Just as 'Ink Wash' was enveloped by the 'Starry Rain Curtain'—a combination of Yuchen's 'Silver Falcon' and 'The Cyan Owl'—the scene of the anime abruptly shifted to a strange flashback that had nothing to do with the two people present.
'Tendo, everyone studies and trains together.'
'Why is it that you can always leave everyone so far behind?'
On a grassy slope at the Embers base.
Caroline looked at Tendo, who was lying on the ground, leisurely propping his legs up and basking in the sun. Her emerald green eyes were filled with confusion.
Hearing this, Tendo spat out the blade of grass he was chewing, and a lazy smile appeared on his lips.
'Caroline, this has nothing to do with my Eclipse Heavenly Eyes.'
'Then what does it have to do with?'
'Talent.'
'???'
Seeing that Caroline still didn't understand, Tendo simply said, 'Think about it. Isn't it true that everyone, including you, has pretty much exhausted all their energy just adapting to their own Star Core?'
Caroline tilted her head in thought and then nodded.
Tendo sat up, turned to look at the still-perplexed girl, and said with a smile, 'This is what makes me different from all of you. I adapted to my Star Core a long time ago and started doing other things.'
'For example... refining Star Energy.'
'Refining Star Energy?'
Caroline's brows furrowed. She clearly hadn't caught up with Tendo's train of thought.
Seeing this, Tendo simply gave her a simple example.
'Caroline, the Star Energy cap for a first-level Star Envoy announced by the Association is 1000 points, right?'
Caroline nodded and then, as if it were second nature, replied, 'Yes, but Dr. Chen said that's just an average. This number can fluctuate within a certain range depending on the person and the Star Source.'
'So, some people can reach 1500 at the first level, while others only have 800.'
'But Tendo, why are you suddenly talking about this?'
Tendo chuckled and then explained.
'That's because what I'm about to tell you is how to break that limit.'
As he spoke, Tendo held out his hand in front of Caroline.
In the next second, a cerulean sphere began to converge in Tendo's palm.
This was Tendo's signature Star Energy technique before he obtained 'Vector Control'—Azure.
And as Tendo continuously poured Star Energy into the cerulean sphere, it began to expand.
But when Tendo compressed it, the sphere visibly shrank at an astonishing speed, eventually becoming as small as a mere ping-pong ball.
After doing all this, Tendo looked at Caroline with a smile and said, 'How about it? Do you understand now?'
Caroline nodded, 'Yes, as long as your body is strong enough and your control over Star Energy is precise, then even with the same Star Energy cap, a Star Envoy with stronger Star Energy control can hold more Star Energy within their body.'
As she spoke, countless streams of quantum data instantly flashed through Caroline's emerald eyes, as she was clearly performing high-speed calculations.
Watching the data streams rapidly refresh in Caroline's pupils, Tendo slowly took off his sunglasses and looked at the girl beside him. His voice suddenly became serious.
'Caroline, remember this. If the Star Source is a tool, then Star Energy is the fuel that powers everything.'
'Therefore, Star Energy is a Star Envoy's true foundation.'
The moment his words fell, Tendo's slightly young figure in the flashback began to slowly overlap with the blurred figure of 'Ink Wash' in the normal timeline.
Most of the audience in the dimensional world thought that the Stars production team chose to release this flashback at this moment to explain the importance of 'Star Energy' to Star Envoys.
They were completely unaware that this was actually another method of suggestion from the production team.
It was hinting that 'Ink Wash,' the captain of the Fifth Division, had an intricate connection with the silver-haired boy from the flashback.
However, only a small portion of the audience noticed this mystery hidden within the light and shadows.
[Bridge of Gears and Bronze, Bridge Entrance]
As the smoke and dust surrounding Tendo receded like a tide, Yuchen and the audience in front of their screens simultaneously gasped.
At that moment, a flowing, ink-like defensive barrier surrounded Tendo.
Relying on this defensive barrier, he had not only blocked all of Yuchen's attacks but was also completely unscathed.
'Vice-Captain Yu, you really are interesting, but you seem a little too dependent on your Star Source.'
'You have to know that for a Star Envoy, Star Energy is the true foundation.'
'Because only the power of Star Energy is something a Star Envoy can truly decide for themselves.'
As his voice faded, a terrifying surge of Star Energy erupted from Tendo's body like a tidal wave.
Yuchen's pupils constricted. The 'Fantasy Silver Wings' behind him instantly expanded to their maximum extent, and he transformed into a stream of light, trying to get away from this terrifying 'black tide.'
However, the speed of this Star Energy wave was much faster than he had imagined.
In the blink of an eye, Yuchen was completely swallowed by this lightless abyss.
Even though he struggled desperately within this black Star Energy abyss, the more he struggled, the heavier his body became. This was simply Tendo's most fundamental Star Energy suppression.
It was a basic Star Energy technique so simple that almost all Star Envoys could master it automatically without needing an explanation or practice.
But sometimes, the simpler something is, the more difficult it is to achieve.
To reach Tendo's level, he needed to possess at least twice the Star Energy attributes of Yuchen.
Although Yuchen's Star Energy attributes were not particularly exaggerated, they were a solid A-.
One can only imagine how monstrous Tendo's Star Energy attributes were.
Under the gazes of the dimensional audience, Tendo walked step by step on the deep black tide and stopped in front of the immobilized Yuchen.
'You guys always think that the Star Source is everything, but to me, the Star Source is just a good tool.'
'Because in most cases, I don't need any complicated Star Energy applications. I just need to use Star Energy to suppress my opponent and defeat them.'
Tendo's words were calm, as if he were just stating something commonplace.
But it was this very calmness that made the dimensional audience feel the power of the character 'Ink Wash' once again.
Because besides that silver-haired monster, Tendo Siming, who suppressed the second-ranked Dust Star of Stars with just Star Energy in the first season, only 'Ink Wash' had achieved a similar feat.
And Tendo's power was shown to its fullest extent in the first season of Stars.
Although no one truly believed they were the same person, the horror of being able to 'crush someone of the same level with just Star Energy' had already subconsciously made the audience categorize them as the same type of person—a type of person called a 'monster.'
After all, what else could you call a guy who could use the most basic Star Energy to such an extent? Someone who relied on pure base stats to crush people without any fancy techniques could only be a monster, right?
It's a good thing Stars wasn't made into a game in reality. Otherwise, players who picked the characters Ink Wash and Tendo would be in for a treat.
Because these two characters… clearly rely on 'skill'!
Under the complex gazes of the dimensional audience, Tendo slowly raised the Star Shatterer in his hand.
Everything was as he had said. He didn't need any fancy techniques. With just the most basic Star Energy, he could claim a victory that was beyond the reach of others."