My Honkai Star Rail: Reversing All Phenomena

Himeko relaxed considerably and studied the warrior holding the Flame Sword with mild curiosity, only to find that he was studying her as well.

Their gazes met. His eyes were like a starry sky, concealing endless mysteries; he was clearly no ordinary staff member.

Of course, anyone capable of protecting everyone single-handedly during a Legion Attack and turning a tragedy that should have been filled with blood and tears into a flawless heroic epic without casualties could never be called ordinary.

"Do you know each other?"

March 7th tentatively stretched out a hand and waved it between Himeko and Hua Yi's line of sight.

The elegant, intellectual red-haired woman answered with a gentle smile.

"Now we all know each other. Come on, let's not keep Asta waiting."

"Are the signals here being blocked? If Hua Yi wasn't tied up fighting the Legion's monsters, why didn't Asta contact him directly?"

"There are indeed devices nearby that block ordinary signals..."

Hua Yi knew that even if communications were functioning normally, the Station Master would not have contacted him proactively. That thoughtful girl was likely worried that he might be fighting Legion Fiends at that moment, afraid that a sudden sound from his Personal Terminal would distract him.

In fact, Asta had guessed correctly. Hua Yi had been controlling the sea of fire surrounding the Space Station all along. Otherwise, how could the mindless Hellfire distinguish friend from foe and avoid the Space Station and the Astral Express?

But that level of distraction did not consume all his focus. On the contrary, using Imaginary Energy as a tool, he continuously stirred ripples upon the river of [Destruction], destroying the Antimatter Legion. Those special targets of destruction steadily deepened Hua Yi's understanding of the Path. Had he not held back, the sea of fire outside the Space Station would have long ago scorched space itself, preventing the Baryon Channel from opening and cutting off the Legion's reinforcements.

Reinforcements. What a subtle word. The Fiends who brought destruction to countless worlds had become the ones being destroyed, charging into the flames like moths and being erased without end.

The utterly evil creations that crossed galaxies entered the Baryon Channel only to plunge straight into the sea of fire. Before they could even grasp the situation, they were burned to ashes by the increasingly fierce Hellfire, their own destruction becoming energy for Hua Yi's exploration of the Path.

On the way from the Containment Segment to the Control Zone, the sealed corridors gradually gave way to Transparent Outer Walls. The boundless sea of fire surged with overwhelming force, as though it would burn away the Divine Court. Reavers, Tramplers, Eliminators, Distorters... not a single low- or mid-ranking Voidranger could withstand the flames consuming their bodies. Most could not even let out a twisted howl before turning into insignificant dust drifting through space.

"Those are followers of [Destruction], the Antimatter Legion?"

Star tilted her head back, firelight reflected in her eyes.

"Why do they keep teleporting into the sea of fire? Aren't they afraid of catching fire? They all look completely burned up to me."

At that, Himeko and March 7th wore strange expressions. This tall, gray-haired beauty with such a gallant appearance somehow felt like an inquisitive child, innocent yet gifted at being absurdly funny.

Then Hua Yi's answer made the Astral Express pair's lips twitch even harder.

"Maybe they really aren't afraid. Otherwise, they should have stopped constructing Baryon Channels long ago. I'd call the Legion the Kings of Fire Resistance."

The One the Girl Longed For

"Pfft."

March 7th finally failed to hold it in, and a silvery, bell-like laugh spilled from her lips.

The Herta Space Station was clearly under attack from the Antimatter Legion. In a disaster like this, the atmosphere should have been oppressive and heavy. So why had Hua Yi and Star's conversation made her laugh so easily?

No, no, no. This young lady definitely wasn't some awful person taking pleasure in others' misfortune. It was mainly because Star had a talent for dry humor, and Hua Yi was going along with her so well.

Besides, there had been no casualties at the Space Station so far. The atmosphere of doom had been reduced to a minimum. Instead, it was the Legion being scorched by fire while continuously sending in reinforcements. The disaster seemed more like it had befallen the Fiends.

Compared to March 7th, who had failed to control her expression, Himeko was clearly more mature.

"The flames outside the Space Station have distorted space, so the Antimatter Legion can't send frontline reports to their rear. But I'm curious—why can the Baryon Channel continue operating within the sea of fire?"

