Chapter 21: Defeating the Doomsday Beast—The Aeon of Destruction Emerges!
Inside Herta's office, the Herta Puppet was engaged in a remote communication session.
Before her flickered the holographic projection of Screwllum, the mechanical noble.
Herta tapped her fingers impatiently.
"Alright, enough for now. Clear your schedule and come over soon—we need to discuss the new [Simulated Universe] project in person."
"Oh, and that hacker girl you've been dealing with? She's here too."
A glint of mischief flashed in her eyes.
"I still haven't settled the score with her for stealing the Stellaron last time. This time, she won't get off so easily."
Screwllum tilted his head.
"Herta, how can you be so certain Silver Wolf is on your space station?"
After all, Silver Wolf was his longtime rival, and he knew her methods well.
If traces of her had been found, it usually meant she had already achieved her objective.
Herta smirked.
"Not that hard. I had the Cybersecurity Division track her movements, but they ended up chasing shadows."
"Still, do you really think Silver Wolf could resist infiltrating the station for the Curio she's after?"
Screwllum gently tapped his temple, processing.
Herta sighed.
"Is this deduction based on organic emotions? Fine. I'll attend the meeting as scheduled."
With that, the call ended.
Herta sent a quick message to the space station about Screwllum's impending arrival before returning to her work.
She couldn't care less how the station's staff would handle the news.
Little did she know, the entire space station had collectively abandoned their duties—
All to immerse themselves in a game called Honkai: Star Rail.
From Asta to the lowest-ranking staff, Herta's messages were completely ignored.
Some were glued to Little Gui's livestream, watching his story progress or Asta's latest gacha pulls.
Others had already booted up the game themselves.
Everyone was utterly absorbed, lost in the world of Honkai: Star Rail!
After all, even the Station Head was busy rolling for characters—who had time for messages?
---
[Combat Ends]
In Little Gui's livestream, just as the audience thought the Doomsday Beast had been defeated—
A sudden twist!
A blinding light erupted from its skull, surging upward like a timed detonation.
A devastating beam lanced out—
Straight toward the exhausted March 7th below!
"March!" her companion shouted.
But it was too late.
March instinctively raised her arms in defense—
When a figure leaped in front of her.
The Trailblazer!
"Holy shit, is the protagonist really this heroic?!"
"That's true love right there!"
"How is she this cool?!"
"Does this kind of bravery exist in real life? If I were March, I'd swear loyalty for life!"
The Doomsday Beast's beam struck Stelle full-force.
Arms outstretched, she absorbed the torrent of destruction, shielding everyone behind her.
As the game's protagonist—and having survived this long—the audience quickly realized she'd likely be fine.
And sure enough...
Moments later, Stelle found herself in a strange, dreamlike space.
Above her, the sky itself seemed torn open, a gaping wound oozing golden, molten light.
Stelle plummeted endlessly, as if falling into an abyss.
A whisper echoed:
"It's time to embark."
While the act of blocking the attack had been thrilling, this abrupt shift left viewers stunned.
Weren't they just in the middle of a battle?
How did the scene change so suddenly?
---
Outside the crowd, Silver Wolf hesitated.
On one hand, the game's story had taken a critical turn—likely triggered by the vessel she herself had printed. Stelle's pivotal moment had arrived!
On the other hand, a new five-star character had appeared—possibly Kafka… or even herself.
In a split-second decision, Silver Wolf constructed an anti-gravity device using ether.
She propelled herself toward the livestream screen!
Characters could wait—she'd eventually pull them in-game. But the story was different.
This developer was no ordinary creator.
They had replicated character abilities and Doomsday Beast mechanics with terrifying accuracy.
All signs pointed to someone with deep knowledge—possibly even insider intel.
As a Stellaron Hunter, she had to uncover the truth.
Silver Wolf soared above the crowd, securing the best view.
The audience was packed so tightly around the screen that from the ground, all she could see were rows of awestruck faces.
Then, the camera slowly zoomed out—
Revealing that the golden wound wasn't in the sky.
It was a gash on someone's chest.
No—not just someone.
A GOD.
The Aeon of Destruction—Nanook.