"Theresia! Don't say such things. Some matters are beyond our control. Sometimes we can't help them, but that doesn't mean we're useless," March 7th said, as if some switch had been flipped, while comforting Tian An.
"Thank you, Little March, but..."
She continued to negate herself.
"But what?"
"Nothing. Let's go. My body is fine."
Tian An walked toward the main pathway.
"Oh, you!" March 7th quickly followed.
....
The two walked one after another and found a bench to sit on. Before them stood a small Herta figurine.
It was in offline mode.
"This is Lady Herta's doll, though not her actual body."
Noticing Tian An looking at the figurine, March 7th wanted to introduce it to lighten her mood.
The Herta figurine was exquisite yet understated, truly befitting the reputation of the genius Lady Herta.
Tian An reached out and poked its little face. The doll's skin, which felt remarkably real, compressed slightly under pressure and returned to normal when she removed her hand.
"If she were here in person, she'd definitely scold you for that," March 7th said, though she herself was reaching out to touch the doll's hair.
Who would have thought—if only the real Herta were here, then Tian An could ask her some questions.
The two stayed there for quite some time, until Tian An spoke up and realized March 7th had fallen asleep.
"March? Little March?" Tian An rubbed March 7th's face to wake her.
"We should go meet up with the others," Tian An said after calculating the time. Seeing that the conspicuous gray-haired one was already heading to the final location, she woke March 7th.
She hadn't forgotten that the Apocalyptic Beast would be arriving soon, so she wanted to prepare in advance.
"Mmm...? Oh, right!" March 7th was confused for a moment but quickly came to her senses and stood up.
"March 7th, let's go to the support section first," Tian An said somewhat cryptically.
"The support section? Why?"
March 7th asked with confusion, but before she could say another word, the space station's alarm suddenly sounded. The entire station once again began flashing red lights.
I don't remember the Apocalyptic Beast coming this early!
Tian An looked toward Star and saw her running toward Asta's location.
"Theresia, let's go see what's happening."
March 7th grabbed Tian An and started running.
"Station Master Asta, what's happening?" Himeko was the first to arrive, followed by Star and the others.
"An Apocalyptic Beast is attacking the space station. The shields are about to give out," Asta said anxiously.
"You all board the train. I'll stay behind."
"But..." Before Star could say anything, Himeko pulled her away.
Tian An and March 7th had just arrived when they were dragged in the opposite direction.
"What's happening?"
"An Apocalyptic Beast is attacking the space station. We need to go to the support section first," Himeko's words were concise and clear.
"Miss Theresia, please stay away from our potential combat zone."
"I... all right." Though reluctant, Tian An could only agree. After all, with her current abilities, she could do little more than stick a few pillars in the ground—useless.
The people at the space station platform had already evacuated, so the group proceeded unhindered. They were about to reach the platform when, predictably, the unexpected happened.
The Apocalyptic Beast appeared on the platform with punctuality like it was clocking in for work—no, it was early—and roared, preparing to attack everyone.
"Theresia, find a place to hide," Himeko stopped in her tracks and held Tian An back.
"..." Tian An didn't say anything. She was obedient—against a boss-level enemy like this, with her abilities, going forward would be suicide and might burden others.
So she crouched down, only her head peeking out, watching what seemed like a battle with a predetermined outcome.
It must be said that compared to the game scenes, this live broadcast was far more spectacular. Perhaps even if her true abilities arrived, what she could do would still be very limited...
On the battlefield, everyone was struggling against this harbinger of destruction. Star felt that this Apocalyptic Beast was strange, as if its body had been injected with some kind of berserk agent, emanating an eerie aura different from the usual apocalyptic essence.
But this aura seemed to have driven the savage creature into pure frenzy, attacking with complete abandon.
Dodging attacks over and over, drawing aggro for others, Star stepped onto the flying Cloud-Piercer, leapt high, and crashed into the Apocalyptic Beast with a blazing meteor strike. But before Star could land, the beast immediately launched a zero-frame attack—yellow light condensed out of thin air and smacked Star backward.
However, though hit by the impact, Star wasn't badly hurt. As expected of a little Stellaron spirit.
"Star, are you okay?" March 7th quickly ran over to help her up.
But the Apocalyptic Beast seemed high on something, swaying as it began to gather power again. Free-floating ions battered the ground, leaving numerous craters.
"Fall back!" Dan Heng quickly pulled Star, who hadn't fully regained her footing, backward. But before March 7th could run back, a massive beam descended...
"March!"
....
"..."
This isn't right. This can't be right. Why is the attack sequence different? Shouldn't the Apocalyptic Beast be weakened first before it starts the big attack?
Why is it suddenly going berserk and attacking March directly?
Tian An had an ominous feeling. She sensed something was off. Her instincts told her there was definitely a problem.
She stood up from the window alcove and tried to move forward to see if she could help somehow.
At the very least, she could use a bit of strength to block some damage.
But before she could go far, a finger poked her back.
She turned around in confusion to see a small girl-sized young woman with a giant hammer, looking at her calmly. Her joints showed obvious doll articulations.
"Hey, pinky, what are you looking at?"