"The Doomsday Beast is heading toward us?" Himeko frowned slightly, her gaze involuntarily falling on Stelle, who was walking ahead alongside March 7th.
Could it be that the Doomsday Beast's target was this gray-haired girl who carried a Stellaron within her?
"ROAR—!" Just as Himeko was pondering, a furious roar echoed through the air. The next moment, countless beams of light rained down from above, blanketing the entire space station platform.
"Everyone, be careful!" Dan Heng, who was at the forefront, channeled Path energy and swiftly twirled his spear, dispersing the incoming lasers. However, his abilities were ultimately limited—at least in this form, he couldn't block every attack.
"Protection!" March 7th unleashed the Preservation energy within her, forming a barrier in front of the group. The attacks Dan Heng couldn't deflect struck the shield, sending ripples across its surface.
"Quick, take cover behind the Astral Express! The train is shielded by the power of Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze. The Doomsday Beast won't be able to break through," Himeko urged.
"I'll cover you. Go ahead." Dan Heng's calm voice reached everyone's ears. Hearing this, March 7th and Stelle wasted no time. They had witnessed Dan Heng's strength firsthand—right now, there was no better person for the task.
'In the name of the Dragon Lord—' Dan Heng silently recited in his heart. He shifted Cloud-Piercer to his left hand, and a fleeting golden glint passed through his turquoise eyes.
With a hum, a phantom replica of Cloud-Piercer—composed of a fusion of Destruction and Hunt imaginary energies—materialized in Dan Heng's right hand. The sheer power radiating from it caused the space around the spear to tremble faintly.
"Hah!" Dan Heng's gaze sharpened. In an instant, the phantom spear shot forth like an arrow, aimed directly at the Doomsday Beast's antimatter engine.
By the time everyone had retreated behind the Astral Express, they witnessed the scene: a blurred spear phantom launched from Dan Heng's hand, followed by the Doomsday Beast letting out a pained roar before crashing onto the platform like a falling boulder.
"D-Dan Heng is that strong?!" March 7th stammered in shock. She had explored multiple planets with Dan Heng by now, yet she had never seen him display such power before.
Could it be… that he really had some hidden identity?
"March, every Nameless aboard the Express has their own secrets to some degree. There's no need to pry too deeply—after all, we're comrades," Himeko said with a gentle smile. Then, she tilted her head slightly upward. "By my estimate, it's about time. Dan Heng, fall back!"
"Understood." Dan Heng's voice came through the comms, and within seconds, he reappeared before the group.
"?" Stelle didn't understand what Himeko meant—but soon, she would.
Whoosh—
From the depths of space, a crimson laser tore through the void. Caught off guard, the Doomsday Beast could only fold its wings together in a desperate attempt to block the attack that posed such a dire threat.
The Doomsday Beast's wings, forged in the crucible of war, were among the finest in both offensive and defensive capabilities. Yet, against the red laser, they might as well have been made of paper—pierced effortlessly.
"ROAR!!" After tearing through the wings, the laser struck the antimatter engine directly. Within moments, it shattered through with unstoppable force. Deprived of its power source, the beast collapsed onto the platform like a lifeless husk, reduced to nothing more than prey on a chopping block.
Not far from the space station…
Yun Fan: "..."
Watching as the Doomsday Beast's antimatter engine was obliterated by Himeko's orbital cannon, Yun Fan couldn't help but feel a question mark rise in his mind.
Is this Doomsday Beast the real deal? Or some knockoff that wandered in from who-knows-where? How did it get taken down so easily? And this thing is supposed to be a planetary-scale weapon of war???
Moreover, the plot seemed to have deviated slightly. If things ended so abruptly, would Stelle still awaken to the Path of Destruction?
Unlike Yun Fan's internal confusion, Herta shook her head regretfully. "What a shame. This Doomsday Beast was too fragile. I was hoping to observe more closely what makes that Stellaron-bearing girl so special."
...
"Whew, I didn't expect victory to come so easily. That really scared me for a second! Himeko, your orbital cannon is amazing, but…" March 7th's gaze swept across the platform. The scene before her could only be described as disastrous.
The satellite orbital cannon carried tremendous energy, and to ensure it hit the Doomsday Beast, collateral damage to the space station was unavoidable.
For instance, after piercing through the beast, the cannon's blast had also obliterated sections of the platform—entire sections of alloy flooring were now missing. The Doomsday Beast itself had immense mass, and combined with the space station's artificial gravity, its fall from the sky had turned over half the platform into ruins. The cost of repairs would undoubtedly be astronomical.
"It couldn't be helped. As the navigator of the Astral Express, I had to prioritize the safety of the passengers," Himeko said with a resigned shake of her head. If possible, she wouldn't have chosen this outcome.
Just as everyone assumed the battle was over and began chatting lightheartedly, a hidden surge of energy seeped into the Doomsday Beast from an unknown source. Unseen by the Astral Express crew, it quietly restructured the beast's internal mechanisms.
"Hahaha… Causality loves a good show, Aha loves a good show. Causality is the show, Aha is the show, hahaha…" A bizarre laugh echoed from the void—yet, it reached no one's ears.
"This is…" Yun Fan, who was nearby, seemed to sense something. His eyes flickered slightly as he invoked a fraction of his Authority of Causality to deduce the situation.
Soon, he arrived at an answer.
Slap! Yun Fan smacked his own forehead, startling Herta beside him.
"You! Do you have any idea how terrifying it is when someone suddenly does that?!" Herta crossed her arms, shooting him a reproachful glare.
Yun Fan didn't respond. Instead, he simply pointed toward the space station platform. "Look for yourself."
...
Stelle died HAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
—Aha ٩(ˊᗜˋ)و