Facing the countless chips falling from the sky like cannonballs.
Both Himeko and Welt wore solemn expressions.
Guinaifen exclaimed, "Himeko protecting March, Old Yang shielding the protagonist, our Astral Express Crew is truly great!"
Himeko held her monomolecular saw in front of her.
Old Yang raised his cane.
A black hole began to condense at its tip.
Just as Aventurine had said.
This move was his strongest attack, betting all his chips!
"Emanator—you will surely call..."
"Right?"
The buildings ahead were already riddled with holes from the chips.
At this moment.
Acheron suddenly took a step forward.
She walked ahead.
Her entire body began to fade.
Raindrops, chips... all hung motionless in the air.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment!
"May I weep for the departed, tears like rain, filling the crossing river..."
She gripped her sword hilt, shedding red tears, recalling her past.
A figure with horns flashed by.
"...Like a tidal wave, leading you home."
Centered around Acheron.
Black and white hues spread out.
Golden chips, a city of dazzling lights... everything seemed to be immersed in the screen of an old-fashioned film.
A blade sliced through the air.
A crimson arc shot from the ground into the sky.
In an instant!
A violent storm erupted!
Accompanied by red lightning.
Even Aventurine,
had to shield his face with both hands to resist the overwhelming force!
The falling chips reversed their trajectory.
Flowing upward!
The crimson arc reached the sky.
It split the sky as if it were a mirror, then shattered it completely!
From the outside,
Clock Studios Theme Park was enveloped by a massive crimson hemisphere.
Then,
the surface of the sphere was torn apart!
A powerful beam of energy instantly poured out from within.
The red sphere also exploded.
Above Penacony, a breathtaking spectacle of arcs and lightning intertwined!
Even the skyscrapers far from Clock Studios Theme Park,
trembled and swayed under this force...
...
"Come on, I want to see rivers of blood!"
"All-in is an art!"
"Acheron: I call."
"Alert: You have disturbed Acheron."
"This time, it's not the various factions fighting against [Nihility], but [Nihility] is on our side! How can we lose?"
"The Duke: I'm familiar with this."
"The soundtrack for Acheron's PV! Perfect score!"
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
"Too early, one slash and it's over?"
"Goodbye, Kakavasha."
"Fortunately, you can't die in the Dreamscape [crying] Aventurine ahhhh"
"Who said you can't die? That's Nihility!"
"Returning home..."
"Is this also meant for Aventurine?"
"Holy crap! This slash, it feels like she held back, otherwise she could have destroyed Penacony!"
"Acheron: To stop Aventurine from destroying Penacony, I'll destroy Penacony first (doge)"
"Penacony has had another peaceful day."
"Dreamweavers, come back to work!"
...
After Acheron sheathed her blade,
the rain finally fell rapidly.
In the air,
Aventurine's figure was nowhere to be seen.
The scene shifted.
.
Aventurine's eyes snapped open!
But all around him was pitch black!
A deathly silence!
Aventurine looked ahead in confusion.
"What... is this place?"
"A massive black hole, and the sea..."
"Did I... succeed?"
A vast world of black and white.
Only Aventurine himself had color.
At this moment.
The mission name on the left was [So Run, Kakavasha.]
A familiar voice echoed in the background.
"...Welcome to this sorrowful world, Kakavasha."
Ahead.
The figure of a child running appeared.
After catching up.
The mission name changed—
[Don't be afraid, don't look back.]
"Your luck is our treasure, and the most precious wealth of all Avgin..."
[We will reunite under the aurora.]
"—Two days. Come out alive, prove your worth."
Besides the running Kakavasha.
There was also a little Kakavasha trembling in place with arms crossed, and another Kakavasha wiping tears.
They continued to guide Aventurine forward.
[Goodbye, Kakavasha.]
"Wealth, status, power... the company will give you everything you want and don't want."
[Reunite with family]
"And we will reunite under the next Kakava aurora."
After passing the last figure of Kakavasha.
All the figures vanished.
Acheron's voice rang out: "Unfortunately, this is not the place you were expecting."
As her words fell.
A red figure appeared behind Aventurine.
Aventurine turned around.
And saw the white-haired Acheron: "Nihility... is it?"
"Perhaps in your eyes, I am an Emanator in disguise, but..."
"The Sleeper Without Form (Nihility) never gazes upon anyone. It has no face, no form, nor any will... Nihility envelops everyone equally."
"Some just walk further in its shadow, tainted by more of it... that's all."
Aventurine chuckled wryly: "That's all... friend, you really leave me at a loss for words."
"So... is this my end, the land of the dead?"
"This is just one of the fleeting manifestations of a dream... under the witness of Nihility, we linger here briefly, then move on to our respective paths."
Outside.
Research organizations like the Intelligentsia Guild quickly recorded this moment!
This was crucial data for the study of Nihility!
No one had ever reached this domain before, leaving it unexplored.
Now, finally, in the storyline of Honkai: Star Rail, there was hope to fill this gap!
And more players.
Were focused on how Aventurine's story would end.
At this moment, Acheron completely unraveled Aventurine's scheme—
"Your performance in the paradise was brilliant, a bluff... a simple yet effective trick that fooled almost everyone."
"No one would have thought that you went to such lengths, even betting your own life, just to confirm a fact that seemed long denied..."
"In the Dreamscape of Penacony, there is no true death."
"Why would I do that?" Aventurine asked.
"Because only then could you touch upon a secret more unspeakable than a series of murders..."
"Only through death in the dream could you reach that place, the promised land people seek in this grand event..."
"The legacy of The Watchmaker, the true Penacony (the land of exile)."
As soon as Acheron uttered these words.
All the players watching this scene were completely stunned!
The most shocked were the players near Penacony!
Previously, various dangerous elements had already appeared in the storyline!
The eerie Dreamscape,
[Something Unto Death],
the boss-level Acheron...
Penacony being destroyed three times a day.
All the players who could run had already fled!
Even Little Gui almost left!
However,
now!
There is no true death in the Dreamscape of Penacony?
In an instant.
A huge wave of confusion surged in the hearts of the players!
"Could it be that the Family never falsely advertised from the beginning?"
"Could it be that we all misunderstood the Family?"
"Could it be that those who die in the Dreamscape go to the true Penacony?"
And the following explanation further confirmed this view!
Aventurine said, "This beautiful dream (Memory Zone) is not a vast ocean, but an isolated island. The Family has built high walls with Harmony to isolate it from the outside world, protecting people from drowning in the sea..."
"At the same time, they use this barrier that isolates death to bury unknown secrets in the depths of the ocean. In this painless and casualty-free dream, those secrets will never see the light of day. Unless..."
"Unless someone goes to the other side of the barrier..."
Acheron continued,
"...and can return alive."
In the live stream.
It instantly exploded!
...
"The true Penacony!?"
"There is no true death in the Dreamscape of Penacony!"
"Does that mean dying in the dream actually leads to the true Penacony?"
"By the Thousand-Faced God, I knew they wouldn't die!"
"Robin and Firefly are both alive!"
"He won!"
"Won! We all won! [sunglasses]"
"Actually, those who encounter [Death] hit the jackpot! They get to explore the true Penacony and seek The Watchmaker's legacy!"
"Holy crap!"
"Huh?"
"Family, we misunderstood you!"
"What is there to fear now!"
"I want to enter the dream! I want to enter the dream right now!"
"Penacony, your emperor has returned."
"Returned, everything has returned!"