"H-how could this happen..."
Inside the abandoned factory, rain poured down in sheets. Jack was sprawled backward in the murky mud, a mixture of metal fragments and rainwater. His lower body was still connected to the severed head of the Mechanical Rat, his face etched with disbelief. Reflected in his constricted pupils was a silver-armored maiden standing in the rain, Vivian.
The Gear Church's latest combat mech, the Silver Glow II, gleamed with a cold, mechanical luster in the acid rain, perfectly fitted to Vivian's slender figure. It seemed to be silently declaring the mech's power to Jack.
However, what truly unsettled Jack was the Minute Hand Longsword in Vivian's hand, constantly emitting a 'tick-tock' sound like a clock. Looking at the longsword, Jack, barely clinging to life, spoke weakly, "Is this the true power of the Black Iron Clock...?"
"It seems William back then truly did give me a chance to mend my ways, just as he said. But I didn't seize it..."
Hearing this, Vivian calmly stated, "My father never unlocked these two abilities, because he dedicated all his power to the 'Hour Hand Greatsword' which was named 'Guard'."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
[Black Iron Clock - Minute Hand Longsword]
[Effect: Increases the user's time flow by 200%]
[Note: Unlike the 'Time Reversal' of the Hour Hand Greatsword and the 'Ultimate Cutting' of the Second Hand Rapier, this is an art of slaughter purely born for combat.]
Unlike the 'Hour Hand Greatsword,' which reversed time around the user, focusing on defense, or the 'Second Hand Rapier,' which significantly enhanced cutting ability, focusing on offense, the 'Minute Hand Longsword' was a balanced combination of the two. This amplification effect could not only apply to Vivian's body but also to the 'Automaton Armor' she wore.
Although Vivian, without a Star Envoy's Star Source, lacked the immense 'computing power' of ordinary Automaton Star Envoys to maximize the potential of this automaton equipment, different Star Source effects combined with specific automaton equipment could still produce wondrous '1+1 > 2' reactions at specific times. Vivian's 'Minute Hand Longsword' and 'Gear Automaton Armor' were an example, as were Tendo's 'Vector Control' and 'Portable Automaton Hub' back then.
While the Gear Church was a 'Machine Theocracy,' this didn't mean that all the believers within this church were necessarily automatons. As a non-automaton Star Envoy, Vivian's ability to become a Silver Knight of the Gear Church, a position typically held only by Tier 2 Star Envoys, at the level of a Tier 1 Star Envoy, naturally had its reasons. And that reason was her powerful combat talent.
In the world of Star Envoys, rank never represented everything. There were always geniuses who could break numerical disparities, using their own powerful 'mechanisms' to defeat seemingly unbeatable enemies. Vivian was just such a genius, capable of breaking conventions.
"My father gave you a chance back then, but I won't give you another."
Rumble!
Amidst the thunder of the downpour, a silver figure became a flash that tore through the rain curtain, slicing the Minute Hand Longsword through a perfect temporal trajectory.
With one sword... she severed Jack's head.
[Real World, Station 13.]
'Holy crap! This new character is too cool!'
'One sword, three time forms and effects, this setting is amazing!'
'I knew her identity wasn't simple! So she's the daughter of that righteous uncle from last season!'
'Hey, didn't the production team give a close-up of that kid's watch when Vivian first appeared? Her identity was pretty obvious.'
'A non-automaton managing to use mechanical armor so artfully, this is true technical skill!'
'So Star Envoys without an Automaton Star Source can also join the Gear Church, whose main members are Automaton Star Envoys? I learned something new.'
Just as the dimensional audience marveled at Vivian's dazzling debut, the scene shifted to Chen Kong's battlefield deep within the abandoned factory.
To the audience's surprise, Chen Kong's current opponent was an old acquaintance: Liu Ma, ranked NO. 35 in Prequel of the Stars. He was one of the twenty-four 'failures' who had been sent out of the base early by Dr. after failing the final assessment back then.
[Name: Liu Ma]
[Prequel of the Stars Ranking: NO. 35]
[Star Core: Golden Demon Ox]
[Star Source: Nether Steed]
Chen Kong watched the large figure emerge from the shadows of the passage, his mouth twitching. "No way, why is everyone suddenly wearing suits and acting all proper these days?"
"Liu Ma, are these really the clothes you should be wearing?!"
Hearing Chen Kong's half-teasing, half-complaining words, the 2.2-meter-tall behemoth loosened the tight tie around his neck. Then, he wiped the shiny pair of ox horns on his forehead with a handkerchief and snorted, "Hmph, what do you mean, 'are these the clothes I should be wearing?' I'm out here running errands for the company. If I don't dress well, what if I embarrass the company?"
"But with your build, don't you feel restricted wearing clothes like that?"
Faced with Chen Kong's question, Liu Ma was silent for a moment before sighing. "There's no choice. Workers don't have that much room for choice."
"Kong, if you have any complaints about my clothes, you can go tell our boss later. I'm certainly not saying anything, because she'll dock my pay."
At this, Liu Ma suddenly changed the subject. "Don't just talk about me. What's with your bartender outfit?"
"I figured with your face and figure, you couldn't be a pretty boy seducing rich women into impulse buying at a bar."
"Could it be that people in this Rusty Iron Hell have heavy tastes and like something more peculiar?"
"..."
Silence. Complete and utter silence.
