“He Who Bears the World Must Burn!”
…
Raging power burst forth from within him.
With golden wings spread wide, he soared into the sky.
Seeing Phainon’s transformation, Welt was struck speechless.
“Could it really be him?” The figure in the sky gradually overlapped with the savior in his memories.
“No, that’s impossible. He’s already dead. And Phainon doesn’t have the Judgment of Shamash. He must just be a similar expy.”
Stelle had already woken from her unconscious state.
When she saw Phainon, stars practically sparkled in her eyes.
“Go get ’em, Phainon! Show that Doomsday Beast who’s boss!”
“You can do it, Phainon!” March 7th cheered from behind.
Dan Heng stood with his hands behind his back, saying little.
But the concern and hope in his eyes were no less than theirs.
Even though they had known each other for less than a day, both Stelle and Phainon had already become important companions in his life.
Feeling the presence of everyone behind him, a flicker of warmth pierced through Phainon’s enraged heart.
He could feel it—his back was no longer empty.
Behind him stood the support of his friends on the Astral Express.
“Creation: Bloodthorn Ferry!”
The black-gold longsword pierced into the Doomsday Beast’s body.
It let out a howl of agony, slammed its hands against the platform, and launched itself into the air.
Golden light burst from its core!
“Trying to use that laser again? Then bring it on!” Phainon’s eyes blazed with battle lust.
“Calamity: Soulscorch Edict!”
Floating in midair, Phainon held his sword in his right hand while pointing his left at the charging Doomsday Beast with an arrogant stance.
“Come on! Show me what you’ve got!”
The moment the words left his mouth, a laser several times more powerful than before came barreling toward him.
Its blinding light forced the others behind him to shield their eyes.
“Phainon!” Stelle watched anxiously as the figure bathed in golden light stood as their shield.
“Don’t worry.” Sensing their concern, Phainon glanced back with a smile, fully blocking the Doomsday Beast’s terrifying assault.
No new cracks appeared on his already fractured body.
“Is that all you’ve got?” He let out a dismissive snort.
His right sword transformed into a sky-piercing blade of light and slashed toward the Doomsday Beast.
Under that single strike, the Doomsday Beast collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
But to prevent a repeat of its earlier feigned death, Phainon sheathed his sword and brought his hands together before his chest.
“Foundation: Stardeath Verdict!”
As his words echoed, a desolate planet descended from the heavens.
The aura of death enveloped everyone present as it bore down upon the Doomsday Beast’s body.
Witnessing this, the Express crew was utterly stunned.
“What kind of power is that?” Dan Heng stared in disbelief.
“Even if I tapped into his power, I couldn’t reach this level!”
“That’s my Phainon!” Stelle cheered from below.
“I must guide him properly. I can’t let him walk down that path.” Welt adjusted his glasses, contemplating gravely.
Just as the dead star came crashing down upon the Doomsday Beast with irresistible force, a voice suddenly rang out from nowhere.
“Hey, hey, hey. I’m only gone from the space station for a few months, and it ends up like this?”
Having learned from Asta that a Lord Ravager had appeared, Herta had arrived in person.
The moment she arrived, she saw the massive gash across the platform and the dead star slowly descending from the sky.
Her curiosity was piqued.
“Don’t destroy my space station!” She raised her key-like staff and pointed it at the falling dead star.
The aura of death vanished in an instant.
Then she fired a laser at the fallen Doomsday Beast, and it dissolved into particles of light, leaving only the Stellaron behind.
“Oh? An unexpected bonus!”
Seeing the Stellaron, a hint of delight flickered across Herta’s face.
“Who are you?” Phainon eyed the unfamiliar woman warily.
She had effortlessly neutralized his strongest attack the moment she arrived.
“Come down here, blondie!” Herta studied Phainon with curiosity as he hovered in the sky.
Receiving a reassuring nod from the Express crew, Phainon understood that Herta meant no harm.
His wounds gradually healed, his golden hair shifted back to white, and his resplendent white-gold robes reappeared.
Sensing the power within him, Herta’s eyes lit up with understanding.
“So that’s why your power felt so familiar. You’re one of His creations!”
Feeling uncomfortable under Herta’s probing gaze, Phainon grew wary.
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing. You’ll find out when the time comes.” Herta waved her hand dismissively.
“I don’t know how you ended up here or where you came from. Those are answers you’ll have to find for yourself.”
Seeing Herta, Himeko stepped forward. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
She cast a worried glance at Phainon.
“Are you alright, Phainon? Do you need to go to the medical bay for a checkup?”
“I’m fine, Himeko. Thank you.” Having just tapped into his hidden power, Phainon’s voice was noticeably weaker.
“Good to hear.” Himeko nodded and turned her gaze to the shorter woman beside her.
“Let me introduce you. This is the owner of the space station, Herta. An Emanator of Erudition and #83 of the Genius Society.”
“If you’re going to introduce me, just introduce me. Why bring up the Society? I have so many extraordinary achievements—any one of them sounds better than ‘#83.'”
“Pointy Hat Lady?” Stelle blurted out, looking at the beret on Herta’s head.
“Don’t say such rude things!” March 7th clamped her hand over Stelle’s mouth, terrified of what other outrageous words might escape.
“Interesting.” Herta sized up Stelle from head to toe.
Stelle puffed out her chest under Herta’s gaze, as if to say, “What are you gonna do about it?”
“So the Stellaron is inside this kid now?” Herta looked at Himeko, who nodded in confirmation.
Circling around Stelle, Herta marveled at the discovery.
“Heh. Incredible. I built an entire space station just to contain one inactive Stellaron. And yet someone managed to do it with nothing but this kid’s body—how?”
“And the Stellaron is surprisingly stable inside her,” Himeko added, studying Stelle thoughtfully.
“Indeed. This little one’s constitution is quite peculiar.”
“I’m not little!” Stelle bared her teeth at Herta.
“Sure, little one.” Ignoring Stelle’s indignation, Herta turned to Himeko.
“She’s so special. Mind if I run some tests on her?”
“That’s not for me to decide. You’ll have to ask her.” Himeko covered her mouth with a light laugh.
Meeting Herta’s gaze, Stelle decided she wouldn’t give Herta the satisfaction.
She blurted out:
“No way.”
“Money’s no object.”
“When do we start?”
Watching her dramatic about-face, Phainon and March 7th rolled their eyes in unison.
But the very next moment, Herta turned her gaze to Phainon.
“You too.”
“Count me in!”
“You two are really something! Like calls to like, I guess.”
March 7th was at a complete loss for words.
(￣▽￣*)ゞ