"AAAAAAH! So freaking epic! Watching Boruto ten times wouldn't quench this fire!"
Old Bear's voice cracked with excitement.
Though the scene was slightly different, and the protagonist wasn't male, he still couldn't help but recall certain moments.
[Ten times? A hundred times!]
[Heavenly Fire! Unsheathed!]
[My gosh, this background music is divine!]
[So epic and fateful, yet brimming with passion and courage—truly godly!]
[Hoyo, I want this! I want a flying protagonist!]
[Plot-exclusive, go to sleep. The one in your hands can't even bend its knees, let alone fly.]
[…]
Stelle landed lightly beside her companions, her piercing gaze fixed on Cocolia emerging from the dust.
Cocolia looked at the group, her voice filled with disbelief.
"No… no… this is impossible!"
Bronya gripped her weapon tightly, her gaze resolute. "The will of Preservation has made its choice."
Ice spread beneath Cocolia's feet as she roared in fury.
"You know nothing of this world's plight… nothing of the fate awaiting it!"
Bronya retorted, "Even if the Rift's cold tide swallows Belobog, we will hold hands and bravely walk into that darkness."
Cocolia: "No—this world will not perish! A new future will be born in my hands!"
March 7th: "In your hands? With us here, that's never going to happen!"
Stelle thrust the flaming lance into the frozen ground, flames racing along its grooves, devouring the ice spikes' impact entirely.
"The first Supreme Guardian to betray the oath of Preservation, your so-called future has long been consumed by the Stellaron."
A sharp sound dislodged snowflakes as countless bone-chilling ice spikes formed behind Cocolia.
"Then drown in the darkness with your childish ideals!"
"The one who'll drown in darkness is you."
Stelle spun, unleashing a wave of blazing fire, and slammed the lance into the ground again.
An amber barrier enveloped the group, blocking all attacks.
"Holy crab, the new Path's protagonist is so cool!"
"Preservation Main or Fire Main… nah, Fire Main!"
"If I didn't know this game just launched, I'd think this was the final boss battle. So epic!"
"But where did Leon's wings go?"
Prompted by the chat, Old Bear realized Leon's wings weren't gone—they'd become a buff.
Opening the protagonist's battle info page, he found numerous buffs.
Speed boosts, damage increases, health recovery on hit…
At the bottom of the buffs were two lines of text:
[The will of humanity can pierce through stone, overcoming all obstacles.]
[Carry his share and charge fearlessly forward.]
"Got it. With this bond, how can we lose? Cocolia, face your judgment!"
Old Bear let out a perfectly timed, dramatic shout.
"If there were a real world like this, I don't know how their battles would unfold."
"In our game, the combat is always turn-based."
"But I know—"
"As long as we charge forward shouting about friendship, bonds, and the future, we'll be unstoppable!"
"Huh? What's up with this robot?"
"Whoa! That punch was awesome! Why's the robot suddenly following the protagonist's orders?"
"No way, actual bonds! Fire Main's artwork is so cool!"
"But why's it just locals around? Where's the Express crew?"
"That ultimate is so badass, I'm hyped! This game is too good!"
[…]
Not just Old Bear—every streamer was thoroughly hyped, diving into the thrilling climax of this epic battle.
After depleting Cocolia's first health bar, a cutscene triggered.
Stelle leaped into the air, her flaming lance wrapped in fire, aimed straight at Cocolia's head.
"Die!"
Cocolia gripped her Winter Spear to block, but it was as if a mountain crushed her, her hovering stance collapsing instantly.
The Creation Engine raised its massive fist, wrapped in wind and snow, and smashed toward Cocolia.
Stelle kicked Cocolia's body, using the momentum to shoot backward like an arrow.
Boom!!
The Creation Engine's fist slammed down, hammering Cocolia into the ground.
The earth quaked, rocks shattered, and dust billowed.
"Did we win?" March 7th asked nervously.
Stelle stared at the spot where the fist lifted, her sharp demeanor unwavering.
"The Stellaron's power seems to be growing more violent!" Dan Heng warned coldly, his clothes fluttering in the wind. "Everyone, be careful!"
Before his words settled, an icy blue glow erupted from the crater.
Imaginary energy surged outward, sending a stabbing pain through their minds, making even lifting a finger difficult.
An icy shadow burst from the ground, soaring skyward.
Cocolia hovered at the storm's center, Stellaron energy coursing across her body.
Seeing this, everyone knew the second phase had begun.
Ah Xian's face was flushed, her emotions in a fever pitch.
As a beta tester, she was amazed by the progress in the story's presentation.
She had every reason to believe the third beta had intentionally served an older version.
A classic case of building up by starting low.
"If it's about building up, then my husband should be back soon, right?"
"The wings blocking that spear for the protagonist during the Path switch can't be his only big moment in the final battle."
She didn't believe it.
Or rather, she didn't want to believe it.
Since Leon wasn't in the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone, the crisis there must be resolved.
So why hadn't he shown up?
Unless—
There was a bigger, more severe hidden crisis that required him to leave the Restricted Zone to handle.
Lost in thought, Ah Xian grew increasingly worried.
Leon had used his wings to shield Stelle from a spear, and the scene clearly showed he was injured as a result.
And that starry background…
It didn't look like the Path's Chasm where Stelle awakened the will of Preservation.
"The only salvation…"
Seeing Cocolia's dialogue as she began charging, Ah Xian shook off her scattered thoughts and gave a mysterious smile.
"Family, don't blink. Cocolia's about to unleash All Things Tremble."
She remembered this move vividly—it had wiped out three of her team in the beta, leaving only the protagonist.
"The Stellaron's power is with me. You… are merely the dying struggles of a collapsing old world!"
Cocolia ascended high, her furious shout tearing through the sky.
A violently reacting orb of Imaginary energy rapidly formed in her palm.
The destructive aura radiating from it made everyone's hair stand on end, their breathing labored.
"No good! Interrupt her!"
Seele gritted her teeth, struggling to stand, but her body, bound by the Stellaron's pressure, felt leaden.
The others were similarly trapped, even Dan Heng, the strongest among them, furrowing his brow involuntarily.
They had underestimated this Stellaron.
The cancer of all worlds, dormant for seven hundred years, had fused with its host, channeling terrifying attacks through Cocolia's combat instincts.
If they couldn't stop it, Jarilo-VI would fall into an abyss, beyond salvation.
Dan Heng stared at the faint azure dragon scales on his arm, taking a deep breath.
===
New Genshin Fanfic is Up!