"Combat, are we going into combat now?"
"Wait, how do I even fight!"
Suddenly learning that a battle was about to begin, Guinaifen was completely stunned.
She usually livestreamed outdoors, so she didn't play games often. Naturally, when faced with this kind of scenario, she was all flustered.
However, what she didn't expect was that it wasn't some high-difficulty fighting game.
Instead, as the phone screen displayed a sustained cracking and shattering effect, both sides abruptly swapped scenes, settling into a one-team-per-side formation.
The protagonist Stelle led the way, holding a baseball bat, with Dan Heng standing beside her, wielding a long spear.
After a two-second pause, Guinaifen seemed to finally grasp the situation: "Uh..."
"This... this is a turn-based game?"
Clearly, it was something she hadn't anticipated.
The Author had created such a grand main storyline and map, yet the core gameplay's combat mode...
Actually turned out to be a turn-based game?
I thought it would at least be a Souls-like genre!
Otherwise, how could they properly showcase how awesome the Trailblazers are?
[No way, that's it? This is a turn-based game?]
[I thought it was something else. All this fuss over a turn-based game.]
[What's so strange about it, folks upstairs? A turn-based game is perfectly normal. What major action could you expect from a fan-made game about the Astral Express anyway?]
[Exactly, exactly! The game Author isn't a Trailblazer. How could they possibly know what abilities the Trailblazers have, how they fight, or how powerful they are?]
[Agreed. Nobody even knows if the Author is a solo developer or a team right now. How much game content could they realistically produce?]
[Sigh, that's boring. Maybe I'll just wait and see a bit longer...]
Discovering it was a turn-based game, the livestream chat instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.
Many who had been eager to try and ready to download the game for a test run went silent. Even the viewer count in Guinaifen's stream dropped by several hundred.
But suddenly!
Guinaifen seemed to have discovered something.
The new player tutorial popped up!
"Wait, folks, don't leave yet! This game... it doesn't seem to be just a simple turn-based game?"
Caelus watched from behind the screen as Guinaifen fiddled around.
When Guinaifen clicked on 'Re-pair', the character inventory page came into view.
Following the new player guide, Guinaifen was astonished to find that the protagonist Stelle's character icon actually had a'Switch' button in the bottom right corner!
And when she eagerly clicked it, three switchable forms immediately appeared.
Not only that, each switchable form was labeled with its Path and attribute, making Guinaifen's eyes light up.
A Fire-attribute Preservation Main, an Imaginary-attribute Harmony Main, and the original Destruction Main wielding the baseball bat!
Each one more explosive than the last.
Furthermore, Dan Heng's side also had something.
After switching forms, Dan Heng of the Destruction Path made a grand entrance, even sporting a pair of iconic horns.
[Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae (5-Star, Destruction) has joined the party]
Guinaifen: "???"
First, she was stunned.
Then, immediately after, an unprecedented joy spread across Guinaifen's face.
Cool!
So incredibly cool!
Stelle and Dan Heng actually have other forms?
And what's this image of [Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae]? There's no way Guinaifen wouldn't recognize it.
As a Xianzhou native, while that part of history wasn't exactly common knowledge, it certainly wasn't a completely sealed secret either.
Isn't this Dan Feng, the Dragon Lord of the Xianzhou from back in the day?!
Most importantly, Dan Heng was originally only a 4-star character. After switching forms, he instantly became a 5-star character.
At the same time, the Xianzhou audience lurking in the livestream completely exploded.
Upon seeing Imbibitor Lunae, a massive wave of comments flooded the screen.
[Dragon Lord! Dragon Lord! Isn't this our Xianzhou's Dragon Lord?!]
[What does this mean? Why can Dan Heng, a Trailblazer from the Astral Express, switch forms into the Dragon Lord?]
[Dan Heng, Dan Feng... Holy crap, I think I've discovered some incredible secret. The more you think about it, the scarier it gets!]
