Honkai: Star Rail, Marry Acheron Upon Landing Chapter 5

Lin Shuang's appearance, along with the greatsword she gripped tightly, always gave her a sense of familiar déjà vu.

In the vast universe, this wasn't the first time she'd met people who were similar yet different. However, not every encounter went smoothly.

Like now.

She didn't know why Lin Shuang wanted to court death, but she didn't want to watch Lin Shuang die.

The meaning of the ritual hadn't been made clear yet, and Acheron didn't want this white-haired impulsive girl to become food for Void creatures just like that.

Volume 1: Chapter 6 Acheron: Raise Your Sword, Lin Shuang

Hearing Acheron's objection, Lin Shuang was momentarily at a loss for words.

She stared at Acheron's left hand. In Acheron's eyes, what just happened was merely a ritual to gain power performed in cooperation with her.

And to Acheron, she was just an ordinary encounter during her interstellar journey.

To put it bluntly, Lin Shuang didn't think her actions today would warrant such concern from Acheron.

Based on the plot she remembered and the two PVs, Acheron should have been a colder person.

Lin Shuang, whose expectations deviated from her own psychological ones, was confused. What kind of person was the real Acheron?

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. And I'm not just purely curious; the Stellaron might actually help me."

"You want to use the power of a Stellaron?"

Acheron frowned. She looked at the white-haired girl in front of her as if she were meeting her for the first time, unsure if she was ignorant or arrogant.

"Do you truly know the danger of a Stellaron? Everyone in the universe who has tried to use its power has only led themselves to ruin."

"Even members of the Genius Society only choose to suppress and control Stellerons. If you truly intend to use its power, I will stop you."

Acheron's tone unconsciously deepened. The aura that came with her experience and power as an Emanator, even if only a fraction leaked out, made Lin Shuang tense up completely.

Noticing Lin Shuang's reaction, Acheron closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the aggressive aura had been reined in.

Lin Shuang clutched her chest and recovered.

Looking at Lin Shuang, Acheron felt confused by her own unusual behavior and also blamed herself for her actions.

"Sorry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, don't worry."

Lin Shuang waved her hand. The power of an Emanator, even just a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg, had left her in awe.

The meaning of those two words was far more profound than she had imagined.

However, more than the power, Lin Shuang became increasingly puzzled. Why could she elicit these emotions from someone like Acheron?

This shouldn't have happened according to logic.

Or was Acheron's personality always like this?

Her gaze towards Acheron gradually became subtle. After hesitating for a moment, Lin Shuang couldn't help but ask:

"Putting that aside... Acheron, why do you want to stop me from contacting the Stellaron?"

She deliberately emphasized the word 'me'.

"..."

Acheron pondered. She walked the Galaxy, and it was natural for her to lend a hand to those who journeyed through the river of the void.

However, Lin Shuang was not journeying through the void, nor was her craving for the Stellaron driven by an ideal goal.

It was just that Acheron could see that Lin Shuang was not a Path trailblazer. Her eyes were far from resolute; she was like a lost lamb that had strayed into the deep sea.

The wrong person appeared in the wrong place, harboring the wrong kind of curiosity.

The intersection of these many "wrongs" would lead Lin Shuang to the void.

"There's no reason."

"Huh?"

Lin Shuang was confused, but Acheron simply replied calmly:

"When walking the Galaxy, not everything requires a reason."

As Acheron looked into Lin Shuang's beautiful blue eyes, her every word fell upon Lin Shuang's heart.

This was not a declaration of righteousness. Instead, behind this sentence, Lin Shuang vaguely sensed only a silence as profound as the void.

This feeling, while astonishing Lin Shuang, also gave rise to a sense of powerlessness.

When a person's power is immense, and their actions have no reason or purpose, how can one make them abandon their course?

Lin Shuang felt a slight headache.

"Acheron, I don't want to self-destruct, and I'm aware of the dangers of Stellerons. I just want to try, a small attempt. If you feel something is wrong, you can stop me at any time."

Lin Shuang hadn't expected Acheron to be so serious about her affairs.

Or rather, Lin Shuang hadn't expected Acheron to go this far for her.

However, faced with Lin Shuang's explanation, Acheron merely shook her head and held her scabbard horizontally in front of Lin Shuang.

"It's not for that reason. Not only will you be surrounded by Void creatures and the Anti-Matter Legion, but more importantly, you won't be able to resist the temptation of a Stellaron."

Stellarons have the power to tempt others, and there are quite a few documented cases.

In Acheron's eyes, Lin Shuang, like a lamb, wouldn't be able to resist if she touched a Stellaron right now.

Lin Shuang hadn't really considered that, but she thought she'd only be in contact for a short while. If the Storage Card couldn't contain it, or couldn't isolate the Stellaron, she would retreat.

Such a short time shouldn't be enough to be tempted.

But hearing Acheron say this, had she underestimated the power of a Stellaron?

"Then is there a way? I mean, a way to resist the power of a Stellaron."

Facing Lin Shuang's persistent questioning, Acheron didn't answer immediately. Instead, she curiously posed her own question:

"And why do you insist on coming into contact with a Stellaron? Now that you've just gained power, mastering it should be your priority."

