"Hehe, beautiful girl teammate acquired."
A smile had just appeared on Caelus's face when a group of Voidrangers showed up and wiped it right off. He got up from the ground, baseball bat in hand, and slowly backed away. He had wanted to grab Acheron and make a run for it, but she handed the red umbrella in her hand to him instead.
Caelus took the red umbrella on instinct. Yet in the next blink, he saw Acheron standing before the horde of Voidrangers, her left hand holding the scabbard behind her waist in a reverse grip while her right hand slowly sheathed her blade.
Every Voidranger before them trembled once, then dissolved into particles. They had truly died without leaving even scraps behind. The monsters that had packed the corridor to the brim a moment ago were all gone in the blink of an eye. Not a single one remained.
"An absolute powerhouse!"
Caelus stared dumbfoundedly at the scene before him. He felt like he had latched onto a real powerhouse. Katana users really were drawn to one another. This katana user was so strong, it was like she had cheats enabled. Caelus acknowledged her strength—she could be called a Celestial Venerable alongside him.
PS: Please bookmark, recommend, and vote with monthly tickets.
PS: To stop people from saying I'm making things up, I'll teach you how to make an alt account and meet Acheron at the Space Station. First, download the game. Then wait until 12 PM on November 13th, open the warp screen, and look—she's right there.
Katana Users Attract Each Other
"If we are destined to part, would you still believe this encounter had meaning?"
Acheron gave Caelus a calm look as she asked. He had probably already noticed that something was wrong with her. She had been avoided by others too many times to count, so Acheron felt that this stranger she had met would probably not answer her seriously either.
"If we hadn't met this time, where would the parting come from? Besides, I can come find you. You saved my life, so I plan to spend the rest of my life repaying you."
Caelus did not take long to think about his answer. He merely looked at Acheron in confusion as he spoke. As long as she did not mind, he was willing to care for her as one of the people closest to him. A debt should be repaid in kind. A life-saving favor naturally deserved everything he could do in return.
Acheron nodded thoughtfully. She had not saved Caelus because she wanted repayment; it had merely been something she did in passing. Still, she had heard an answer she had not expected. Seeing the sincerity in Caelus's eyes, she was willing to believe him.
"Ah, we finally found you! Are you okay?"
March 7th's voice rang out. She and Dan Heng were hurrying over through the broad corridor, and her expression clearly showed that she had been worried about Caelus for quite some time.
"Of course I'm fine. I'm pretty lucky, right? I picked up a lost beautiful girl."
Seeing that March 7th was safe as well, Caelus relaxed. As for the silent man beside her, Dan Heng, he instinctively ignored him. It was not that he looked down on him—there were girls around, so why would he go chat with a man? That would be a waste of resources.
"Who's this lady?"
When March 7th saw Acheron traveling with Caelus, her eyes widened as she asked. Acheron's outfit was far too conspicuous, as though she had traveled here from another planet.
"Her name is Acheron. She got lost, so we're traveling together."
Caelus explained the situation in the simplest terms possible. March 7th gave Acheron a suspicious glance but accepted it. Aside from her strange clothes and the weapon in her hand, there really was nothing suspicious about her.
"We're heading to find Station Master Asta, the boss around here. The Anti-Matter Legion suddenly attacked this place. If the Express crew hadn't happened to stop here, you'd have been sitting at the same table as them by now."
Even as they hurried along, March 7th did not forget to explain the situation to Caelus. Though she did not say it outright, she had already assigned herself the role of his lifesaver.
While they traveled, March 7th introduced Caelus to the origins of the Voidrangers. Simply put, they were a bunch of villains who committed every evil imaginable, with the goal of destroying the civilizations of intelligent life as they swept across the universe.
The Voidrangers' boss was Nanook, the Aeon of the Path of Destruction. No one knew when this Aeon had first come into existence, but Nanook had traveled the farthest along the Path of Destruction and attained godhood. Everything about Nanook was a mystery, yet as the ultimate embodiment of Destruction, Nanook existed to destroy everything. It fit the character setting perfectly.
Caelus scratched his head. He had not expected the catastrophe threatening this Space Station to come from an Aeon. He still understood what an Aeon was, and thankfully, only minor grunts had come. Otherwise, he would really have had to write a will with March 7th in his arms. Dying less than a day after being born—who could accept that?
A Note on the Current State of This Book
Old readers, take note! Old readers, take note! Old readers, take note! It's important, so I'm saying it three times.
