The two were chatting idly in the safety of his mindscape.
On the other side of the shattered platform, however, the Astral Express Crew was already locked in a heated, bitter struggle against the towering Doomsday Beast.
The bowstring of March 7th’s longbow vibrated continuously.
Volley after volley of frost-tipped arrows rained down frantically on the Doomsday Beast’s exposed core.
The air crackled sharply as the ice violently shattered upon impact, sending glittering shards flying across the battlefield.
Seeing the colossal monster’s health bar practically bottoming out, its massive form teetering on the verge of total collapse, she planted her hands on her hips.
“Hmph!” she shouted triumphantly, a proud grin spreading across her face.
“Even without anyone else’s help, we can still take it down!
I’m just too amazing!”
But the moment the words left her mouth, the dying Doomsday Beast convulsed.
A final, desperate surge of destructive energy rippled through its massive frame.
Its central core suddenly flared with a blinding, apocalyptic red light, and a world-ending laser blasted straight toward the pink-haired archer!
“March!”
“Watch out!!!”
Dan Heng and Himeko were positioned too far away to intercept the attack in time.
They could only shout at the top of their lungs, their voices tearing through the roar of gathering energy to warn her.
Without a single fraction of a second’s hesitation, Stelle lunged forward.
She threw her body right in front of March 7th, taking the full, devastating force of the laser head-on.
In the next second, a blindingly intense light flooded the entire area.
The sheer radiance was so piercing that Kazuki, watching from afar, could barely keep his eyes open.
“Hiss—” He drew in a sharp breath, squinting hard through the glare as he looked over.
Only then did he realize the battle was effectively over.
That dazzling, chaotic energy wasn’t just from the Doomsday Beast’s attack; it was the raw power of the Stellaron inside Stelle’s chest losing control and detonating outward.
Just then, Student Himeko’s voice rang out in his mind, brimming with sudden novelty.
“Kazuki, is that the future appearance of my physics teacher, Mr.
Welt, whom you mentioned before?”
Kazuki recalled the lore with a dry chuckle.
‘Your Uncle Welt was quite the looker back in his Anti-Entropy youth,’ he thought.
‘And to think,’Kazuki mused,’the old man isn’t even nearsighted.
Those glasses are just plain glass, and that white streak in his hair is completely dyed, not from aging.
He just does it because he thinks it makes him look cool!’
Following Himeko’s gaze, Kazuki spotted Welt holding the Star of Eden.
Having just leaped off the newly docked Astral Express, the seasoned trailblazer was sprinting toward the blast zone as if his boots were on fire.
His legs pumped furiously against the metallic floor, his arms swinging so wildly they looked ready to fly off.
In this frantic dash, he completely lacked the calm, elegant, and collected aura of the seasoned big shot he usually portrayed in the game’s storyline.
But in the very next second, Welt vaulted into the air.
With practiced precision, he tapped the Star of Eden gently against Stelle’s head to suppress the volatile energy.
Even while suspended in mid-air, he didn’t forget to raise his free hand and adjust his glasses with a sharp gleam.
The sheer, unadulterated showmanship was dialed up to the absolute maximum.
Despite the overwhelming energy wreaking havoc on her body, Stelle was still conscious enough to witness the dramatic pose.
She let out a weak, exasperated breath, literally rolling her eyes at the older man’s blatant theatricality.
“Holy crap!
How can he show off so much at a time like this?” Kazuki rolled his own eyes dramatically, clicking his tongue in a mix of amusement and envy.
“And as for the power of Terminus…
honestly, I’m so jealous.”
Having voiced his complaints, Kazuki casually dusted off his clothes.
He turned around and quietly slipped away into the shadows of the space station.
This major drama at the Herta Space Station had finally come to a close.
Shortly after Welt suppressed the energy, Stelle finally succumbed to the strain and lost consciousness.
As she drifted into a deep coma, her mind was pulled into the Fragmentum of the Path, where she witnessed fragmented visions of the future: Seele and Bronya chatting side-by-side in the biting cold of Belobog’s Underworld, and the chilling sight of Cocolia finally merging with the Stellaron.
