T-two Doomsday Beasts?
Stelle's heart thumped violently. These two hundred-meter-tall giant beasts were truly a visual shock, just looking at them was enough to make one's heart race.
And at this distance, you might not even be able to see the top of a thirty-plus-story building, let alone a super-giant beast like the Doomsday Beast that operates on a planetary scale.
"Quite the grand gesture."
Asta shook her head helplessly, her expression finally turning serious. "You all go ahead first. I'll stay here and deal with these two little cuties."
Stelle nodded. According to the plot, the Doomsday Beasts were after the Stellaron inside her. As long as she left, she could actually protect most of the people here.
Crack crack crack—
But just as Stelle turned to leave, the two Doomsday Beasts suddenly let out a roar. Energy gathered in their large mouths, and a light beam infused with the power of the Path of Destruction shot out, instantly destroying the already precarious protective shield!
The deadly light charged directly into the Master Control Zone. If this energy were to run rampant, no one present would survive.
Stelle's eyes widened abruptly. In that moment, she had no time to think; almost subconsciously, she and Himeko moved to block the front of the group—
Just then, a mirror silently materialized in front of Stelle and the others, swallowing all the deadly light.
Seeing this mirror, Asta was first stunned, then she slowly let out a sigh of relief, her entire body relaxing considerably. "Good thing you arrived in time."
As her words fell, the protective shield suddenly began to repair itself at an astonishing rate. An extremely massive mechanical hand abruptly appeared in everyone's field of vision, grabbing the two Doomsday Beasts in its palm.
What is this now?
Stelle was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized: at this point in the timeline, only one person could appear and so easily subdue two Doomsday Beasts.
Herta.
She just didn't know what this Emanator of Erudition had turned into. She hoped she would be somewhat normal...
"D-don't be afraid..."
Just then, a timid voice sounded. A small Herta doll cautiously walked over. "It's alright now..."
"Herta? That was really close. Thanks to you." Himeko breathed a sigh of relief and greeted the small Herta doll with a smile.
"I-it was my duty..."
Looking at the somewhat shy doll before him, Stelle's pupils shook with shock. She leaned in close to the small Herta doll. "You're Herta?"
Where's my confident, proud, beautiful, and wise Lady Herta?
This is the doll's own consciousness, right? It has to be!
Herta: Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ
The small purple-haired loli seemed to be frightened. She turned and ran, quickly disappearing into the vastness of the space station.
Stelle: …
"Lady Herta isn't very good at communicating with strangers. You kinda scared her, hero," March 7th said.
Stelle felt like crying inside. How was she supposed to know Herta's contrast could be this huge?
And what did she mean by 'hero'?
March 7th's always cool and pretty face softened a little. "I didn't get a chance to say it earlier. Thank you for standing in front of us just now."
Even though Herta arrived to save the day at the critical moment, it didn't change the fact that Stelle had been willing to risk her life to protect them.
Stelle scratched her head. Honestly, she wasn't really afraid back then. After all, she had a safety net mechanism on her; she definitely wouldn't die.
"It's fine. We're comrades who've shared hardships. No need to be so formal," Stelle said with a laugh.
March 7th thought for a moment, then stepped forward and gave Stelle a light hug. "Well then, is this okay?"
Stelle: ((유∀유|||))
"Y-yeah, it's okay."
Dan Heng stepped forward and gave Stelle a firm hug. "Thank you."
March 7th pushed Dan Heng's face away. "...There's a difference between men and women."
Dan Heng: …
"Young people are so full of energy, getting familiar with each other so quickly,"
Asta teased. "How about this: the three of you go together to coax Lady Herta back. As the station leader, I have to manage the researchers and look after the 'kids'... It's really tough work..."
"Wait, has Lady Herta always been like this?" Stelle asked somewhat awkwardly. "I mean, I heard she's a 'genius' with both wisdom and beauty..."
"Of course, but what you said isn't wrong either," Asta nodded. "But well... that's also just one of the few parts of herself she can show."
"Let me tell you a little secret~, because Lady Herta has always buried herself in her research, over time, her ability to communicate with people has actually gotten worse."
"You could say she has communication barriers. Otherwise, why would she make so many dolls to go out in her place?"
Stelle asked in shock, "Are you sure you're not a Fictional Historian?"
"What? Don't believe me?" Asta pointed in the direction the small Herta doll ran off. "Then go catch up with her and see for yourself? Speaking of which, regarding the space station being attacked, we really do need to report it to her and try to find out the reason for the Legion's assault."
"This... alright then."
Stelle sighed helplessly. Oh well, that small Herta doll was scared off by her. Mainly, she never expected this version of Herta to have such an extreme contrast.
Did she switch to a Stephen personality?
"Don't worry, finding Lady Herta is something Dan Heng and I have experience with," March 7th patted Stelle's shoulder. "All you need is a universal synthesizer."
"Lady Herta likes to eat sweets, but she doesn't know how to make them herself," Dan Heng added.
"Let's go." March 7th took Stelle's hand. "Together, partner."
"..."
The small Herta doll ran wildly, changing direction whenever she saw anyone, her mind full of fear of humans. She finally stopped in a deserted place, gasping for breath.
—Actually, the doll had a cooling function, but when sharing senses, Herta still instinctively did this.
"What was that expression on that girl's face? Why was she like that? Is it my problem? Wu... It must be, right..."
"She must be another fan who came because of my genius reputation. She'll definitely be very disappointed seeing me like this. No, I need to lock my office door, lock it for fifty—no, a hundred years!"
The small Herta doll muttered incessantly, completely unaware of someone walking up behind her with a cane.
"Lady Herta? What are you doing here?"
Welt walked to her side and asked curiously, "Have you seen March and the others?"
Herta: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
I-it's that scariest guy from the Astral Express!
The small Herta doll shuddered as if her tail had been stepped on. She had heard from Asta that the bespectacled middle-aged man from the Astral Express was a man of few words and a tough customer, someone who wouldn't hesitate to use gravity to tear people apart!
Herta's Flashback:
"Lady Herta, stop hiding. We agreed on this."
Asta stood outside Herta's office door, urging incessantly. "A group of scholars from the Intelligentsia Guild is here. They've admired you for so long and just want to meet you once."
"N-no, I can't... I'm not feeling well today."
Herta's voice came through the crack in the door.
"Lady Herta, if you don't come out, I'll have Mr. Welt come and teach you a lesson," Asta said with a mischievous smile. "Be careful, or he might use gravity to dismantle your office~"
"You know the line from that recently released anime, was it called Alahato 2? Reveal your true identity and intentions... Otherwise, brace yourself for gravitational disintegration.' That's Mr. Welt's actual line, you know."
"Think about it in the anime, how he confronted the Herrscher of Thunder all by himself. Pretty scary, right? He's a model enthusiast. If he found out you can make dolls, he'd definitely come and snatch all your dolls away, not leaving a single one!"
"By then, you'd have to show up in person for everything~"
End of Herta's Flashback.
Now she looked at Welt nervously. Take all her dolls away? Wouldn't that be equivalent to taking her life?!
Just thinking about having to face countless unfamiliar faces in person made Herta feel her whole body tremble. She wished she could just find a place to be alone forever.
"Lady Herta?"
Seeing the small Herta doll silent, Welt took off his glasses. "I am Welt from the Astral Express. I wanted to ask..."
The moment he took off his glasses, the distant Herta main body directly cut power, severing the connection with this doll.
Welt: ???