare.

Yet, facing these horrific accusations, Serus' synthetic voice didn't fluctuate in the slightest.

"These sacrifices were necessary for a far greater purpose."

"Everything I have done has been essential to the eradication of the insectoid swarms from the galaxy."

"My saviors gave everything to fight the swarm, so naturally, I want to help them finish the job."

"Once the swarms are wiped out, won't they finally have true freedom?"

Serus' reply was unnervingly serene, as if this warped logic made perfect sense to him.

Robin's voice trembled with rage and disbelief. "You…you…"

What kind of sick logic is this?

If such reasoning justified casually trampling over lives, what order could remain in the universe?

"Actually, I'm rather intrigued by your origin," Serus continued casually, addressing the armored giant holding him aloft. "Your stature suggests a heavy-assault strategic model. Taller, sturdier armor compared to standard strike units. And judging by the design, you don't appear to belong to the currently known Type IV or V."

"How about joining me? Allow me to analyze your systems—together, we can improve our methods for destroying the swarms even further—"

Before Serus finished speaking, the black-and-crimson figure seized Serus' outstretched mechanical arm, gripping it tightly.

Crack—crack—snap!

An unbearable grinding noise echoed as Serus' mechanical limb instantly shattered into metal fragments.

"Oh, what a pity. It seems you're unwilling."

Even with his arm utterly destroyed, Serus showed no distress, calmly observing the armored giant in front of him.

"An abomination like you does not deserve a quick death!"

In the next instant, Serus' remaining limbs were viciously torn away. His mechanical torso broke apart under brutal force, scattering fragments across the room until only his head remained intact.

"You will watch as the planet you built crumbles completely," growled the armored figure.

"Can you truly accomplish such a thing?" Serus questioned, unperturbed even as a disembodied head.

"I know you're an inorganic lifeform. Your consciousness backup must be stored somewhere on this planet."

The huge armored being's visor flared with an intense crimson glow.

"Thus, this entire world shall be torn apart, piece by piece!"

At these chilling words, Robin immediately rushed to the nearby window, heart racing in dread.

Just as expected, countless silver-white armored figures had begun swarming across the sky, rapidly filling the view.

"Oh? You actually found my hidden SAM units…how impressive."

Serus clearly had other means of monitoring the exterior. Observing those silver-armored figures now flying through the skies, his voice finally carried a hint of genuine emotion.

"How nostalgic. The sight of them flying in the sky…truly resembles a swarm itself."

"Silence!"

Smash!

Serus' head instantly shattered into countless pieces, scattering into every corner of the room.

Robin, witnessing all this through the screen, was momentarily stunned silent.

The armored figure seemed to finally notice the still-active holographic communication, turning its gaze directly toward her.

"Remember my name—I am 'Nokoribi.'"

"I am the final flame that heralds the doom of this planet."

With those words, the holographic feed abruptly cut off, replaced by a blank static screen.

At the same moment, the entire planet violently began to quake beneath her feet.