"Holy crap, what is that?!"
"Oh my god! The Antimatter Legion!!"
"I was just farming the Doomsday Beast's weekly boss! How did a bunch of Voidrangers suddenly show up? Can this game actually affect reality?!"
"Where's my attack button?!"
"Galactic Batter! Bane of the Doomsday Beast! Gray Peony! Save us!"
On the starskiff flight paths, the people passing by were stunned to see the dense army of the Antimatter Legion appearing in the sky. Once they snapped out of it, they immediately turned their starskiffs and fled!
They could clearly tell the difference between the game and reality. Besides, that many monsters appearing at oncemost of them elite-level enemieseven in the game, you'd run for your life!
Inside one starskiff, the pilot was apparently a "lone hero." Instead of fleeing, she parked nearby and poked her head out the window, holding her phone to record a video of the chaos.
The predictable happened. She was struck by an energy blast from a Voidranger: Trampler, and she tumbled right out of the window.
"Owie~" the girl squeaked as she fell, not forgetting to tuck her phone away safely.
Dan Heng was the closest. He surged into the air, caught the twin-tailed girl, and set her down on the ground.
"Stay away," he said coldly.
The girl gave a cheeky grin. "Okay, okay!" She adjusted the fox mask on her forehead and muttered to herself, "I knew it. There's always more fun to be had on the Xianzhou Luofu!" She then skipped away, her gold and red tail flickering in and out of sight.
The sky was so thick with monsters it looked like a locust plague had descended. March 7th fired arrow after arrow, complaining, "Why are there so many?! Did that fake Tingyun leave the entire Antimatter Legion behind just for us?!"
She was starting to feel overwhelmed. She and Stelle backed up against each other, covering each other's blind spots.
Mr. Yang's voice called out, "Just hold on a little longer! The Luofu's forces should be here to support us soon!"
However, what Mr. Yang didn't know was that the forces remaining in the city were busy purging the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus or tracking down Danshu. Although Fu Xuan had observed the situation and ordered reinforcements, it would take time. The fastest to arrive would be Yukong, and even she was at least five minutes away.
The Luofu was already plagued by both internal and external threats. As the plot of Honkai: Star Rail advanced, it was like a flame being tossed into a powder keg.
Mr. Yang had no time to worry about anything else. The Voidrangers of Destruction seemed to have received special orders, as more than half of them were swarming him. Stelle was already wielding her lance in her left hand and her bat in her right.
March 7th screamed, "Dan Heng! Where the heck did you go?! Hurry up and use that hidden power of yours!"
As soon as she spoke, a water dragon crashed through the dozen or so Voidrangers surrounding them! The dragon let out a roar, twisting and turning through the air. Wherever it passed, the enemies were crushed by its sheer power!
March 7th and Stelle were stunned.
In the air nearby, a figure both familiar and strange appeared. He stood upon a lotus-shaped pedestal. One hand was held in a sword-finger gesture, while the other manipulated the black-and-white Cloud-Hymn Orbs, controlling the water dragon's assault! It was a literal storm clearing the clouds!
"Is... Is that Dan Heng?!"
"You really did have a hidden power!!!"
His short hair had grown into long, waist-length locks. On his forehead, a pair of majestic teal dragon horns had sprouted. In an instant, the tide of battle had been reversed!
Stelle also noticed what looked like a dragon tail flickering behind him. "Is Dan Heng... turning into a dragon?"
After her initial shock, March 7th had a sudden realization. She pulled out her camera and started snapping photos like a maniac.
"Yes, yes, yes! I'm going to take pictures of this form and post them on the Star Rail forums! I'm the ultimate leaker!"
Stelle blinked, surprised by March's boldness and creativity. She immediately pulled out her own phone to join in.
"Exactly! Honkai: Star Rail is going to put this form in the story sooner or later anyway. Let's be the ultimate insiders!"
Soon, all the nearby enemies were wiped out. Dan Heng slowly descended from the sky. He had been wondering how to explain this form to his friends, only to find the two of them critiquing the photos they had just taken of him.
Even Dan Heng couldn't help but feel his lip twitch. "I was fighting to save you, and you two were busy playing war correspondents?"
A teal light flickered in his eyes. March 7th grabbed Stelle and started running.
"Mr. Yang, help! Dan Heng looks super scary right now!!!"
Once the group regrouped, Mr. Yang looked at Dan Heng's new form with a hint of surprise, though he didn't seem entirely shocked.
"That flame earlier called herself Phantylia," Welt explained. "I've heard that name from other Nameless before. She is one of the seven Lord Ravagers under Nanook. She delights in the self-destruction of mortals and has lured many civilizations into the abyss..."
"Our task is now even more urgent," Mr. Yang continued. "We need to get to the Shackling Prison immediately to inform Jing Yuan so we can deal with Phantylia together."
Dan Heng nodded. "It's not far. We can get there quickly even without a starskiff. Let's move."
Within the Shackling Prison...
Jing Yuan was staring intently at Luocha. Yanqing stood to the side, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. If the atmosphere turned south, he wouldn't hesitate to protect the General.
"Now, why don't you tell me why the two of you have come here?"
Luocha said calmly, "General, our smooth arrival today was thanks to that game. So, there is no need to rush. We have plenty of time to explain our intentions."
"He's right, Jing Yuan," Jingliu added. "Whether it is the omens in reality or the direction of the game's plot, they all point to one thingthe Xianzhou has reached its moment of destiny. The Reignbow Arbiter, the Plagues Author, the Lord of Destruction... this is a game of gods. If you don't stand on the winning side, you are the loser."
"And this time," Jingliu continued, "we must put..."
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by a burst of manic laughter!
"Hahahaha... He's here! Kafka! He's here..."
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