After the full scale of the explosion settled, flames continued to lick the surface of the ground, changing it into molten lava.

More than 80% of the structure of Ouroboros was destroyed alongside the rest of the ground.

The remaining 20% wasn’t even in the form of a Mecha properly speaking. Only a ghost of the Frame remained while everything else was destroyed.

In the middle of all the debris and rubble, was a corpse charred beyond recognition, leaving nothing but a hollow and empty husk.

At least… This was how it looked from a distance. If one came closer, far closer, they would be able to hear a very weak heartbeat.

Thump~Thump~

It was a mystery of the universe why this corpse was even alive. Soon though, the answer became clearer as black tendrils moved all around, grabbing anything they could and consuming it.

But no matter how much it tried to gain strength, the heartbeat kept getting weaker and weaker as if it could vanish at a moment's notice.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that life was hanging on by a thread that was about to snap. A very thin thread and the tendrils understood this. Simple matter was not enough. Not enough at all.

The tendril moved slightly as if thinking or analyzing. But they realized that something was happening.

The body, even at the door of death, was trying to adapt. Trying to change.

No human could survive the current situation. As such, the corpse was trying to transcend from something human and become something superior.

The Queen hesitated. Even as her consciousness started to dim, she still hesitated. She had an idea, a way that could perhaps ensure the survival of Noah.

But by doing so, she knew that this change would be permanent. Noah’s Adaptation always went for the most optimal form even at the cost of his humanity.

If she went ahead with her plan and guided his adaptation…Would he still be human?

The Queen knew very well how much Noah’s mentality was stopped from collapsing because he saw himself as human. This sense of identity was one of the reasons he did not falter despite the endless years on this planet.

The Queen hesitated and for the first time, she felt the urge to laugh at herself.

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As a Parasite, the form they took had never been a matter of concern. Survival at any cost was always the most important.

It was funny that she now was hesitating because she did not want to hurt the man.

What choice did she have?

Let Noah die as a human?

Or become something more?

Her internal thoughts were in a true battle and in the end, she decided to go for the option of living.

Noah was not that weak.

Even if he had another breakdown that lasted for decades as had happened in the past, she would simply have to keep him company until he managed to overcome it again. Like he always did.

Once she made her decision, The Queen immediately acted on her plan. First, she moved her dark tendrils and reached for the interior of what remained of the mecha.

She caught the Perpetual Core. She was now glad that Noah did not let her devour this thing. Holding it toward the dwindling flames, she observed the flames slowly but surely being absorbed and devoured by the core.

There were not many flames left but it didn’t matter. Once all the fire was absorbed, she brought it back to Noah and placed it over the place where his heart was.

It was now time for the true magic to begin.

This was more a gamble than anything else on her part. But she had already done it once…What stopped her from doing so a second time?

Starting from Noah’s heart, she started to spread, thin, very thin tendrils formed one after another, until the basic frame of a Mecha energy circuit was created. It was nearly the same as the circuit she had used on Ouroboros but with a twist. Using the memory Noah had about the technique called Maxwell Demon, she was able to recreate a better circuit. Something different from what she had copied from those standard Mecha.

Something unique.

Thump~

Thump~

At first, there was not much of a reaction, but soon, the miracle she had been waiting for happened. On the verge of death, Noah’s body grabbed anything it could to save itself, and what better than a core that represented Evolution itself?

At the same time, using the template she had created, Noah’s body was starting to change until finally,everything clicked together.

Thump!

A powerful heartbeat sounded. So powerful it seemed like a very small shockwave, blowing off the dust around him.

Energy started radiating in great amounts from Noah's body, both being absorbed and used to feed his body.

Dark matter seemed to become visible, entwining around Noah, changing him, nourishing him. It was as if the circle of infinity itself was turning around him.

Even the Queen was astonished by what was happening. She had expected that something would happen but this went way beyond her expectations. She could feel the rest of Noah start breaking down and start healing at the same time.

As if all the old needed to be eliminated to give place to the new. Creation and destruction, life and death. The end and a beginning.

For a simple moment, she felt as if she was witnessing a new world being formed and understanding things that were beyond her comprehension.

Her consciousness slowly dimmed until she fell completely asleep. She did not know if what she did was the right or the wrong thing but what she did know was that; his was a positive cycle and Noah would never be the same again.