The story continued. After seeing Jiang Yu dodge the Doomsday Beast's claw strike and land lightly, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, with just a few words, the group settled on their next battle plan. The game cut to a close-up of the roaring Doomsday Beast before transitioning into combat.
"Here comes the boss fight. We really do have to fight the Doomsday Beast."
Siberian Duck wasn't surprised as she watched the game screen, but she soon noticed a fully charged support gauge on the right.
As soon as the combat screen appeared, a support prompt popped up.
Jiang Yu's fighting spirit is soaring. Use Sword Art: Celestial Torrent to weaken the Doomsday Beast.
"We get Jiang Yu's support for this fight!" The change came as a pleasant surprise to Siberian Duck.
When she activated the support, the game played a close-up animation.
A gale swept through, and the scene transformed into a deep starry sky. The Doomsday Beast floated in the cosmos before the camera cut to Jiang Yu.
The white-haired boy held a blade formed from converging winds and gently swung it downward. An enormous slash of light struck the Doomsday Beast, splitting the screen in two with a flash.
The enemy targets in the battle-"Ravager's Right Hand," "Dawn's Left Hand," and "Antimatter Engine"-all took Wind damage and entered the "Dream Drowning" state.
Dream Drowning inflicted a 20% vulnerability debuff on the Doomsday Beast for one turn.
[Oh, Myfriend: Holy shit, that slash was so cool!]
[Comparing Power Levels Is Fun Too: That looked so badass. Now that's a sword immortal!]
With Seele, Brother Gepard, and now Jiang Yu's support, Siberian Duck defeated the Doomsday Beast with ease.
Once the battle ended, the story resumed.
Working together, the group successfully defeated the Doomsday Beast, but before they could celebrate, it launched a desperate counterattack.
"Holy shit, that ultimate is terrifying! It looks way scarier in the cutscene than it did in battle!"
Siberian Duck's amazement was heartfelt.
"Everyone's running away—huh? Little Fish charged straight at it! Holy shit, another jumping slash!"
[Herta Fan Club: Little Fish's body is cracking apart. That looks so painful.]
[Tang Seng Washes His Hair with Rejoice: Sacrificing himself for what's right, finding life in the jaws of death. Little Fish did it!]
[Xianzhou's White-Haired Sword Immortal: Another jumping slash. Little Fish really seems to like those.]
[Emanator of Aha: Fake sword immortal: Sword-Riding through the sky, commanding ten thousand blades, moving gracefully and striking sharply, using the coolest moves to deal massive damage. Real sword immortal: counterattacks when cornered, opens with a jumping slash, always sticks to plain, unadorned techniques. Back to basics, dealing the most damage with the simplest moves.]
"Little Yu did it! Thank goodness. Everyone's coming to catch him." Siberian Duck relaxed a little, but before she could catch her breath, she saw the Doomsday Beast unleash its final attack.
Watching the antimatter stream sweep toward Jiang Yu, she angrily swore on the spot.
"Holy shit, is this Doomsday Beast a damn cockroach? It just won't die! How are you still alive? Don't you fucking touch my Little Yu!"
[Wind Boy Solo Fan: It's okay, it's okay! The protagonist charged in and stopped the Doomsday Beast.]
[Esongfang: Whoa! So cool! What was that? An Aeon?]
[The Chosen One: The protagonist's gone berserk! Someone help her! Where's Old Yang? Wait, why did Little Yu charge in?]
[Little Fish's Sword: Oh my god! "Don't look. I'm here." That makes you feel so safe!]
[Afei Phantom: It's over, but it looks like both of them passed out.]
"March 7th, hurry, hurry, hurry—yes, caught him! Old Yang, you're way too late!" Caught up in the story, Siberian Duck suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Wait, they're not going to kill Little Yu off, are they?" she suddenly exclaimed.
[Dan's Heart Endures: Streamer, do you even know what you're saying?]
[HoYoverse, Your Crimes Are Endless: Who made you like this?]
[Traveler, Is Honkai: Star Rail Fun?: We told you to play fewer HoYo games. Now you've got PTSD, huh?]
Siberian Duck pursed her lips at the suddenly gleeful chat.
She planned to edit together the scenes involving Jiang Yu after ending the stream. She already had a title in mind: "Sunshine Kid, the Little Sword Immortal from Xianzhou."
