124. The Playful Game Ends Here
"Wow, there are so many people."
Lemuen carefully turned the steering wheel, searching for a gap in the dense sea of cars, while gazing at the surging crowd outside the window with a sigh.
"Of course!"
Xiling's voice immediately rang out from the back seat, his head held high with undeniable pride.
"This is the top-tier amusement park I found online, the one that's famous throughout Arc City—Starry Sky Park!"
"Oh, not bad." Kevin smiled as he looked out the window at the amusement park's rides and the shouts of the people, as did the Tarnished beside him.
In the passenger seat, Kiana, wearing a mask, her single ponytail peeking out from behind her baseball cap, and slightly platform shoes—her preparations before leaving home—looked through the glass window at the bustling scene of people inside the amusement park, her eyes flickering slightly.
Just then, Lemuen's gentle voice broke the brief silence in the car:
"Sirin, have you ever been to an amusement park before?"
Kiana quickly snapped out of her reverie, shaking her head with a smile:
"No."
"Then it's your first time!" Xiling immediately chimed in, his gaze sweeping across everyone in the car like a searchlight, a sharp, scrutinizing look in his eyes.
"By the way, we shouldn't... have anyone sneaked out to this place first, right? Hmm?" His gaze finally settled on Kevin, his expression full of implied frankness.
Sensing Xiling's questioning gaze, Kevin spoke up immediately.
"Don't look at me like that, it's my first time here too."
"Neither do I."
The Tarnished secretly acknowledged that such a thing didn't exist in his world.
"Me neither."
Lemuen finally found a parking space, skillfully parked the car smoothly, pulled the handbrake, and turned back to give everyone a gentle smile.
Seeing his companions' unanimous reaction, Xiling crossed his arms with satisfaction and nodded smugly, announcing, "Looks like we're all cut from the same cloth!"
"How come it sounds different from your mouth?" Kevin glanced at Xiling with disdain.
Lemuen smiled and unbuckled her seatbelt:
"Alright, alright, passengers, get ready to get off!"
"Okay!" *3x
The three in the back quickly unbuckled their seatbelts and rushed to open the car door.
Kiana took one last look at her attire, ensuring her hat and mask were on properly, before taking a deep breath and stepping out of the car.
Soon, the five of them stood side by side in front of the entrance to Starry Sky Park. They listened to the deafening background music, the excited screams and laughter of the tourists, and happy smiles appeared on their faces.
Xiling snapped his fingers and announced in a loud voice, "Comrades! Our ultimate goal today is—!"
Kevin, the Tarnished, and Kiana, as if a fuse had been lit, shouted in unison, pumping their fists:
"Play! Play! Play!" Even Lemuen echoed softly.
"Very good!" Xiling nodded in satisfaction.
"Today, as it's our first time at an amusement park, we must experience every single ride! Understand? Go to every single one!"
"Understood!" Kevin, Kiana, and the Tarnished replied in unison again, their faces beaming with pure excitement, while Lemuen smiled gently.
Xiling turned around, no longer hesitating.
"Then let's march!"
"Oh oh oh—!" Amidst the enthusiastic responses, the four of them rushed into the crowd with great excitement.
Lemuen looked at the four people, excited like children, and couldn't help but chuckle. Smiling as she followed them.
Stop 1: Carousel.
The four guys struck various poses as if riding warhorses, with Lemuen sitting sideways on the horse's back.
Stop 2: Bumper Cars.
"Look at me, you three! Behold my Victory Tornado!" Xiling excitedly maneuvered his bumper car, crashing into the three.
The three, who hadn't driven much, were forced back by Xiling's powerful attacks.
"This guy is too arrogant, isn't there any way to deal with him?" the Tarnished said unwillingly.
"I have a plan!" Kiana's voice pierced through the noise, "Let's team up! A three-way encirclement!"
Exchanging a glance, Kevin and the Tarnished instantly understood the tactical intention and nodded vigorously.
Xiling charged left and right, only to find that all escape routes were blocked.
"Hey...hey hey! Wait! This is no good, right? What happened to the one-on-one duel?" The smug smile on Xiling's face finally froze, replaced by a hint of panic.
Kevin, Kiana, and the Tarnished exchanged a "success!" look, then slammed on the gas—"Eat our victory tornado!" *3x!
Finally, all four of them collapsed, leaving only Lemuen on the field.
Third stop: The Haunted House.
"Heh...what's wrong? After a few rides, your legs are weak. Scared already? No way, no way?" Xiling spoke to the four walking ahead of him, his tone full of provocation.
"This guy's hiding behind us is pretty arrogant..." Kevin whispered to the three beside him.
Just then, Kiana's eyes flashed with inspiration, "Hey, I suddenly have a great idea!"
