Chapter 146: A Heliobus's Lament: I Just Escaped and Ran Into Two Disciples of Destruction
A true tsundere, it's often said, is one part pride and nine parts sweetness. The unreasonable tantrums and bossiness are what people actually find grating.
March 7th, for instance, would secretly try to learn how to make Valentine's Day chocolates, even though she hadn't succeeded yet and the holiday had long since passed. Other times, she'd be caught quietly paying attention to someone, only to fluster and pretend she was just a casual passerby. Watching the daily mini-drama unfold between a bashful March and a willfully oblivious Rekka had become a must-see program for the Astral Express crew.
It was far more entertaining than any of those soap operas produced by the Interstellar Peace Corporation.
Of course, Rozaliya and Liliya were no saints in this matter, either. The two children's spirited debates over the sun could bring about the most unexpected and delightful chaos. Even Stelle, in her moments of rare clarity, wasn't entirely out of the running. One could only say that our dear March's position as the female lead was in constant jeopardy.
March 7th even had to be on guard against HooHoo, that mimetic plant from Onnivak.
"What do you mean, the nectar produced in your mouth is only for Rekka to drink?"
How provocatively ambiguous!
Who's to say Rekka wouldn't one day make a mistake and fall for a plant? At least, that's what Long Night Moon had once mused.
Although March 7th trusted Rekka, she knew there were some forces in the universe that were simply irresistible. Thus, she made it her mission to be the first to 'open the blind box' every morning—the first to greet Rekka and prevent anyone from stealing a march on her. To this end, she had developed the habit of waking up at the crack of dawn, no matter how the Express's biological clock systems were adjusted.
If that wasn't love…
Regardless, the invincible (she shouted loudly in her heart) March 7th had successfully defended the person she liked. A cause for celebration, indeed.
"Hello, everyone~! I'm Guinaifen! If you've got the funds, please show your support; if not, your presence is just as welcome! Your support is this streamer's greatest motivation! With every tip you give, a cute little Diting finds happiness!" The orange-haired girl struck a pose for her selfie camera. "Today, we've invited a special guest—the one and only 'What Is March Eating Today'!"
"Hello, everyone! I'm 'What Is March Eating Today'!" March 7th chirped, flashing a V-sign with her hands held like Baltan's claws. "I'm so happy to be on Guinaifen's livestream!"
Today, Rekka walked the Path of Destruction.
The Destruction-imbued Rekka and the Destruction-imbued Stelle were reportedly wreaking havoc all across the Xianzhou. As the two strolled about, the chaotic duo even found the leisure to smash destructible objects they found by the roadside.
"Rekka, why did I end up on the Path of Destruction?" Stelle asked, a genuine wrinkle of confusion between her brows.
"Maybe because your desire for destruction is very pure."
To destroy simply for the sake of destroying—the reasoning was, in itself, very much in line with the Path.
Their wandering eventually led them to a spooky-looking courtyard.
"What is this place?"
"I don't know," Rekka replied, glancing around. "But it feels like a haunted house."
"Maybe it's a haunted house with Xianzhou characteristics," Stelle mused, shaking her head. "Besides, you're being way too flashy. What if you scare the staff away?" She paused, a look of sudden realization dawning on her face. "Eh, wait! We haven't bought tickets to get into the haunted house yet!"
At that moment, a kind Stelle whispered in her ear.
"We are Trailblazers. We can't just skip out on paying~"
Then, an evil Stelle popped up by her other ear.
"What does it matter? If we aren't caught, it didn't happen~!"
After a fierce internal battle that lasted approximately three seconds, the evil Stelle delivered a swift kick, sending the kind Stelle flying.
Having reached a conclusion, she grabbed Rekka's sleeve and started walking inside.
"Let's go, let's go. We'll check it out first, and we can always buy the tickets later."
The very instant the two crossed the threshold, the main gate slammed shut behind them with a heavy thud.
A chilly wind gusted through the courtyard. Several pale, paper lanterns swayed ominously overhead, casting distorted, dancing shadows on the ground below.
Of course, if Rekka hadn't completely retracted the destructive aura radiating from his body, the haunted house atmosphere would have evaporated the moment they set foot inside.
Tattered paper talismans clung to a towering stone pagoda, rustling loudly as the wind whipped past them. Several clusters of eerie green fire floated in mid-air, circling the pagoda with a faint whooshing sound.
"Wow, the special effects in this Xianzhou haunted house are really lifelike," Stelle commented. She leaned over, tempted to poke one of the green flames with her baseball bat, but the flame darted away with a 'whoosh' and emitted a hiss that sounded strangely like a scream. "They've really nailed the effects."
Rekka simply reached out and made a grasping motion in the air. The cluster of eerie green fire was popped like a balloon, exploding in mid-air and dissipating into scattered starlight.
'Quite fragile,' he thought, rubbing his fingers together. The tactile sensation had been terrible, and destroying it hadn't even made a satisfying sound.
"Why did you pop their prop? Now we're really going to have to pay compensation later!" Stelle reminded him, though the baseball bat in her own hand was practically vibrating with anticipation. "Ah… forget it, let me try smashing one too!"
However, as Stelle reached out and swiped at the air a few times, the ghost fires proved surprisingly evasive. They were like dandelions caught in a breeze, slipping right through her fingers and drifting lightly to the other side.
"Strange."
A rustling sound emanated from deep within the courtyard.
Both of them perked up their ears simultaneously. The sound drew nearer, a dragging noise accompanied by an extremely faint and thin whimpering.
"Here we go, here we go!" Stelle gripped her baseball bat with giddy excitement. "This is what a haunted house should be like!"
To these two, whose minds were currently consumed by the Path of Destruction, ghosts weren't scary in the slightest; they were thrilling. Even if a genuine specter were to appear, it would likely find itself captured and severely interrogated by the enthusiastic pair.
But if the two of them were to be separated, Stelle's courage would diminish greatly. Any halfway decent jump-scare would instantly turn her into a living emoji.
Stelle: Gwaaaah!
Of course, there were no ghosts here. There were only the many dangerous Heliobi that had escaped when Phantylia's interference caused a breach in the Creation Furnace.
But at this moment, the more dangerous entities were, without a doubt, these two. Their presence was like the sense of salvation one might feel if a monkey-faced monk with a thunderous voice suddenly appeared in a horror movie.
Walking side-by-side, the two swaggered deeper into the courtyard, utterly lacking the self-awareness of haunted house explorers. They looked more like they were heading to the market to pick out cabbages.
The Trailblazing Twin Stars—the more they blazed, the more awesome they became.
"These sound effects are great. 3D surround sound," Stelle commented, hoisting her baseball bat back onto her shoulder. "It sounds like someone is really crying right in my ear."
Her feet crunched loudly on the withered yellow leaves covering the ground, making a crisp "crunch, crunch" sound. She had absolutely no intention of suppressing her footsteps or hiding her presence.
To the Heliobi, those heavy footsteps echoed like thunder.
The pressure was immense.
The Heliobi, who had only just escaped the furnace, now found themselves in the presence of these two baleful stars. They shivered with a fear they hadn't known was possible.
They were about to be scared to death by Trailblazers.
Halfway through their stroll, Stelle found a crooked-necked stone statue by the path to be in her way. She casually struck it with her bat. The statue's head tumbled into the grass, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
"The quality of these props is no good; it broke as soon as I touched it…"
"Indeed," Rekka nodded in solemn agreement, casually kicking over a stone tablet carved with strange, indecipherable runes.
"I don't even know where the ghosts are hiding."
Huddled in the shadows, several clusters of cyan-blue ghost fire flickered violently.
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