“Miss Himeko, if you wish to look at me, you may do so openly and without reservation.”
“I, for one, am the most forthright of men and never mind being appreciated.”
Sensing Himeko’s sidelong glances falling upon him from time to time, Xu Zixuan curled the corner of his lips and flashed her his signature thumbs-up.
That Himeko would be wary of him was something he found entirely reasonable.
After all, in everyone’s eyes, he was a “Masked Fool,” was he not…
Though he had never once admitted to that identity, whether others believed him or not was hardly up to him.
Come to think of it, aside from Stelle and Caelus, those two pure and innocent kids, no one else seemed to have taken his denials seriously.
Sigh.
In this day and age, being an honest man was truly difficult.
Tell the truth and no one believes you!
There wasn’t a single trace of Aha’s blessing to be found anywhere on his body, from head to toe.
If he truly wanted to wield the imaginary energy of the Path of Elation, he could do so freely and at will.
What need would there be to conceal it?
“Pfft, have you no shame…” March 7th couldn’t help but cut in.
“Himeko’s just worried you’ll stir up some kind of trouble along the way!”
“Worried about me?” Xu Zixuan raised an eyebrow, his voice tinged with teasing mischief.
“I am a 24K pure and certified good guy.”
Before his words had even faded, a dazzling, blinding golden radiance suddenly erupted from his entire body, illuminating the entire corridor as if it were broad daylight.
The others were caught off guard by the sudden burst of intense light, squinting and raising their hands to shield their eyes.
“Ow!
What’s with the sudden light show?!” March 7th yelped, squinting furiously.
Himeko let out a helpless sigh.
Using the power of a Path for something so flashy and impractical…
it truly fit Xu Zixuan’s style to a tee.
It wasn’t that she had no concerns whatsoever.
Could Xu Zixuan endanger the Express Crew?
Could he suddenly create trouble?
These thoughts had indeed flickered through her mind.
But so long as Xu Zixuan had yet to take any action that crossed a line, she was willing to extend a basic measure of trust.
Her occasional sidelong glances earlier had indeed carried a degree of watchful vigilance.
“Alright.
I believe you’re a good person now.” Himeko coaxed gently.
“Please put the glow away first.
It’s far too blinding.”
“Sure thing.” Xu Zixuan reined in the radiance.
“Communications are down.”
Just at that moment, Himeko spoke, her expression grave.
Although they had just departed, they had in fact remained in constant contact with Asta the entire time.
But just now, that communication had cut off.
“Do we go back?”
Dan Heng asked in a low voice, then calmly added:
“A reminder to everyone—that is a Doomsday Beast, the Legion’s anti-planetary weapon.”
“This space station was built by Herta.
Unless a Lord Ravager makes a move, no lasting harm will come to this place.”
“But…
but we can’t just run away like this, can we…”
March 7th bit her lip.
Her kind-hearted nature made it difficult for her to simply accept this decision.
“A Doomsday Beast tearing through the protective barrier is child’s play,” Dan Heng stated the facts objectively.
“With Herta absent, the station’s defense systems are far too fragile against the Antimatter Legion.”
“The Legion bears the blessing of Nanook the Aeon of Destruction.
They came prepared.
The people here cannot hold this position.”
“Which is precisely why we must leave,” Himeko seamlessly picked up the thread, her gaze sweeping meaningfully over Stelle and Caelus.
“And we must take Stelle and Caelus with us.”
Her eyes finally settled on Xu Zixuan.
“Wouldn’t you agree, Mr.
Xu Zixuan?”
“What are you talking about?
I don’t understand a word.”
Xu Zixuan immediately tilted his head back at a forty-five-degree angle to gaze at the ceiling and began whistling nonchalantly.
“Huh?
What does that mean?” March 7th blinked in confusion.
“Xu Zixuan, are you up to something again?”
“Hey hey hey, this has absolutely nothing to do with me, alright?” Xu Zixuan spread his hands with an utterly innocent expression.