Don't read anything before Chapter 24. Starting from Chapter 24, it fully connects to the previous season. After the Xianzhou arc ends, it begins Penacony. Both the romance and plot continue from there. No surprises—the wives are all here.
Quite a few people probably followed along from the first half. For now, I'm using an opening that all readers can understand to explain the basic setting. The chapters resemble the original, but they will not be exactly the same. I'll make some changes, then update entirely new content once the groundwork is more or less laid.
Please support Lu Xiaobi (:∠)
One Slash, One Kill
"Is Miss Acheron a little too quiet?"
As they walked, March 7th noticed something was off. There were clearly four people in the group, yet only she and Caelus were talking. The other two seemed as if they had been hit with some sort of silence spell.
"Have you ever heard of the saying, 'The ruthless speak little'?" Caelus asked.
"No."
"Because they spend all their speaking time thinking about how to cut people down."
Caelus's explanation made March 7th scratch at her pink hair. It sounded like it made sense, yet something also felt off. Still, she could barely accept it.
"Being capable in a fight is a good thing. But we'll reach the Master Control Zone soon, and it'll be safe there. Look, it's been peaceful all the way here, and there aren't even any Anti-Matter Legion monsters outside the elevator."
March 7th said with a smile. The elevator was right in front of her. It went directly to the Master Control Zone, the safest place in the Space Station right now. However, Caelus did not see it that way.
"When you say that, it sounds like you're raising a death flag for yourself..."
Before Caelus could finish, a brand-new Voidranger appeared before them. Its upper body was human, while its lower body was a horse—a classic centaur shape.
Roar!
The centaur let out a strange neigh. Space warped around it, and dozens of Voidrangers jumped out in response, surrounding Caelus and the others.
"Little March, it's all your fault for raising that flag. Now we're all going to die. Get ready to be buried with me."
Caelus felt awful. He knew that March 7th's death flags had extraordinary effects. Sure enough, this had come straight for them. Never one to suffer a loss, he grabbed March 7th's cheeks and kneaded them, preparing to enjoy himself one last time before death.
"Why would I be buried with you?"
March 7th complained helplessly. The number of enemies did make her scalp tingle, but it was not like they were guaranteed to die. She had no idea where Caelus had picked up such a pessimistic personality.
While Caelus and March 7th tugged at each other, the Voidrangers did not sit idle. The centaur charged up to Caelus, raised its front hooves, and stomped down. The blow was overwhelmingly powerful; even a heavy tank's armor would have been crushed in a single stomp. But before Caelus could be crushed, a graceful figure stepped in front of him.
Acheron raised the scabbard in her right hand and held it horizontally before her. When the centaur's hooves landed on it, not only did they fail to force her arm down, they instead produced the sound of a blade deflecting an attack, sending the entire creature reeling backward.
Acheron then assumed a drawing stance. No one saw how she drew her blade. The next second, the centaur's body split in two, while the other menacing Voidrangers also turned into scraps and vanished, as if they had never existed at all.
"Good heavens, she can really fight?"
March 7th rubbed her eyes, making sure she had not seen wrong. She had thought a fierce battle was about to break out, but they had won so easily. The ruthless really did speak little.
Dan Heng said nothing. He merely gave Acheron another look. With that level of combat power, she could not possibly be a local of the Space Station. If she was not, then she was an uninvited guest who had entered the Space Station alongside the invading Voidrangers. Whether they should bring her to the Master Control Zone had become a difficult question.
"Of course she can. I guarantee with everything I own that Acheron is a good person. If she were a bad person, she could tear apart this entire Space Station."
Caelus spoke as if casually, but his words happened to dispel Dan Heng's doubts. It was indeed true—if Acheron had any malicious intentions, the Space Station would be finished. The Anti-Matter Legion would not even need to lift a finger.
"Let's go. We don't want to attract something else weird."
March 7th jogged into the elevator and unlocked it with the keycard she had found. Caelus and Acheron followed close behind, while Dan Heng entered last. Soon, the group was carried to the Space Station's most important section.
When the elevator doors opened again, a vast area appeared before Caelus. Countless staff members were rushing around in a frenzy. Aside from the walkways, transparent screens floated everywhere, monitoring all intelligence within the Space Station. Many displays showed Voidrangers running about. They were still causing trouble throughout the Space Station, but with a reliable station master present, they would not be jumping around for much longer.
"Little March, Dan Heng, you're back."
