March 7th and Dan Heng, carrying Stelle and the rescued Arlan, finally arrived at the relatively safe Master Control Zone.
The moment the familiar red-haired beauty appeared at the center of the screen, Black Cat’s livestream chat instantly exploded with nostalgia and excitement.
“Himeko!!!”
“Mommy Himeko!”
“It’s really Himeko!”
“Get out of here! Stop calling her Mommy! She’s my wife!”
“I’m crying…”
On the screen, Himeko smiled warmly as she walked toward Stelle.
“Hello. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Himeko, the navigator of the Astral Express.”
“March didn’t cause you too much trouble along the way, did she?”
The moment those words were spoken, March 7th placed both hands on her hips.
She narrowed her pink-and-blue eyes and looked at Stelle with a playful smile.
“Hmm~?”
“You’d better think carefully before answering.”
Three dialogue choices immediately appeared.
[1. I’ve never met anyone as reckless as her.]
[2. I’ve never met anyone as lively as her.]
[3. I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear the question.]
“Is that even a choice?”
Black Cat laughed and immediately selected the first option.
In the game, Stelle answered,
“I’ve never met anyone as reckless as her.”
“Hey!”
March 7th puffed out her cheeks before scratching the back of her head awkwardly.
“That’s just how I am!”
“Besides…”
“I didn’t cause any trouble this time.”
Just then—
A cheerful notification sound came from March 7th’s phone.
“Huh?”
She immediately took it out.
The screen zoomed in.
The chat interface appeared.
The contact’s name was displayed clearly.
[Selene ❤️]
A cute winking emoji had just been sent.
March 7th’s eyes instantly lit up.
Her fingers quickly began typing.
The conversation appeared on the screen.
March 7th:
“Selene-nee! What was that self-destruct move you used earlier? It was so cool!”
Almost instantly…
A reply arrived.
Selene ❤️:
“Hehe~ It’s a newly developed technique.”
“I’m afraid it isn’t something I can easily teach.”
March 7th:
“Aww…”
“Then can you teach me something else?”
“I really want to learn!”
Selene ❤️:
“Of course~ 😊”
The contrast was almost comical.
While everyone else remained focused on the emergency…
March 7th happily leaned against the wall, smiling brightly as she continued chatting on her phone.
If the player chose not to continue the main story immediately and instead walked over to March 7th…
A dialogue prompt appeared.
[What are you doing?]
Without even looking up, March 7th replied,
[Selene-nee?]
March 7th finally looked up.
“She’s one of my crewmates.”
“She’s incredibly beautiful.”
“And…”
“She’s the nicest person I’ve ever met.”
After saying that, she happily looked back down at her phone and continued chatting.
The dialogue ended.
The livestream chat immediately became lively again.
“So they’re really that close?”
“March is absolutely obsessed with Selene.”
“Please let Selene appear already!”
“And not as another self-destructing projection!”
“When is she joining the gacha?”
Black Cat rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
“Self-destruct…”
“What kind of Path does Selene even follow?”
With that thought in mind, she controlled Stelle toward Asta and Himeko, preparing to continue the story.
Just as Stelle approached—
“Woo——!!”
The emergency alarm echoed throughout the station.
The massive holographic display suddenly switched to the external surveillance feed.
Against the endless darkness of space…
An enormous monster was relentlessly smashing into the station’s barrier.
Its overwhelming size made it almost impossible to breathe.
The Doomsday Beast.
Asta immediately looked toward Himeko.
“You take the Astral Express.”
“I’ll stay here.”
“But—”
March 7th tried to object.
“We’re leaving.”
Himeko calmly interrupted her.
She then extended a hand toward the still-confused Stelle.
“Come with us.”
…
Meanwhile…
Aboard the Astral Express.
Beside the Observation Car’s panoramic window…
Selene quietly turned her wheelchair.
She exchanged a silent glance with Welt.
“The Doomsday Beast…”
Welt said solemnly.
Selene nodded.
“Be ready.”
“We may have to act at any moment.”
…
Time passed.
On Black Cat’s side, the story had already reached the battle against the Doomsday Beast.
“Watch this, everyone!”
“I’ve got this!”
She confidently controlled Stelle through the battle.
The chat alternated between giving advice and laughing at her mistakes.
Somehow…
By barely surviving with a sliver of HP…
She finally defeated the boss.
“There!”
“I told you I could do it!”
Black Cat proudly raised her chin.
The chat immediately flooded with messages.
“You almost died!”
“The streamer was sweating bullets.”
“That was way too close.”
“That’s called strategy.”
“A close victory is the most exciting kind!”
However…
The battle wasn’t over.
The moment the Doomsday Beast’s HP reached zero—
A cutscene began.
Using the last of its strength…
The monster launched one final attack.
Its target…
March 7th.
Without hesitation—
Stelle threw herself in front of her.
The violent impact struck.
The Stellaron sealed within her body suddenly erupted.
Golden light burst forth.
The overwhelming power instantly swallowed the weakened Doomsday Beast.
Then…
From the depths of the universe…
A cold…
Merciless…
Destructive gaze descended upon her.
Nanook.
The Aeon of Destruction…
Had noticed her.
The crushing pressure instantly overwhelmed Stelle.
Her consciousness rapidly sank into darkness.
Just before she completely lost consciousness—
Welt appeared.
Everything afterward unfolded exactly like the closed beta.
Black Cat couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
“I honestly thought…”
“Selene would show up to save everyone.”
“But in the end…”
“Mr. Yang handled everything himself.”
Darkness.
Silence.
Warmth.
Stelle felt as though she were floating in calm water.
A faint light gradually shone through her eyelids.
Slowly…
She opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry at first.
Then…
It gradually became clear.
The first face she saw…
Wasn’t Dan Heng, as it had been in the beta.
Instead—
A beautiful face was leaning quietly over her.
Snow-white hair.
Soft bangs covering one eye.
A tranquil azure eye filled with gentle concern.
Selene.
She sat quietly in her wheelchair beside the bed, leaning forward slightly.
She was close enough for Stelle to see every delicate movement of her eyelashes.
The cool, gentle aura surrounding her resembled soft moonlight.
When she saw Stelle wake up…
Relief quietly appeared in Selene’s eyes.
A gentle smile slowly spread across her face.
She didn’t speak.
She simply looked at Stelle quietly.