Watching a 2D character through a screen versus seeing a 3D person in reality really was a feast for the eyes.
Though the 2D version looked great too.
"Welcome, Trailblazers of the Astral Express, to the Main Control Cabin."
"Station Master Asta, we're back!"
The moment March 7th saw the girl, she happily smiled.
"Mm!"
Dan Heng nodded as well.
Only Stelle and Liuge, standing off to the side, did not step forward to say anything.
After all, Asta did not know the two of them yet, while Dan Heng and March 7th had met her before.
Otherwise, they could not have obtained that key, could they?
"And these two are?"
Asta finally noticed Stelle and Liuge beside her.
As the primary person in charge of the Herta Space Station, Asta had an excellent memory. She did not recall ever seeing them before, nor did she know there were two unfamiliar faces aboard her Space Station.
"Oh, right, Station Master Asta, let me introduce them. These two are undocumented people we ran into while rescuing survivors."
"Hey, March. Wasn't that a little too direct?!"
Liuge's face darkened. Sure enough, he could not expect much from this little fool's way with words.
Dan Heng, standing nearby, helplessly covered his face with one hand and sighed.
Stelle, on the other hand, remained as calm as ever, seemingly unaware that "undocumented people" referred to her and Liuge.
"Let me explain." Dan Heng slowly began recounting Liuge and Stelle's circumstances to Asta.
"I see?"
Asta pondered for a moment before looking at Liuge first.
"I can more or less guess what happened to you. Most likely, some Curio aboard the Space Station activated because of the Antimatter Legion's invasion and teleported you here from some unknown place."
Hearing Asta's apologetic explanation, Liuge waved a hand to show that he did not mind.
Liuge knew the truth best. When he had just ruled out Aha as the one who brought him here, he suddenly heard Aha's response. That was enough to tell him Aha was definitely behind it. It had nothing to do with a Curio.
"As for you..."
Asta looked Stelle up and down. "I don't know what's going on with you either. But it may have something to do with the Stellaron!"
"Wait, Station Master Asta, are you talking about that Stellaron known as the Cancer of All Worlds?"
March 7th suddenly interrupted Asta, staring at Stelle with a shocked expression.
"Wait, what's a Stellaron?"
As one of the people involved, Stelle appropriately voiced her confusion.
"A Stellaron is an extremely invasive thing found throughout the universe. Like cancer, it causes disasters and conflict across planets and even star systems. Though it possesses immense energy, it is not something that can be controlled casually."
Asta explained to Stelle, then continued, "Not long ago, Herta discovered that a Stellaron had suddenly appeared on Azure Planet, so she contained it and hid it aboard the Space Station. This invasion by the Antimatter Legion was also very likely because of that Stellaron."
"Actually, I can explain that part."
At that moment, Liuge suddenly spoke up.
"Hm? What do you want to say, Liuge?"
March 7th looked curiously at the annoying guy who kept teasing her every so often.
"Ahem. Before you people from the Astral Express arrived, I encountered members of the Stellaron Hunters aboard the Space Station."
"You mean the Stellaron Hunters?"
Asta looked surprised.
"What is it, Station Master Asta?"
"Actually, it wasn't just the Antimatter Legion this time. The Stellaron Hunters also infiltrated the Space Station during the Legion's invasion.
"But we didn't know they were here. We only found out when we checked the surveillance footage from each cabin and discovered the intrusion icon left behind by Silver Wolf of the Stellaron Hunters."
"Ugh, what an annoying bunch."
March 7th could not help sighing.
"What's wrong?"
Stelle was somewhat confused as well.
"The Stellaron Hunters are notorious fugitives across the universe. Their appearances are often accompanied by Stellarons. They are villains who seek Stellarons."
Dan Heng answered at that moment.
"By the way, Station Master Asta, you just said Stelle has the aura of a Stellaron around her?"
"Yes!"
Asta nodded, but her gaze remained on Liuge.
She had a feeling that what this person was about to say might be the important part.
Liuge nodded as well.
"When I encountered the Stellaron Hunters, I was hiding in the corner of a storage room. They noticed me, but they had no intention of attacking me. They paused for a moment, then left."
"Feeling curious, I followed them and saw a horrifying scene."
"What?"
March 7th and the others, including Stelle herself, were intrigued.
After all, people were naturally curious about the unknown.
"I saw one of them—a fashionable woman with purplish-red hair—pick up the Stellaron, and then..."
"And then?"
March 7th looked like a little girl listening to a ghost story, both frightened and excited.
