My Honkai Star Rail: Reversing All Phenomena

Had an unnecessary battle been avoided?

It was impossible to say.

Staring fixedly at the Flame Sword in his hand, wreathed in an extraordinary aura, Silver Wolf rarely found herself doubting whether Aether Edit—temporarily altering reality's data and setting random coordinates—could truly teleport the attack away when that greatsword came down.

Her body was taut. She could not tell whether Hua Yi truly had no intention of fighting, or whether he was deliberately lowering her guard with words before striking by surprise once they drew close.

Tap.

Kafka had already started walking. She adjusted her position relative to Silver Wolf, placing herself closer to Hua Yi, where she would face any attack directly if something went wrong.

One step, two steps...

They approached, walked alongside one another, then passed each other.

The entire time, everything remained calm. Nothing happened.

Perhaps the super Hacker's adventurous spirit had suddenly acted up, or perhaps she was curious about the way Hua Yi had looked at her earlier. Silver Wolf stopped and turned back to ask.

"Do you know me?"

"The invisible emperor of Punklorde, worshipped by countless Hackers, and a Stellaron Hunter wanted by the Interastral Peace Corporation. Of course I know you."

"Then you should also know the bounty the Corporation put on me is quite generous. Aren't you going to try making a windfall?"

"I already have enough money. There are many things in the universe that Credits can't buy."

"Mm-hmm~ Exactly, you get it. Like me personally breaking through Herta's independent defense system—Credits can't buy a scene this precious. Watch closely."

As Silver Wolf controlled the deep doors of No Heavens Left Unspoken and raised them, she continuously entered various commands into the operation panel condensed by Aether Edit, gradually cracking the mechanisms at the heart of this independent vault.

Within the force field restraints, a gleaming object floated in midair. Beneath that seemingly magnificent radiance was the Cancer of All Worlds—the Stellaron.

Hua Yi allowed the tiny Stellaron Hunter to work, tacitly permitting her to crack the defense system. He did not believe this meant the girl surpassed a certain Genius in the field of hacking.

This was not an equal contest. The defense system Herta had left behind was a dead thing, while Silver Wolf could adapt to changing circumstances.

While her companion undid the Stellaron seal, Kafka observed Hua Yi, this variable absent from the script.

He wielded the power of [Destruction] while walking the path of [Preservation]. He was powerful, mysterious, and strange.

Whenever she considered testing him with Speech Spirit Art, she faintly sensed danger. As a Stellaron Hunter, Kafka's instincts and intuition, sharpened through countless battles, told her that provoking a fight on her own was far from wise.

The uncertainty displayed by fate caused her some concern.

"If, and I mean if, someone could safely contain a Stellaron, what would you do? I recall that when some scientists faced an unknown specimen, they liked to use research methods such as dissection."

"Of course I would befriend her and spend more time with her. I have never harmed the innocent."

"If that's the case, perhaps I should pay some living expenses for your future friend in advance?"

"Kafka, I just checked the Department of Universal Matter's financial records. Several large transfers have gone into Hua Yi's personal account. He wasn't lying—he's much richer than us. As for living expenses, let someone earn them herself later—done. The independent defenses have been disabled."

At that, Kafka walked straight to the center of the vault and seized the golden Stellaron with her bare hand.

Without needing any explanation, Silver Wolf used Aether Edit to teleport over a sleeping gray-haired girl.

Hua Yi looked at her curiously. Once they confirmed there was no malice in his eyes, nor the cold gaze one used for Curios, lab mice, or other experimental material, the two Stellaron Hunters secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If this variable outside the script had wanted to harm her, Kafka and Silver Wolf truly did not know whether they should leave the gray-haired girl on the Space Station according to plan, or forcibly take her away for her safety.

Buzz!

Kafka forcibly stuffed the golden Stellaron into the girl's body. The [Cancer of All Worlds], capable of destroying worlds, was actually contained by a human body. Its light faded, leaving no visible abnormalities.

The gray-haired girl hazily opened her eyes and vaguely saw a purple-haired older sister parting her cherry lips before her.

"Listen to me: your mind is in chaos. You don't know who you are, why you're here, or what you're supposed to do next; you feel that I'm familiar, yet you don't know whether you should trust me—but none of that matters. What matters is that I'm leaving, and I'm leaving you alone on the Space Station. So from this moment onward, you no longer need to think about the past or doubt yourself."

Himeko and March 7th

"Next, you will face many adventures and terrible predicaments, but you will also encounter many wonderful things. You will have companions like family and begin adventures you never could have imagined even in your dreams. And at the end of your journey, every mystery troubling you will be solved—this is the future you will eventually reach. Do you like it?"

"How much longer are you going to talk?"

Silver Wolf calculated the time and felt a little helpless about Kafka's gentle, unhurried tone. This was not the time for leisurely conversation.