"I control it. Since the enemy wants to come, we might as well draw them all out. Otherwise, the Space Station will have to keep guarding against small-scale attacks in the future and never know peace."

Was he controlling the Hellfire to avoid baryons and antibaryons? Or was he maintaining the Baryon Channel's operation and even erasing the unfavorable data that should have been sent to the twenty-ninth Voidranger Corps?

Himeko gave up asking. She stared at the Crimson Greatsword in Hua Yi's hand, as though she could hear someone calling, someone singing, someone creating a beautiful fairy tale as dreamlike as an illusion.

There had been no rumors of this weapon throughout the universe before now. From this day on, the tale of this heroic blade that withstood the Legion's advance would surely be widely celebrated.

Given the strength Hua Yi had displayed and his position at the Space Station, she should have heard of him long ago. Why hadn't Asta mentioned him during their last meeting?

She wanted to know a little more about him.

But now was not the time for idle conversation.

Within the Safe Zone of the Control Zone, a Herta Automaton stood guard at the entrance. She carried a giant hammer whose head alone was nearly half her height and more than twice as wide. Ice shards littered the floor at her feet, and fragments of dark armor could vaguely be seen within them.

Those were the stragglers Hua Yi had deliberately allowed through. The lucky Voidrangers he selected had slipped into the Space Station through the Baryon Channel and approached the Safe Zones of each segment, only to become souls beneath the Herta Automaton's hammer.

At his request, Genius Miss had written an emergency response program and added it to the Space Station's automaton system. It was only right that they be given a chance to perform.

Herta herself would not consider such things, but since she had patiently answered his various questions about Paths and Aeons, Hua Yi was willing to return the favor and help the Genius, who was not especially skilled at management, solidify her authority.

Otherwise, he alone would receive all the glory for blocking the Antimatter Legion, while the brilliance of the Genius in ordinary people's eyes would fade considerably. If Hua Yi had been inclined to manage the Herta Space Station, he could even have used this opportunity to become its true ruler in one leap.

Ordinary people, and even the outstanding experts and Scholars on countless planets, had never considered the possibility that the Space Station might be attacked.

The Genius name was prestigious enough. Although it was common knowledge that the Starry Sky Museum housed many Curios, not a single petty criminal had dared target the Space Station for several Amber Eras.

Countless minds had gathered beneath the Genius's radiance, along with security proven by time. This had long been accepted by everyone. Yet the Antimatter Legion had shattered it all. People realized that the Herta Space Station was not such a special place after all—at least, not to followers of Destruction.

In a situation like this, Herta needed to do something to preserve the firm faith that those who had experienced the disaster held in the Genius. Otherwise, while the Space Station would not descend into chaos, Asta would inevitably have to shoulder an enormous amount of cleanup work.

Hua Yi was helping Herta, but he was also helping Asta, the Station Master.

The automaton girl remained in autonomous mode. After identifying the newcomers, she calmly stepped aside. Her hammer dragged across the ground and crushed quite a few ice shards.

The Safe Zone was not as noisy as expected. Staff members from every department busily organized the valuable data, experimental materials, and scientific instruments they had salvaged. Meanwhile, quite a number of unlucky people who had not been directly attacked by Voidrangers but had been injured during the panicked evacuation were having their wounds treated and bandaged under the Medical Department's care.

The automaton guarded the passage outside while Asta maintained order within. The young girl displayed outstanding command ability. No panic or unease showed on her lovely face; she remained calm throughout, giving the staff members waiting anxiously for their fate in the Safe Zone a powerful dose of reassurance.

But was Asta really not worried at all? Did she truly believe Hua Yi could stop the Legion's advance, that he would not lose, would not be injured, and would not face mortal danger under the Fiends' siege?

Of course not.

Otherwise, why would she have hurriedly contacted Himeko and March 7th the moment the Express crew arrived at the Space Station, asking the Nameless to immediately head toward Hua Yi's location? Every word implied that if they could bring him back safely, the Astral Express could name any price it wanted.

The more she cared, the more concerned she was, and the more anxious she became. If not for the responsibilities of a Station Master, Asta would have rushed out of the Safe Zone to look for him long ago.

