"Stelle might be the key to solving this problem. Of course, I could be wrong."
"You're not wrong. The Doomsday Beast is definitely tailing us."
"Indeed?"
Everyone knew of Bronie's unmatched sensory acuity.
If she was correct, then for reasons unknown the Doomsday Beast had been hunting down Stelle.
"It must be drawn to the Stellaron she carries."
"What?"
"Stellaron?"
At Bronie's next words, everyone except Stelle widened their eyes and stared at her.
Stelle herself only looked perplexed—apparently, she didn't even know what a Stellaron was.
"Stellaron. Also called the Abyss of Ten Thousand Worlds, it's a substance that turns any land into a lifeless void where no life can survive."
"A lifeless void where no life can survive?"
"Exactly. As far as I know, Herta had a Stellaron on this station for research. And right now, I'm sensing its energy radiating from Stelle."
Bronie pointed at the center of Stelle's chest as she spoke.
The notion that a substance capable of rendering a land uninhabitable lay within her threw Stelle into turmoil.
She half-expected it to be a joke, but Bronie's expression remained grave.
So the Stellaron was really inside her.
"Then why am I completely fine?"
"That part I don't understand either. If a Stellaron worked like a Collapse phenomenon, it would make sense, but unlike the Collapse, it doesn't warp reality. It only heralds the world's end. Or perhaps it's closer to Death."
"Collapse? Death?"
"Well, to put it simply, like Stellaron, it's a force capable of destroying worlds—though their natures and directions differ."
Explaining all the nuances would take too long and derail us—there's no time for that with an emergency underway.
"In short, the Stellaron in Stelle's body is active yet harmless. I'll need to discuss the specifics with Grandpa Welt."
"Grandpa Welt?"
"He's another elder aboard the Astral Express. He's from my world, too."
"From the same world as Bronie…!"
For some reason, Stelle's eyes sparkled at that and Bronie felt an unexpected flutter.
She remembered that from the moment they first met and resonated, Stelle had been drawn to her—for reasons neither understood.
It wasn't romantic, more an inexplicable pull toward another person—familiar, yet elusive.
Whatever it was, neither could define it.
"Let's head for the support cabin and link up with Welt."
"Uncle Welt? Isn't he still on the train?"
At Murata Himeko's question, March 7th looked puzzled, and Dan Heng explained.
"Our movements are logged on the train's black box. Bronie, who went to sort out the station situation amid the chaos, also joined our log, so he'll definitely meet us here."
"Right, if it's Welt, he'll be on his way here. For now we can handle the Doomsday Beast, but if the Harbinger of Destruction shows up…I'll be counting on you, Bronie."
"Yes, understood."
"We need to leave this place immediately."
"Yes."
"…Ah, yes!"
At Himeko's prompt, the three from the Astral Express responded, and a moment later Stelle answered as well.
Smiling, Himeko surged ahead again, and the group chased after her.
The route twisted through convoluted corridors and system-generated passageways, but in their hurry, Bronie hacked the network to open the fastest path to the support cabin, allowing them to sprint through at top speed.
"I see the platform. Yes!"
"…But the train still hasn't arrived."
"It could be nearby! My eyesight's good—I'll scout ahead!"
"Wait, March 7th!"
"Hm?"
It happened in an instant.
Something massive—like a dragon—swooped down toward March 7th.
Had she been any farther ahead, the gust from that colossal sweep would've sent her flying.
"They really did follow us."
"Damn—get down!"
Yelling that, March 7th nocked an arrow just as the colossal Honkai Beast landed atop the support cabin with a deafening roar, forcing everyone to cover their ears.
The overwhelming bulk, the raw Honkai energy surging around it, and the shockwaves rippling through the air left Stelle staring in stunned silence.
"This is… the Doomsday Beast."