He remembered the exact scene from his past life: Bronya on the left, Seele on the right.
‘Who would have thought,’Kazuki pondered as he walked away,’that as early as the version 1.0 storyline, the foreshadowing of Terminus was already laid down so clearly?
I wonder how many players actually noticed it back then.’
Almost at that exact moment, Welt seemed to sense something.
He suddenly whipped his head around, his sharp gaze piercing the distance toward the spot where Kazuki had just been standing.
For a brief, fleeting second, he caught a glimpse of that fiery red long hair disappearing around the metallic corner.
Welt’s pupils dilated in absolute shock on the spot.
His calm, composed big-shot persona instantly shattered.
He scrambled to his feet and sprinted over to the corridor, but when he arrived, the hallway was completely empty.
There was no one in sight—not even a single stray strand of crimson hair left behind.
When a deeply unsettled Welt hurried back to the group, Himeko immediately went to meet him.
Her elegant features were laced with genuine concern.
“Welt, what’s wrong?
You look a bit off.
Did something happen over there?”
Welt’s gaze lingered on Himeko’s face for three long seconds, a myriad of complex emotions swirling in his eyes.
Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, his tone laced with an indescribable daze.
“It’s nothing…
I just thought I saw the shadow of an old friend.
Or perhaps my eyes are simply playing tricks on me in my old age, and I was mistaken.”
Seeing that he didn’t want to elaborate on the deep melancholy in his expression, Himeko tactfully chose not to press the issue further.
She turned her attention back to March 7th, who was standing nearby with an incredibly anxious and guilt-ridden expression.
Asta, who had just hurried over to check on the situation, quickly stepped forward to offer some gentle reassurance.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” the lead researcher said softly.
“The exam results just came back.
She only has a few minor scratches from the battle.
It’s just…
uh…
the Stellaron in her body suddenly went wild.
Other than that, she’s perfectly fine.
She’ll recover with some proper rest.”
Dan Heng stood silently off to the side without saying a single word.
From his rigid posture, it was crystal clear he intended to stay by Stelle’s side, refusing to leave a single step until she woke up.
Himeko glanced around the ruined platform, suddenly recalling the bizarre encounter they had experienced before fighting the Doomsday Beast.
Crossing her arms, she spoke up.
“By the way, Asta, has there been any news from Ms.
Herta?
We ran into a very strange Herta puppet earlier.”
“Ms.
Herta did get in touch, but she didn’t come in person.” Asta nodded earnestly at the first part of the sentence.
But when she heard the words ‘strange puppet,’ she blinked.
She immediately realized they were asking about Kazuki.
“Huh?
A strange puppet?” Asta tilted her head, feigning perfect confusion for a split second before smoothly following up to cover for him.
“Oh, you mean that one.
Ms.
Herta noticed it too.
She said that guy was incredibly bold, actually stealing the beret right off one of her puppets before she could transfer her consciousness into it.
She’s currently pulling up the station’s surveillance footage to find him.”
The two women huddled together to chat in low voices for a bit longer before Asta turned to handle the monumental task of the Herta Space Station’s aftermath.
Himeko looked back at March 7th.
The young girl’s face was full of exhaustion and weighed down by lingering guilt.
Softening her voice into a gentle tone, Himeko advised, “Little March, go back to the Express and rest for a bit.
You need some sleep.”
March 7th shook her head vigorously like a rattle, her vibrant eyes now slightly red.
“No, I want to wait right here until she wakes up.
It’s my fault she had to take that hit for me.”
Seeing how tightly wound the girl was, Himeko could only find a reasonable, practical excuse to move her.
“Be good, go back to the Express and wait there.
As soon as we have any news, we’ll message you immediately.
Besides, Mr.
Welt is also preparing to disembark for some business.
We can’t leave the Express completely empty, can we?
Someone needs to watch the house.”
March 7th bit her lower lip, struggling intensely with the decision for a long time.
Knowing deep down that Himeko had her best interests at heart, she finally relented, her shoulders slumping reluctantly.
“Well…
alright then.
But as soon as you have news, you must tell me immediately!
No keeping secrets from me!”
[Elysian’s Note:
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