The evacuating Astral Express Crew stopped in the passage leading to the Supply Zone.
Their communication with Asta had suddenly cut out just moments ago.
They fell silent.
"Should we go back?" Dan Heng asked. "A reminder: the Doomsday Beast is the Antimatter Legion's anti-planet weapon."
"Herta built this space station. Unless a Lord Ravager, an Emanator of Destruction, intervenes, it won't suffer any serious damage," Himeko said.
"B-but we can't just run away, can we?" March 7th spread her hands, a hint of reluctance in her eyes. "Besides, we haven't found Jiang Yu yet!"
"The Doomsday Beast can tear through the shields effortlessly. With Herta absent, the defense system here is far too fragile against the Antimatter Legion." Dan Heng paused, lowering his eyes slightly before continuing, "As for Jiang Yu... unless a Lord Ravager intervenes, he should be strong enough to survive this crisis and find his own way out.
"But the Legion came prepared, bearing the blessing of Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction. The space station alone cannot hold them off."
"That's precisely why we have to leave." Himeko turned to Stelle. "And take her with us."
"I see. She's the key, the one who can turn things around..." Dan Heng fell silent for a moment.
"I could also be mistaken," Himeko said, yet she remained utterly calm and certain of her intuition.
"In that case... all right. What do we do next?" Dan Heng asked.
Teacher Dan Heng began discussing a way out with Himeko, but before the two could lay out any more of their plan, a tremendous crash rang out beside them!
Boom!
Arlan's large purple blade pierced the nearby door, then forcibly tore the entire Alloy Door off its frame.
A small figure in blue robes with white hair appeared behind the door, planting the blade against the floor as though he had just finished some heavy labor.
Jiang Yu had accidentally gotten lost inside the space station, and there wasn't even a map around.
The moment he heard the alarm, he realized the Doomsday Beast had arrived and stepped up his search for the Astral Express Crew.
At the same time, figuring that he had already damaged the space station by crashing into it, so tearing down a little more couldn't hurt, Jiang Yu threw caution to the wind and began smashing his way through the maze.
The result was what they had just witnessed.
And it wasn't only the station's doors he had torn down. He had smashed holes through some of the walls as well.
Then Jiang Yu looked up and saw the Astral Express Crew staring blankly at him, and a glimmer lit his gray eyes.
"I finally found you! The Doomsday Beast is outside. Let's get out of here!"
Yet no one answered him.
The members of the Astral Express Crew stared at him, seemingly unsure what expression to wear, their facial muscles twitching faintly.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you talking to me?"
Dan Heng raised a hand to his forehead and let out a long sigh.
March 7th and Stelle blinked, still stunned.
Himeko's expression also froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered.
"This is the Supply Zone, where the maintenance staff work. It's the closest area to the Platform, and Jiang Yu has conveniently cleared a path. Let's hurry out this way and meet Welt at the Platform."
With the situation urgent, they wasted no more time on idle talk and followed Himeko, swiftly retreating toward the Platform.
Though Stelle had only recently awakened and still knew little about this world, all her questions would have to wait until they were safe.
Under Himeko's guidance, the group hurried back and forth through the Supply Zone, passing through dark corridors and operating mechanisms to activate the Repulsion Bridge. They occasionally encountered members of the Antimatter Legion, but the Astral Express Crew's combat prowess made short work of those small fry.
As they ran, they also witnessed Jiang Yu's handiwork.
Along the way, they saw quite a few holes forcibly smashed through the walls, each on the same scale as the opening Jiang Yu had made when he tore down the door.
It took no thought at all to know who was responsible.
"Jiang Yu! Have you lost your mind?!" March 7th's eyes widened at the holes he had made. "How are you worse than the Antimatter Legion?! Herta will never let you off for wrecking the space station like this!"
"She wasn't going to let me off anyway." Jiang Yu spread his hands, looking thoroughly resigned to making a bad situation worse. "What do you think Asta specifically kept me behind for?
"She said Herta already knew I'd crashed into the space station... I'd already caused so much damage that a little more hardly mattered... Besides, wasn't I just in a hurry to find you after seeing the Doomsday Beast?"
"You were that worried about us? Well, aren't you a nice guy!"
"That's how we Xianzhou natives are. Always ready to lend a hand."
They encountered hardly any staff along the way. As March 7th and Jiang Yu traded quips, the group finally passed through the Supply Zone's maze of intersecting corridors and an empty office, used the Keycard Access Asta had given them to open the door, and ran downhill all the way to the station's Space Bridge.
The Space Bridge floated in space, with a framework of alloy and steel extending along both sides to connect different areas of the station. Glass of an unknown material lined its edges, and beyond it lay a vast sea of stars.
Behind the Space Bridge stood the tightly shut warehouse doors, while ahead it connected to the Moon Bridge. The enormous, beautiful Blue Planet floated on the other side, reflecting dazzling light and atmospheric patterns. The stars outside were tranquil, and there was still no sign of the Astral Express!
"We're here!" March 7th was the first to cheer.
"...The train hasn't arrived yet." Dan Heng remained cautious.
"I've got good eyesight. I'll take a look up ahead! It might be nearby!" March 7th ran toward the Platform.
Himeko followed the others in silence, while Jiang Yu and Stelle stopped where they were.
Although Jiang Yu had already seen this sight once when the system sent him to the space station, he had never observed space from so close before and remained deeply spellbound by the view. Starlight filled the sky around a magnificent planet. The universe was boundless, and he was so small. The drifting, twinkling stardust left him dazzled.
Beside him, Stelle was much the same. She could no longer remember anything, and so, faced with this expansive view stretching to the limits of her sight, she marveled at the universe's immensity and beauty. The swelling river of stars resembled a curtain slowly drawing back, with a grand galactic performance about to begin before her eyes.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
The boy's voice sounded beside her ear, and Stelle nodded.
She turned to see the white-haired boy's eyes shining, endless starlight reflected in his gray irises.
Even if the universe was silent and cold, even if its end was wordless stillness and its truths dull and cruel... at this moment, in the boy's eyes... it all seemed infinitely meaningful. In an instant, everything became eternal within those eyes.
Stelle, too, was captivated by this wondrous sight.
She spoke slowly. "Yes, it's beautiful..."
Without realizing it, both of them took a moment to admire the universe's dazzling, kaleidoscopic vista. Only when March 7th called from up ahead did they come back to their senses and catch up with the others.
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