Mysterious Narrator of the Honkai: Star Rail World: The Lone Wolf's Adventure, Act Three: "Die in Silence, or... Wait, There's No Second Option Here," action!
Thud, thud, thud...
Feeling the ground tremble, Skott knew she was coming—that white-haired little girl was coming!
Why had he provoked her today, anyway? Oh, right, it all started because he just wanted someone to guide them.
But how had things escalated to this point?
Skott struggled to turn over, reaching out toward the approaching Clara. "W-Wait! Can we talk this out?"
Clara: "Now? You must be joking."
As Clara raised Svarog again, Skott could only scream in despair, "No—!"
Boom!
A deafening crash rang out as a hand suddenly shot out from the side, effortlessly catching Svarog.
From Skott's perspective, a brown-haired middle-aged man descended from the sky, his back to him, his figure tall and imposing. He said only one word: "Stop!"
Clara feigned surprise. "Wh-What? You actually blocked that attack? Who are you?"
Welt: "Hmph, you're not worthy of knowing."
With a slight exertion of force, he pushed Clara back two steps.
"Big bro, you're awesome!" Skott immediately clung to Welt's leg, sobbing. "Big bro, that demon was about to kill me! Thanks to you, I'm still alive!"
Perhaps Clara's oppressive presence was so overwhelming that Skott was too scared to think straight, completely failing to notice how abrupt Welt's appearance was.
"Don't worry, I'm the type to help when I see injustice. As long as I'm here, no one will get hurt!"
"You? Some... uh... weird middle-aged guy?"
Welt took off his glasses, his expression brimming with confidence. "Oh? You're pretty bold, aren't you?"
Clara: "Joking? Go ask around the Lower District—who represents justice, who's undefeated in battle? Come at me!"
The tension between them seemed ready to ignite, but in reality, their eyes were darting back and forth, exchanging silent communication—
Clara (eyes wide): What's next? Do I really have to hit you? Can you handle it?
Welt (lips twitching slightly, gaze firm): Trust me. You've heard of my strength. Don't hold back.
Clara (looking worried): But what if I break you?
Welt (shaking his head slightly): No choice. To win Skott's favor, it has to look brutal.
Welt (resigned): It's a shame, but I haven't felt the sting of injury in years. I can't fake it. Your fists are strong enough to hurt me. To make the act convincing, it can't just be acting.
Clara (resigned): Fine.
Seeing his insistence, Clara didn't argue further. She clenched her fist and swung it at Welt with full force. "Hya!"
Thud!!
To make Skott think he was suffering, Welt didn't dodge. The punch landed squarely on his abdomen, its terrifying force pouring into him—
"..."
Welt's body didn't budge an inch!!
Skott, witnessing this, was dumbfounded. After a long pause, he couldn't help but shout, "Bad... badass! So badass!!!"
He'd experienced firsthand how terrifying this white-haired girl was—she could crush a solid alloy staff with one hand and wield a two-meter-tall robot as a javelin!
Yet this man who dropped from the sky took her punch head-on without a scratch?!
What kind of toughness was this? Even an Emanator of Preservation couldn't compare, right?!
Unbeknownst to Skott, in his blind spot, a trickle of crimson seeped from Welt's mouth, quickly wiped away by his trembling hand.
Welt's inner thoughts: I almost couldn't take a single punch. She's practically superhuman!
Clara's inner thoughts: He actually took that punch. He's practically superhuman!
"Again... come on!" Welt said hoarsely.
"Alright!"
Clara took a deep breath and swung another powerful punch!
Thud!!
This time, Welt's body still didn't move, but in truth, he'd opened a simulated black hole in his abdomen to absorb Clara's terrifying fist force, comparable to Himeko's.
After several rounds:
"Again!"
"Alright!"
Thud!
...
By now, Skott's initial shock, clarity, and admiration had faded, replaced by deep... suspicion.
He suspected these two were acting.
The reason was simple: Clara's earlier feats proved she was practically beyond carbon-based lifeforms. But this middle-aged guy who popped up out of nowhere—what was he? A silicon-based lifeform? How could he take so many punches like it was nothing?
Something's wrong!
Skott slowly backed away, hoping to slip away unnoticed...
"Come back here."
Welt forced a smile, grabbing Skott and pulling him back. "Look closely at how much I'm suffering for you."
"Uh... big bro, can I run first? Don't worry, I'm going to get reinforcements. I won't abandon you..."
Welt flashed a dangerous smile. "No."
Skott panicked. "B-Big bro, you're not like that dragon-horned jerk from before, are you? Acting like you're saving me but actually just messing with me? Come on, what did I do to deserve this?"
"?"
At this, Clara and Welt's movements froze. They both turned to him, sporting eerie smiles. "So... you figured it out?"
Skott: "What? It's true?! Are you guys even human?! Is it fun to toy with me?"
"Wait... w-w-what are you planning? I'm warning you, I've got people backing me! Push me too far, and I'll make you regret it!"
Clara cracked her knuckles. "Tch... I've been acting this whole time. Do you know how much I've wanted to beat you up?! Now that you've caught on, I'm done pretending."
"Today, I'm gonna give you, you filthy jerk, a proper thrashing!"
Skott looked to Welt, who shrugged. "I gave you a chance. You didn't take it."
"You... you guys!"
Skott backed away a few steps, then gritted his teeth and pulled out an exquisite stone. "You forced me to do this! Let me show you the power of my Skott Cornerstone!"