A gentle voice sounded. Caelus looked toward the beautiful woman walking over. She had long fiery-red hair and wore a loose open coat over a white dress decorated with many golden ornaments. She looked rich and generous, with a patch of pale skin exposed above her dress and a prominent mole on her chest. Caelus took one look and felt that he could shout, "A red-haired mature beauty is the kind of woman who could become my mother!"
"Himeko, you should've come sooner. It was terrifying outside. Only you and Uncle Yang can keep things under control."
Upon seeing Himeko, March 7th puffed out her cheeks and began complaining. Complaints aside, she had still completed the rescue mission. She had done quite well.
"Welt is holding down the fort on the train. Who are these two strangers?"
Himeko looked at Caelus and Acheron and asked softly. The pair were clearly extraordinary, utterly out of place among the Space Station personnel. Simply put, they did not even match the same art style.
"This is Caelus, and this is Miss Acheron. They got lost inside the Space Station, so I brought them here."
March 7th briefly introduced Caelus and Acheron. She said it with complete confidence, because neither of them did know the way. Caelus had been born less than an hour ago, while Acheron needed no explanation—she had wandered in here because she was completely lost.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Himeko, the navigator of the Star Rail Express."
Himeko raised her hand and gave Caelus and Acheron a gentle wave in greeting. The words Star Rail Express also stirred Caelus's curiosity.
"What is the Star Rail Express?"
Caelus cared about the Star Rail Express for a simple reason: his name could be attached to that train. It felt like fate.
"Simply put, it's a magical train capable of traveling through the galaxy. Look, you can see its outline if you look over there."
Himeko gave Caelus a simple explanation. There was no need to tell an outsider too much about the train, so she merely raised a hand and pointed into the distance of the Master Control Zone. Through the viewing window, they could see a somewhat retro-looking train. Behind its black locomotive were a series of carriages.
Caelus lost interest after one glance. There were plenty of vehicles capable of traveling through the galaxy. There was nothing especially remarkable about this one.
"Come on. Since you're Space Station personnel, you should meet Station Master Asta too."
Himeko said with a smile, then led the four of them toward the center of the zone. There, a pink-haired girl was directing the entire operation. She was Asta, the station master of the Space Station.
In human terms, Asta was still underage, yet she had already managed the Space Station in perfect order. Even facing such a sudden attack, she showed no panic. Instead, she steadily forced the Anti-Matter Legion's Voidrangers into a corner.
Caelus felt that he had truly fallen into a paradise of beautiful girls today. Since waking up, aside from his mother and aunt, every woman he had seen had been a beauty. There was no need to mention Acheron and Himeko; even girls with youthful figures like March 7th and Asta displayed their charm to the fullest.
Asta gathered many adorable traits in one person: pink hair, a side ponytail, braided hair, a little skirt, high heels, and long legs. Every one of them embodied feminine charm. Caelus could only say that the moment he saw her, the Stellaron inside him stirred.
"Hello, I'm Asta, the station master here. I'm the unfortunate employee responsible for managing the Space Station on Miss Herta's behalf. Even with things already like this, the owner of the Space Station still refuses to come back and take a look."
Asta raised her right hand to her chest as she spoke to Caelus and Acheron. Although neither of them appeared in her memories of Space Station personnel, she chose unity at this critical moment and did not point out that their origins were unknown, lest it cause even greater panic.
"Who is Herta?"
Caelus felt like he had caught onto something. This name—or rather, this person—felt somewhat familiar. It seemed as though she had once done something to him, but most of those memories had been forgotten.
"One of the foremost geniuses in the entire universe. An Emanator of Ya Yanqing, the Aeon of Erudition, and one of only eighty-four people in the universe. That's all I can say. Her wisdom is nearly limitless. Everyone in this Space Station is her follower, including me."
When Asta mentioned Herta, she did not hide the reverence in her eyes at all. Caelus could roughly understand what an Emanator was—probably the strongest fighter beneath an Aeon. Aeons generally fought other Aeons and could not possibly spare the time for minor characters. So when they encountered stronger opponents, they bestowed some of their power upon Emanators to handle them. Put simply, an Emanator blessed by an Aeon could decide the fates of countless lives with a wave of their hand.
The fact that Herta was an Emanator was no secret. Only Caelus and Acheron did not know. Acheron's reaction was mild, and she continued acting like a silent master.
"So the Anti-Matter Legion has a grudge against her?"
