"One, two, three... three, two, one... Ah~ ah~ ah..."
The game entered a loading phase, displaying a black screen. Once the loading completed, Lumina's breathtakingly beautiful face instantly filled the entire screen.
The player's perspective, Stelle, finally awoke from her unconsciousness.
"See? I told you! As the story's protagonist, there's no way we'd stop here." Seeing Lumina before her, Little Bear knew all their previous troubles had been resolved.
[Nonsense! We're the Galactic Baseballer, destined to take down the Aeon of Destruction himself! How could we possibly be defeated by some mere Emanator?]
[A mere little Emanator? Just grab Lumina, refine her instantly, and I'll handle the rest!]
[What doesn't kill you makes you mouth off more (covers face)]
[Hey, don't celebrate too soon! What if this is all just a dream? What if this is just a beautiful dream crafted by Phandrea?]
[Um... is it possible that if a dream could trap me for life, making me never realize it's not real, could I then consider it reality?]
[That makes sense. I didn't even realize this was a dream. What makes you so sure it's one?]
With Lumina finally making her grand entrance, most players' hearts, which had been hanging by a thread, now settled into relief.
[This is the super invincible Saintess! How could a mere Abyss possibly harm her?!]
"Whether it's a dream or not, at least I'm not dead yet." Little Bear didn't care if the Lumina appearing before him was a dream construct.
[Even if it's a dream, these scenarios usually turn out warm and cozy anyway.]
[Warming my corpse before I die... might not be so bad after all...]
In the game, after opening his eyes and seeing Lumina before him, three options immediately appeared for the player to choose from:
[1: "Heh, so this is the dream world after death? Woman, entertain me!"]
[2: "As expected of me, dedicating my first dream encounter to Sister Lumina!"]
[3: "Where am I? Am I not dead?"]
"Seriously, who wouldn't pick the first option?" Little Bear burst out laughing as he looked at the choices. His mouse gradually moved to the first option, clicked the left button, and made his selection.
"Hmm... I didn't expect Phandrea's Clone to be telling the truth. If this is my dreamscape, does that mean I can do whatever I want?"
"Hey, woman, give me a smile."
In the game, as Little Bear made this choice, Stelle flashed a devilish grin. She extended a finger, preparing to hook Lumina's chin for a thorough, all-angles observation.
But things didn't go according to Stelle's plan. Lumina leaned back slightly, dodging Stelle's "devilish" advance. A hint of worry crossed her face as she muttered, "Could interrupting the Stellaron's explosion have irreversible consequences?"
"Enough already!" March 7th, who had woken up unnoticed beside them and witnessed everything, crossed her arms, shooting Stelle a look of exasperated helplessness.
Sister Lumina probably doesn't know Stelle's true personality, so she has no idea what Stelle's like when she goes completely bonkers...
There was no doubt about it: Stelle had entered her "bonkers" mode.
The solution to this state was simple: a punch to the face.
With that thought, March 7th walked straight over to Stelle and gave her a light punch—so gentle it was almost negligible. After all, Stelle was still injured, and March 7th had some sense of restraint.
"This isn't a dream, and we're not dead. Sister Lumina saved us."
"Oh, is that so? Well, that's a bit of a shame, then." Hearing this, Stelle realized her earlier behavior had been inappropriate and scratched her head sheepishly.
"Shame on you!" March 7th's face instantly fell, and she retorted speechlessly.
"Whew... As long as there are no lingering side effects, that's all that matters." Seeing Stelle and March 7th so lively, Lumina breathed a sigh of relief.
She then added apologetically, "I'm so sorry. If I had arrived sooner, you wouldn't have been hurt."
"It's fine, it's fine! See? We weren't hurt at all!" Seeing Sister Lumina's self-blaming expression, March 7th immediately felt a pang of sympathy. She rushed over, grabbed Lumina's arm, and nuzzled her head against it to reassure her that she was perfectly unharmed.
Seeing this and feeling the warmth radiating from her arm, Lumina smiled gently, reached out to pat March 7th's head for a moment, then withdrew her hand. Her tender smile faded as her gaze shifted to Stelle, a hint of apology in her eyes.
