"An unfamiliar Destruction Emanator named Ervitos."
"So you, alone…"
"Yeah, don't tell Stelle or March. They'd worry if they knew."
Seeing Leon's calm demeanor, Himeko sighed helplessly.
"Why didn't you inform us sooner?"
"Sorry…"
"No need to apologize. You took on the pressure alone to resolve the crisis—how could I blame you?"
Himeko's expression was full of sincerity.
"We don't know your past, your abilities, or how much you've carried."
"But once you're on the train, you can treat it as a safe haven. The Astral Express crew is a whole—one's glory is everyone's glory; one's loss is everyone's loss."
"A Destruction Emanator is tough, but we're not afraid."
"Next time you face an enemy like that, don't do it alone, okay?"
Leon felt a warmth in his heart.
"It happened suddenly, and there was no time to notify. For now, Ervitos' whereabouts are unknown. As for Belobog—"
"Seven hundred years ago, the Destruction Legion that invaded this planet was likely Ervitos' doing."
"Not acting directly but using such roundabout methods—this kind of guy is really…"
Compared to someone like Zephyro or Celenova, who'd just slap your entire star system into oblivion without a second word, they're actually less troublesome.
Himeko fell into thought: "Someone who prefers to stay behind the scenes… could it be…"
"Probably not that guy. The style doesn't match."
Leon shook his head.
The players waited for more, but neither said who "that guy" was.
Beta testers were just as clueless.
The beta plot didn't cover any of this.
Himeko stared closely at Leon's face: "Let's put the Emanator issue aside for now. How are your injuries?"
"You don't have the Imaginary fluctuations of an Emanator, yet you managed to hold your own against a Destruction Emanator."
"Even if you wield some special power we don't know about, it couldn't have been easy."
"Can you tell me the truth?"
"I know you don't want the younger ones to worry, so don't worry—I'll keep it confidential."
Hearing Himeko shift the topic back, Ah Xian's attention snapped into focus.
This was what she cared about most!
The camera panned to Leon.
His expression didn't change much, still relaxed and easygoing.
But his words made some players gasp.
"Fighting Ervitos drained too much of my strength. I'll need a long recovery to get back to normal."
"Right now, my combat ability is no better than a terminally ill patient's."
"Sigh, for now, I'll have to rely on some shady poisons for self-defense."
"Thinking back, if Ervitos had fought me for three more minutes, probably…"
He didn't finish.
In his mind, he quietly added:
Probably, a Destruction Emanator would've been gravely injured or even fallen.
At most, he'd have paid a steeper price, which wouldn't help the story progress.
In the end, Ervitos was scared off by his bluff.
But in essence—it wasn't just a bluff.
Either way, the goal was achieved.
The skyrocketing faith points proved it.
The numbers borrowed from overexerting his power needed double to repay, and now, not only was the debt cleared, but the total had doubled from before.
In a way, Ervitos' existence indirectly helped Leon.
Too bad Leon had no intention of thanking him.
Next time they meet, those harsh words won't just be empty threats.
"…"
Himeko, unaware of Leon's inner thoughts, stayed silent.
The players, even more clueless, felt a whirlwind of complex emotions for their beloved Leon.
Ah Xian, though mentally prepared, still felt her heart clench.
The heavy topics Leon discussed with Dan Heng earlier replayed like a recording, growing clearer.
"His care and sacrifice for his companions… it's so heavy, so heavy…"
[Newbies don't quite get it—how strong are Emanators exactly? Just hearing about it gives no context. Please explain.]
Ah Xian's voice dropped, heavy as she explained.
"Simply put, if a mortal wielding Path power is like a splash of shattered foam, an Aeon controlling a Path is the entire ocean."
"An Emanator's power is like a tidal wave crashing against the shore."
"You can understand it as: an ordinary person wielding Path power stands no chance against an Emanator."
"For specific details on Emanators, check the database for technical terms—I won't overexplain."
"Himeko said Leon isn't an Emanator, so he's probably not."
"His ability to hold his own against a Destruction Emanator likely comes from some special power of the Sky Haven Clan."
"So far, no in-game text quantifies the Sky Haven Clan's peak combat strength in detail—only that they're born with dual wings, and the strongest have wind-wielding abilities."
"How can a tidal wave defy the heavens and overturn the ocean? Just like how foam can't compare to a tidal wave."
"Even relying on his own strength, foam gathering into droplets, then into a torrent, still struggles to match a tidal wave."
"This shows how moving Leon's resolve is to face an unknown Destruction Emanator alone…"
"He didn't tell March or Trailblazer because their usual strength isn't high, and knowing wouldn't help."
"Leon… he's quietly done so much for the Astral Express crew…"
At this, Ah Xian paused, pulling out a tissue to wipe her misty eyes.
"If that Destruction Emanator hadn't fled and defeated Leon, what would've happened to Belobog?"
"And the Trailblaze team, locked in a heated fight with Cocolia—what would their fate have been?"
[What about Welt and Himeko's strength?]
[Himeko's hard to say. Honkai: Star Rail's Himeko doesn't seem as strong as Honkai Impact's Himeko.]
"Star Rail's Himeko has leaned into the tech tree, probably relying more on brains."
"As for Welt, he's indeed the Herrscher of Reason from Honkai Impact's world. Whether his current strength can match an Emanator is unclear."
"Compared to those two with relatively clear backgrounds, I'd bet Leon's strength is greater."
"Think about it—if Himeko and Welt could take on an Emanator, with Leon's proven reliability, would he not have notified them?"
"The 'no time to notify' excuse is probably just that—an excuse."
"So—if Leon had failed, the entire Astral Express might've been wiped out…"
"From this angle, Leon didn't just save Trailblazer once, but twice, and saved everyone, saved all of Belobog!"
[Don't forget, before parting, Leon installed a crisis-detection radar on Trailblazer—his wings instantly teleport during a fatal crisis.]
[Those wings are like the Sky Haven Clan's second heart, probably carrying tons of abilities.]
[Imagine the Cocolia boss fight from Leon's perspective, still in the middle of an Emanator-level battle—wouldn't that be a deadly plot twist?]