Chapter 92: It's Okay, You're Cute Even With Useless Abilities
"It is not your fault." March 7th offered a comforting pat to Rekka's shoulder, her tone surprisingly gentle. "After all, if it were me, I would probably be standing right in the middle of a crowded plaza, and when the timer hit zero, just... bang!"
"So, let me get this straight. After saving all those people from getting blown to bits, we are now..." Stelle crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing in deep thought.
"Wanted criminals. That is right." Silver Wolf blew a bubble with her gum, letting it pop with a sharp snap. She stepped forward and enthusiastically shook Rekka's hand. "Congratulations on becoming suspected members of the Stellaron Hunters. Truly a milestone worth celebrating!"
"By the way, Stelle, you used to be my colleague anyway. This is just a return to form for you. No big deal."
March 7th whipped her head around, her pink hair bouncing. "Wait, you were actually a Stellaron Hunter before?!"
Rekka stroked his chin, looking between the two. "Think about it. Stelle represents the 'Stellaron'and Silver Wolf is the'Hunter.'Standing together, you two literally make up the'Stellaron Hunters.' It is quite the amusing coincidence."
March 7th shot him a deadpan glare. "Since when did you start assigning people such mean nicknames?"
"Speaking of which..." Stelle trailed off, glancing around the quiet alleyway. "Are we all officially on the hit list?"
"Right here. Fresh off the press." Silver Wolf casually swiped a finger through the air. Three glowing holographic screens materialized, displaying official emergency wanted posters. "Dangerous elements suspected of carrying antimatter bombs. Authorized for lethal force on sight. Dead or alive."
She smirked, projecting a fourth screen beside them. "However, since yours are just temporary warrants thrown together in a panic, the bounty for the three of you combined does not even come close to mine, of course." The glowing digits beneath her own portrait proudly displayed a staggering 5.1 billion Credit bounty.
March 7th leaned in to inspect the holograms, her face falling instantly. "Huh? Why does Stelle's photo look like a professional headshot? And why do I look so incredibly stupid in mine?!"
"Probably an issue with the angle," Silver Wolf replied, her tone completely matter-of-fact. "You were turning your head to talk right as the security drone snapped the shot. Your eyes are squinted into tiny slits, and your mouth is hanging wide open. You look like a total dork."
"Can we hack into their database and change this photo?" March 7th whined, covering her face in embarrassment.
Silver Wolf arched an eyebrow, giving the archer a look of pure disbelief. "You want to pick out a flattering photo for a wanted poster? Do you think this is a cover shoot for a fashion magazine? The uglier the mugshot, the harder it is for the Cloud Knights to actually recognize you on the street."
Rekka stood off to the side, his shoulders shaking violently as he desperately tried to stifle a laugh. "I have to agree with the hacker on this one. Look at your photo, March. Those glazed-over eyes, those slightly parted lips... it perfectly captures that... uh, crystal-clear simplicity you always display when facing a life-or-death emergency."
"But Stelle's looks amazing!" March 7th protested, jabbing a finger at the adjacent hologram. In the image, the gray-haired Trailblazer happened to be looking directly into the security lens. Her golden eyes were clear and spirited, the lighting hitting her features perfectly, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned in a confident smirk. She looked incredibly photogenic.
Stelle leaned over, inspecting her own bounty with a critical eye, before nodding in deep satisfaction. "It is indeed a fantastic shot. I look very cool."
"Since we are all wanted criminals running for our lives, what difference does it make if the photo looks good?" Rekka sighed, shaking his head.
"How can you even say that..." March 7th grumbled.
Stelle suddenly pointed at the third screen. "Wait. What exactly is going on with Rekka's photo?"
The group crowded around the final hologram.
Rekka's wanted poster looked like a visual glitch. His face was captured mid-motion, but the motion blur had completely warped his features into a horrifying, wide-mouthed scream. It looked less like a human being and more like a badly smeared oil painting.
"Hey, how did your face get so distorted?" March 7th asked, her bad mood instantly vanishing as she stared at the monstrosity.
"I think it has a lot of tension, does it not?" Rekka defended himself, crossing his arms. "My art style is clearly superior to yours!"
"Do you not think it looks like one of those abstract, low-budget animations?" Silver Wolf snickered.
His face was so severely warped he looked exactly like a certain leader of the Akatsuki during a high-budget animation breakdown. Anyone who did not know better would assume his head had been repeatedly slammed in a heavy blast door.
'My pain is far greater than yours!' Rekka thought to himself, admiring the sheer chaotic energy radiating from the mugshot.
Stelle tilted her head, studying the distorted image with absolute seriousness. "He is right. It really does have a lot of tension."
"Alright, alright, enough about the photos. Stop arguing." Silver Wolf clapped her hands once, dismissing the holograms. "Our main problem right now is figuring out our next move."
"Does Elio have anything to say about this?" Stelle asked.
"The script says..." Silver Wolf pulled out her digital terminal, swiping open a highly encrypted text file and turning the screen for the three of them to see.
March 7th blinked. "...Huh?"
"Improvise?" Rekka read the single word glowing on the screen.
"Yes. Improvise." Silver Wolf pocketed the device.
"So, our primary task right now is to figure out who that mysterious woman was and exactly why she decided to frame us for the bombing," March 7th concluded, pacing back and forth.
Stelle and Rekka immediately huddled together, their voices dropping to a conspiratorial whisper as they began discussing their grand strategy. As the two most chaotic and active members of the Astral Express, their brainstorming session quickly devolved into a rapid-fire exchange of absolute lunacy.
'Maybe we should blow up the other half of the Starport to assert dominance,'Stelle suggested with a straight face.'No, no, we need to infiltrate the Seat of Divine Foresight and replace the General's tea with hot sauce,' Rekka countered, nodding sagely.