Meanwhile, the Player was presented with three options once again:
[1: If you'd arrived any later, Phandrea would have died by the hand of your Galactic Baseballer!]
[2: You should have come sooner.]
[3: It's okay, I didn't get hurt at all, did I?]
"No sane person would pick the second option," Little Bear muttered, immediately making his choice.
Unsurprisingly, as the Galactic Baseballer, Little Bear naturally selected the first option.
"I'm the Galactic Baseballer, famous throughout the Cosmos! A mere Abyssal Sovereign? I'm giving her too much credit."
"Sister Lumina, if you'd been even a second later, I would have beaten her to a pulp with my bat!"
Stelle stood with her hands on her hips, radiating confidence. Anyone who didn't know better might have believed every word she said was the truth.
"Hey, why are you being so stubborn?" Hearing this, March 7th fell silent again, released her grip on Sister Lumina, and walked over to Stelle, delivering another punch.
"Thank you all," Lumina said, her smile returning as she expressed her gratitude earnestly.
"No need... It's mostly because we're too weak," March 7th replied, feeling slightly embarrassed by Sister Lumina's apology.
After all, Sister Lumina hadn't done anything wrong. If anyone was to blame, it was their own lack of strength.
If they had been stronger back then, Nahida wouldn't have...
"Oh, right!" March 7th's expression suddenly darkened, her voice tinged with sorrow. "Nahida... Nahida... She's dead..."
"She died protecting us... at the hands of that wretched, vile woman..."
March 7th lowered her head, her eyes shimmering with tears, as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
"Nahida..."
Hearing this, Stelle recalled Nahida's gruesome state, her usual playful expression turning somber. She clenched her fists, betraying her inner fury.
"Nahida... is dead?" Lumina tilted her head, her eyes filled with confusion, as if she couldn't quite grasp what Stelle and March 7th were saying.
"Yes... Nahida... she... she died so horribly. Not a single part of her body was intact."
As March 7th spoke, her voice choked with sobs. Tiny pearl-like tears streamed down her pale cheeks, dripping onto the ground.
"How come I didn't know I was dead?" Just as March 7th's words faded, a voice, both calm and brimming with vitality, echoed through the air, reaching every ear present.
"Aaaah! It's haunted!"
The voice drew all eyes to its source. There stood Nahida, the supposedly dead one, arms crossed and a resentful expression on her face as she glared at Stelle and March 7th.
Meanwhile, on the Player's screen, three options reappeared:
[1: Hey! Are you a ghost or what?!]
[2: Aaaah! It's haunted!]
[3: Nahida, I'm so glad you're okay]
"See? I told you Nahida would be fine!" Little Bear said smugly, his voice brimming with delight as Nahida reappeared in the game.
[Don't you think this is all too perfect? I bet 50 cents this is just a dream.]
[The Trailblazer has been rummaging through trash cans for a month, finding nothing. This is just a delusion as she starves to death on the street (facepalm).]
[Wahhh, baby Nahida! I'm so relieved you're safe! Come to Mama!]
[The angst from earlier was already enough! Mihoyo, please stop the torture! I'm begging you! (collapsing into tears)]
[Mihoyo! If you dare pull another knife, I swear I'll picket your headquarters tomorrow! (furious)]
The atmosphere in the live stream gradually brightened as viewers saw Nahida's return, though some comments still warned Mihoyo against adding more suffering.
"Enough with the knives already, Mihoyo! We've had enough!"
Seeing the comments, Little Bear didn't intervene or comment. His gaze remained fixed on the game screen. After a moment's thought, he still chose the first option.
"Hey! Are you a human or a ghost right now?!" In the game, as Little Bear made his choice, Stelle immediately adopted a cautious, combat-ready stance, her face serious as she questioned Nahida.
"You're the ghost," Nahida retorted, rolling her eyes with a wordless sigh.
"So you're human." Hearing that familiar tone, Stelle relaxed back into her normal demeanor, offering an awkward smile. "Nahida... I'm so glad you're okay."
Seeing this, March 7th's face lit up with her usual cheerful, optimistic smile. A lively, carefree atmosphere instantly spread through the group, lifting their spirits considerably.
