Xiaoguizi's Livestream
She was engaged in a heated debate with Dr. Ratio.
After gathering enough information from [Memories], Stelle responded firmly to Dr. Ratio's skepticism:
"After the incident with the Antimatter Legion, the space station has been in a state of unrest, mired in a crisis of trust."
"If another malicious incident were to occur now, it would be like adding fuel to the fire—completely igniting internal conflicts."
"Though it may not serve as direct evidence, if the system logs show that the fire suppression system was activated around the time the puppet was attacked..."
"...then there's ample reason to suspect the two incidents are connected!"
"No matter how much you doubt me, I'm just an unrelated bystander caught up in this by accident."
"—Just like you, who was also accidentally involved but decided to play the interrogator."
After several rounds of intense debate, most of the suspicion surrounding Stelle had been cleared.
Dr. Ratio's tone softened slightly.
"Hmm..."
"If the two incidents were indeed committed by the same person, then your suspicion would decrease significantly. But that's only if the system logs you mentioned actually exist."
Asta, standing nearby, chimed in: "We'll know once we check the control room. Let's go— Huh? Did you hear that?"
She took out her phone to check a message.
At the same time, the game prompted that Stelle had also received a message.
It was from the same group chat as before: [Herta's Investigation Squad]
[It's happening, it's happening, it's happening!]
[What's happening?]
[Something big is coming!]
[?]
[Oh my god!]
Below was a newly shared video.
Xiaoguizi clicked on it.
The familiar Space Station logo appeared, followed by a news broadcast.
The announcer's voice rang out:
"Breaking news from the Herta Fan Club—Emergency broadcast! Emergency broadcast!"
"There's finally an update on the attack on Lady Herta! The Annihilation Gang has claimed responsibility for the entire incident and announced their next move. The Intelligentsia Guild has issued a strong condemnation..."
However, just as Xiaoguizi was treating this as a joke news segment—
The emergency broadcast signal suddenly glitched!
The screen flickered with static, and the content abruptly changed.
A burning crown of flames.
Massive, winding ram horns.
An intricately designed claw-shaped brooch.
A majestic black robe.
Floating ashes in the background...
These features needed no introduction.
Every player watching immediately knew who this was!
"...!?"
Guinaifen's cookie fell to the floor, unnoticed.
The voice of Duke Inferno, Ifrit, resounded:
"The gods of the stars have abandoned their aberrant customs, indifferent to the insignificant masses."
"Only our wounded Lord has decreed that all worlds shall bathe in the flames of destruction."
"Yet there are always cowards who dare refuse this grace, fleeing from their destined wounds."
"Run, flee all you want—no matter where you hide, annihilation will find you!"
Facing the camera, Duke Inferno struck an extremely arrogant pose.
The video ended.
The black screen reflected Guinaifen's stunned expression.
...
"This is practically a terrorist attack warning!"
"Even though we already knew from the preview that the crisis on the space station was orchestrated by Duke Inferno..."
"I didn't expect him to make such a dramatic appearance in the story!"
"He even hijacked the space station's news broadcast to air his own propaganda?"
"Duke Inferno is definitely the big boss of Version 2.0!"
"I'd barely heard of the Ever-Flame Mansion before, but they're getting so much screen time in the game?"
"Duke, your crown looks just like the new Relic I farmed!"
"Duke, you've changed! Since when did you start studying military strategy?"
"He even knows psychological warfare—exploiting the space station's trust crisis to incite internal conflict!"
---
Space Station – Master Control Zone
Watching the plot unfold, where Duke Inferno used his infernal flames to make researchers disappear, sowing discontent with the management and pushing the space station toward civil war, the staff couldn't help but sigh.
"I remember before Honkai: Star Rail was released, a lot of people really didn't like Asta."
"That was then. Now, everyone knows what kind of person our lady is!"
"Most of the facilities in Herta Space Station were funded by Asta."
"She even ordered a planet-cracker warship to bolster security!"
"And now she's competing with Peppy for attention..."