Chen Kong hadn't expected that after so many years, he'd finally meet an old 'companion,' only for the guy to immediately launch a personal attack, completely off-script. And this Liu Ma was clearly outwardly naive but inwardly cunning. He gave Chen Kong no time to recover and immediately continued to twist the knife.
"Also, Kong, why do I feel like you haven't made any progress in all these years?"
"Not only is your Star Source still at Tier 1, but you haven't even awakened your Star Core. What have you been doing for the past six years?"
"Star Core... can be awakened?"
Chen Kong was stunned, clearly completely unaware of this.
Seeing this, Liu Ma fell silent. He rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "You've really been lucky to survive until now, you really have."
"Back during the final assessment, it was only because your sister and Night God Lin were leading you that a guy like you managed to barely pass. Not even knowing about Star Core awakening, you're truly an embarrassment to us Children of the Stars."
Faced with Liu Ma's taunts, Chen Kong immediately retorted, "What do you mean, I'm just lucky? I was always last in the assessments every year, and weren't you always second to last? What's the difference between us?"
"Bullshit!"
White steam puffed from Liu Ma's ox nose as he stared at Chen Kong with wide eyes. "What do you mean there's no difference between us? There's a huge difference, alright!"
"I just wasn't diligent enough back then, which is why I was second to last every year."
"But I'm different now! I've not only awakened my Star Core, but I'm also a key development target for a new company, clearly destined for boundless prospects! How am I anything like you, who sells your looks?!"
"I'm not selling my looks!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you want to sell, but nobody's buying."
"..."
Hard. His fists hardened.
Faced with Liu Ma's relentless mental attacks, Chen Kong felt his chest tighten.
Seeing his impotent rage, Liu Ma couldn't help but laugh. His laughter infected Chen Kong, and after exchanging glances, they both burst into laughter together.
However, after the laughter, both of them, with unspoken understanding, fell into silence.
A moment later, Chen Kong spoke first.
"By the way, how's everyone doing now? Do you have any news?"
Liu Ma thought for a moment and said, "Jing Liuli is now backed by the Frostsong family and is a household name as a big star in the New Federation. Her appearance fee for a single concert starts at tens of millions, not to mention all the endorsements and advertisements. She's counting money until her hands cramp."
"As for your sister, she's with the Blazing Sun family now, and those guys treat her like a treasure. They practically worship her."
"As for Caroline, I heard she apprenticed under the General President of the Star Envoy Association. I'm not clear on the specifics, as that was news I received several years ago."
"Although everyone's no longer at the base, they're all doing pretty well."
Hearing this, Chen Kong also couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "Yeah, when we were at the base, even though the place was small, the rain was heavy."
"That made me think the rain in the larger world outside would only be heavier than at the base, but then I came out and suddenly found out..."
Before Chen Kong could finish, Liu Ma interjected, "...found out it's clear skies outside, no rain at all, right?"
"Mm."
At this, Chen Kong suddenly changed the subject. "By the way, you must know about Brother Tendo's situation, right?"
"After all, if I know about it, there's no reason you wouldn't."
Liu Ma nodded, then casually swatted away a large rock that suddenly dropped from above his head. "Of course. What Tendo did back then scared the Association so much that even Benjamin sent back some of his combat videos."
"But they're still relentlessly salvaging the sea where our base sank, trying to find Tendo's body."
"But what was the result...?"
Liu Ma spread his hands, smiling. "...They found nothing."
"Then do you think Brother Tendo is alive or dead now?"
Facing this question, Liu Ma looked at Chen Kong meaningfully and said, "Don't you have the answer to that question yourself?"
"True..."
Chen Kong looked at Liu Ma, saying with a complicated tone, "My reason tells me that given Brother Tendo's situation back then, he's absolutely as dead as can be."
"After all, his injuries at the time were so severe that he couldn't even perform 'quantum leaps,' so he naturally couldn't have left the base before it exploded."
"But my intuition tells me..."
Before Chen Kong could finish, Liu Ma stated decisively, "...Intuition says, how could a monster like that possibly die?"
"Yes."
The two exchanged smiles, then both sighed. After all, despite their cold sarcasm and sharp exchanges just now, there was actually a feeling of meeting an old friend in a foreign land between them.
Their silence didn't last long, however, interrupted by violent vibrations from above. Looking at the constantly shaking ceiling and the continuous intense fighting above, Liu Ma shook the gilded Mechanical Scripture in his hand and said, "Kong, beat me, and this thing is yours."
"After all, the boss just sent me to run an errand, to deliver a 'package' to someone."
"Who knew that after I arrived, I found that one item was mysteriously missing from the package list."
"Anyway, my performance bonus is already docked, so why don't I indulge myself and make a bet with you?"
"After all, looking at you, you should be here for this thing too, right?"
Chen Kong nodded, indicating that he indeed seemed to be there for this item. Without Vivian explicitly stating it, who on earth would know that his true target this time was actually a green-haired little girl currently sitting on the factory roof, munching on potato chips?
"Liu Ma, be careful. After all, you're not the only one who's made progress these past few years."
With that, Chen Kong's figure suddenly vanished from in front of Liu Ma.
Liu Ma, however, was not bothered; instead, he smiled and said, "Still playing with your presence erasure?"
"Kong, this is..."
Liu Ma raised his hand and suddenly punched sideways.
"...the 'progress' you spoke of?!"
And in that very spot, Chen Kong, who had already erased his presence, was forced by Liu Ma to reappear and dodge.
With just one exchange, Chen Kong's Star Core ability was broken... he was already at a disadvantage.
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