When Stelle saw Blade, her mind short-circuited once again.
Honestly, the number of times she'd been stunned in this single hour surpassed the total from the past month.
Who wrote this plot? Seriously, what the… Why are Dan Heng and Blade meeting at this point in time?
On one side, a Trampler; on the other, Blade. The difficulty level was a bit too high!
"Hahahaha, Imbibitor Lunae! It's been so long. I've missed you terribly!"
Blade grinned wildly, grabbing the black sword in his embrace and drawing it sharply across his palm. Blood instantly gushed forth, coating the entire blade.
"Your end… approaches!"
Dan Heng's expression was serious. He unscrewed the gourd, and streams of water automatically rose, shaping into watery dragons coiling around him. The next second, the Shard Sword shot towards him with a sharp whistling sound, aimed directly at his face.
Clang!
The sword tip met the water, producing a sound of metal clashing. Dan Heng grunted and took a step back.
"Stelle, I'll hold him off here. Please go help March!"
Dan Heng moved nimbly, constantly evading Blade's attacks. "This time, I'm counting on you."
Hearing this, Stelle instinctively tightened her grip on the baseball bat. This version of Dan Heng was clearly nerfed. Although she didn't know the specific reason, it was apparent that his combat power had been surpassed by Blade's.
Given the current situation, she had become the key to the battle.
But what was she supposed to do? Fight with a baseball bat? Honestly, Stelle didn't have much experience fighting, let alone against elite enemies like these…
Wait, didn't she have that Golden Finger passive?
According to that mysterious voice earlier, this Golden Finger passive could help her safely survive every story segment.
…She had to gamble on it.
Stelle gripped the bat tightly and walked step by step towards the Trampler.
Her pace quickened, eventually breaking into a run. She charged at the Trampler's massive body with all her might!
The in-game perception wasn't direct, but when up close, this four-to-five-meter-tall Trampler was immensely oppressive.
Thud!
Whether by coincidence or not, the moment Stelle struck, the Trampler happened to lurch from March 7th's attack, its head moving perfectly to meet the baseball bat—
"ROAR!"
The Trampler let out a howl of pain and immediately switched targets, charging straight at Stelle.
Bzzzt!
In that instant, Stelle felt a surge of warmth from deep within her body.
The sensation spread throughout her limbs in a flash, transforming into pure physical strength that finally channeled into the baseball bat in her hand.
THUMP!
Stelle instinctively swung the bat. The Trampler's massive body was instantly sent flying backward, landing heavily off the elevator bridge before collapsing into nothingness.
?
Was that me?
Stelle looked at her hands in confusion. When that power had surged through her, she had felt a resonance from the Stellaron inside her.
Did that thing provide me with power? But why? According to the original setting, the Stellaron vessel shouldn't have the ability to actively harness Stellaron power.
Is this my Golden Finger?
Stelle began to understand. Perhaps the Stellaron was the foundational setting that could support her "smoothly progressing through the plot."
After all, even a genius like Herta wouldn't claim to fully understand Stellarons.
These things had created numerous miracles: freezing a planet, causing the Ambrosial Arbor severed by the Reignbow Arbiter to regrow, serving as the core of Ena's dream…
Each instance represented the ultimate goal of major map antagonists, yet the Stellaron's limits had never been seen.
Is this a universal tool to patch up loopholes? Stelle thought wryly.
"Phew, thanks, Stelle."
A trace of surprise flickered in March 7th's pink-blue eyes, and a touch of softness entered her perpetually cool voice.
"That was a huge help. We'll talk details later. Rest for now. I'm going to help Dan Heng."
Even while fighting the Trampler, she hadn't forgotten her companion.
Noticing Dan Heng being pursued by Blade, she had wanted to disengage and assist, but the Trampler was truly troublesome, making it difficult to break away quickly.
March 7th didn't know Blade personally, but she had seen his photo – on an Interastral Peace Corporation wanted poster with a bounty of 8.13 billion credits.
For those blood-sucking capitalists to offer such a high price was enough to indicate Blade's danger.
"Together."
Stelle gripped the baseball bat tightly. She was all in now anyway. With plot armor as her safety net, she didn't need to fear death.
"Mm. Thanks."
The two exchanged a glance and flanked Blade from left and right.
With the two of them joining the fray, Dan Heng's pressure decreased dramatically. Even with Blade's extraordinary martial skills, he inevitably found himself struggling.
This version of March 7th's martial prowess was no less than the original Dan Heng's; while the new Dan Heng's combat power was nerfed, his skill was only slightly inferior to Blade's.
As for Stelle, under normal circumstances her attacks were negligible, but the moment Blade counterattacked, her strength and speed would inexplicably surge dramatically, even allowing her to repel Blade head-on.
Shlick!
Under the assault of the three, March 7th seized an opening. Her spear, swift and fierce, directly pierced through Blade's chest!
"…Hahahahaha! When will death come for me? My patience is wearing thin!"
Instead of anger, being impaled by March 7th's spear made Blade laugh maniacally. Madness gradually filled his eyes. "That paradise may be unreachable for me…"
Stelle's face changed. "March, Dan Heng, retreat now!"
Perhaps these two didn't understand the significance of Blade's lines at this moment, but Stelle knew perfectly well – this was Blade's ultimate ability voice line!
Hearing this, March and Dan Heng didn't hesitate for a second, immediately falling back.
Almost simultaneously with their retreat,savage sword energy materialized.
Crimson sword light bloomed like a lycoris flower, its sharpness leaving ferocious gashes on the alloy floor!
If that hit a person directly, it would probably speedrun the plot straight to the underworld for check-in with Thanatos.
"Imbibitor Lunae! You cannot escape!"
Blade was shrouded in crimson baleful energy. Gradually, he was swallowed by it, and vibrant, life-filled sprouts even began to spread across his body!
Stelle: ?
Blade finds Dan Heng for a fight in the starter zone, gets over-excited, triggers his Mara, and turns into a monster?
Whose idea was this plot? This is just… unbelievable!
No tutorial period at all?
The key point was, Blade shouldn't be able to turn into a Mara-struck monster at this point!
Every Stellaron Hunter was a crucial piece on the board of [Destiny]. If Blade left the stage prematurely here, Stelle didn't even dare imagine how explosively the subsequent plot would derail.
"Let's cool off, both body and mind."
Right at that moment, an extremely reassuring voice sounded.
A figure had appeared behind Blade at some unknown time.
He actually forced his way through the baleful energy, extended a uniquely styled cane, and lightly tapped it against the former's forehead.
Stelle: "…Should I just get used to these bizarre developments by now?"