"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"
Felicity furrowed her brow and shot Welt an annoyed glare before turning to activate the Abundant Ebon Vine, making it take root and sprout inside the Doomsday Beast's body.
"My apologies, that was indeed an oversight on my part."
Welt didn't argue but instead offered a sincere apology. He had assumed this young woman—who seemed to be an Emanator of Abundance—would already know this and would finish it off in another way, so he had kept his attention entirely focused on her.
It wasn't until just now, when he noticed something odd about the flow of imaginary energy, that he realized the Doomsday Beast wasn't completely dead yet.
Fortunately, this young woman named Felicity reacted swiftly enough. The Abundant Ebon Vine took root once more, further weakening the Doomsday Beast's combat capabilities.
"Hisss—ROAR—!!!"
The Doomsday Beast went berserk. It charged forward recklessly, as if completely disregarding Felicity and Welt, roaring as it rushed toward a corner of the space station—almost as if it were searching for something.
"Is that... the space station's platform?"
Felicity wore a puzzled expression.
The space station's platform was located in the support section, and by now all the staff should have gathered in the main control section for shelter. Even if it wanted to go on a killing spree, why would it head to a place like that?
Extending her senses slightly, Felicity finally noticed four people standing on the platform.
It was the group from the Astral Express.
Just as Felicity was about to strike and kill the Doomsday Beast directly, a cane intercepted her. Welt shook his head at her.
"Let the children have a chance to take action."
"?"
"The Voidranger threat has been eliminated, and the space station has no further worries. The Doomsday Beast has also been implanted with your Ebon Vine. With the two of us watching over them, nothing should go wrong."
Welt adjusted his glasses and calmly explained,
"Children always need some opportunities to grow, don't they?"
"...You'd make a pretty good teacher."
"Perhaps."
Welt replied, though his answer sounded more like a sigh.
His gaze fell upon the platform, settling on the gray-haired girl, Stelle, who was being protected in the middle of the group.
Truth be told, he had his own selfish motives.
Welt could sense a strange energy within Stelle's body—he suspected it was probably the Stellaron that Herta had contained.
Stellarons were extremely dangerous entities. They could unleash terrifying storms across cosmic space, and this phenomenon would spread uncontrollably and wildly, nearly impossible to suppress. That's why the Interastral Peace Corporation referred to them as the "Cancer of All Worlds."
Even Herta of the Genius Society had to build an entire space station just to safely contain this dormant Stellaron and protect The Blue from disaster.
As for Stelle, that girl who appeared utterly ordinary on the surface, had a Stellaron forcibly implanted within her body.
No matter what, Stelle had become an unstable bomb—one that, if detonated, could throw an entire star system into chaos.
Welt felt it was absolutely necessary to verify Stelle's condition. If she truly was a bomb that could explode at the slightest touch, then he would have no choice but to take appropriate measures.
While the two were conversing, the group on the platform clashed with the Doomsday Beast.
The Doomsday Beast was clearly targeting Stelle, evidently drawn by the Stellaron within her body. It roared and swung its arms—given its massive size, even a casual wave could cause immense destruction.
But after all, its body and core had been pierced—even if a dark matter-driven engine could sputter on for a while after being breached, it couldn't last long. Moreover, Felicity's Abundance had taken root and sprouted within it.
The members of the Astral Express were indeed extraordinary, and within a few exchanges, they had thoroughly beaten the Doomsday Beast. Its already critically damaged core was on the verge of shattering completely.
Seeing this, Felicity also breathed a sigh of relief—at least she hadn't caused any additional trouble for Asta.
But just as she was about to leisurely float off to find Asta for some fun, an unexpected incident occurred once again.
The Doomsday Beast, which had been beaten to near death, suddenly went berserk, gathering all its remaining energy into one final surge. Even the dark matter-driven engine grew dim and lifeless.
A scorching beam swept across the area, ultimately shooting straight toward March 7th's position.
The laser was almost instantaneous, with no warning whatsoever. Everyone, exhausted from the earlier battle, had no time to react. March 7th didn't even have a chance to dodge; her mind went completely blank.
"What!?"
The sudden turn of events shocked both Welt and Felicity. Welt immediately slammed his cane down, and the nascent form of a black hole instantly coalesced in front of the Doomsday Beast.
But Welt had conjured the black hole in a moment of unpreparedness, and it was already too late to interrupt the Doomsday Beast's laser.
Welt's gaze instinctively fell to his side. He pinned his hopes on this powerful young woman—with her ability to effortlessly suppress the Doomsday Beast, perhaps she had some method to handle this.
However, all he saw was a fleeting shadow flash past his eyes. His eyes hurriedly followed it, only to see Felicity dart in front of everyone at top speed, spreading her arms wide like a mother hen protecting her chicks, shielding them all behind her.
"This laser packs a punch! It might actually be enough to kill me!"
A thrilled smile spread across Felicity's face. She deliberately withdrew all her Abundance authority, retaining only enough to fully protect March 7th behind her, preparing to block the entire laser with her own flesh and blood.
This was the Doomsday Beast's self-destructing attack, far more terrifying than the one Felicity had faced before.
Even an Emanator would have to avoid the brunt of an attack of this magnitude.
March 7th stared bewildered at the scene. She couldn't understand why Felicity, someone she had just met, would shield her from arrows and now a laser. Yet, as she gazed at that not particularly sturdy back, an inexplicable sense of reassurance welled up in her heart.
However, in the next moment, the smile on Felicity's face abruptly froze.
Another figure darted out—Stelle had unexpectedly rushed forward as well, mimicking Felicity's posture by spreading her arms and positioning herself in front of Felicity.
She didn't fully grasp what was happening. All she knew was that March 7th had always been kind to her, teaching her many things, and Felicity had also shown her kindness, taking an arrow for her during their first encounter. The thought of either of them dying would sadden her deeply.
So, she took action.
—And the cost was the laser striking her squarely, the overwhelming agony instantly robbing her of consciousness.
In the next moment, a brilliant golden light erupted from her chest, surging with immense energy that continued to intensify.
What was happening?
Her consciousness began to drift.