"There's still a way to save her."
Welt's voice struck March 7th like a thunderclap. The weeping girl, as if clutching at a lifeline, abruptly raised her head.
"Mr. Yang, y-you're serious?!"
"Yes." Welt nodded slightly. "Do you remember the research paper on the Path of Causality that Herta published a while back?"
"A research paper... Does the paper have a way to revive Stelle?" For someone as lively and restless as March 7th, poring over documents and articles was nothing short of torture. Naturally, she had no idea about the paper that had shaken a significant portion of the universe.
"Herta noted in her paper that the authority of the Path of Causality can erase the causality of death, thereby resurrecting the deceased. And if I recall correctly, Asta, the master of Herta Space Station, is a Pathstrider of the Path of Causality."
...
"Blade, what are you going to do?"
At the Stellaron Hunters' headquarters, Kafka leaned against the window, watching as Blade rose from the couch. A sense of foreboding welled up in her heart.
Blade didn't answer Kafka's question. Instead, he raised the shattered blade in his hand, its fractured surface reflecting his crimson pupils.
"Blade, what are you going to do?" Kafka asked again, her delicate brows furrowing. She could feel the power of Destruction within Blade raging violently, gradually breaking through the restraints of her Spirit Whisper.
"Kafka."
Just as Kafka was about to tighten the restraints of her Spirit Whisper, Blade, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"Kafka, I sense it... That man's presence... Dan Feng... Hahahaha...!" Blade covered his face with his hand and let out a mad, arrogant laugh. The next moment, several shattering sounds echoed, as if some invisible barrier had been broken.
"Heh!" Blade reversed his grip on his sword and swung, tearing a massive gash in the cabin door. Then, shrouded in Imaginary energy, he leaped out of the Stellaron Hunters' headquarters without hesitation, flying toward the direction where he sensed Dan Feng.
"Of five people, three must pay a price... Dan Feng, hahahaha...!"
...
Meanwhile, Dan Heng, who was still aboard the space station, shuddered as if he had been locked onto by something dangerous.
'This unsettling feeling... Who is it...?'
Master Control Zone...
"Asta, you have to save Stelle!" March 7th, cradling Stelle's "remains," sprinted back to the Master Control Room. The moment she saw Asta, she rushed forward, her voice filled with desperation.
"I saw everything that happened. I'll do everything I can!" Asta had already witnessed the events on the platform through the space station's external monitors. The moment Stelle fell, her tears had flowed as well. Even if March 7th hadn't asked, she would have done everything in her power to save the gray-haired girl.
Asta leaned down, placing her palm on Stelle's forehead and closing her eyes gently. Then, she channeled all the power of the Path of Causality within her, trying to bring the departed girl back to life.
Hum—
The power of Causality enveloped the gray-haired girl, forming a multicolored halo. Within the halo, Stelle's wounds gradually healed, and her body, scorched brown by high temperatures, transformed anew, revealing fair, unblemished skin.
Seeing this, hope reignited in March 7th's eyes. The power of the Path of Causality was indeed effective—Stelle could be saved!
However...
"Ugh—!" Just as March 7th was overcome with excitement, Asta, who had been healing Stelle, suddenly opened her eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face turned deathly pale, and her movements came to a halt.
"Asta!" "Miss!" "Station Master!" ...
"A-Asta, what's wrong?" March 7th caught the unsteady pink-haired girl, her eyes filled with concern. She had been fine just a moment ago—what had happened?
"March... I'm sorry..." Asta forced a weak smile onto her pale face. "The causality involved in Stelle's situation... is too much. My power isn't enough, and I've suffered backlash from the causality instead..."
"I'm sorry..." March 7th fell silent, her heart a turmoil of emotions. Too much had happened in a single day, and she no longer knew how to face it all.
Hearing this, Asta shook her head. "Don't apologize... I can't comprehend the causality surrounding Stelle... Perhaps only an Emanator can save her now."
"An Emanator? Yun Fan?! But..." But where would we even find him? The latter half of March 7th's thought remained unspoken.
Just as March 7th was on the verge of despair, a voice suddenly rang out behind her.
"Oh? Seems like someone's looking for me."
"Yun Fan!" The familiar voice sent a surge of joy through the girl's heart. She whirled around to see the handsome young man standing behind her, as if he had appeared out of thin air.
"Yun Fan, please save Stelle! I'll do anything for you if you agree!" March 7th clutched Yun Fan's hand tightly, her tone resolute.
"Anything? Are you sure?" Yun Fan's gaze instinctively swept over March 7th. Little one, those are dangerous words. Of course, he would never actually make such a demand. Taking advantage of someone in distress was something he simply couldn't bring himself to do.
However, Yun Fan didn't realize that March 7th's nerves were stretched to the breaking point—she noticed every tiny movement. His subconscious glance didn't escape her. After hesitating for two seconds, she gritted her teeth and said, "If you save Stelle... tonight, I'll..."
"Stop." Yun Fan raised a hand, cutting her off. "I'm not the kind of person who exploits others' desperation. Even if I did have thoughts about you, I wouldn't stoop to something so vile."
"..." March 7th fell silent. Was Yun Fan refusing her? But if that was the case, then what would happen to Stelle...?
"I'll save Stelle for you," Yun Fan continued.
"W-why?" His words were like the first light of dawn piercing through the night, bringing new hope to March 7th.
"Call it a reward for her courage."
Stelle's the protagonist of this story. If she dies here, how will the plot continue? But now that he thought about it, was this his doing? In the original timeline, Stelle should have awakened the Path of Destruction first, yet now she'd awakened the Path of Preservation instead.
His gaze settled on Stelle, sensing the faint aura of "Preservation" emanating from her. Yun Fan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Right now, Stelle was merely in a state of suspended animation due to severe injuries. A little power would be enough to revive her. The Stellaron inside her had also entered dormancy. Had the gaze of Preservation already fallen upon her before the Stellaron could run wild, preventing it from activating as it had in the original timeline?