Herta?
That's not right. Didn't Herta only arrive after the attack, once Star woke up? Why has her appearance been moved up too...?
"You..." Tian An was about to say more when she saw the massive beam of light strike Star's body.
Although it followed the same plot progression, Tian An couldn't shake the worry that something might go wrong.
So, she quickly ran towards the battlefield.
"Hey, why are you ignoring me, little pink-hair?" Herta called out, seeing Tian An run off without looking back. Her eyes held a hint of disdain, as if the battlefield before her was merely a trivial squabble, like watching crickets fight.
"Isn't it just a Doomsday Beast?" Having said that, Herta didn't move forward but stood watching from her spot.
After firing the beam, the Doomsday Beast was already faltering. Instead, the energy within Star began to swell uncontrollably. She was lifted into the air by the energy, with light constantly trying to burst forth from within her, churning violently as if wanting to tear out her internal organs.
The others could only watch anxiously. Dan Heng tried to jump up and catch her but was forced back by the intense energy, unable to get close.
And Welt, who should have arrived by now, hadn't. Seeing Star about to lose control, Tian An finally reached them.
She was puzzled why Uncle Yang hadn't arrived, but she couldn't dwell on it now. The Little Stellaron Spirit was about to explode!
"Theresia? Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to hide in the back?" Himeko struggled to her feet, exhausted from the previous battle.
Tian An attempted to use elongated Originium Crystals to catch Star. However, as the crystals neared Star, they were suddenly "infected" by the overflowing energy, which rapidly surged along the crystals towards Tian An.
Before Tian An could react, the energy struck her. But surprisingly, this energy began to flow into her body in an orderly fashion.
And she didn't feel the slightest discomfort.
As the energy transferred, Star's condition gradually stabilized, and she began to fall.
But the Doomsday Beast wasn't dead yet. It forcefully beat its wings, attempting to strike the insignificant insects before it a few more times.
However, time was up. That reassuring figure finally appeared. Accompanying him was a field of immense gravitational force – a black hole – that directly twisted and tore the Doomsday Beast's wings and limbs, reducing them to nothingness.
Though missing some of the dramatic lines, Welt, standing tall in the air, strongly evoked the feeling of his battle against the Herrscher of the Void back then.
That same fearlessness in the face of the enemy.
The despairing Doomsday Beast shrieked as it fell from the platform. Subsequently, its torso began to decay. Its wings of destruction were already depleted and overdrawn, let alone capable of defense. Finally, it vanished into the vast starry sky.
When he turned around, Star was already in Tian An's arms.
Upon arrival, he had gently used his ability on Star. While the effect was limited, it had at least stabilized her. What amazed him most was that Miss Theresia had somehow managed to channel the power of Destruction into her own body.
Tian An herself was utterly bewildered at this point. She only knew how to use the crystals; she had no idea they could act as "conductors," directly transferring the energy to her.
She found it strange. Why could the energy of Destruction enter her body without rejection? Logically, she shouldn't be someone favored by Destruction.
Moreover, she didn't feel the power of any Path right now.
"Theresia! Are you okay? And Star..." With the dust settled, the others could finally reach her. Although Star was still unconscious, her breathing was steady; she should be fine.
"I'm alright. She probably just fainted," Tian An said, resting Star's head on her lap.
"You just absorbed so much energy... Are you really okay?"
Before March 7th could finish speaking, the crystals Tian An had erected began to crumble and dissolve. The energy within Tian An's body gradually flowed back out, gathered together, then slowly thinned out over time, drifting into the air.
Clearly, less energy drifted out than had been absorbed.
"I don't know what happened either. Absorbing that energy... it doesn't seem to have any effect on me."
"From the looks of it, the energy within you is merely coexisting with you, not being utilized by you," Welt stated calmly, having landed on the platform.
"Theresia, are you a Pathstrider?" Himeko asked, somewhat drained but still approaching with Dan Heng.
Dan Heng's spear was still embedded in the ground nearby.
"Not yet... but... possibly."
Tian An uttered this completely illogical sentence, leaving the others scratching their heads in confusion.
"Never mind. Let's head back first, check on Star's condition, and then report back to Asta," Himeko said to Welt. The two of them were the absolute core of the Express crew and the primary decision-makers.
Although the latter leaned more towards business...
Am I still only going to be able to play around with crystal sticks? Tian An began her daily contemplation after handing Star over to Dan Heng to carry.
She wanted to try and assess her gains but felt it wasn't the right time, so she followed the group.
"Miss Theresia, I think... someone might have taken an interest in you," Himeko slowed her pace, matching Tian An's stride, and spoke to her.
"Me?" Tian An was slightly confused, but after a moment's thought, she understood. She also caught a glimpse of a purple figure flashing past a distant doorway before disappearing.
"Hello?"
Tian An thought she heard a voice. She looked around but couldn't find anyone greeting her.
"Theresia, what's wrong?" Himeko looked quizzically at Tian An glancing around.
"No, it's nothing."
Auditory hallucination?
"Miss Theresia, could you tell me about the process and feeling of absorbing that energy?" Welt suddenly appeared beside her, speaking mysteriously.
Do all you 2D people have teleportation as a passive skill...?
You can too.
"How should I put it... It was very strange. It felt like someone was helping me absorb this energy, yet the energy definitely flowed into my body."
Surely she hasn't been possessed a second time?
Besides a native of Destruction, who would enjoy absorbing this kind of power so much?
Countless possibilities flashed through Welt's mind, but he quickly dismissed them one by one. In such a different universe, past events held little reference value.
Unless the individual or entity being analyzed wasn't native to this universe in the first place.
The evidence before him suggested that more incredible things were yet to come.