"Why would something happen to me?" Nahida asked, waving her hand in confusion.
"Well... I'm just curious. What exactly happened on your end after I sent you away?"
"Uh..." March 7th and Stelle exchanged glances, nodded, and March 7th stepped forward. "I'll tell you," she said.
"Here's what happened..."
March 7th then gave a brief, rough summary of everything that had transpired after Nahida had sent them away.
"Hmm... I see now," Nahida nodded, her head bowed in thought. After a moment's contemplation, she said, "If what you've told me is true, then I know the reason. At that time, Phandrea should have been engaged in battle with me. Her Main Body couldn't possibly have appeared where you were."
"Therefore, the Phandrea you encountered must have been merely an Avatar or something similar."
"Eh? Is that so?" March 7th and Stelle froze at Nahida's explanation, clearly stunned that the Phandrea they had faced—whose oppressive presence and power seemed indistinguishable from her Main Body—was merely an Avatar.
"Then the corpse she flung out..."
"Without a doubt, either she conjured it casually or altered your perception, creating an illusion," Nahida shrugged.
"As fellow Emanators, how could she possibly have killed me in just a few minutes?"
"Anyone with half a brain could figure that out, right?"
At this point, Nahida glanced at Stelle and March 7th with an expression akin to looking at idiots.
"I was just really worried about you..." March 7th said with a sheepish grin.
"Hmph~" Nahida let out a slightly haughty hum, then paused to consider before taking a deep breath, her voice tinged with self-reproach. "I'm sorry. I underestimated Phandrea's power, putting you all in danger."
"To make amends, I'll do everything in my power to help you resolve any future troubles you encounter."
"Eh, it's fine, it's fine! The real problem is we're just too weak. If only we were stronger..." March 7th frantically waved her hands, trying to reassure Nahida.
"Just accept it," Lumina interjected, showing no false modesty. "An Emanator's full effort can resolve nearly 99% of problems in the Cosmos."
Nahida cast a faint glance at Lumina but remained silent.
"Ugh, fine then," March 7th and Stelle conceded, accepting Nahida's apology after hearing Sister Lumina's words.
"Thank you," Nahida said, visibly relieved. No matter how she looked at it, the fault ultimately lay with her...
Nahida shook her head, dismissing the thought. In the next instant, her demeanor shifted abruptly. She crossed her arms, reverting to her usual calm and composed demeanor.
"Alright, now that my business is settled, it's time to address yours."
"Phandrea has poured most of her power into fighting me. The Avatars you faced were at best Pseudo-Emanator level, and they periodically suffered grievous injuries transmitted from the Main Body..."
"So, how exactly did Phandrea manage to beat you so badly?"
Nahida frowned, her voice laced with curiosity and confusion.
"What about the Swarm? With its combined powers of Abundance and Propagation, it should have been more than a match for a mere clone of Phandrea, right?"
"Did you two pull off some earth-shattering stunt that caused it to lose to an Avatar?"
At that moment, Nahida resembled a teacher deeply dissatisfied with the exam papers her students had submitted, her face etched with bewilderment, disbelief, reproach, and exasperation.
"We're being perfectly serious!" March 7th weakly protested, then remembered Little Swarm's presence and turned to Sister Lumina. "Oh, right! Where's Little Swarm? I haven't seen her all day."
"She's still in bed. The lumpy, blanket-covered mound over there is her," Lumina said, pointing to a bed that looked like a small hill.
"Little Swarm, time to get up!"
"Lazy little bug, don't... Huh?!"
Seeing this, March 7th walked over to the bed, yanked back the blanket, and stood with her hands on her hips, a cheerful smile on her face.
But the next moment, March 7th froze in shock at the sight of the person on the bed.
Instead of the round, plump, blue bug she remembered, there was a blue-haired young girl wearing a small formal dress.
She lay peacefully on her side, breathing in slow, rhythmic intervals, utterly adorable.
"Ugh..."
The blue-haired young girl groaned softly as sunlight streamed into her eyes, slowly pushing herself up from the bed.
Leaning one hand on the mattress and rubbing her eyes with the other, she mumbled in a soft, sweet voice:
"G-good... morning."