“I guarantee this is completely unrelated to me.”
“Is that so?
They…
are of critical importance?”
Dan Heng keenly perceived something and let his gaze linger on Stelle and Caelus.
“We’re special?” Stelle blinked with curiosity.
“Of course we’re special.
We have Stellarons inside us.” Caelus nodded with brimming confidence.
“True.
We’re Stellaron sprites.
We must be super special.” Stelle nodded in agreement.
“Before, I merely suspected.
After all, I could have been mistaken.”
Himeko gently stroked her chin, deep in thought.
“But now, it seems there’s no mistake.”
“The Doomsday Beast’s target…
is them, isn’t it?”
“Don’t ask me.
I know absolutely nothing.”
Xu Zixuan tilted his head back toward the sky once more, his whistling growing even louder.
Whoosh—
“With you acting like that, absolutely everyone knows the answer is yes.”
Watching Xu Zixuan’s utterly transparent attempt at concealment, March 7th suddenly found him a little bit adorable.
“Chasing after us?
Looks like this fight is unavoidable!”
Stelle drew her baseball bat without a trace of fear, the spark of battle flashing in her eyes.
“Let’s go all out!” Caelus chimed in, his fighting spirit equally ignited.
“You two are really…”
Himeko looked at their eager, raring-to-go expressions and couldn’t help but reveal a smile that was both tender and helpless.
Having confirmed that the Doomsday Beast’s target was indeed Stelle and Caelus, the group no longer hesitated.
They swiftly made their way toward the nearest platform, preparing to rendezvous with Welt.
March 7th was the first to cheer.
“I see the platform!
Nice!”
Dan Heng coolly surveyed the surroundings.
“The Express hasn’t arrived yet.”
“It might be nearby!
I’ve got great eyesight.
I’ll scout ahead!” March 7th made as if to rush forward.
“Wait, March!”
Just as March 7th took a step, Dan Heng sharply sensed danger and urgently called out to stop her—
Before his words finished, an enormous shadow swept across the sky above.
The Doomsday Beast had descended upon them!
“The Doomsday Beast…”
“It really did chase us all the way here!”
Himeko furrowed her elegant brows.
Though she had anticipated this, seeing with her own eyes this colossal monster coming specifically for two young people still caught her by surprise.
Xu Zixuan watched this familiar scene unfold, and the corner of his mouth lifted unconsciously—a classic scene, recreated.
He smoothly pulled out his phone and activated the video recording function, the lens aimed with pinpoint precision in March’s direction.
“Get down here!”
March 7th showed not the slightest sign of backing down.
She nocked an arrow and drew her bow, issuing a bold challenge to the airborne beast.
Doomsday Beast: I damn well am going to!
The very next second, the Doomsday Beast came crashing down right in front of March 7th with an earthshaking boom, making the ground tremble beneath their feet.
“Aaaaaah!
I didn’t mean for you to actually come down!”
March 7th frantically drew her bowstring to its limit.
An ice arrow shot forth with a twang, flying straight toward the Doomsday Beast.
“Clang—”
A crisp sound of impact rang out.
The ice arrow, which had always carried the day before, struck the Doomsday Beast’s rock-hard carapace, leaving only a shallow scratch, and in doing so thoroughly enraged the colossal beast.
“ROAR—!”
The Doomsday Beast let out a deafening roar.
Its twin claws swung wildly as violent waves of imaginary energy surged toward March 7th and the others like a raging tide.
Dan Heng thrust his spear with lightning speed, the spear tip carving a trail of sparks across the Doomsday Beast’s outer shell, yet struggling to inflict any meaningful damage.
His brow furrowed deeply as he spoke in a grave tone.
“Its defenses are too strong!”
“Let me try!” Stelle brandished her bat and leaped high into the air, bringing it crashing down fiercely onto the Doomsday Beast’s leg.