Crazy ideas were officially in progress.
Silver Wolf watched the two idiots plot for a moment before shifting her attention back to the shape-shifting anomaly. "Speaking of which, as someone currently walking the Path of Trailblaze, you should have some sort of special combat abilities, right?"
Rekka puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course I do. I can drift through the vacuum of space without any protective gear, and I will not die even if I go completely without food or water."
"Oh..." Silver Wolf's expression fell flat. "I know about that one. That is a passive baseline ability that literally everyone on the Path of Trailblaze possesses. I mean, what else can you do? For example, can you channel Imaginary Energy to manifest a phantom train and slam it directly into your enemies? You must have some kind of ultimate move like that."
Rekka suddenly found the metal floor plating incredibly interesting. "Uh, well, you see..."
Silver Wolf stared at him, her eyes narrowing. "Do not tell me you only have that one single passive ability." Her expression grew visibly strained.
The hacker let out a long, heavy sigh, patting him on the arm with mock pity. "It is okay. You are still cute even with completely useless abilities."
"What do you mean 'cute even with completely useless abilities'?!" Rekka protested loudly, swatting her hand away. "I call this a specialized focus on pure survival! The true essence of the Path of Trailblaze is about surviving in the most desperate, impossible situations!"
"Then what exactly can you do right now to help us?" Silver Wolf tilted her head, her tone dripping with skepticism. "Can you tear apart an aurumaton with your bare hands?"
Rekka gritted his teeth. "...No."
He felt deeply, personally insulted.
"What is with those judging looks! What is wrong with the Trailblaze?!" he demanded, throwing his hands in the air.
"Nothing is wrong with it. I just feel like... your Trailblaze form is basically exactly the same as your Elation form," March 7th offered, trying her best to comfort him. "It is totally fine, Rekka. If we get into a fight, just hide behind me. I will throw a few extra shields on you to keep you from getting knocked out."
"Tsk." Rekka clicked his tongue, crossing his arms defensively. "The Trailblaze is all about being grounded and down-to-earth. Besides, we Nameless rely on making vast networks of friends wherever we travel in the cosmos. We do not need to rely solely on our own brute strength."
"Sure, sure. You have so many friends. You are absolutely amazing." Silver Wolf laced her fingers behind her head and leaned back against a stack of red shipping containers. "So, our great Nameless friend with all his many connections, how exactly do you plan to get us past the heavily armed Cloud Knights currently sweeping the perimeter outside?"
"I..." Rekka's brow furrowed in deep concentration. He clenched his fists. "I will just kill myself and go straight to heaven!"
Silver Wolf instantly lunged forward, grabbing his collar. "Do not even think about it. I was just joking. If you off yourself to force a Path switch and actually end up summoning Nanook the Destruction, things will escalate way out of hand."
She let go of him, tapping her terminal again. "Relax. I just finished hacking into the local Starport surveillance grid. The good news is that half of the security cameras in this cargo sector are completely broken, so we are safe for the time being."
"This is what we in the business call a rough start," Rekka mused, rubbing his chin. "It is a very common narrative trope."
He checked his internal clock. "Right now, there are still seven system hours left until midnight."
"Are you..." Stelle started.
"I am going to take a nap first."
Stelle nodded sagely, turning to the others. "He is setting a respawn point. Let him sleep for a bit."
Silver Wolf blinked, her gamer instincts flaring up. "A respawn point? Is that not a bit too overpowered? Exactly how many extra lives does this guy have?"
"Eighteen lives," Stelle replied casually. "And they refresh every single day."
Ignoring their conversation, Rekka unrolled a thick sleeping bag onto the cold metal floor, crawled inside, and zipped himself all the way up to his chin like a giant caterpillar.
"Goodnight, Makka Pakka," he mumbled into the fabric.
In less than a minute, the soft, rhythmic sound of even breathing could be heard echoing from inside the sleeping bag.
"The Path of Trailblaze is quite mysterious, is it not?" Stelle asked, looking at the incredibly complex, baffled expression plastered across Silver Wolf's face. She nudged the hacker gently with her elbow.
"...It certainly is mysterious," Silver Wolf muttered, staring at the snoring lump on the floor. "Falling asleep the exact second his head hits the ground. What a terrifying ability."
— — —
Meanwhile, back on the Astral Express, Welt Yang was currently in the middle of preparing for a sparring session with Delta.
Thanks to Rekka's previous interventions, Rozaliya and Liliya now possessed the unique ability to flawlessly merge into a single, highly lethal combat form, or separate back into their original twin bodies at will. However, while operating in their current merged state as 'Delta,' the heavy, cybernetic tail was entirely controlled by Liliya's consciousness. This unique division of labor allowed the twins to exert a terrifying amount of coordinated physical strength.
Welt adjusted his glasses, glancing at his phone screen with a slight frown. "They have been out on the Xianzhou Luofu for over two system hours, and they have not replied to a single one of my messages..."
Just as the words left his mouth, a notification pinged. A new message had just appeared in the official Astral Express group chat, affectionately titled 'Loving Family.'
[Rekka: Mr. Welt, Sister Himeko, Old Teacher Dan Heng. Good news and bad news. We are officially wanted criminals.]
[Welt:?]
[Himeko:?]
[Dan Heng:?]
[Himeko: You have not even been on the Xianzhou Luofu for two full system hours. What on earth could you possibly have done to get the local government to put out an emergency warrant for your arrest so quickly?]
[Welt: Rekka... did you go out of your way to attack the Xianzhou's Arbiter-General?]
[Rekka: Not at all! Have some faith in me.]
[Rekka: We just accidentally blew up half of the Starport about thirty minutes ago.]
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