"Thank goodness you are back." Victoria let out a sigh of relief.

Claire nodded. "Truly, you have no idea how worried you got us."

"Did you actually manage to defeat a..." Ava’s words trailed off when she noticed Nicole.

She, along with the rest of the crew, saluted in absolute respect. Even though they were on friendly terms, they still had to follow military protocol when it was due.

Nicole smiled faintly and raised her hand. "We aren’t on an active battlefield. You can relax."

After a moment, she added,

"And yes, your leader, Michael, was the one who slayed the Monarch. I had absolutely no part in it whatsoever."

The crew was rightfully rendered speechless. Monarchs were meant to be challenged only by Kings, Queens, and, in rare cases, the most powerful Supreme Lords. For Michael to have single-handedly slain one was an unprecedented feat, even for him.

Amelia, who had kept quiet, suddenly frowned.

"Hey..."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Where is Cyberfang?"

"..."

Instantly, Ruby’s ears flattened, going eerily quiet.

Michael took a deep breath. "It’s not a pleasant story."

Considering how much they relied on each other, he didn’t see a point in keeping secrets, narrating what had transpired when the crew had evacuated with the surviving felines of the camp.

The tension rose with each word he uttered. In the end, Ruby and Nicole had to give their versions of the story, since at the time Michael hadn’t been entirely aware of it all.

With the recounting of the battle completed, the crew came to understand how Michael had emerged victorious.

They didn’t like it one bit.

Slowly, the surroundings darkened. The capital’s lights flared, persistently holding the shadows at bay.

Venus’s day and night cycles were longer than its years, yet the inevitable had come.

The day had ended.

The night had descended.

Several days later, the cure for the plague had spread amongst the feline district, the illness close to extinction.

On the designated burial grounds, Michael and the crew, along with the survivors of the feline camp, had gathered to pay their respects to the fallen.

At their peak, when they had been rescued from the research facilities, they had numbered in the thousands.

But the majority had perished after remaining to fight the ants who had charged at their camp, staying by Michael’s side.

Now they numbered merely three hundred.

At the center, the largest grave was meant for Cyberfang, upon which his remains were to rest.

"This is... bullshit!" Enzo bellowed, fighting back tears.

Slowly, he turned towards Claire, desperately trying to cling to any hope.

"Please! Can’t we find a way to restore Cyberfang? Don’t we have a backup of him, a copy or... Something! Anything!"

Claire bit her lower lip, remaining silent.

"We have." Michael’s voice cut through the tension.

Enzo gazed at him, his surprise palpable. "Then—"

"The Cyberfang we knew wasn’t just a simple machine." Michael interrupted soberly. "He possessed a certain degree of sentience."

Originally, Cyberfang had been just a simple tiger mecha, constructed and designed to fight on Neptune’s terrain.

Graced by Michael’s Bypasser technique, the AI had gained awareness.

Traveling with the crew, the mechanical beast had witnessed life flourish and death unfold.

He had seen rogue AIs led astray, fighting against humanity, and much more.

Each encounter gradually changed him, shaping his personality and beliefs until he had become more than a machine.

A genuine part of the crew.

"Every AI algorithm can be copied and pasted indefinitely." Michael explained in a somber voice. "But their sentience, just like human consciousness cannot. The backups we have are no different from standard AI networks... lacking personality and programmed solely to fulfill orders, without any input on their part."

He paused briefly, letting the silence settle.

"Cyberfang is gone."

A reality that stung Michael all the same, regardless of the time.

Despite reaching the supposed peak of power in his past life, cheating death had always been outside of his grasp.

Sure, already immensely powerful beings theoretically possessed a way to go around it.

But never defy it outright.

Heck, case in point, Michael had found it easier to turn back time and alter the whole universe than to conquer death itself.

Once life was extinguished, it stayed dead.

Forever.

That slow, gut-wrenching realization, which forced him to confront the reality that he wouldn’t ever be bringing his deceased daughter back from death no matter how hard he tried, had been the first step toward Michael’s descent into madness in his previous life.

It was vital to instill the mentality of acceptance into the crew before it was too late.

They didn’t deserve to suffer the same torment he had endured.

No one did.

"Goddammit it!" Enzo cursed bitterly.

Amelia clung to his arm, sobbing quietly.

Out of everyone, Ruby was the most pained. Regarding Cyberfang as her little brother, she had been meant to protect him... yet he had been the one who gave his life for her instead.

Although she was mournful, she didn’t cry. She was determined to prove that her little brother’s sacrifice hadn’t been for naught.

Bryce stood silent, already used to loss. He agreed with Michael’s assessment about learning how to let go.

Leo tried to calm Enzo down.

Richard had crossed his arms, an ugly expression twisted on his face. He was a man that searched for amusement, and the grief he felt was like whiplash.

Unwilling to interrupt the moment, Nicole positioned herself slightly away, close enough to help if needed but far enough to keep her presence out of everyone’s mind.

While the three hundred felines were mourning the fallen, Nyla held a discussion with Chief Wilson and the other Elders.

Reaching consensus, she turned towards Michael.

"Can we talk?"

Michael observed the feline woman.

She didn’t wear her primary gear anymore, dressed in proper clothes. There were dark circles under her eyes, still affected by Colt’s death. Nyx, her spiritual beast, clung to her shoulder, eerily quiet.

Michael nodded, prompting her to speak.

"Let’s not deny the obvious. The only reason we are alive is because of you and the crew. Not only did you rescue us, but you trained us and fought for us when everyone else would have fled."

Nyla glanced at the distant lights illuminating the capital.

"We were certain that when we came back to the surface everything would be alright, but..."

She scoffed.

"How naive we were... Not only have we gotten used to constant pressure, but we are too strong and scarred to properly assimilate with the rest of our kin. Considering that the public perception of our kin is still on the negative side, we would have liked to distance ourselves, not bring you more trouble, but with your actions you have proven that you truly care about us."

Nyla met Michael’s gaze.

"In search of home, disliked by most and incapable of assimilating with our kin, we find ourselves at a crossroads with a lack of options. But we are strong... The strongest of our kin and eager to repay you."

Her legs bent, and she dropped to one knee. The other felines followed suit without a trace of hesitation.

"So, with the Elders’ permission, we humbly request to join your faction... Please, allow us to become part of the Indomitable Alliance."