"Hanxing? Cough, cough-you're awake?" Firefly looked at Hanxing as he opened his eyes, a hint of joy on her face.
But Hanxing said little. He sat up and immediately activated Star Eyes. He knew he had only regained consciousness because Star Eyes had healed him. Firefly had taken the intense heat and shock wave directly; heaven knew how badly she was hurt.
A blue light familiar to Firefly appeared, slowly healing her body. Hanxing couldn't see that Firefly was barely clinging to life. Her back was almost charred, and she kept coughing up blood.
"There's no need to rush, cough, cough-I'm fine." Hanxing stared at Firefly. "Don't move. You're in terrible shape!" By now, he could more or less feel how much Star Eyes consumed. As he treated Firefly, he found his mental power pouring into it as though into a bottomless pit, unable to fill it.
"Your DNA is fractured, your body is badly burned, and some parts are almost reduced to powder... You knew perfectly well I could save myself!" Hanxing's eyes were filled with anxiety. He wished he could heal her on the spot. "Maybe... it's because I love you..." Firefly then lost consciousness.
Even though he knew perfectly well that Firefly would soon appear before him whole and unharmed, Hanxing was still beside himself with rage. He spoke each word deliberately: "You damned president, you'd better hope I don't catch you, or I'll tear you to pieces!"
"Clap-clap-clap." Three claps rang out, heralding the appearance of a figure who was ordinary yet anything but. "What a wonderfully touching scene-" Hanxing didn't turn around. He flung the scabbard aside. "Why didn't I think it was you? Han Chuan?"
"Ha-blame yourself for not being smart enough." Han Chuan sounded a little excited. "You know, Hanxing? That nuclear bomb was prepared for you and Firefly! To deal with the 'variables' in this world, I even used a weapon like that! Maybe my plan would have succeeded if not for those Star Eyes of yours-"
"You-damned bastard. Now I'm going to chop you into mincemeat!" Hanxing said furiously. Han Chuan merely smiled faintly. "Call me by another name: the 'First-Rank Order Throne,' Basha!"
"'Throne'-a being above an Emanator? So be it. Prepare to die!" Hanxing vanished from where he stood and appeared beside Basha in an instant, slashing at him. Without so much as a glance, Basha formed a cane in his hand and blocked the blow. "On this Fansha Star, you and your so-called Stellaron Hunter companion are all ants!"
Fansha Star... why did he emphasize Fansha Star? Hanxing asked himself. It might be the key to defeating him. But the fire of anger in his heart had yet to subside, and he unleashed several more slashes in succession, only for Basha to block them with one hand. "How boring-" Basha then kicked at Hanxing. Hanxing held his blade across himself to block, but he was instantly sent flying a hundred meters, crashing heavily into a mountain.
"Cough, cough-" Blood seeped from the corner of Hanxing's mouth. A hole had been punched through his chest, while Star Eyes went to work, slowly healing the wound. "Still playing these dull tricks?" With that, Basha vanished from where he stood and prepared to kick again. Suddenly, a flash of green light swept toward him.
"Go! This definitely isn't an enemy we can handle!" Sam's voice rang out, green flames burning all around the mecha. "In my current state, I'm at Pseudo-Emanator Level. I can hold out a little longer. Go!"
"Neither of you is going anywhere!" Basha's voice rang out coldly. Hanxing cursed inwardly. Damn it, if I want to stay capable of fighting, I should only be able to use Star Eyes one last time at most... Before Hanxing could think further, Basha struck again, driving the tip of his scepter through Sam like paper and into Firefly's heart.
"Cough-ah-" The taste of blood flooded Firefly's mouth. She knew she was close to death and could only leave her last words: "Run-" She then fell, and Hanxing flew over to catch her.
"Basha, you bastard-!" Hanxing ground his teeth in fury. He saved his last chance to revive someone with Star Eyes for Firefly and stepped forward himself. A golden light appeared around him, and his entire body suddenly floated into the air. Star Eyes blazed blue, and a colossal golden humanoid, three hundred meters tall, appeared on Fansha Star, towering even above the surrounding mountains.
"Giant of Light-Slay Evil!" A bow instantly formed in the humanoid's hand. It drew the bow to full tension and loosed an arrow. Basha, who looked like an ant from Hanxing's perspective, merely smiled. "Not even a ten-millionth as powerful as an arrow of light from The Hunt. What gives you the right to act so-insolently here?!" With a loud shout, he hurled his scepter. It destroyed the arrow without losing momentum, then pierced the humanoid and struck Hanxing in the heart.
Three hundred meters in the air, like a bird. Burned to ashes in that dawn, slowly drifting down.
"Is this really the end?" Hanxing's face showed three parts despair, two parts unwillingness, and one part anger. But then a smile appeared on his face:
"No, it's only just begun!"