"Honestly, I kinda miss when everyone was still unruly."
Behind them, Asta's lips twitched.
While being trusted was a good thing...
Why did it feel like her "rich girl" persona was becoming more and more cemented?
She was still just a young woman!
She came to the space station to escape her family's influence, yet she still couldn't shake off the shadow of her wealth!
"Ding—"
Her phone chimed with a notification.
Asta glanced at it—it was a message in the family group chat.
Several elders had @'ed her, urging her to stay safe and asking if she needed the family to dispatch security forces to the space station...
Additionally, they mentioned that the Interastral Peace Corporation had already deployed a specialized fleet to the Ever-Flame Mansion.
They intended to restrain Duke Inferno before he could carry out his dangerous plans!
Reading this, Asta let out a sigh of relief.
At least in reality, she didn't have to worry about suddenly being attacked by infernal flames.
Then—
A collective gasp rose from the crowd.
Asta looked up.
In the game's livestream, the scene had just reached her in-game counterpart.
...
Screwllum mused: "No, this isn't enough."
Dr. Ratio agreed: "Indeed, it needs one more spark."
"If things stop here, you'll still have room to argue. If it were me..."
"...I wouldn't give you that chance."
Screwllum and Stelle immediately realized something and turned to look at Asta.
The in-game Asta, still unaware of what was coming, tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
The next second—
Blue flames suddenly erupted from her body, engulfing her completely.
Stelle lunged to grab her but caught only air, watching helplessly as Asta vanished!
Even though this was just game story, the real Asta couldn't help but shudder.
This happened right in front of Screwllum—a member of the Genius Society—Dr. Ratio of the Intelligentsia Guild, and the Galaxy Batting Champion!
Was Duke Inferno really this brazen?
This confident?
From prior analysis, this was merely a teleportation—no immediate danger to life.
But it was still terrifying.
After all, the infernal flames appeared without warning.
The victims seemed randomly chosen, with no way to resist.
Such an ability was truly fear-inducing!
Screwllum stated calmly: "Stay composed. Asta was only teleported away—she's not in mortal danger."
"Through direct observation, I've confirmed Ifrit's flames are merely embers of primordial spirit fire, incapable of phase-shifting. Logical deduction: Asta remains within the space station."
Dr. Ratio summarized: "Those flames must still linger somewhere in this sector. Find them, and we can bring her back."
Then—
Duke Inferno's voice echoed mockingly:
"Heh... mere embers, you say? The arrogance of geniuses never fails to amuse me."
"If you think you can manage it... then by all means, try."
Witnessing this, all the researchers clenched their fists in outrage, as if ready to charge into the game and make Duke Inferno pay!
"Seriously?! How dare you lay a hand on Lady Asta?!"
"Do you have a death wish?!"
"Show me your HP bar, you coward!"
"No, friends! Who knows how long we'll have to wait for Duke Inferno to become a boss in-game? Let's just... take him down in reality first!"
"I've been waiting for this!"
"First, he attacks Lady Herta, and now Lady Asta? He's crossed a line!"
"Let's move out! My ion cannon is finally ready for field testing!"
"My optical converter can be modified into a lethal weapon too!"
"He's bullying us at our doorstep! What's there to fear? Let's fight the Ever-Flame Mansion head-on!"
"Since when has our space station ever backed down from a fight?!"
With that, researchers rallied their colleagues, preparing to modify and deploy their equipment.
Asta was momentarily at a loss.
These people might seem like ordinary staff, but in truth, everyone conducting research here was a top-tier expert in their field.
They simply paled in comparison to the geniuses.
But united, their collective strength was a force to be reckoned with!
Logically, as the station's head, Asta knew she should stop them from such reckless actions.
Yet, recalling the in-game events—
If Honkai: Star Rail hadn't existed, that scene would have been their future reality.
Duke Inferno was openly provoking them—why should they take it lying down?
So what if it was the Ever-Flame Mansion?
Asta fears no battle!
To be continued…