"Turing......Turing!"

Merka was in a panic.

Truly panicked.

He had never felt his heart beat so fast before.

The wild wind around him sounded like the wailing of evil spirits, constantly emitting chilling screams.

The white spirit seemed to be near one moment, far the next.

Transparent, it transformed into a storm approaching, raising that enormously long scythe, swinging it fiercely behind Merka.

The wind was as fierce as thunder.

But Turing showed no signs of awakening at all.

The two of them, helpless, were still like a small boat in a stormy sea, carried on by inertia into space.

Merka's throat tightened, his breathing becoming rapid.

He knew they had reached the stratosphere.

The dry air was becoming thin.

It felt like something was about to burst forth from Merka's chest.

Merka squinted in discomfort.

"Unauthorized presence detected outside of Acadia."

"Commencing identification."

"Identified as a carrier of the Kegtuya doppelganger, collect samples immediately for analysis."

In the vast expanse of the sky, a faint yet ominous mechanical warning sounded, as if an illusion.

Merka quickly looked around and saw a bright red flash bursting from deep within the clouds.

A plane as tall as a two-story building emerged from the concealed clouds, bearing a red transparent signal light on top.

Merka peered inside the aircraft using magical detection but found no one.

Obviously, there was no one piloting the plane.

Merka had never seen such a bizarre-looking aircraft before.

"Hello, excuse me..."

"Target moving too fast, difficult to collect samples."

"This aircraft will prioritize annihilation tactics."

The aircraft, far behind Turing and Merka in speed, raised two machine guns from its compartment.

After a roar of engines, the two machine guns spewed out golden tongues of fire towards Turing and Merka in the distance.

Without Turing's magical protection, how could the rocky armor withstand such devastating blows? After a volley of shots, the dark purple armor was instantly shattered into thumb-size fragments.

The armor shards mixed with Merka's flesh and blood, freely floating in the air.

"Oh, the flock of sheep on the horizon....."

An excruciating pain filled the brain, prompting Merka to start chanting a spell.

A majestic smoke burst out from behind Merka like a flower bud, and several thick smoke trails, like the giant claws of a dragon, divided the vast blue sky into several pieces.

"This...?!"

However, this did nothing to halt the plane's progress.

The aircraft broke through the smokescreen and locked onto Merka, charging straight towards him.

"Thermal imaging!?"

Seeing a red probe resembling a camera mounted on the aircraft's base, Merka understood.

At this moment, Merka realized that no matter how he tried to escape, it would be futile.

The only way out was to fight to the death.

Facing the rapidly approaching plane, Merka spread out a pair of giant wings, halting the storm propelling him forward.

Closely holding the unconscious Turing in his arms, he braced himself and dove towards the plane.

The intense wind pressure felt like a mountain pressing against his chest, Merka's face turning a deep red, making creaking noises all over his body as if unable to bear the weight.

Countless blue cat paws gathered together, forming two huge weapons resembling mantis claws on Merka, one side protecting him, the other fiercely rolling towards the plane before them.

A deafening roar.

A white crown flashed in the violent collision.

Fluffy mushroom clouds burst open in the azure sky.

Two figures turned into charcoal embraced each other, falling from the vast sky.

——————————————————————————

【What's happening to me...】

【My head is spinning...】

【Right, *@&#*@&$（

#g&@*#* Merka and I were going to the moon】

【What day is it today?】

【December 27, 2000 AD…】

【No… No, is it already January today?】

【Not right, where's the mistake?】

【Right, it's the year that's wrong.】

【In the year 20000 AD… that's right, isn't it?】

【Kegtuia… Kegtuia, he told me...】

"Oh, great and sorrowful Holy Father~ Lord Kegtuia~"

Nightmare struck, Turing's cold sweat dampening his back.

In confusion, Turing grabbed Merka's hand, his pitiful appearance evoking a sense of compassion.

Of course, if you didn't look at Turing's body, almost entirely covered in tentacles—it was still cute.

"What's wrong, my princess?"

Stopping singing hymns, Merka sat on a rock with Turing resting on his thigh.

Gently stroking Turing's cheek grown with tentacles, Merka comforted softly, "Having a nightmare?"

"Merka... it's not, I..."

Turing sat up from Merka, his head aching, surveying the desolate, lonely, and uninhabited surroundings.

The barren land seemed to be in silent meditation, as if it had undergone millions of years of quiet contemplation.

"Look."

"We've reached the moon."

Merka gestured towards the vast land around them, saying to Turing, "..."

Turing glanced at the tattered Merka, then at the sky, and pursed his lips.

"Who are you trying to fool? Isn't the moon still up there in the sky?"

The poignant moonlight was hazy and seductive, telling ancient tales of suffering and separation.

"Very clever."

Merka smiled faintly, suggesting something profound.

"This is the farthest border of Acadia."

"It seems like magic isn't working that well here."

"What about you, Turing?"

Merka didn't find it strange to see Turing's grotesque limbs, his tone remaining as usual.

"I thought I could fly up this time."

"Looks like it's another failure..."

Turing gazed at the blue moon in the sky, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Of course, I'm still capable."

"No matter how they restrict me, the magic needed to return home is still a piece of cake for me."

Turing stood up and extended his hand towards Merka, with his back facing the moonlight.

"Let's go, back home."

Merka nodded and held Turing's hand.

After a gust of wind, Merka and Turing took flight once again, Turing carried Merka on his back soaring into the blue sky.

This time, Merka, who was being carried by Turing, could clearly see every little change that Turing was undergoing.

It wasn't until they had fully entered Acadia that Turing gradually returned to his normal self.

Merka didn't say much about it, just silently keeping this incident in her heart.