Chapter 142: Stargazer's Second Death
[Facing the oncoming beast tide, Stargazer lightly raised her feathered fan:
"The wind blows—from the east. My lords, follow me into battle!"
"Lady Stargazer."
Rita also lifted her scythe, standing before
Stargazer: "Please focus on deploying your formations undisturbed.
Allow me to eliminate this aberrant beast and sever this threat at its root."
Flames whirled with sand as the ancient battlefield erupted into fierce combat once more. "With both of you aiding me to this extent..."
"If I fail in this battle..."
A violet glow illuminated a massive phantom as Rita fixed Houdo with murderous intent. "...I would have no face left to meet our people of the Glorious Empire!"]
[Yanqing]: "Fighting aberrant beasts for the empire! Go, Rita!"
[Qingque]: "Hiss~ As a Xianzhou native, this scene is way too hype!"
[March 7th]: "With Stargazer's bonds fueling them—Houdo! What makes you think you can stand against them?!"
[Silver Wolf]: "With Stargazer buffing her, Rita's on another level!"
[Herrscher of Sentience]: "Stargazer borrows the east wind, the lords march to war, Rita battles the beast... So the Captain was just the messenger?"
[Just as Rita defeated Houdo, Stargazer's Seven Stars Formation was fully prepared—only for six of the seven lanterns to extinguish. Houdo had gained the ability to absorb the formation's power!
The final lantern flickered out. Houdo's strength continued swelling—it would soon detonate from backlash, intent on taking everyone down with it! The Captain prepared to lure the beast away alone. While fleeing Houdo's pursuit, the Captain recalled Tesla's countdown—was it counting toward Houdo's explosion? Leaping off a cliff, a muffled blast echoed from beyond. At the cliff's base, the Captain realized: it was the countdown for consciousness projection. This ability to return to the past had a time limit. Though uncertain what would happen when time ran out... Houdo was dead. Rita wouldn't perish with it. Stargazer would live... "I saved them," the Captain thought joyfully. Then, as the countdown ended, the Captain returned to the future.]
[Stelle]: "Hooray! Despite some hiccups, the Captain still saved Stargazer~"
[Silver Wolf]: "First try and you nailed the happy ending? Captain, I acknowledge your skills!"
[March 7th]: "Are you celebrating prematurely?! I hope it's really as smooth as you say!"
[Regaining control of his body despite the drastically changed scenery, the Captain followed familiar instincts toward Stargazer's direction. Gradually, a tree came into view—a lone poplar standing in the desert.
The Captain quickened his pace. Nearing it, he spotted a figure with her back turned, silently gazing at the tree. It was Rita. A terrible premonition struck. Sprinting forward, he called her name. Rita turned. The Captain barely recognized her—her cheeks hollowed, spirit far more broken than during Houdo's battle. Back then, she was weary. Now, she was withered. Her eyes were hollow—the look of someone who had lost their most precious person. Before she spoke, the Captain understood everything. Stargazer was dead.]
[Elysia]: "N-no way!?"
[March 7th]: "Wha—huh?!"
[Otto]: "The Captain saved Rita by returning to the past... but failed to save Stargazer?"
[Silver Wolf]: "Damn it! This save file's ruined. Start a new one."
March 7th patted a pensive Stelle curiously. Unmoving, Stelle muttered: "Born of mom."
At St. Freya Academy, an unprecedented sight: Theresa clinging to Rita's back. Rita had never felt so blissful. Riding on another world's version of herself to rack up affection points—Rita was winning big.
[This wasn't how it should be! This wasn't how it should be! The Captain roared inwardly.
Rita had waited long for his return and explained what transpired:
When Houdo exploded, all three nations suffered collateral damage.
The allied forces and envoys from the other two kingdoms vanished entirely. Both nations accused the Glorious Empire of unleashing Houdo to ambush their troops—war became inevitable. Stargazer orchestrated an empty-city stratagem at Huangyue City, playing her zither atop the walls, refusing retreat. She bought time for Rita and others to flee... while exhausting herself defending Huangyue to death... Rita handed investigation files to the Captain, along with Tesla's device: "'Iron Fist is yours now, Mister Assassin.'"
"Those were Lady Stargazer's exact words."
"Mister... Assassin..."
The Captain didn't know how Stargazer had discerned his identity in this timeline. But now, she had died once more.]
[Theresa]: "So the other kingdoms sent reinforcements... Does that mean Stargazer wronged Fu Hua and Himeko in the original timeline?"
[Kiana]: "This clears Instructor Fu and Himeko's names!"
[March 7th]: "That just makes things worse! There's a mastermind behind everything!"
[Honkai Star Rail·Welt]: "For someone to outmaneuver Stargazer's divination and manipulate three nations... Among existing figures, only one comes to mind..."
[Honkai Impact·Welt]: "Other me, you're thinking what I am. Barring surprises—it's Otto."
[March 7th]: "Ugh! That bard again? How long will you two obsess over him?!"
[Kiana]: "Professor Yang, maybe don't judge people by appearances..."
[Honkai Star Rail·Welt]: "You wouldn't understand without experiencing it yourselves. When truth unveils, you'll know."
Welt shook his head and fell silent. Those who hadn't lived through it could never grasp it.
[Rita told the Captain they would rebuild Huangyue City here, for Stargazer once said: "'The living are Huangyue City. The living are the Glorious Empire.'"
Rita reached out, tracing the poplar tree's rough bark.
She spoke endlessly of Stargazer—like this tree that stands unyielding for a thousand years, falls unbroken for another thousand, and lingers unfaded for yet another thousand. "The Glorious Empire won't perish. The title of Sage-King won't fade... But Lady Stargazer... is gone."
Rita looked ready to weep yet stifled it—unable to release her grief freely. The Captain departed once more for the past. But this world brimmed with mysteries: Why did all envoys and reinforcements disappear? Reviewing Rita's files, two names surfaced: "Vodka Twister" and "Vodka Blademaster."
Rozaliya and Liliya. Target identified, the Captain initiated transference.]
[March 7th]: "Don't tell me those troublemakers caused this?!"
[Rozaliya]: "No way it's Vodka Girls! If—if—if it really was them... I'd team up with Liliya to beat them up ourselves!"
[Liliya]: "Rozaliya is correct."
The Vodka Girls sobbed uncontrollably. If another world's versions of themselves doomed Stargazer... they'd gladly perform a self-deletion act.
[Honkai Star Rail·Welt]: "I still suspect Otto more..."
[Silver Wolf]: "Third time's the charm! As they say: never twice without thrice—this time, the Captain will secure that happy ending!!"
Silver Wolf made her judgment once more!