Caelus entered gossip mode. The Space Station had been surrounded by so many Voidrangers for no reason. Maybe they had come to settle a score. He was now ready to watch a cosmic sci-fi blockbuster: an Emanator versus a Legion.
"Miss Herta does offend people often, but it would be hard for her to provoke the Path of Destruction. I think they probably have their eyes on the collections here—the little objects with mysterious powers, things that can be called curios even throughout the universe."
"I only heard about it, but Miss Herta supposedly stores her rarest and most dangerous collections here. If the Anti-Matter Legion wants to seize them and use them for evil, doesn't that make sense?"
Asta explained the situation to Caelus and added her own speculation about the attack. Some sufficiently unusual objects were desirable even to Aeons—that was the idea.
"Oh no, they came for me."
Caelus scratched his gray hair. If his memories were right, it seemed that Herta had brought him here. He had simply grown legs and run off now. Herta would surely be pleased when she saw that.
Asta looked at Caelus in confusion. Just as she was about to ask a question, the control screen she managed turned blood-red and released a piercing alarm. She immediately brought up the surveillance feed outside the Space Station. A blue-and-white dragon-shaped monster was circling the Space Station. As it drew closer, it suddenly lunged at a weak point in the Station's defenses and began tearing open the defensive barrier with its claws.
It did not speak or issue threats, but its actions made its intentions perfectly clear. It wanted in.
"The Doomsday Beast. The Legion's anti-planet weapon. Its power is more than this place can withstand."
Himeko recognized the giant beast at a glance. An anti-planet weapon meant it could destroy a planet. It might not be able to blast one apart directly, but it at least possessed the power to destroy an entire civilization.
"You all leave. Go to the train. I'll stay here."
Asta gritted her teeth and gave only Himeko and the others the order to evacuate. Her intention in staying behind was naturally to live and die with the Space Station. The thousands of researchers remaining felt the same way. The only ones who could leave in such circumstances were the Star Rail Express crew.
"Let's go."
Without another word, Himeko grabbed Caelus by the arm and headed for the elevator. Caelus was a little stunned. Why was she taking him too? Could he not choose to live and die with Asta? She was not even giving him a choice.
Acheron looked at Caelus being dragged away, then lifted her feet and followed. She had been so bored that she was about to fall asleep. The arrival of a big one could at least wake her up a little.
Himeko quickly led Caelus to the observation deck outside the Master Control Zone. By then, the Doomsday Beast had already broken through the Space Station's defensive barrier and entered the observation deck. If there had not been a partitioned area behind them, this place would have become a vacuum. Breathing would be difficult then, let alone fighting.
"Caelus, the Star Rail Express is docked over there. If we can't win, we retreat."
Himeko pointed to the Star Rail Express docked at the port in the distance. She first told Caelus where the escape route was, meaning they could flee at any time. But before fleeing, they had to at least see if the Space Station could be saved.
"I'm fighting the Doomsday Beast? Seriously?"
Caelus's expression twisted between laughter and tears. How long had he even been alive? Now he had to fight a weapon like the Doomsday Beast? Did this game not have a beginner protection period? Was it not afraid of divine punishment for treating a new account like this?
Complaints aside, Caelus did not flee immediately. Asta was his type, and that girl was so young yet still knew to live and die with the Space Station. How could Caelus run away without even trying? Being defeated was not shameful. Fleeing without fighting was.
So Caelus immediately clung to his greatest support. He went over to Acheron and whispered to her furtively.
"Go take out the Doomsday Beast."
"Okay."
Acheron's immediate agreement left Caelus stunned. He had only been making a joke; he had not meant for Acheron to risk her life. But judging by her calm expression, the Doomsday Beast seemed no different from a little chick in her eyes.
"You can one-shot that too?"
Caelus pointed at the Doomsday Beast idling in the distance. He had no idea what it was doing. Maybe it was waiting for someone to initiate the battle. In any case, it was not rushing to attack the Space Station, merely swaying its head as it looked around.
"Mhm."
Acheron's expression remained as calm as ever. She did not reject battle, especially battle for the sake of others. Caelus had not started trouble this time; they had merely encountered danger. Acting now would not violate her principles.
"Boss, I'll have to trouble you to keep protecting me. Let me tell you a secret: I was actually born only a few hours ago. I'm still a child."
Caelus said happily. He still did not know where Acheron's limits lay, but he shamelessly asked for her protection anyway. After all, he really was a child; there was not the slightest trace of a lie in his words.
Before you continue