Inside Guinaifen's livestream.
After a grueling battle and with the support of Himeko's Orbital Cannon, the Engine of Creation finally ground to a temporary halt.
But that was only the first hurdle. Cocolia was still perched atop the Engine of Creation. She was the true enemy!
At that moment, Stelle exchanged a glance with her companions before breaking into a sprint. She charged up the arm of the Engine of Creation, which spanned the gap like a bridge of steel.
"I'll cover you!" Bronya yelled, picking off monsters in their path with precise shots from her rifle.
Suddenly, the Engine of Creation lurched back into motion. The angle of the arm shifted to a vertical tilt, and Stelle began to slide down.
Flickering deep-blue butterflies fluttered past the group. Seele transformed into a phantom, dashing upward.
"Catch me!"
The two gripped hands, swinging Stelle upward like a massive pendulum, using the momentum to hurl her onto the next tier of the Engine of Creation.
Finally, at the highest point, Dan Heng jammed his spear into a mechanical gap, acting as a critical lever to propel Stelle forward!
The entire sequence of maneuvers was seamless and fluid. Guinaifen watched with her mouth agape, her hands itching to applaud.
...
"Our Star Rail protagonist is so cool it hurts!"
"The teamwork is perfect!"
"Where are you going to run now, Cocolia?"
"That combo move was insane, I'm getting goosebumps!"
...
On the shoulder of the Engine of Creation, Stelle finally stood before Cocolia.
Cocolia offered no more words. Ice and snow swirled around her, and moments later, she emerged in a new form. Her body was entwined with thorns of ice, her skin turned the dark, shimmering color of the star-filled abyss. She had almost entirely lost her human appearance.
Her voice echoed from beneath the frozen mask: "Listen... the power is surging... it is singing..."
"The promise the Stellaron gave me is the only hope for this world..."
"Seven hundred years ago, it drove away the Antimatter Legionand today, it will erase your existence as well!"
Guinaifen was stunned. She had expected this final duel to be human versus human. Instead, it had evolved into a battle against a giant robot, and now that they had reached Cocolia, the woman had actually transformed!
That posture alone exuded a pressure so suffocating it was hard to breathe. It felt like a mortal challenging a god!
The background music turned frantic, accompanied by the howling of the freezing wind, instilling a sense of tension and despair in every player watching.
And the gameplay reflected that reality!
Because at this point, the protagonist was fighting alone. No teammates, no supports, no healers.
[Cocolia, Mother of Deception] was a boss with Fire, Lightning, and Quantum weaknesses. Yet Stelle's attacks only dealt a few hundred damage, barely scratching the boss's Toughness bar.
"How am I supposed to win this?!"
Her own health bar was dropping steadily, and Cocolia had more than one phase! Guinaifen was on the verge of tears from anxiety.
...
"This is impossible!"
"Is this a scripted loss?"
"Is the Express crew's trailblazing expedition going to end in failure here? Is that why the story was written this way?"
"I can't accept this! Is anyone going to come save her?"
...
Cocolia had finished charging her power. A glittering ring of frost condensed before her. She began her final execution declaration!
"Humans... always weak and foolish, always overestimating their own strength."
"Let me grant you despair!"
In the next moment, the breath of Guinaifen and every watching player hitched! Their hearts skipped a beat.
The ice spear was hurled from Cocolia's hand. It pierced directly through Stelle's chest.
Stelle closed her eyes in bitter resentment. Her indestructible bat slipped from her hand, and she fell from the shoulder of the Engine of Creation.
Guinaifen was frozen in shock, tears shimmering in her eyes. The livestream chat went completely silent. No one had expected a scene like this!
However...
In the next second, Stelle's closed eyes snapped open. She found herself standing in a bizarre, ethereal space.
Guinaifen blinked, her grief instantly replaced by shock and wonder! The battle wasn't over!
Every player watching knew that what came next would be the ultimate highlight of the story! This was the critical turning point of the battle. No one dared to even blink.
The howling wind, Cocolia's declaration, and the tense music all faded away. The space was ethereal, so quiet you could hear a heartbeat.
"Is this... the universe?"
Stelle looked around. She saw nebulae, meteors, and asteroid belts. In the center directly ahead, something like a mass of winding tree roots curled upward, wrapping around a strike of crimson light that pierced the sky. It was incredibly striking.
"Wasn't I fighting Cocolia? Why am I here..."
"...The last time I came here, Nanook glanced at me. Could it be..."
Subconsciously, she walked toward the light ahead.
Just moments ago, she had been in a battle for her life; now, she was walking through this fantasy-like, empty space. The extreme contrast in tone made Guinaifen feel as if currents of electricity were running over her skin, bringing out a fresh layer of goosebumps.
As Stelle walked, scenes of what had transpired in Belobog appeared as phantoms. Whether it was her soldiers, her old friends, or even her own daughter, Cocolia had chosen a path of coldness and secrecy. Step by step, she had arrived at this day.
Without realizing it, Stelle had arrived beside the spiral of tree roots. A small girl stood there.
"The city is crying out... the power of Preservation is fading."
"At the very end... we still could not withstand the will of the Stellaron."
The girl's name was displayed as [Guardian's Will]. She seemed to be a manifestation of a collective spirit.
She continued in her ethereal voice: "...But we have no right to blame her. For the past seven hundred years, the Fragmentum has expanded every minute. What we left for our successors... was not faith or wealth, but only boundless despair."
"Witnessing the home we swore to preserve slowly vanish before our eyes... it is a torture. Combined with those lingering, seductive whispers..."
"Even the firmest will eventually wavers. This day was destined to come. His protection... was destined to leave us."
[There will always be someone who does not waver.]
Guinaifen decisively chose that option.
"You"
"A mere traveler, yet you insist on shouldering the fate of an entire world..."
"Very well. What else is there to lose... what else is there left to try?"
"Go, touch the Amber light, Trailblazer. Let us see if the will of Preservation within you is strong enough... strong enough to draw His gaze."
The little girl looked toward the light in the center.
At the very base of that radiance was a lance. But now, the lance was no longer covered in ice. It revealed its original colorsa body crafted from Amber and a grip forged from black basalt. Red light spiraled around it like flickering flames.
Stelle stood before the lance. Her eyes slowly turned resolute. She reached out and gripped the handle.
At that moment, players across the universe felt their hearts climb into their throats!
Guinaifen gripped her controller with both hands, using so much force she almost cracked the plastic. It felt as if she wasn't holding a controller, but that defiant, fiery lance itself!
At Herta Space Station, the researchers watching the broadcast on the big screenwhere Asta had specially arranged plenty of seatingall stood up in unison. Their gazes were burning as they stared at the screen, wishing they could dive into the picture to witness this fantastic scene in person!
Aboard the Express, Himeko's gaze was deep. She rested a long finger against her chest, forgetting to move for a moment. Her eyes reflected the miraculous sight.
This was content that could never be seen in reality!
It was unimaginable! In that brief instant, Stelle's mental world had played out such a bizarre and magnificent experience!
If one didn't play through the game's story, how could they ever truly understand?
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