But something felt off.
They were facing a Doomsday Beast roaring at them with overwhelming menace.
The pressure was so intense that Murata Himeko swallowed hard, and Dan Heng's hand shook as he gripped his spear.
March 7th's leg trembled, and she bit her lip to keep from collapsing, forcing her body and mind to hold together.
Yet only Bronie and Selene sensed something strange about the Doomsday Beast.
For some reason, it felt fear and impatience.
The instant they tuned into that feeling and studied the creature, they could assess its overall condition.
Bronie, who could perceive Honkai Energy, probed inside its form and grew even more puzzled.
"...The Doomsday Beast—it's injured."
"Yes. Its Honkai Energy flow is disrupted here, too."
"What do you mean by that?"
Himeko stared at the beast, unable to take her eyes off it as she asked.
Realizing they weren't alone in sensing the anomaly, Bronie and Selene exchanged glances.
After a brief moment of understanding, Bronie nodded and spoke for them both.
"This is our chance to catch it, isn't it~?"
"Exactly."
Understanding at once, Himeko swiftly set up her drone.
The others, learning the beast's condition, readied themselves for battle.
The Doomsday Beast inwardly panicked.
To it, these creatures were as insignificant as insects by the roadside.
It had been fleeing from inexplicably monstrous humans, then detected the [Stellaron] within one of them, sent an advance force, and chased after it. So who were these beings?
Usually, opponents cower and flee at the mere sound of its presence. The gap in power was that vast.
Yet here they were, preparing to fight instead of running.
True, defeating the Astral Express crew would be trivial.
But it had been wounded by those monster-like humans… and the human bearing [Stellaron] caught its attention, though not as much as the redhead.
So why were they so confident? Especially that frail silver-haired one.
Why?
An unsettling feeling washed over the beast.
Its instinct screamed that it must kill the silver-haired one immediately.
Following that impulse, the Doomsday Beast swung its dreaded right arm, the [Torn Calamity], with all its might.
"Huh?"
It hadn't expected them to retaliate.
Bronie was struck squarely by the [Torn Calamity].
"Bronie?!"
Everyone gasped as they watched the devastating swing.
It had been a crushing strike. Even for Bronie, her survival was in doubt, and they all stared at the monstrous arm in trembling horror.
Then—
As the beast brought down the [Torn Calamity], the cracked floor beneath it spread fissures even wider.
Not only that. Debris and fragments from the ground began to levitate around the impact, surging in a storm of overwhelming Honkai Energy.
The Doomsday Beast froze in confusion.
It hadn't lifted its arm, yet it was rising on its own.
It poured more power into the strike, but still heard a voice from beneath its raised arm.
"I didn't expect you'd attack me first?"
At that moment, Bronie triggered an explosion of Honkai Energy from her palms, and the [Torn Calamity] was driven backward.
No—it didn't just retreat; it cracked and shattered completely, and the beast let out a pained roar.
Crackle, crackle.
Unfazed, Bronie stood revealed.
Her silver hair glowed gold, and her silver eyes—pupils and all—had turned emerald green.
The golden-hued storm of Honkai Energy that had raged moments ago subsided as if it had never happened.
"Super Saiyan. I never thought I'd show you this form…"
Levitating with a swirl of honed techniques, Bronie locked eyes with the beast and smiled.
"Only two people on the Astral Express know this version of me."
"One is Himeko, the other is Grandpa Welt."
"Do you know why?"
Before the beast could answer, it channeled power from its dark matter–powered engine core into its remaining arm, shaping it into a descending forged hammer and swung it down.
Everyone cried out in alarm, but Bronie simply extended her palm and caught the blow.
"There's no need to bring out this form."
She said it so lightly.
"Everyone I've ever faced—without exception—has been dealt with."
She unleashed another burst of energy from her palm. The arm flew backward, cracked along its length, then shattered into pieces.
"Ah, well, except for living beings, of course."
"As I said before, no one had ever seen this form."
She said, her lips curving into a gentle smile.
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