As she coordinated the departments in organizing their data and equipment, ordered the Defense Department to count the people in each segment and confirm the rosters, and checked whether the Medical Department had sufficient supplies and medicine, Asta passed Lamina, Wen Shiling, and the others several times. She heard them murmuring anxiously and praying that Hua Yi would be safe—

How could the Station Master herself not be deeply worried?

Even though the partially functioning surveillance systems had recorded Hua Yi's epic scenes of cleaving Fiends with his sword and calling forth fire to burn the heavens, the Antimatter Legion was infamous for a reason. Even as great swathes of Voidrangers were destroyed, new monsters continued teleporting in. Hua Yi was human. He would grow tired. And on a battlefield surrounded by demons, the slightest lapse could lead to irreversible ruin.

Asta was so worried she nearly cried, yet she had to maintain a composed appearance. Otherwise, if even their superior was panicked and helpless, everyone else in the Safe Zone would surely fall into chaos.

Again and again, she looked toward the entrance of the Safe Zone, yearning to see the person she longed for. Again and again, she was disappointed. The girl felt that every passing system second was longer than an Amber Era. Until, after raising her eyes for who knew how many times, the tormented Station Master finally saw the person she had been worrying about.

Overwhelming joy surged from her heart through her entire body. Asta no longer cared about anything else. She rushed forward and hugged him tightly, using his real warmth and touch to confirm once more that she was not hallucinating.

"Hua Yi, you're okay. That's wonderful!"

The Final Enemy

Asta had shown Hua Yi her lively, playful side more than once. She had vividly imitated the way those fierce Family elders used to speak, imagined how the Erudition Society might act when deliberately causing trouble because they disliked the Genius Club, and wrinkled her nose as she complained about the various letters those people sent. She had been adorable, with a touch of charming innocence.

But at this moment, Hua Yi could hear the tremor in the girl's voice as she called his name, and the arms wrapped around him were trembling slightly as well.

She had clearly been worried sick.

The weapon manifested by using the Path of Memory to restrain Imaginary Energy dispersed with the wind. The warrior lowered the Flame Sword and instead gently stroked the girl's head.

The hero defeats the demon king and receives a princess's kiss upon his triumphant return. Such classic scenes would always be enchanting. Compared to that, Hua Yi had merely patted Asta's head, while the Station Master had merely embraced the hero who had turned the tide under everyone's gaze. It was perfectly normal.

Who would dare object? That would simply be questioning the hero's achievements and challenging the Station Master's authority!

Even Lamina and the others from the Fan Support Club showed no negative emotions at the sight. Genuine smiles blossomed across their faces as they rejoiced at Hua Yi's safe return.

Star's thought process differed from ordinary people's. She looked at the spot where the Crimson Greatsword had vanished, tentatively reached out, and grabbed at the air. Once she confirmed it had truly disappeared, she set her Baseball Bat on the ground and tried to perform the same magical trick of summoning and dismissing her weapon at will.

Naturally, she failed.

She had been following Hua Yi closely from the beginning. Now that the hero who had resisted the Fiends of Destruction had returned to the Safe Zone, countless eyes were watching him, reassured by the warm scene before them. Then the tall gray-haired girl abruptly became the center of attention.

Were you seriously trying to make your Baseball Bat disappear by setting it down and giving your arm a dashing wave?

March 7th poked Star in the back, helpless yet amused.

"Stop being weird..."

"I'm not. I'm seriously trying."

The voices beside her brought Asta back to her senses. Blushing, she released Hua Yi from her embrace and thanked Himeko and March 7th in as normal a tone as she could manage.

"Thank you for the Astral Express's help. Once everything is over, the Space Station will offer you a gift of thanks."

"We actually didn't do much. Hua Yi and Star were already planning to return to the Safe Zone at the time."

Hearing an unfamiliar name, Asta—whose eyes had been filled with Hua Yi and who had not yet observed the gray-haired girl accompanying him—quickly greeted her.

"Hello, Star. You must be a Nameless who recently joined the Astral Express, right?"

"Huh? I have a name. I'm not Nameless."

Leaving aside the strange focus of the girl's reply, March 7th froze. Asta did not know this staff member beneath her command who had such a distinctive personality?

