Sunday's expression was icy and stern, exerting relentless pressure on Aventurine.
Yet, deep inside, the corners of his lips curled into a faint, imperceptible smirk.
Thank you, Honkai: Star Rail!
Thank you, Yu Ling!
Whether it was the IPC's emissary or the Emanator of Nihility, both were undeniably thorns in the Family's side in Penacony!
The former had openly come to wrest control of Penacony from the Family, while the latter posed a dire threat to the Harmony's grand dream.
Thanks to the early release of the trailer, both had been perfectly targeted!
If this wave of backlash could drive these two forces out of Penacony, it would be the most ideal outcome imaginable!
At this thought, Sunday even wondered—was this Yu Ling showing him favor?
Did Yu Ling, too, approve of the Harmony's grand plan, and thus deliberately arranged to remove these obstacles?
Determined not to betray Yu Ling's expectations, Sunday pressed on with even greater conviction:
"All of you gathered here are luminaries from across the cosmos. I trust your judgment aligns with mine."
"It is plain to see—Mr. Aventurine intends to overturn Penacony's dream."
"Worse still, he seeks to deliver its grandest death!"
Watching Sunday's theatrical performance, Aventurine's frown deepened.
This was just one exaggerated accusation after another—a blatant abuse of power for personal vendettas!
Under the weight of increasingly hostile gazes, Aventurine realized he had fallen into the same position Acheron was in earlier.
He was on the verge of being branded as Penacony's final boss!
This… was not ideal.
At this critical juncture, whoever bore that title would become the target of every faction—
public enemy number one!
With a light scoff, Aventurine masked his unease with sheer audacity.
"Surely you don't take that trailer at face value?"
"Need I remind you—it's just a preview."
"While Yu Ling's trailers reveal key plot points, they are not literal. This could simply be a narrative device."
"I believe the term is… montage."
As he spoke, Aventurine discreetly signaled Topaz and Jade.
[Plan change!]
[We may need a tactical retreat for now.]
His eyes scanned the room.
Even if he wanted to flip the table now, he couldn't.
There were simply too many players here.
The spotlight of suspicion had shifted from Acheron straight onto him.
Aventurine had wanted to see his role in the story, but not like this!
Summoning every ounce of his silver-tongued persuasion, he continued:
"Remember Acheron's PV? It showed her destroying Penacony, yet without context, we wrongly assumed she was the final boss."
"Are we really about to repeat that mistake?"
"In fact, shouldn't you all be apologizing to Miss Acheron?"
"Being wrongfully accused… is hardly a pleasant experience."
Above, Acheron had already sheathed her blade.
The earlier tension had dissipated, replaced by an almost surreal courtroom atmosphere.
The imminent clash of steel had vanished, replaced by a delicate stalemate among the factions.
Her name had been mostly cleared—now, she could even sit among the accusers.
And after Aventurine's words, many in the crowd actually began apologizing to her.
"Miss Acheron, please don't hold it against us!"
"Thank goodness Miss Sparkle arrived in time! If we'd actually attacked you…"
"Miss Acheron, I was just following the Family's lead! Don't take it personally!"
"Yeah, Sunday was the one who called us here!"
"He said we were teaming up to stop Penacony's destroyer—so we came!"
"If you're still mad, feel free to slap me. Or kick me. Your call!"
They groveled, terrified of facing her retribution.
Acheron remained silent, unsure how to respond to this sudden shift.
Sunday's eye twitched.
You can throw me under the starskiff, but must you do it so blatantly?
Back when they were rallying against Acheron, hadn't these people been eager to "serve justice"?
Weren't they all self-proclaimed heroes of righteousness?
Typical cosmic rabble. Utterly unreliable.
Just then, Sparkle, lounging on her goldfish, spoke up lazily:
"Oh, right. Forgot to show you all the post-credits scene."
"It's pretty important. Take a look."
The room erupted in chaos.
Those still apologizing to Acheron froze, then nearly wept on the spot.
"Director Sparkle, next time just drop the full thing at once!"
"Do you know what that teaser just did to my heart rate?!"
"Wait… is there ANOTHER twist?!"
"Is Aventurine actually right?"
"Who's getting exposed this time?!"
"I'm already numb."
The screen lit up again.
Darkness gave way to a slow, ominous glow, as if a curtain were being drawn—
And standing center stage was none other than Penacony's staunchest defender himself: Mr. Sunday.
Gone was his usual composed demeanor.
Bathed in crimson light, arms outstretched, he looked every bit the tyrant ascending to godhood.
His words only confirmed it:
"Your resolve… I have seen it."
"Now, I grant you the right to gaze upon the sun."
"Upon these 10,733 unshakable monoliths—"
"The Omnipotent's chords of Harmony bend to my will—"
"Dominicus, the Grand Choir."
"Tuniox, the Hymnal Legion!"
From the radiance, a towering golden puppet arose—
And below, facing it with grim determination, were March 7th, Stelle, and Himeko.
The screen froze.
The teaser ended there, but the implications were undeniable.
In the future story, the Express Crew would stand against Sunday.
Aventurine was the first to recover from the shock.
His eyes flashed with exhilaration—quickly masked behind a veneer of cold fury.
"Mr. Sunday," he said, voice dripping with accusation,
"I believe you owe everyone here an explanation."
"Unless my eyes deceive me, that 'Dominicus' is one of Xipe's Avatars—"
"Yet it appears… altered by some external force?"
"This is no pure Harmony power."
"And your words—'The Omnipotent's chords of Harmony bend to my will'—"
"Am I to understand you wield a Path beyond the Harmony's light?"
"Then there's the matter of 'granting us the right to gaze upon the sun.'"
"Such a… high and mighty tone. Frankly, it leaves a bad taste."
Sunday:
Now, it was his turn to force a strained smile.
"I believe…there must be some misunderstanding."
Steadying himself, Sunday suddenly straightened, his voice ringing with righteous conviction:
"Mr. Aventurine, I must commend your earlier point."
"A trailer is but a preview—prone to misdirection."
"We cannot define anyone based on a single out-of-context clip!"
"The truth must await the full story's release!"
His words were firm, unshakable— as if he had always stood on the side of reason.
To be continued…