"A circle traces a fingerprint, pressed upon my lips~"
"What… are you doing?"
"Recalling bitter kiss marks, like tree roots… Shh! Don't interrupt! This is Anming's pre-cast ritual! Once I finish buffing, these puny Fragmentum critters are toast!"
March 7th's face paled. The Astral Express' future looked bleak. But Stelle just smirked.
So long as her bat remained in hand, hope endured. This was true Trailblaze spirit!
With a dramatic flourish, Stelle's eyes hardened like weathered steel.
"The power of Destruction—refined in an instant!"
At this moment, Trailblaze resolve coalesced into a singular ambition. The might of Destruction surged through her veins.
"Step forth—!"
"This time, I stake my LIFE on this bat!"
Before her, a Voidranger—the kind used in tutorial levels—tilted its head as if asking, "Me…?"
Qingque shot Dan Heng and March a baffled look. "Genuine question: Do all Nameless take this long to auto-attack?"
Dan Heng gripped his Cloud-Piercer, speechless. Tactical analysis wasn't his forte. Instead, he kicked "Uncle" Sampo's plump rear. "No tricks."
"You're acting like Nanook incarnate!" March facepalmed. Even the Destruction Aeon himself couldn't top this theatrics.
Winning the dialogue battle was still winning!
"March! Basic attack to shred Toughness! Dan Heng! Apply Slow with Deepest Dream! And me—"
"Rules… ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN!"
The bat crackled with annihilative energy. Stelle moved like a comet, smashing the Voidranger's skull with a CRACK.
TOUGHNESS BROKEN.
The Fragmentum creature disintegrated into ash. Stelle's eyes gleamed as if a "MVP" screen had popped up.
"We're amazing!"** She reached for imaginary champagne—only to watch Qingque slice three Voidrangers into confetti with emerald sword beams.
"Huh? They don't… respawn?" Qingque scratched her head. "One slash would've sufficed. The rest were just flair."
Stelle: "?"
March patted her shoulder. "Don't worry! Once you unlock more Paths, you'll be unstoppable! Seven Paths = Stellar Sovereign!"
High IQ take: "Bright future ahead!"
Low IQ take: "Skill issue."
Stelle wasn't convinced. What if this was her peak*?*
March, however, relaxed. With Qingque here, the Fragmentum was a cakewalk—clearly Anming's doing. Why wasn't he here? Too busy smooching Firefly?
Her chest tightened. Why did she care?
"Your turn." Dan Heng glared at Sampo, still tied up.
"A misunderstanding! I saved you from the guards! Old Sampo's got no ill intentions!"
Stelle tsked. "We're Silvermane VIPs now, buddy. You're the challenger."
"?" Sampo's grin faltered. Since when did outsiders get government jobs?!
"I get it. You haven't seen the Underworld's horrors. But there's still time to repent!"
"Underworld?" March blinked.
"Y'know—dystopian slums, upper class exploitation, that jazz?" Stelle shrugged.
March stared. How many shows had she binge-watched?!
"Anming hooked me up with a Herta Space Station streaming VIP pass. 8K, no ads."
The account's profile pic? Asta.
"Sampo…" Stelle crouched, bat planted in snow. "I appreciate the rescue. But your tone… I don't like it."
"Only I get to threaten people on the Express. Play nice, capiche?"
Sampo: "???"
Who's the real follower of Aha here?!
"What's your point?"
"Lead the way!" Stelle grinned, bat tapping his shoulder. "We Nameless prefer friendly negotiations."
March buried her face. Anming's "education" had ruined her!
Qingque watched, enthralled. Grandmaster's crew was anything but boring.
"Brave Nameless, follow your guide!" Sampo forced cheer, trudging onward under Stelle's "friendly" gaze.
"Also, your bombs? Try fermented tofu scent next time. Guaranteed crowd control."
Sampo's eye twitched. Where's the fun in stink*? Roses were perfect.*
Humming "A circle traces a fingerprint~", Stelle marched ahead.