"Ding!"
"Boring."
"Ding!"
"Still boring."
Andromeda's heart sank deeper with Tendo's growing impatience.
Her invisible sound waves, capable of easily shattering steel,
were now unable to even make the opponent frown!
Despair. For the first time, Andromeda truly understood the meaning of despair.
Noticing the hint of retreat in her eyes,
Tendo knew it was time to act and end this "boring" game.
"You've attacked for long enough. It's my turn now."
A strong sense of crisis immediately bloomed in Andromeda's heart upon hearing Tendo's words.
But before she could react, Tendo suddenly sheathed his blade, then raised it, holding it vertically before his pair of pale blue eyes.
"Fall, stars."
The moment Tendo softly uttered the name of the move,
Shattered Star disintegrated with a roar!
Countless shimmering pale blue blade fragments rained down, enveloping Andromeda.
And these 'stars,' guided by the wind, wove a dazzling, flowing 'sea of stars' in the night rain.
In a trance, Andromeda even felt as if she saw her own 'Andromeda' constellation within this mesmerizing star sea.
However, the more beautiful something was, the more dangerous it often proved to be.
Just as Andromeda momentarily lost herself in a daze,
the vast sea of stars contracted.
Countless star-like blade fragments instantly covered Andromeda's body.
Scream after scream quickly echoed from the deepest part of the star sea.
Moments later, when the myriad star fragments left Andromeda, they returned to the hilt of the Shattered Star blade in Tendo's hand, reassembling into the complete Shattered Star.
Looking at Andromeda, now on her last breath, covered in wounds from head to toe, lying in a pool of blood like a broken ragdoll,
Tendo's previous disdain vanished, replaced by a tone of admiration. "Not bad. You're actually not dead."
"To withstand that strike from me, you have every right to be proud."
With that, Tendo didn't bother with a finishing blow, directly returning 'Shattered Star' to the mysterious 'subspace'.
Having done all this, Tendo looked down at little Danica, who was clutching his pant leg, her face filled with adoration, her eyes shining like stars.
Clearly, she had been captivated by his mesmerizing 'Fall of Stars' just now.
Seeing this, Tendo chuckled. "Danica wants to learn this?"
"Mhm mhm mhm mhm!"
Little Danica nodded frantically, practically screaming "teach me now" with her expression.
"Oh, but I suddenly don't feel like teaching it. What should I do?"
"Huh?"
Little Danica's face instantly crumpled at Tendo's words, her expression visibly falling into disappointment.
Tendo burst into laughter at this.
Then he patted little Danica's head, changing his tone. "It's alright, maybe I'll change my mind tomorrow?"
Little Danica's excitement surged again, her face bright with anticipation.
But was Tendo such a good person?
Of course not!
"No, that's not right. I might not change my mind tomorrow either. Maybe the day after."
Little Danica: "..."
"Hahaha! Just kidding, I'll teach you later."
"Really?"
"Of course I'm lying, you actually believed that?"
"..."
When it came to being a scoundrel, Tendo Simei was truly a scoundrel, even to a child!
And he clearly wasn't ashamed of it; in fact, he reveled in it.
And on the path of being a scoundrel, he was going further and further!
This indeed confirmed a saying of countless dimensional viewers:
When there's no danger, Tendo Simei... is everyone's greatest danger!
Because no one could figure out what brilliant, mischievous ideas Tendo Simei would suddenly come up with when he was safe.
Stirring up trouble was easier for him than breathing.
Ignoring little Danica, who now looked like she wanted to bite him from being teased so much,
Tendo picked her up with one hand and the unconscious Andromeda with the other, then turned and walked out of the abandoned factory.
The reason he spared Andromeda's life was, naturally, for a greater purpose.
After all, he needed this guy to be his stepping stone into the Hidden Star Society.
As for the distant individual who looked confused and lost in self-doubt,
Tendo temporarily had no intention of contacting him.
After all, this was only the start of the second season; they would have plenty of time to interact later.
Besides, checking the time, Chen Xing should be arriving in Steam City soon.
He was truly curious about how much that guy's strength had grown after six years.
Hopefully, it would add some fun to his peaceful life.
[Late night, Steam City, Upper District, City in the Clouds]
[In a secluded luxury villa]
"Scorpio, the higher-ups have told us to be cautious lately. Apparently, the Demonic Blade from the Blazing Sun family has tracked us down to Steam City."
"The Demonic Blade from the Blazing Sun family... That guy's nose is really quite sharp."
"Where's Andromeda? She just went to fetch something; why has she been gone so long?"
"I don't know. Maybe she ran into something interesting and got delayed."
Just as the two were conversing,
the villa's front door... was kicked open.
Thud!
Scorpio and Hydra both turned to look at the door.
What greeted their eyes was Andromeda, covered in blood, like a broken doll, tossed onto the floor.
Not far from Andromeda stood a silver-haired man wearing sunglasses, leaning against the doorframe.
And clinging to the silver-haired man's pant leg was a cute little girl with a somewhat nervous expression.
And they hadn't sensed anything until the very moment the door was kicked open!
Thinking this, Scorpio and Hydra of the Hidden Star Society both showed grave expressions.
In response, Tendo, leaning against the door, lowered his sunglasses.
Revealing his signature pair of pale blue eyes.
"Don't be nervous, gentlemen. I mean no harm."
"I merely heard there's a fantastic organization here, so I found my way over."
"Would you mind introducing me to your superiors?"
"Of course, if you're unwilling, that's fine too..."
Tendo nudged the unconscious Andromeda with his foot, a smile on his face. "...It just means I might have to use a small trick on you."
"After all, you don't have the right to refuse."
"Because those who dare to refuse me usually don't end up so well, you see."
At this, Tendo patted little Danica's head, signaling it was her turn.
The slow-witted little girl, after receiving Tendo's cue, immediately puffed out her chest and spoke in a childish voice: "That's right! Those who refuse Mr. Tendo end up very, very miserable!"
"So you two should hurry up and let us join!"
Scorpio, Hydra: "..."
Looking at the big and small duo, Scorpio and Hydra were both annoyed and amused.
Damn it, where did these two idiots come from?
Do they really think our Hidden Star Society is some roadside rogue group that anyone can just join?!
Even so, Scorpio and Hydra did not let their guard down.
After all, Andromeda's fate was clearly laid out before them.
And watching the two men pull out their weapons,
Tendo's smile visibly grew even more 'kind'.
Because he understood that unless he applied some pressure to these two, they wouldn't comply willingly.
After all, in the world of 'Star Beasts',
the strong... were meant to thoroughly humiliate the weak.
And he, Tendo Simei, was just such a strong individual.