[Now that's a real mind-bender... This game Author really has guts. How many people are they planning to offend?]
[If they're a Xianzhou native, don't they know the Dragon Lord is a forbidden secret? They're going to get a visit from the Cloud Knights!]
[Calm down, folks upstairs! The upload/download speed is slooooow!]
[But seriously, the game Author isn't a Trailblazer. How do they know such detailed information? They've even labeled the Trailblazers' Paths?]
[Isn't this just made-up nonsense?!]
The Dragon Lord!
Not bothering to read the chat anymore, Guinaifen rubbed her hands together, eager to try it out.
In reality, only statues of the Dragon Lord existed. No one had ever seen the real Dragon Lord.
So Guinaifen really wanted to see what his abilities actually were!
"Folks, don't leave, don't anyone leave!"
"I, Guinaifen, will test right now what abilities Imbibitor Lunae, the Dragon Lord, has!"
With that, Guinaifen took the Harmony Main and Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae back to the combat screen.
Getting the hang of a turn-based game naturally wasn't difficult, so Guinaifen quickly grasped the mechanics.
She tapped three times for enhancement, then launched a single-target attack.
Whoosh—
The water currents around Imbibitor Lunae's feet grew denser, and a water dragon surged around his body.
"Torrential deluge, the shadow of the sky dragon emerges."
As the words fell.
Imbibitor Lunae threw the orb in his hand, and the dragon coiled around the opposing Titan's minions.
Then, with one hand behind his back, he raised two fingers of his right hand.
"Divine serpent soars upon the clouds, arise!"
A pillar of water shot up into the sky!
Guinaifen and the viewers watching the screen were all about to lose it.
Huh?
Is this right?
Is this reasonable?!
[What? This is a turn-based game? These special effects in a turn-based game?]
[So cool, Dragon Lord! And these voice lines and effects are ridiculously epic?]
[This character can't be free, right? The Author gives a 5-star right at the start, and it's the Dragon Lord!]
[Quick, quick, quick, Guinaifen, see if there are any other skills.]
Naturally, Guinaifen was also extremely excited.
Next up was Stelle the Trailblazer's ultimate skill.
As she pressed the ultimate button, the Harmony Main threw her hat aside, and a Clockie suddenly appeared next to her to catch it.
"Joint performance, begin!"
After a dazzling dance duet on stage, Imbibitor Lunae immediately gained a [Backup Dancer] buff!
Guinaifen seemed to understand what was happening: "Folks, Stelle's ultimate is a bit flashy."
"But I'm guessing this should be an ultimate that increases damage or adds buffs."
"Perfect timing, Imbibitor Lunae's ultimate is ready too. Let's test it now!"
Without another word, Guinaifen tapped Imbibitor Lunae's ultimate, which had been charging for a while.
Swish—
Imbibitor Lunae tossed the orb in his hand into the air. A water dragon soared skyward, forming a magnificent landscape painting.
"Hidden realm drinks the moonlight, azure dragon purifies the world."
"Hmph."
The next second.
As Imbibitor Lunae glanced back, a faint light flashed in his pupils.
The dragon descended from the heavens, crashing onto the Titan's minions with a series of 'boom, boom, boom' sounds, accompanied by super break-style subtitles.
With just this one move, dealing well over a thousand points of damage, it completely washed away all the Titan's minions.
At this moment.
As the 'Battle Concluded' text appeared, a large number of viewers in the livestream were completely conquered by Caelus's game in mere moments!
[Lacking the vocabulary, a single Xianzhou expletive will have to do. Just how insanely cool is this?!]
[I thought a turn-based game from this Author would be a mess, but it's unexpectedly explosive.]
[This Dragon Lord is done so well by the Author! Even the real Dragon Lord would probably be shocked!]
[Quick, quick, quick, I can't wait! I want to play honkai: star rail right now!]
[honkai: star rail.]
[Launch—!]