Two-Person Galactic Journey: Earth Was Destroyed While Imprisoned in Space Prison

Chapter 180

Chapter 180

The first to sense the anomaly was Terapolapaneshio.

In this case, the anomaly referred to the absence of the expected burden on them. Kait selected one of the incessant incoming transmissions with a wry smile.

The cold sweat and pain were intense. Focusing his mind, he adjusted the burden on his body to shift it to his left arm. As he watched his left arm, hidden beneath his clothes, visibly swell, Kait smiled at the Space jellyfish on the monitor.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Please refrain from going after that Earth jellyfish for a while."

'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)......! Why would you do such a thing!?'

"Now, now, calm down."

No good. They're not playing along with my light banter.

While distancing his mind from the pain in his left arm, Kait responded with a calm demeanor.

"No need to worry. It's a burden I can ignore with enough willpower. Since it's not a retrograde jump, the load is lighter."

'Don't be ridiculous! We just made a planetary mass jump through time! There's no way the burden is light!'

"Well, it does hurt a bit. But it's not enough to stop me from functioning."

That was the truth. Kait taking on the entire burden himself wasn't out of heroism. It was a calculated decision based on the judgment that it wouldn't be fatal.

The Space jellyfish probably intended to minimize the impact by distributing the burden across everyone. Kait didn't disagree with that approach. But he simply believed that Terapolapaneshio shouldn't be the one to bear that burden.

How could he let someone who interfered with time out of a sheer love for the Earth jellyfish—such an endearing fool—take on the burden?

"Even though it was a time jump, it wasn't a retrograde one. I'm glad the pain is bearable."

'You really are something...'

"Anyway, shall we return to Sarunzarek? Being in a position too easily observed from Earth isn't ideal."

'Tch... I'll make sure we have a proper talk later!'

Di-Kigaia Zarmos began teleporting away one after another. Holding his trembling left arm, Kait gave instructions to Emotion.

"Well then, shall we return too? Sorry, Emotion, could you move us to Sarunzarek?"

'Understood.'

Only Emotion had been informed in advance of what to do. Maybe that's why, but she unusually followed Kait's instructions without any complaints and operated Queen Bee.

Even so, using teleportation now was a bit nerve-wracking.

***

Upon returning to Sarunzarek, Kait was surrounded by Dan and the others, all in tears and a mess. They all expressed their gratitude, but he wished they'd wait a bit.

"Thank you, Mr. Crouch! We'll do anything to repay this debt!"

"I get it, I get it. Sorry, but let me through! I've got something to do over there!"

While distancing himself from those who looked ready to grab Kait's hand and kneel, he headed toward Divin. He didn't want to be touched right now. Later, he'd be fine with a handshake or whatever, but not now.

Then, a lukewarm sensation on his left arm. Was it bleeding? Blood dripped onto the ground.

"Mr. Crouch? Are you injured...!?"

"Ah, no worries. I just focused the burden from jumping 9th-Terra from the past to the present into my left arm."

"You jumped it from the past to the present...?"

Dan looked puzzled, but beside him, Dr. Wu widened her eyes.

"No way!"

"As expected of you, Doctor. Sharp as ever. If something is already known to have disappeared in the past, interfering with the past from the future doesn't cause much burden."

Rewriting the past also rewrites the subsequent history, so the burden is massive. But if something has already disappeared, then calling it back from the future to the past is part of history. Kait had assumed the burden would be smaller, and he was right.

At that moment, one of Terapolapaneshio's forms appeared in the air. With an expression of extreme anger, it reached its tentacle toward Kait.

'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen! You're bleeding! At this rate, your arm will become useless!'

"!?"

Dan and the others looked pained. They had just barely been calmed down, and now this would only make them feel unnecessarily responsible.

"Mr. Crouch! I—I'll be your arm!"

"Ah, no. It's fine, I have a plan."

'A plan...?'

Apparently, even Terapolapaneshio didn't know. Kait grimaced slightly from the pain as he stood before Volparek.

"Emperor Volparek. You said it, didn't you? That all the responsibility for what Divin did lies with you."

"I—I did say that."

"Good. Then let's confirm it again."

He raised his sluggish left hand and pointed it at Volparek.

"It was Divin who tried to destroy 9th-Terra, right?"

"Yes."

"And it was also Divin who swapped the lives on our Earth... or was it 6th-Terra?"

"That's right."

Volparek nodded without any particular resistance. He seemed vaguely anxious about what was about to happen. Kait inched forward. He was almost within reach.

"I just performed a time jump with 9th-Terra. If you hadn't tried to destroy it, I wouldn't have needed to move it."