"According to the script, the Astral Express crew will be here soon. We shou~ldn't run into them."

"Mm..."

Seeing that the gray-haired girl was still groggy, Kafka smiled, her voice growing even softer.

"Like weaving brocade, you and I can only weave one golden thread at a time, but in the end, it will become a beautiful pattern."

The future was unpredictable. Even those few in the endless sea of stars who could glimpse fate would not dare declare that something was certain to happen or that some vision was destined to come true.

Now that a variable had appeared, with Hua Yi absent from the script, Kafka preferred to speak of hope rather than state some predetermined fact to the Stellaron girl with certainty. She would devote everything to moving toward that goal.

Letting the still-not-fully-awake gray-haired girl close her eyes and go back to sleep like a child reluctant to get out of bed, the Stellaron Hunter turned to Hua Yi.

"As you can see, she can safely contain the Stellaron."

"A remarkable sight. And as I said before, I have no intention of harming her."

After taking one deep look at the warrior holding the Flame Sword, Kafka turned around.

"Silver Wolf, let's go."

The super Hacker once again used her Aether Edit ability to open a teleportation passage in reality.

Although she had just said they could not come face-to-face with the Astral Express, that did not mean they had to leave the Space Station immediately.

She remembered that one of Herta's exhibits was a valuable item. It had not been stored in this No Heavens Left Unspoken, which meant Herta did not care about it. Rather than let it go to waste, she might as well leave behind a few arrangements and see whether she could make the treasure fall into the hands of someone who truly appreciated it—namely, this Hacker.

Hua Yi was guarding No Heavens Left Unspoken, while the Curio she wanted was not here, so this did not count as tricking him into doing something bad, right?

Silver Wolf blinked twice. Before the strange teleportation glow, resembling a cluster of data blocks, vanished, she even waved at him in farewell.

What she did not know was that Hua Yi was dissecting this so-called Aether Edit layer by layer, just as he had analyzed the baryons and antibaryons of the Antimatter Legion.

Elsewhere, earlier that day, a black train vastly different in appearance from ordinary interstellar transport crossed the stars, smashed through the Legion Fiends blocking its route, passed through the Hellfire that had not yet fully spread, and entered the Space Station platform.

Two people stepped down from the train. While using the local network to contact Station Master Asta, they passed through the emergency corridors from the Support Segment where the platform was located, hurrying toward the other segments.

"Wow, that scene earlier was terrifying. There was the dense Antimatter Legion, and there was a sea of fire strong enough to burn monsters. I thought the train was going to crash! Good thing it didn't, good thing it didn't."

The adorable girl with short pink hair and striking eyes of pink and blue patted her chest, looking as though she had yet to recover from the fright.

Beside her, the mature woman with fiery red hair comforted her companion.

"The Astral Express is quite sturdy, and even if it does break down, it can be repaired. I already have experience with this sort of thing, Little March."

Navigator Himeko of the Astral Express spoke with March 7th, another member of the train crew, while swiftly heading toward the coordinates Asta had provided.

They had originally intended to meet up with the Station Master of Herta Space Station first and understand the current situation. However, Asta briefly explained that all researchers and combat personnel on the Space Station had already retreated into the Safe Zone. With Herta Automatons guarding them, they were not in danger.

Immediately afterward, Asta made a request. She hoped the Astral Express could reach Hua Yi's side at once, help him fight any potentially powerful enemies, and ensure his safety. Everyone on the Space Station would be immensely grateful.

Although Himeko had dealt with this Starry Sky Museum before, helping Herta collect Curios along the train's travels and communicating through Asta on several occasions, this was the first time she had heard such weighty words from the young girl who had already taken on the Space Station's management responsibilities so well.

Hua Yi, someone enough to make the entire Space Station worry...

Murmuring the name Asta had mentioned—the powerful warrior who had turned the tide in this disaster and transformed from a Level IV Researcher into someone carrying everyone's fate on his shoulders—Himeko quickened her pace even further.

March 7th fought with a bow and could deal with ordinary Voidrangers with ease, but if they encountered something more dangerous, she would struggle to play a decisive role.

Should she use the orbital cannon? It would certainly come at the cost of severe damage to the Space Station itself, but judging by Asta's tone, everyone was willing to bear that loss if it meant saving Hua Yi.

Himeko's delicate hand rested on the suitcase she carried with her. She had already made her decision.

She was not determined to use this opportunity to make Herta Space Station owe the Astral Express a favor. The Nameless explored the universe without seeking fame or profit and had always belonged to a faction friendly toward the world and civilization. Besides, the Space Station was under Legion Attack. Right and wrong were obvious at a glance.