Inside the game.
Jiang Yu had enjoyed a wonderfully restful sleep, and the first thing he heard upon waking was a delightful notification from the system.
[Ding! Host's popularity is skyrocketing. Host's strength is increasing.] [Ding! Host has gained the attention of over fifty thousand people. Achievement unlocked: Gathering Grains into a Tower.] [Ding! Host rewarded with 200 Stellar Jade. Skills awarded: Astral Coil, Celestial Torrent.] [Ding! Once Host's popularity exceeds one hundred and fifty thousand, the system will provide a treasured sword.]
Waking up to so much good news felt great.
Jiang Yu felt considerably stronger again, and his supply of Stellar Jade had risen to seven hundred.
He had snagged a moment in the spotlight during the earlier story, so giving the players some Stellar Jade while the iron was hot seemed like a good choice. He needed to put that on his agenda.
The descriptions for his newly acquired skills, "Astral Coil" and "Celestial Torrent," followed the same style as the skills the system had provided before: just a few short lines.
Life was but a grain, this fleeting existence but an instant, leaving behind starlight blazing ten thousand fathoms.
He didn't quite understand it, but since it sounded pretentious and badass, the skills had to be pretty damn powerful.
What Jiang Yu looked forward to most was the treasured sword he would receive once his popularity exceeded one hundred and fifty thousand. The disposable flying sword the system had previously provided had let him experience the thrill of Sword-Riding, and he had fallen in love with the feeling.
Although he could now fly using the power of Pure as the Wind, it wasn't the same as Sword-Riding.
Sword-Riding on the wind, slaying demons between heaven and earth—how cool was that!
After briefly organizing the information in his head, Jiang Yu finally opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was March 7th's face right in front of him.
The pretty girl's face lit up with joy and excitement. "He's awake, he's awake! Jiang Yu's awake!"
Looking to the side, he saw Dan Heng standing nearby. When Dan Heng noticed his gaze, he nodded.
Himeko, Old Yang, and Stelle weren't there.
Jiang Yu sat up and stretched hard.
"You scared me to death! You charged straight into the energy field of a berserk Stellaron. Uncle Yang said you were fine, but Stelle woke up ages ago, and you just kept sleeping."
March 7th sat beside Jiang Yu, sounding a little reproachful, then raised a hand and knocked the Sunshine Kid on the head.
Dan Heng said nothing, but he nodded as well.
Jiang Yu rubbed the spot March 7th had knocked and chuckled sheepishly twice. "Looks like you two are fine, and the space station wasn't destroyed either. How are Stelle and Himeko?"
"You were in that state, and you still have time to worry about other people?"
Jiang Yu merely smiled at March 7th's complaint.
Of course he knew everyone was fine. This was for the players.
It would be far too strange for a character who had chosen to sacrifice himself and fallen unconscious not to worry about the others after waking up.
Even if the players didn't see this part of the story, they might learn about it later through in-game text and March 7th's and Dan Heng's reactions.
These were all great chances to gain popularity indirectly!
"They're fine. Everyone's fine. The Antimatter Legion's threat has been eliminated, and the space station is safe now." A faint smile appeared on Dan Heng's lips as he answered Jiang Yu's question gently.
"Come on, let's take a photo to celebrate you waking up!"
Seeing that Jiang Yu seemed fine both physically and mentally, March 7th scooted closer, took out her phone, and pulled him in for a photo.
"Add me! I'll send you the photo!"
Jiang Yu exchanged phone numbers with the lively, pretty girl. Then he heard footsteps approaching.
The three looked up and saw a puppet dressed in Lolita-style clothing approaching, exquisite as a lovingly crafted doll.
The puppet's craftsmanship was remarkably refined, and her expressions were as lifelike as a real person's. Without deliberately checking her joints, one might even mistake her for a human.
Most importantly, the puppet's face bore a seventy-to-eighty-percent resemblance to Herta's portrait.
Once she drew close, the Herta Puppet looked at Jiang Yu, and Herta's own voice came from within her.
Her voice was lovely, complementing her exquisite face, but her aloof, indifferent tone was nowhere near as pleasant as her appearance or voice.
"Finally awake, are you? The one who crashed into my space station."
Before you continue