"Wait, Star isn't a member of the Space Station at all?"

"Apparently not. I don't remember what happened before. Oh, right. What's the Astral Express? Does Nameless mean passengers don't need to use their real names to buy tickets?"

"The Astral Express is the train once ridden by Akivili, the Aeon of [The Path of Exploration], and it still travels through the universe today. The Nameless are those who follow the ideals of Exploration and journey across the cosmos."

The three girls stared blankly at one another as Himeko thoughtfully offered an explanation.

Hua Yi looked around.

The Safe Zone covered a vast area, and with people spread out, it did not seem crowded. However, quite a few ordinary staff members had gathered near the entrance where they currently stood. There was no need to publicly announce that Star had a Stellaron inside her body.

"She is the Galaxy Bat Hero."

"That part is true. I'm a partner of justice, here to help destroy monsters. If any Voidrangers attack, just call me into battle!"

Even though Star had a talent for being unintentionally funny, the tall beauty looked reliable when she put on a serious expression and earnestly made her promise.

Even though the Space Station's crisis had not yet ended, and any unknown person appearing at a time like this would seem suspicious, Asta was willing to trust Star's position.

Because Star was someone Hua Yi had brought.

The Station Master noticed that he had been surveying the surroundings. She signaled for the staff members who wanted to gather around out of concern for the hero to disperse, then explained the situation.

"Workers from every segment have already retreated to the Safe Zone, including visitors from the Support Segment. Some were injured, but fortunately their injuries are within the Medical Department's ability to handle. The best news is that no one has died."

After a pause, Asta looked through the outer wall of the Control Zone toward the Cosmic Stars. The blazing flames covered the Space Station's surface like a mythical feathered robe, preventing the Antimatter Legion from advancing even a step.

"The projection radar is tracking normally, and the telemetry signal frequency remains at average levels. We've estimated that the Legion has made over ten thousand breakthrough attempts. Hua Yi, you've been maintaining the sea of fire outside all this time, haven't you? Otherwise, even flames condensed from Path power would gradually weaken after the Legion threw in troops without regard for cost... If you can't hold on, disperse the flames. The Space Station can raise its energy shield and keep holding out."

"First there was a kind of tiredness called the Station Master thinking I'm tired. Now is there going to be a kind of not being able to hold on called the Station Master thinking I can't hold on?"

"I'm not joking!"

"Neither am I."

Hua Yi shook his head.

"The Legion is the one that can't hold on. I can feel it—the number of Voidrangers coming through the Baryon Channel is constantly decreasing. Their reinforcements are about to be wiped out too."

After reassuring the ordinary staff members who kept looking back as they left, Hua Yi waited until only Asta, Himeko, and the others remained nearby before getting straight to the point.

"Earlier, Stellaron Hunters Kafka and Silver Wolf infiltrated the Space Station, broke the deeper seal within No Heavens Left Unspoken, and placed the Stellaron inside Star, whom they brought along."

"?!"

"She can safely contain a Stellaron. That's remarkable, but there is no need to dwell on its mysteries for now. The appearance of the Antimatter Legion is often accompanied by Stellaron erosion. Some people have therefore inferred that the Cancer of All Worlds comes from the Aeon of Destruction, but it now seems there may be another truth. The Legion's Baryon Channel is expanding, and a Doomsday Beast is on its way to the battlefield. Its target should be the Stellaron that has been released from its sealed state."

The Doomsday Beast was a Star-Body Weapon forged by taking fragments of a Twilight Beast as its foundation, using the Myriad Bones' Lament of the Forge of War as its catalyst, and finally refining it into existence. It was a monster among monsters.

Asta's heart tightened. Knowing how dangerous it was, she could be certain that none of the Space Station's known defensive weapons could possibly defeat a Doomsday Beast.

Yet Hua Yi still had the mood to lighten the atmosphere.

"A Star-Body Weapon. That name alone is full of hostility toward Star."

"What, it came for me?"

The gray-haired girl had no idea what a Stellaron or a Doomsday Beast meant. Nor did she pay attention to Asta, Himeko, and March 7th's grave expressions. She spun the bat she had become increasingly accustomed to wielding, lifted her chin, and her gray hair fluttered with the motion.

"I'm already prepared to fight."