The energetic March 7th had no idea that Sister Himeko had already decided to use the orbital cannon if necessary. Holding a longbow made of special materials, the girl looked around in amazement.

"We haven't run into any Voidrangers along the way. The Space Station seems to be doing better than we expected."

"The flames outside held back the Legion's advance."

As they ran through the enclosed Containment Segment, Himeko recalled the Astral Express passing through the sea of fire. At the time, she had assumed the train's immense momentum had scattered the flames. But now that she thought about it, how could flames capable of slaughtering the Antimatter Legion be so easily broken through? Combined with the fact that the Hellfire burned Legion Fiends without affecting the Space Station, someone must have maintained control over that power all along.

On a grand scale, it covered every Legion force that had appeared, while in detail, it could achieve microscopic control. Before even meeting Hua Yi, Himeko had already sensed his strength.

And if something could truly force such a being into a hard battle—

"Little March, stay behind me. Don't run ahead on your own. A bow isn't a melee weapon."

"Huh? O-okay."

Fireworks for the Birth of the Galaxy Bat Hero!

Deep within No Heavens Left Unspoken, inside the chamber where the Stellaron had been sealed, Hua Yi quietly waited for more than ten system minutes. When he saw the gray-haired girl leaning against the wall awaken, he withdrew the hand he had placed behind her head as a pillow.

"Did you get enough sleep this time?"

"...Mm."

"Do you remember what your name is?"

"Star."

"What about anything else?"

"I don't remember much."

"I'm Hua Yi, a researcher on this Space Station."

Rubbing her eyes, Star looked clear-eyed yet rather foolish as she sized up the person speaking to her—a very handsome man.

She subconsciously scratched her head, then recalled something and tentatively bumped her head against the wall of the compartment she had been leaning against.

A dull, heavy metallic sound. It was a little cold and a little hard.

When she had been sleeping just now, the sensation behind her head had been quite warm. Mm, just like the feeling of scratching her head—it had been the warmth of a palm.

"Thanks—Is that fire-spewing greatsword in your hand some kind of scientific tool for research? Why do you seem more like a warrior than a researcher?"

"Even though you've forgotten many things, you still retain quite a bit of common sense—this Space Station is under attack by the Antimatter Legion, followers of [Destruction]. I'm currently in combat mode, and you need a weapon that suits you as well."

From nowhere, Hua Yi produced a Baseball Bat engraved with intricate patterns.

"Pick it up, and you will become the Galaxy Bat Hero destined to be renowned throughout the universe—the companion of justice."

"!"

Star froze for a moment, then adopted a solemn expression. She took the bat, gripping it tightly with her black-gloved hand. With a rather dashing flourish, she spun it once, feeling abundant power spread from her chest through every limb in rhythm with her heartbeat. Like a hero receiving a holy sword, she radiated soaring fighting spirit.

"If I'm a companion of justice, where are the enemies?"

The eager gray-haired girl looked heroic, but the way she glanced around No Heavens Left Unspoken carried a peculiar air of adorable cluelessness, making Hua Yi unable to suppress a smile.

"What, is your bat already itching for action?"

"Didn't you say I'm the Galaxy Bat Hero destined to be renowned throughout the universe? Then I'm invincible."

"Sure. If you're interested, you can treat Nanook as the demon king you need to defeat. When the time comes, bring that bat down on his head and give him a huge bump. It'll look cool."

"Okay!—Who is Nanook?"

"Demon kings always appear later. Come with me, I'll take you to the Safe Zone."

Just as Hua Yi led the invincible Galaxy Bat Hero out of the Curio storage room, Himeko and March 7th of the Astral Express hurried over.

Nanook?

The hero had only just received her holy sword, and the final boss had already invaded the beginner's village? Reality truly was cruel!

When two people suddenly appeared around the corner of the passage, Star gripped her bat warily and prepared for battle.

Once she saw that one of them was a mature red-haired older sister and the other a lively pink-haired girl, neither of whom looked anything like an evil Great Demon King, the young hero bumped Hua Yi's arm.

"Who are they?"

"Hi, you two. I'm Navigator Himeko of the Astral Express, and this is March 7th. We accepted Station Master Asta's request to provide support. Let's return to the Safe Zone in the Control Zone together."

Got it. This was the part where they gathered teammates and returned to their base.

Star nodded in understanding. Her tiny expressions were incredibly animated. Himeko did not know what she was thinking, nor did she know why, after Asta had said, "Other than Hua Yi, everyone has already retreated into the Safe Zone," a gray-haired girl was still lingering deep inside the Space Station. But since she was with Hua Yi, there was no problem.

So far, the situation was pleasantly optimistic. They had not encountered any Voidrangers along the way, nor had Hua Yi been locked in battle with some unimaginable enemy. The orbital cannon would not be needed, and the Space Station could likewise avoid widespread destruction.