Lin Shuang, who hadn't planned to hide anything, omitted the part about it being a "toy version" and explained to Acheron the fact that her current power was like a rootless duckweed.

If she could use the power of a Storage Card to contain a Stellaron, it might solve her problem of lacking an energy source.

"...After all, I'm not a Pathstrider. I can't draw power from the Path, so I can only seek external help."

"Alright, I think I understand."

Acheron understood Lin Shuang's reasoning, but as she said.

Contacting a Stellaron was an extremely dangerous matter, let alone Lin Shuang's audacious plan to travel the universe with a Stellaron.

She didn't know whether to call it the boldness of a newborn calf or the fearlessness that comes from ignorance.

Thinking this.

Acheron rotated her scabbard, pointing it at Lin Shuang, and then spoke:

"I understand your desire for a Stellaron, but Stellarons are too dangerous. Moreover, you even plan to carry one with you. Even if the card you mentioned can seal it, how can you guarantee it will never break and lead to your own destruction?"

"Therefore, even if I could get the Stellaron for you, I wouldn't do it."

Saying this, Acheron's scabbard rotated and deliberately tapped the greatsword in Lin Shuang's hand.

"Raise your sword. I imagine that after we part ways in the future, you'll still take risks. It's better for me to temper your will now. At least... your will should be strong enough to support you until I arrive."

Clang—

As she spoke, a short section of Acheron's sword was unsheathed.

However, with the ringing of the sword, Acheron's aura changed.

It was as if a calm sea suddenly erupted with storms and thunder.

Darkness from the abyss began to spread towards the surface, and the dangerous aura caused Lin Shuang's body to instinctively become wary.

In that instant, Lin Shuang even felt as if she saw the other shore, the true 'Styx'.

"Thank you."

Volume 1: Chapter 7 What Does Your Peach Taste Like?

"Lin Shuang, don't run, charge at me!"

The pleasant voice echoed in Lin Shuang's ears, but at this moment, it sounded like a demonic chant.

It made Lin Shuang, who was already running at full speed, instinctively turn her head.

Then, a rapidly descending scabbard met her, along with a terrifying killing intent like thunder and a tsunami!

Bang—!

The condensed killing intent almost shattered all of Lin Shuang's preparations.

Even after experiencing it countless times, Lin Shuang still couldn't withstand the aura Acheron released.

But fortunately, her body's and muscles' reflexes saved Lin Shuang's life. She instinctively twisted her waist and exerted force along with her head turn!

Her rotating waist brought her greatsword in hand to swing in a scorching arc, directly colliding with Acheron's scabbard!

Then, Lin Shuang, along with her sword, was sent flying.

After a 720° spin in mid-air, she finally dissipated the force and landed steadily.

At the same time, Acheron's reprimand echoed in her ears:

"Since you decided to run, why did you look back? Since you chose to look back, why weren't you prepared to attack!"

Lin Shuang felt like crying when she heard Acheron's scolding.

"Sister, you're my real sister. It's only been two days, and I'm already trying my best to move under your full killing intent."

Of course, Acheron hadn't drawn her sword at this time, so she was definitely not at her full strength, and the killing intent she released was certainly not comparable to her white-haired state.

But was Acheron weak just because she wasn't drawing her sword? Wielding just the scabbard, she could easily deal with any Anti-Matter Legion or Void creature that came her way, defeating them in a single round.

Heaven knows, before the damn system threw her here, Lin Shuang was just an ordinary shut-in!

Just then, a hand pressed down on Lin Shuang's head, which hadn't yet gotten up.

Before Lin Shuang could react, she saw the palm flip, and a large, round peach appeared in Acheron's hand.

"Alright, I know you worked hard. Take a break."

"Peaches? Where did you find these? There are such good peaches in this godforsaken place?"

Lin Shuang accepted the unknown variety of peach that Acheron handed over, surprised. Acheron wasn't carrying a backpack, so where did she pull this from?

"Not from here. I brought them myself. I eat them occasionally on my travels."

As she said this, Acheron produced another peach from who-knows-where, nearly stunning Lin Shuang.

On this nameless planet, the ecosystem was already a mess beyond recognition. It was a struggle just to breathe here, let alone find something to eat.

Fortunately, whether it was the energy from the Herrscher Core Lin Shuang had fused with or the power of Acheron's Path, both allowed them to maintain vital signs without needing to eat.

So, for the past two days, Lin Shuang had only drunk some water and eaten virtually nothing.

Suddenly being offered a peach was undeniably tempting.

"Why are you taking it out now? I didn't see you eating any the last couple of days."

Lin Shuang stood up, holding the peach. The surrounding flames had already died down, so she wouldn't accidentally roast it.

"A reward for you. That slash you made just now was good."

Acheron said this as she sat down on some nearby ruins.

Lin Shuang's recent slash had been quite skillful, no longer a wild, blind swing like before. Her improvement was notable.

That's why Acheron decided to reward Lin Shuang.

Though, calling it a reward, she didn't really have anything impressive on her.

With that thought, Acheron took a bite of the peach.