"Oh?"
Hearing this, Stelle immediately perked up: Looks like Sunday is still reliable. Could he have noticed some detail that she hadn't?
"Tell me, what's wrong with him?" Stelle asked.
Sunday said angrily, "The whole way back, his eyes were mostly fixed on you, just like a stalker pervert. Doesn't that make him look like someone with bad intentions?"
Stelle: "······"
Stelle sighed and said, "I'm asking if he's hiding evil intentions or something. Can you find any solid evidence?"
Sunday: "Ah, no."
Boom—! Bang—! (Nearby, explosion sound effects from Okhema)
Dan Heng: "I don't think this is the time to discuss… Careful, more meteors are falling!"
Bang bang bang!
Stelle raised her Flame Lance high, staring at the meteor barrage as she shouted, "Let's deal with the problem in front of us first!"
Dan Heng and Sunday: "Got it!"
Clang clang clang—! (Battle sound effects)
(A while later, Stelle and the others had cleared the Titan followers at the gates of Okhema.)
"Good thing you were here, partners." Phainon walked over carrying his greatsword, looking worried. "You should go with Mr. Lygus to a safe place and take shelter. I still need to support the other comrades."
"Phainon, we'll go with you." Stelle's eyes were resolute.
[Mysterious Narrator of the Honkai: Star Rail World: Fun fact—our protagonist, Sunday, and Dan Heng are all Phainon's team members.]
Phainon shook his head. "That won't do. You are merely passersby from beyond the sky. There's no reason for you to get involved in Okhema's crisis. If anything happens to you, I won't be able to forgive myself."
Stelle quickly explained, "Phainon, the three of us have been through all kinds of storms. We may not dare boast about anything else, but our lives are definitely tough."
"I once received a glance from the Aeon of Preservation. Sunday grew up in Penacony since childhood. Dan Heng made four god-like friends and grew up under the 'care' of the Dragon Masters… There's basically no hardship in the universe that the three of us haven't experienced."
A question mark slowly appeared above Phainon's head: ?
"…Alright. Although I don't understand what you're saying, I can feel the heavy meaning in your words." Phainon gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "When there's a chance, please tell me your stories."
"For now, stay close to me. With me here, these Titan followers won't pose a threat to you. But be careful—the 'Golden Descendants' like me and Aglaea don't distinguish between friend and foe when they fight."
·····
Okhema, inside the city.
A purple-haired girl in a white dress walked with her head lowered along an empty street. She held a pitch-black notebook in her hands and wrote in it by herself, completely ignoring the frenzied Titan followers around her.
"Roar!"
The Titan follower closest to the girl let out a roar. It moved its massive divine body and staggered toward the girl. Its footsteps were so heavy that the earth itself seemed to tremble!
Scratch scratch scratch—
But facing the Titan follower's attack, the girl didn't even raise her head. She simply wrote a few strokes in her notebook. At the same time, the Titan follower that had already charged within five steps of the girl suddenly froze, then collapsed with a crash!
—It died.
That's right. It died without any warning. The girl hadn't even directly attacked it, yet this giant-like Titan follower fell and shattered into a pile of stone powder.
"Roar roar roar—!"
The death of this Titan follower immediately drew the attention of the other Titan followers. In an instant, successive roars rang out around them. The next second, a large group of figures began charging toward the girl.
Scratch scratch scratch—
However, the girl still didn't raise her head. She continued writing something silently in her notebook. Once again, a bizarre scene unfolded—every Titan follower that charged within five steps of the girl collapsed and died without warning.
Before dying, they clutched the position of their hearts.
In this way, as the girl walked, the Titan followers died along the path. The surrounding civilians watched with excited faces: "Great! It's Miss Castorice. Our property is saved!"
"Miss Castorice is truly the real kami!"
"Yes! The other Golden Descendants fight like they're demolishing houses. Only Miss Castorice is gentle and kind, acting silently. Only this kind of fighting style can bring order to the Holy City and reduce conflict!"
"Can anyone else do it?! No, only Miss Castorice!"
"······"
Listening to the praises from the Okhema citizens around her, Castorice still kept her head lowered and made no sound. However, if the camera angle were lowered to look up at her from the front, one would see a scene completely different from her cold, aloof, and solitary aura.
—The corners of her lips were slightly raised, as if she was holding back laughter.
…Da, dame da, I can't laugh yet. I have to endure.
Just wait thirty-five seconds… wait thirty-five seconds and then declare victory.
Even as one of the Three Disaster Titans of [Death], I can become a savior in the eyes of the masses… Yes, only I, only I can do it.
The people completely treat me as a god. Yes, this is it, this feeling!
Listen, they're still cheering for me. Heh hehehehehe—
—"Castorice!"
At this moment, a familiar shout came from afar, making Castorice turn her head slightly: Who is it?
Oh, it's him…
Castorice turned around slightly, her voice cool and clear. "Lord Phainon, do not come too close. Because [Death] falls equally upon everyone."
"Ahaha, then I'll be careful. After all, I don't have Teacher Anaxa's undying body." Phainon laughed and joked.
Stelle beside them: ?
Castorice looked at Stelle and the others without saying much. "I already received the previous message about you all through the 'slate.' Visitors from beyond the sky, my name is Castorice."
"I have finished clearing the Titan followers at Cloudstone Market. Please follow me next. I will take you directly to the site of Nikador's descent."
Phainon scratched his head and asked, "Castorice, there's actually something I've never quite understood… Since you have that notebook, why not just write Nikador's name in it? Wouldn't that kill Him directly?"
Hearing this, Castorice shook her head. "Lord Phainon, of course I have tried the method you mentioned. Unfortunately, even after I wrote the name 'Nikador' in the notebook, the Mad King is still active in the world."
"After thinking it over, I reached only one conclusion: the name Nikador is incomplete."
"Unless we can find Nikador's full name, we cannot use the 'Death Note' to kill Him directly."
Stelle beside them: ???
Is the "Death Note" you're talking about the one I'm thinking of?