Amid the astonished gazes of the surrounding citizens, the doors of the Astral Express finally opened. March 7th hopped out of the carriage, followed by Himeko, Trailblazer, and Dan Heng—each of them curiously surveying their surroundings.
Immediately after, March 7th stepped forward to greet the citizens, asking them about the war erupting on this planet and the disaster unfolding across the region...
After listening to March 7th's questions, the citizen stared at her in shock.
"You're an alien?"
March 7th cleared her throat lightly. "From your perspective, we are aliens, technically speaking—but almost no one calls us that."
Whether during their visit to Belobog, the Xianzhou Alliance, or other world, no one had ever addressed them with such an odd title.
Right after that, Trailblazer stepped forward as well, asking the citizens more questions to understand the current situation. Upon learning that the city had officially declared war on Hollow Zero—and that Adepti were fighting alongside them—the whole group suddenly understood.
That young man they'd observed earlier must have been the "Adeptus" the citizens spoke of.
After hearing all this, March 7th drew her sword with a flourish, brimming with confidence.
"What are we waiting for? Let's hurry over and help! We'll take down that evil giant together with the Adepti—"
Himeko frowned. "The real trouble lies with those two Stellarons."
But since the battle had already begun, Himeko, March 7th, Trailblazer, Dan Heng, Welt Yang, and the others couldn't simply stand by and watch.
With that thought, Himeko, Trailblazer, March 7th, Dan Heng, and the others borrowed a car from the citizens, intending to aid the young man who could transform into a dragon.
However, none of them had ever driven this kind of vehicle before.
Himeko said firmly, "I'll drive—"
Just as they were about to leave, a standing bear—and a small girl—blocked their way.
Koleda, panting heavily from exhaustion, managed to say, "Finally… finally found you! I heard you came out of that train? Are you aliens?"
Himeko spoke gently. "Little girl, what do you need?"
Little girl?
Under normal circumstances, Koleda would have argued with her, but right now she didn't have the energy.
Koleda quickly asked, "Where are you going?"
March 7th smiled. "To the Outer Ring, of course. To help you defeat that rampaging giant…"
Hearing this, Koleda hurried to stop them.
"Don't go! It's far too dangerous right now."
March 7th replied full of confidence. "We're here to deal with danger. Don't worry, little girl. You're the one who absolutely shouldn't go near the battlefield."
Koleda was speechless.
"…"
At that moment, Grace approached with a grin. "Our president may look small, but she's seriously tough. Don't underestimate her—"
Koleda beamed. "Grace is right!"
March 7th sighed. "Alright, are you two done? We're heading out to help that young man fight the giant now…"
Koleda said seriously, "If you insist on going, then let us come with you."
She had already promised Tsukishiro Yanagi and Hoshimi Miyabi to investigate the subway car that fell from the sky. Now they knew it was a flying vessel—and these people were aliens…
Even for the sake of giving Tsukishiro Yanagi a proper explanation, Koleda couldn't just let them walk off to their deaths.
The Express crew naturally didn't refuse. They had just arrived in the city and needed a guide—so having one seek them out was a stroke of luck.
Soon after, the Belobog Heavy Industries team hastily rented a vehicle and, together with the Express crew, headed toward the Outer Ring to assist Sam Li and the Adepti in battle.
As Hoshimi Miyabi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Nicole, Billy, Traveler, Proxy, Keqing, Ganyu, and the others—along with the Belobog Heavy Industries team and the newly arrived Express crew—split into groups heading for the Outer Ring...
At that very moment, on a vast plain in the Outer Ring, several hundred kilometers from the New Eridu metropolitan zone—
The celestial star Sam Li had summoned from beyond the heavens crashed down upon the giant. Just like the birth of the Chasm thousands of years ago, the impact shattered the land itself...
Golden light from the explosion engulfed the surrounding hundreds of miles. Waves of golden smoke surged skyward, blanketing the heavens.
When the explosion finally ended, a heavy silence fell.
Sam Li slowly lifted his foot, striding across several kilometers in a single step. His gaze pierced through the golden haze and finally landed upon an enormous "abyss."
Because of the geology, this abyss resembled a dried-up ocean.
At its deepest point, fragments of the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant were scattered across the floor, radiating massive amounts of Ether and dazzling starlight.
Strange, spiteful wails echoed from below—agonized groans trembling through the chasm.
The giant's final, unwilling voice reverberated:
"No—impossible—I am a Aeon—I am the Star—"
The voice grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely.
Yet the shattered fragments of the Sun-Colored Starlight Giant still writhed and trembled, as if trying to stitch themselves back together and revive.
Sam Li would never allow it.
With a simple gesture, he summoned hundreds of massive Geo lances from the sky. They plunged downward like golden spikes, pinning the fragments deep into the abyss.
In the next instant, as Sam Li lowered his hand, the Geo lances detonated, shattering the fragments into even smaller pieces.
Then, a gentle wind swept through, dispersing the golden smoke and revealing the full shape of the abyss.
In sheer scale, it was no smaller than the Chasm itself.
As the giant's body was completely pulverized and the final haze faded, Sam Li's gaze swept across the abyss floor—finally catching sight of two Sun-Colored Starlight gems floating quietly in midair.
Though the giant was gone, Sam Li could still feel immense danger emanating from the gems.
They seemed aware of him as well. Their intertwined rotation grew faster, and they even began to drift away.
Trying to escape?
Impossible.
Sam Li flicked his finger, sending a cluster of Geo forward that instantly immobilized them.
However, to his surprise, the gems began devouring the Geo, gradually breaking through the restraint.
Just then, a voice called out from behind him:
"Eh-heh~ Old man, what's your plan for dealing with those?"