"Tell me quickly," the Tarnished immediately asked.
"It's simple!" Kiana winked, speaking rapidly.
"I'll count to 3, 2, 1, and then we immediately—run! Leave him behind!"
The words had barely left her lips when Kevin and the Tarnished's eyes lit up with a brilliant light, and Lemuen's face broke into a wicked grin.
"3…2…1…Run!" Kiana's command was like a starting gun!
In an instant, Kevin, the Tarnished, Lemuen, and Kiana dashed headlong into the dimly lit, more terrifying passage ahead!
"Holy crap!!!" Xiling watched the four figures disappear around the corner into the darkness.
"You bunch of uncivilized bastards! Wait for me—!!!"
Several terrified screams echoed through the haunted house.
Station 4: Roller Coaster.
Station 7: Pirate Ship.
Station 11: Giant Swing.
As the sun completely sank below the horizon, the five of them disembarked from an attraction called the Crazy Coffee Cups and found a bench to rest on.
They looked at each other, and one of them burst into laughter. The laughter seemed to possess a magical power, instantly igniting the other four, echoing through the space, filled with joy.
Xiling raised his hand, looking at a guidebook.
"There are still a few attractions we haven't finished. Can we continue, everyone?"
"After all, this is our first time," Lemuen said softly, her fingers gently stroking Kiana's hair.
"It's better to try not to have any regrets, right?"
Kiana tilted her head slightly, feeling the warmth of Lemuen's fingertips, like a kitten being stroked, and softly replied, "Yes."
"Agreed," Kevin raised his hand.
The Tarnished also raised his hand.
"I agree too."
"Great! Unanimously approved!" Xiling slapped his thigh in satisfaction, struggling to stand up.
"Then let's go all out..." Before he could finish, a remarkably clear and long "gurgle gurgle~~~~~~" echoed through the air.
Time seemed to freeze for a second.
All eyes turned to the source of the sound—Kiana instinctively clutched her stomach, her cheeks instantly flushing red, her immense embarrassment barely concealed by her mask.
"Pfft..." Xiling couldn't help but laugh, followed by an even louder laugh that broke the brief silence.
"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry, it seems Miss Sirin's stomach is giving us an important opinion! She's right, after playing so much, we haven't really eaten anything properly!"
"Hey! Xiling!" Kiana was both embarrassed and annoyed, trying to kill this gloating guy with her eyes. However, her uncooperative stomach seemed to confirm Xiling's words, protesting with an even louder rumble, instantly dispelling all her bravado and leaving her with only a look of utter despair.
Lemuen stood up and reached out to take Kiana's hand, who was still clutching her stomach.
"Alright, alright, filling your stomach is an important part of not having any regrets."
The Tarnished pointed in a direction.
"I think I saw some food for sale over there."
"Let's go then." Kevin took the lead, setting the route.
Soon, the group arrived at a restaurant. It was evening, and quite a few people were eating there. They found a seat and ordered some ordinary yet expensive dishes. The aroma of the food filled the air. Xiling smiled at Kiana, who was staring intently at the food across from her:
"I know you're hungry. Don't let your stomach remind me anymore, just eat!"
Kiana clutched her stomach, gritting her teeth as she glared at Xiling.
"I'll punch you when I'm full!" she said, preparing to dig in.
Just as Kiana was about to take her first bite, a warm hand gently landed on her head again. It was Lemuen. Kiana, with food in her mouth, turned to look at her in confusion.
Lemuen's smile was gentle and concerned:
"Sirin…did you have fun today?" Her voice was soft, yet it pierced through the restaurant's noise.
Kiana swallowed the food in her mouth, with a hint of understandable confusion in her eyes.
"Sister Lemuen? I look... pretty happy, don't I?"
"Hard to say," Lemuen said, withdrawing her hand.
"You're a very strong child, Sirin. You always tend to keep many things hidden deep inside. Even when you're with us, you're always smiling, and we often can't tell if that smile truly hides all your burdens."
Kevin, sitting beside her, picked up a fry and chimed in, "Yeah, you sometimes carry a lot on your mind, which is why we're even more eager to know how you truly feel right now."
Kiana's gaze slowly swept across the faces of Lemuen, Kevin, Sirin, and the Tarnished. A warm current mixed with a bittersweet feeling quietly welled up in her heart.
"...So, this event was specially held just for me...?"
"Cough!" Xiling, who was drinking his beverage, almost choked. He quickly put down his cup and gave Kiana a look that said, "You're overthinking it."
"Hey, don't flatter yourself! We mainly want to have fun too!"
"Indeed. The novel experience is very attractive," the Tarnished said quite frankly.
"See!" Xiling immediately became smug and couldn't resist reaching across the table to ruffle Kiana's hair.
"Making sure you were happy was something that happened incidentally~."
