Just as Dan Heng prepared to reveal his Vidyadhara true form, Stelle let out a deafening roar.
"The one struggling before the collapse of the old world—is you!"
Flames erupted from Stelle's eyes, every inch of her skin ablaze with the fire of Preservation.
The Imaginary energy attempting to bind her disintegrated in the firelight.
Above the dome, the Imaginary energy amassed in Cocolia's palm rapidly transformed.
It materialized into a massive Imaginary meteor, its surface flowing with gaseous energy, scorching illusory creases across the sky.
"I will personally forge—the great new world!"
Cocolia swung her arm downward, and the meteor, carrying the weight of annihilation, plummeted.
The air wailed like shattering glass under the immense pressure.
Bronya and Seele's hair whipped chaotically, their pupils reflecting the rapidly enlarging apocalyptic scene.
Their subconscious urged them to flee, but their feet felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
"Your so-called new world—"
The gray-haired girl, wreathed in flames, unleashed a ring of fire.
"Is nothing but an epitaph for this planet!"
The flaming lance traced a crimson arc in Stelle's hand as she shattered the ground, soaring skyward, a defiant flame against the tide of destruction.
The moment the lance's tip met the meteor, countless fiery veins spread wildly across its surface, enveloping it.
"An ant trying to shake a tree. This world is destined to be reborn!"
Cocolia's face was cold and indifferent as she swung her arm again.
The meteor's weight surged by millions of tons, forcing Stelle's arms to emit the sharp crack of dislocating bones.
Blood trickled from her lips, vaporizing in the air before it could fall.
On the ground, March 7th's face was filled with fear, her limbs moving instinctively to cast an ice shield over Stelle.
Dan Heng's gaze darkened, the azure dragon phantom around him flickering.
"No—way—"
Stelle's face showed no trace of surrender, even as her body trembled violently, her form rapidly descending under the meteor's pressure.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
The fateful background music faded, leaving only the game's ambient sounds.
Countless players' heartbeats skipped, their eyes unblinking, afraid to miss a single frame of the cutscene.
They forgot whether they were playing a game or watching an anime.
It didn't matter.
What mattered was that it was insanely gripping.
Beta testers were no exception.
The excitement they felt back then was just as fresh now.
What other gacha game's launch story improved so drastically from beta to release?
Every time they praised a great story sequence, an even better one came along soon after.
What did it mean to shatter expectations and deliver greater surprises?
This was it.
Cocolia: "Obstructors will be crushed to dust!!"
Stelle gritted her teeth, her defiant voice ringing out.
"We'll block you anyway. Crushed to dust? Hah, don't underestimate a Trailblazer—"
Her momentum didn't falter, but under the meteor, her figure seemed so small.
In two seconds, she'd likely be smashed into the ground, reduced to powder.
Dan Heng's forehead pulsed with energy, about to unleash his power, when his pupils suddenly contracted.
A familiar silhouette appeared silently before him.
From the players' perspective, the meteor, along with Stelle, plummeted toward the ground, its destructive Imaginary energy exploding outward!
The screen went white without warning—
"Hey, hey, hey, don't pull a Genshin startup now, damn it!"
Ah Xian was practically spitting, on the verge of overheating.
At a moment like this, you pull this stunt?
Players heard the sound of roaring flames and an increasingly clear whistling wind.
The screen went white fast, darkened fast.
It darkened fast, and lit up fast.
The pitch-black screen brightened from the perspective of someone just waking up.
March 7th slowly lowered the arm shielding her face, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Leon!!"
The girl's shocked cry hadn't yet faded when the camera abruptly shifted.
Leon stood with one palm raised to the sky, a vortex of gale-force winds swirling in his hand, forming a cyan hurricane.
The Imaginary meteor hovered less than half a foot above his fingertips, unable to advance further.
The dark golden Imaginary energy on its surface tangled with the cyan hurricane.
Suddenly, a dragon's roar resounded.
The long-silent background music exploded like thunder in countless players' ears.
[We've made a choice. Go fight against your fate!]
A majestic five-clawed dragon tore through space, its massive body surging out, coiling around the entire meteor.
Leon's hand shifted, and the dragon's claws dug fiercely into the meteor.
[Pain will come with the blade.]
The dragon's tail lashed, shattering the Imaginary meteor that loomed over the Creation Platform into fragments, dissolving into Imaginary energy.
The dragon opened its maw, swallowing the energy that threatened to spill toward the group.
[Pain will wake up the despondent crowd in this dormant world somehow.]
Leon's face seemed pale, his expression stern, his fingers forming a seal.
"Open!"
[Unsheathe a sword not to kill.]
[Unsheathe a sword to rend those clouds above the ground.]
[Wake up, it's time to gather now!]
Quicksand materialized, forming a translucent barrier that enveloped the area.
An hourglass took shape, held in the dragon's mouth, circling the barrier.
The cutscene ended, returning to the battle interface.
Leon's portrait appeared in the left action bar, supporting his companions in a unique way.
"AAAAAAAAH—"
Ah Xian couldn't contain herself, letting out a supreme roar lasting several seconds.
Her voice was so piercingly high it surpassed E5 level.
"So cool, so cool, so cool, so cool, so cool—"
"My gosh, no wonder they performed the lyrics version of Cocolia's boss battle music at the concert before launch."
"It was hidden here! That one shout paired with Leon summoning the dragon—it's so epic I forgot to breathe!"
"I knew it! Our dependable husband Leon would never break his word!"
"He's always been by our side, always!"
[Holy crap, this story sequence! The music alone is fine, but paired with the visuals, it's like a nuke going off!]
[Even cooler than the concept art!]
[…]
Streamers big and small, domestic and international, male and female players—countless people were hyped beyond measure.
Poor international players could only cycle through the same few words to express their awe.