"What are you trying to say?"

"And if you hadn't swapped the lives on 6th-Terra, I—the one who performed the time jump—would never have been born."

"What!? What are you talking about!?"

"It's just a declaration. That every cause behind this time jump lies with Divin."

Kait quietly placed his left hand on Volparek's forehead.

The pain began to drain away.

"Brace your core, grit your teeth. You can endure it with mental strength."

"What is this...!?"

Volparek's back stiffened with a jolt. His eyes widened to their limits as he stared at Kait.

"Ah... gah..."

"This is what they call the burden of a time jump. It hurts a bit."

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

His mouth opened so wide it looked like his jaw might dislocate. With a scream that seemed to tear his throat, Volparek writhed in agony.

The ones most shocked were Divin's group. Kait, now free of pain in his left hand, casually waved it and made a request to Nijerio.

"Sorry, Representative Nijerio. Could you connect us to the ship Divin is on?"

"Y-Yes, understood."

Countless monitors appeared in the air. Were all of them connected to surviving Divin ships? There were quite a few.

Now then. How would Divin respond?

"Members of Divin. Your Emperor Volparek is currently bearing the burden of the time jump involving 9th-Terra."

The voice was one-way from this side. But Kait could tell the atmosphere among Divin was agitated.

"This is the consequence of Divin's attempt to destroy 9th-Terra. At this rate, the Emperor will die before long."

"Father!"

A voice rang out from among the restrained. That meant the original owner of Vengeance—someone named Laplan-something—was among them.

"If you touch the Emperor, you may be able to shoulder some of that burden yourselves. The amount you can take on will likely depend on how involved you were with their Earth and ours."

It had been a chance discovery. After deflecting Vengeance's bombardment with time interference, Kait lightly grabbed Kissinger χ's shoulder, which then burst apart. Had Kissinger χ not been there, Kait and Queen Bee wouldn't have attempted the deflection. Since Kissinger χ was the cause of the time interference, the burden shifted.

If you're involved as a cause, the burden can be transferred. With that knowledge, Kait decided to use this principle when calling 9th-Terra back.

"Share the pain out of loyalty, or abandon the Emperor who tried to forsake you. It's your choice. Do as you please."

All that remained was for the staff here to direct the traffic. The prince who had spoken up didn't step forward. He must have realized how deeply involved he was and was now afraid.

But if Volparek died, the burden would simply pass to the next in line—the prince. And without a resurrection device, it would be strict.

If they let things continue, the prince would inherit that pain next, reduced only by the amount Volparek had burned through.

'Kait, Third-Rank Citizen. What was that just now... and you?'

"Ah, I'm fine. My left arm is already healed."

To the descending Space jellyfish who looked worried, Kait spun his left arm around to show he was okay.

Understanding that it wasn't just bravado, the jellyfish floated gently around Kait's head.

'So if someone is involved, the burden can be transferred. And taking it all alone is also one method?'

"Yes. Regarding the 9th-Terra incident, neither you nor I should really be held responsible, right?"

'That may be true... But you always discover things we've never known before.'

To the unusually exasperated Space jellyfish, Kait returned a wry smile.

Unlike Kait, Terapolapaneshio was a collection of tiny lifeforms. Even if its tentacles burst from the burden, it probably couldn't transfer that burden to someone else. That's why it never asked for help.

"Well then, with that pain of theirs, I'd like to consider this the Earthlings' retribution against Divin. Any objections?"

'None! In fact, I think you did well. ...Do you think they'll try to share the pain?'

"Who knows? They're free to do as they please. Maybe, little by little, things will balance out."

Kait couldn't oversee things that far. Even if all of Divin's lives were consumed, the pain might not end. If that happened, it might return to him.

But well, it couldn't be helped. It would be much weaker than this time, so he should be able to suppress it with sheer willpower.

'Even so...'

With a look of dread, Terapolapaneshio glanced toward Volparek.

Noticing that attention had shifted this way next, Kait tilted his head in puzzlement.

"What is it?"

'No, I was just thinking... Kait, as a Third-Rank Citizen, was feeling pain intense enough to act like that earlier, right...?'

"That's right. He was being a bit dramatic, wasn't he? I think it's the kind of pain you can endure with enough willpower."

'O-oh... Is that so.'

If someone writhed around like that, everyone else would be too scared to step in. Such a lack of self-control.

'If anything, maybe Kait, as a Third-Rank Citizen, just has abnormal mental resilience...'

"I don't think that's the case, though."

Despite being synthetic, the Space jellyfish's voice carried a certain tone of reverence.