Kiana nimbly turned her head away, glaring at him with displeasure.
Xiling didn't mind, withdrawing his hand, resting his chin on his hand, and looking at Kiana.
"But, Little Sirin, you'd better sort out all those messy little knots in your heart soon. Otherwise, when we, older brothers and sisters, have to leave one day, we'll be very worried~" Xiling deliberately dragged out the last syllable.
"You're not that much older than me, okay?! And stop treating me like a child!" Kiana's face flushed again, this time with embarrassment and annoyance. The touching atmosphere she had painstakingly built up was completely shattered by Xiling's teasing! She took a huge bite of her hamburger, chewing it forcefully as if she were biting Xiling herself.
Just at this moment, a magical moment seemed to descend from the amusement park—
"Buzz..."
Outside the restaurant, the amusement park's main lighting system seemed to be simultaneously illuminated by an invisible conductor's baton! In an instant, the entire world seemed to be splashed with the most vibrant colors!
Kiana forgot to chew, forgot her earlier embarrassment, her blue eyes completely captivated by the sudden, dreamlike spectacle outside the window.
Xiling slammed his hand on the table.
"Ah! I remember! We haven't taken a group photo yet!" He immediately pulled out his phone, then, as if by magic, produced a folding selfie stick from his backpack, quickly assembling it.
"Quick, quick! Get closer!"
Kevin and the Tarnished naturally put their arms around Xiling's shoulders, one on each side. Lemuen smiled and pulled Kiana up, placing her slightly higher behind Xiling. Both of them simultaneously flashed V-signs.
Five smiling faces, brimming with weariness, joy, satisfaction, and a touch of emotion, were frozen in time against the dreamlike backdrop of the shimmering lights outside the window.
Xiling held his phone high, adjusting the angle, a smile of excitement on his face:
"Ready? Look at the camera! 3—"
At the peak of this moment—the brightest smiles, the most dazzling lights, time seemingly frozen at its most beautiful moment—
"2—"
A chilling shriek pierced everyone's eardrums without warning!
"1—"
Time seemed to slow down in Kiana's eyes.
With a deafening roar and a terrifying tremor, Kiana whirled around!
Her gaze pierced through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows—
A colossal shadow plummeted from the sky! It crashed heavily onto the plaza not far from the restaurant!
The solid granite floor shattered like a biscuit! A violent shockwave, carrying debris and dust, swept outwards!
The restaurant's massive floor-to-ceiling windows shattered like fragile candy pieces the instant the shockwave reached them!
There were many ordinary people inside the restaurant; if the impact of the shards continued, there would be virtually no chance of survival!
Kiana watched almost helplessly as shards of glass hurtled towards Xilingza at the front.
Stun, disbelief, and absolute disapproval.
Almost instantly, just as the glass was about to pierce Xiling's head (?), space seemed to freeze. In this still space, only a girl gasped for breath.
Kiana's azure blue eyes turned gold; those golden eyes that should have been filled with majesty were now filled with terror.
She was so close, so very close, to losing it all again!
She absolutely wouldn't allow it! Even if it meant using that power! The power of the Herrscher of the Void!
The girl gasped for breath in this still space, but the fear in her eyes quickly faded, replaced by unparalleled rage.
She abruptly looked up, glaring at the Honkai Beast descending before her.
"You deserve to die!"
Terrifying energy, carrying shards of glass, instantly pierced through the Honkai Beast's body.
The girl took one last look at her...friends. She was truly leaving this time.
The world began to flow again at that moment, and everyone seemed oblivious to what had just happened. The girl had vanished from the restaurant, heading towards the distant battlefield—no, it should be called a slaughterhouse of carnage.
Xiling stepped out of the broken window.
"I hope I didn't give myself away?"
The Tarnished stretched his neck.
"How should I know? I was truly frozen in place; my thoughts stopped for a moment." He turned to Kevin.
"What about you?"
"It can be broken, but it will be discovered," Kevin gave a definite answer.
Lemuen frowned, looking at the ordinary people who were still unaware of what had happened.
"What do we do now?"
"I never expected her to be able to use the Second Herrscher's abilities so easily. Her location is probably completely exposed now."
By covering the entire amusement park with magic to ensure everyone's safety, Xiling could also observe the girl's unparalleled rage, the blonde girl who was crossing the night sky at unimaginable speed and was about to arrive at the battlefield, and several people from the city who were currently rushing towards them.
"What a hassle. I was just planning to have some fun today."
Feeling all this, Xiling turned around and smiled.
"They've already exposed themselves for us, so... we should do something about it."
"This game of house is over."
The Starry Cloak appeared on Xiling's shoulders, and he drew the Holy Sword from it.
"It's time to declare to this world—"
"—We have arrived!"