"Then she shoved it into Stelle's body."
As Liuge spoke, he stretched out his right hand toward Stelle's chest, only for March 7th to slap it away the next second.
"Hiss!"
Liuge shook his reddened palm and glared at March 7th in dissatisfaction. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"Who told you to act like a pervert?!"
March 7th put her hands on her hips.
"No, I was just demonstrating it for you. I wasn't actually going to touch her!"
Liuge looked completely innocent.
"Totally unnecessary!"
Both March 7th and Stelle shook their heads, while Asta watched with great interest from the side.
"You mean... Kafka of the Stellaron Hunters put the Stellaron... inside Stelle's body?"
Even Dan Heng's usually calm expression became animated.
He stared in disbelief at Stelle, who was standing united against Liuge with March 7th. He could not understand why something as dangerous as a Stellaron had remained stable inside Stelle's body.
Asta came to the realization as well, and the way she looked at Stelle became equally incredulous.
"That's exactly what happened. There should be a Stellaron inside Stelle's body."
Liuge nodded.
"Afterward, I was afraid the Stellaron Hunters would silence me because I had witnessed such classified information, so I ran away and hid. I only went to check on Stelle after they left, and afterward... I ran into you people."
Liuge looked at Dan Heng and March 7th, shrugging.
"I see!"
Asta nodded thoughtfully.
"By the way, Station Master Asta, what's the situation at the Space Station now? The Antimatter Legion's invasion should be almost over, right?"
"Unfortunately, this situation is a little troublesome. Although most of the Voidrangers and Guardian Shadows inside the Space Station have already been cleared out, there's still..."
Before she could finish, a violent boom erupted throughout the Main Control Cabin, accompanied by a terrifying roar that surged toward them.
The broadcast began blaring at just the right moment.
"Warning! Warning! A Doomsday Beast has been detected approaching the Space Station. All combat personnel, prepare for battle!"
Amid the continuous alarms, everyone looked up.
Outside the transparent alloy above the Space Station, a massive silver-white Doomsday Beast flew past before steadily landing near the platform of the Supply Zone.
"Everyone..."
Before Asta could even make her request, March 7th and Dan Heng were already rushing in that direction. Stelle and Liuge followed close behind...
Old Yang: Damn It, Honkai Is Still Chasing Me?
In the original plot, everyone only learned about the Stellaron inside Stelle's body after the Doomsday Beast's strike triggered the moment she gained Nanook's gaze.
But to Liuge, it was merely a matter of learning the sequence a little earlier. It was no big deal.
At that moment, he trailed far behind the others as they rushed toward the Supply Zone. The time along the way gave Liuge a chance to review his Stat-Stick Library.
He realized that ever since joining March 7th, Dan Heng, and the others, he seemed not to have touched another Stat-Stick Light Orb.
The last Light Orb he obtained had been that Silver Cross Pendant that suddenly appeared in his pocket.
This counted as the first physical object he had pulled from a Light Orb.
Perhaps he could only obtain Light Orbs like this from extremely special character-related items.
As for Stat-Sticks, perhaps he had not seen any because he had not encountered any Voidrangers afterward, or because he had not participated in battle.
In any case, that was how Liuge explained it to himself.
Anyway, it was Aha's fault!
"Come to think of it..."
Liuge took the Silver Cross Pendant from his pocket and carefully examined it.
When he focused on the Silver Cross Pendant, information about it surfaced.
"Exclusive equipment for a little dwarf from some world? And this incantation... why does it feel so familiar?"
Liuge looked at the activation chant in its description, "I can summon death, but I cannot summon love," and felt that something was off.
After all, the chant was in Neonese, and he did not understand Neonese at all.
But the next moment, Liuge noticed a red button appearing after the chant.
"?"
The moment Liuge saw that red button, a question mark practically appeared over his head, along with an urge from the depths of his heart to press it.
Naturally, that was exactly what he did.
The instant he pressed the button, his mouth automatically began reciting the Silver Cross Pendant's activation chant: "I can summon death, but I cannot summon love."
He could not control his mouth at all. Like a prerecorded playback machine, he recited it word by word.
The further he went, the more colorful his expression became.
He recognized the chant, and panic filled his heart.
Wasn't this the transformation chant from that anime about the cross-dressing boy, the Asian dance king, and zombie steps—the one where they transformed into Demon Armor Girls?
Which meant...
This thing was a Demon Armor?!
The instant that thought flashed through his mind, the chant left his mouth.
Before you continue