As he pressed forward, the sound of battle echoed from up ahead.
“Seems like someone’s in trouble. I’ll go give them a hand!” He dismissed his greatsword and ran toward the source of the fighting.
…
Before long, Phainon arrived at the scene of the battle.
A woman wielding dual pistols was annihilating enemies even stronger than Voidrangers with devastating efficiency, while a shorter girl with a single spiral ponytail bombarded the swarming monsters with her twin cannons.
“I’ll help you!” Instinct told Phainon that these two women were dangerous, but he was not one to stand by and watch.
He raised his greatsword and charged into the fray.
Within moments, working in perfect tandem, the three of them had eliminated all the threatening monsters.
“Any more of the Legion around, Kafka?” The blue-clad girl in a cropped top, wearing transparent glasses and a band-aid on her lower back, blew a bubble with her gum as she looked at the tall, voluptuous woman beside her.
“At least not for now, Wolfie.” Though Kafka was speaking to the girl, her gaze was fixed on Phainon as he approached them.
“An unforeseen variable not written in the script has appeared…” Kafka studied Phainon’s face as she spoke slowly.
“Script? What are you talking about?” Phainon asked warily.
“Come with us,” Kafka said, ignoring his question.
“Perhaps you’ll find the answers you’re looking for by following us.”
As they walked, the girl called Wolfie glanced back at Phainon, then at Kafka.
“You sure about letting him tag along? Elio’s script didn’t mention him.”
“Don’t worry, Silver Wolf. After all, what isn’t in Elio’s script is ultimately inconsequential.” Kafka’s face carried her signature charming smile.
“Whatever you say. Looks like this mission is going to be boring as usual.”
Using forged identities, they opened the door to the Base Zone, passed through the corridor, and entered the interior of the space station.
A feigning-dead Voidranger lunged at Kafka from behind.
Seeing this, Phainon raised his sword and shouted, “Look out!”
But Silver Wolf was just as quick.
Her fingers danced across a holographic keyboard, conjuring a blue teleportation portal out of thin air.
The Voidranger stepped through it and vanished.
“Cleaning up other people’s messes isn’t my job.” Silver Wolf blew another bubble.
Kafka glanced at the stunned Phainon with an amused look, then smiled at Silver Wolf.
“Thanks, Wolfie!”
“Hmph, just don’t confiscate my game console.” Silver Wolf rolled her eyes and looked at both of them.
“Follow me. The Stellaron is over there.”
Following Silver Wolf’s lead, the three soon arrived before a wall.
“Boring trick.” One look was all Silver Wolf needed.
She worked her keyboard and soon unlocked a hidden chamber.
Stepping inside, a strange spherical object glowing with yellow light floated at the center of the room.
This, apparently, was the target of Kafka and Silver Wolf’s mission.
After extracting the Stellaron using her hacking techniques, Kafka looked at Silver Wolf as if waiting for something.
“Got it.” Meeting her gaze, Silver Wolf summoned two carriers.
“Stelle or Caelus. Pick one.”
“Wolfie, which would you choose?” Kafka hesitated, looking at Silver Wolf as if seeking her advice.
“Elio said this decision has to be yours alone.” Silver Wolf didn’t answer, continuing to play her game.
“In that case…” Kafka pointed her finger at the sleeping girl and thrust the Stellaron into her chest.
“Time to wake up!”
Before long, the girl slowly opened her eyes, her amber irises filled with confusion.
“Kafka… Ka?” The girl looked at the figure before her, speaking sluggishly.
“Good, you still remember me.” A rare look of joy appeared on Kafka’s normally composed face.
“Listen to me. Your head is a complete mess right now. You don’t know who you are, why you’re here, or what to do next. I feel familiar to you, but you’re not sure if you can trust me. None of that matters. What matters is that I’m leaving, and I’ll leave you by his side.”
With that, both women turned their gaze to Phainon, who had been quietly watching from the side.
“So from now on, don’t dwell on the past and don’t doubt yourself. You’ll meet companions who will become like family and embark on adventures beyond your wildest dreams. And this one here is a good partner you can trust.”
“Wait… hold on!”
“Hey, what does this have to do with me?” Phainon protested helplessly, but the newly awakened girl was already on the verge of passing out again.
“Heh heh.” Kafka ignored his question, helped the slumped gray-haired girl to her feet, and pushed her into Phainon’s arms.
“Listen to me. Your head is a mess right now, but know this. Soon, you’ll step onto the path of Trailblaze, together with her.”
“Remember, when you decide to bear all of this, make sure you won’t regret it.”
“You…” Before Phainon could finish, he felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground.
“Time to go, Kafka.” The girl blew another bubble.
“If we stay any longer, we’ll run into those Astral Express people.”
“Alright, Wolfie. Let’s go!” Donning her expensive coat, the two stepped into the portal the girl had created.
…
After what felt like an unknown amount of time, Phainon faintly heard voices nearby.
“Is this a space station researcher, Dan Heng?” A playful female voice spoke up.
“Not sure. His clothes don’t look like it.” Another voice, male, responded.
A hand checked his pulse and breathing, then spoke urgently.
“His breathing and pulse are very weak. March, get ready for CPR.”
“Huh?! I… I don’t have much experience! You do it, Dan Heng!”
Just as Dan Heng slowly lowered his head to begin rescue breathing, Phainon seemed to sense something.
His eyes snapped open, and he shoved Dan Heng away, summoning his greatsword and staring warily at the two strangers.
Before him stood two unfamiliar figures.
One was a pink-haired girl in a blue-and-white dress, a camera hanging from a red strap at her waist.
The other was a stern-looking young man in blue-green robes, holding a finely crafted spear in a defensive stance.
“Sir, we are Nameless of the Astral Express. My name is Dan Heng, and she is March 7th. We mean you no harm. We simply found you and this girl unconscious here and wanted to help.”
As he spoke, Dan Heng’s gaze lingered on the hand gripping Phainon’s greatsword.
Seeming to understand their intentions, Phainon dismissed his weapon and scratched the back of his head awkwardly, offering an apologetic smile.
“My apologies, you two Nameless. I am Phainon, from Aedes Elysiae in Amphoreus. I encountered some trouble earlier, so I was a bit on edge.”
“No worries!” March 7th stepped forward cheerfully, looking at the unconscious girl on the ground with curiosity.
“Who’s this? Is she your little sister?”