"How is this possible? How is this possible?!"
"A mere cub? How could he defeat me? How could he possibly defeat me?!"
Even with the poison coursing through his veins, Hoolay remained confident that he could kill the three cubs before him.
But reality dealt him a crushing blow.
It wasn't that the cubs were too strong—it was the poison... it was far too potent.
Hoolay didn't recognize the toxin, but he knew one thing for certain:
The Xianzhou people had no sense of honor!
If that's the case... then let's all die together!
Hoolay's gaze locked onto Yanqing.
The youngest of the three, yet also the most formidable. Hoolay decided to make him his burial companion.
No... not a burial companion.
I won't die! Only he will!
Empowered by the Abundance, Hoolay was immortal and indestructible.
But Yanqing? Barely a teenager, with nothing to his name.
If Hoolay unleashed his full fury upon him, the boy would surely perish.
Without hesitation, Hoolay charged recklessly toward Yanqing.
Hoolay knocked Yanqing's sword away, leaving him frozen in place. Leaping high into the air, Hoolay raised his curved blade, preparing to cleave Yanqing in two.
"Damn it!" March 7th and Yunli cried out simultaneously.
They desperately wanted to warn Yanqing, to help him, but it was clearly too late.
Hoolay's thunderous blade hung poised above Yanqing's head.
In less than a second, Yanqing would perish beneath its attack, his body split in two...
But in that fleeting moment, something seemed to dawn on Yanqing. The air around him grew colder, and he gripped his sword with both hands, channeling every ounce of strength into resisting.
Just like before, just like when he'd encountered that woman.
Bang!
Yet this time was different. Yanqing not only blocked Hoolay's attack but also severely wounded him, encasing his body in ice crystals.
"Ah, that familiar attack..." Lumina murmured, watching the events unfold on the Wardance Ceremony Arena stage. "I wonder how Little Jingliu is doing in the tower?"
"I should visit the other Xianzhou ships someday and go see Little Jingliu in the tower," Lumina muttered, propping her chin on her hand as she watched the action on the Wardance Ceremony Arena.
Speaking of which, Jingliu was the first person she'd ever shared Honkai: Star Rail with.
Lumina had been playing the game consistently, but Jingliu hadn't been online in ages.
If she remembered correctly, Jingliu had quit around Version 2.2.
Version 2.2... Hmm, that makes sense.
Given Jingliu's personality, it's hard to imagine her continuing to play after seeing the in-game character modeled after herself using her ult and leaving the enemy with more than half its health remaining.
Though... maybe not. Knowing Jingliu, if she actually saw that happen, she'd probably just try even harder to pull support characters to help her.
As for why she quit the game in the first place, that's perfectly understandable.
After all, why would the Xianzhou's tower provide internet access?
Even if they did, why would they let inmates play on their phones?
Jingliu's departure from the game was likely forced, which was understandable.
But now Lumina would be terribly lonely...
Staring at the empty character list, she sighed.
Hmm... should I share this game with others again?
Each character was a point of interest, and another was the ability to follow the Astral Express's every move as the protagonist. But the main draw, of course, was that the game was genuinely fun.
However, the game's rapid power creep irked Lumina somewhat.
What if one day, a character I painstakingly designed gets completely powercrept?
No, that shouldn't happen.
The noble possession of all-elemental weaknesses, the noble ultimate skill that locks HP at 1, the noble ability to ignore weaknesses and shred toughness, the noble group healing, the noble uncapped healing output... and so on.
Lumina genuinely doubted that any new character would powercreep her own.
Hmm... if one does manage to power-creep my characters, I wouldn't mind paying that player a visit.
Just to see how they dared to outshine me!
Beat up the men, beat up the ugly ones, beat up the inhuman ones, beat up even the Aeons!
As for beautiful girls... perfect!
Lumina's pulls are E6S5 guaranteed.
Ahem...
Snapping back to reality, Lumina shook off these distant thoughts and refocused her attention on the Wardance Ceremony Arena.
After Yanqing's sword strike—as if Jingliu herself had possessed him—Hoolay's thunderous scimitar hung motionless in the air.
Yet Hoolay wasn't defeated. Summoning his last reserves of strength, he swung his scimitar, desperate to kill Yanqing.
But just as the blade was about to fall, Feixiao intervened at the last moment, knocking the scimitar aside and saving Yanqing.
"The battle's over. Should we go down?"
Seeing Feixiao take charge, Little Swarm knew the fight had reached its conclusion. She turned to Lumina and asked.
"Wait a bit. There's no rush."
"Hoolay isn't the main enemy," Lumina said, shaking her head, uttering words that puzzled Little Swarm.
Hoolay isn't the main enemy?
Then who is?
Could it be...?
Little Swarm stole a glance at Lumina, her heart twisting with anxiety.
But soon, this anxiety was overridden by unwavering resolve.
Whatever the Great Creator does must have its own profound purpose.
As for herself, all she needed to do was follow without question.
Thump!
"What are you thinking? I'd never lay a hand on March or the others, you know."
Lumina tapped Little Swarm on the forehead, using the same gesture she had used on March 7th earlier, and said with a hint of exasperation.
It seemed that traveling with the Astral Express had taught Little Swarm not only Stelle's "boldness" but also March 7th's "silliness."
"Ugh..."
"S-sorry."
Little Swarm clutched her forehead, her head bowed in apology.
Watching Little Swarm's contrite expression, Lumina shook her head helplessly.
Landing on the Wardance Ceremony Arena, she asked Little Swarm, "Now that you've seen that battle, do you understand why I was so confident March and the others would win?"
"Mhm! That big guy... he was drugged!" Little Swarm nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at grain, answering Lumina's question.
Hmm... she still has a long way to go to catch up with March 7th, it seems.
Satisfied with the response, Lumina nodded approvingly.
She continued, "So, if you ever face an enemy you can't defeat in a straight fight, when your raw power falls short, you can resort to other methods."
"For enemies, a glorious victory doesn't matter."
"All that matters is victory itself."