A Stand is a manifestation of spiritual energy. Due to the virus on the arrow, it materializes and gains special abilities.
But ultimately, its essence is still the holder's spiritual power.
A powerful Stand cannot be controlled by someone with weak spiritual power, and it's common for it to even backfire and consume its master's life force.
And as spiritual power grows, a Stand generally gains stronger attributes and abilities.
Of course, this is generally the case.
But Takatsuki's Heaven's Stairway is special; it... cannot grow stronger with Takatsuki's spiritual power.
Because it has its own system for getting stronger, which is by devouring external spiritual energy.
And its upper limit simply doesn't exist, so it can become infinitely stronger, even to the point where it's not that Takatsuki's spiritual power can't control it.
But it also has another ability, which is reverse feedback.
Although it won't get stronger with Takatsuki's spiritual power, when it gets stronger, it will in turn elevate Takatsuki's spiritual power, just like its name suggests, a stairway to Heaven.
When Heaven's Stairway activated its Love Train ability and pressed it onto the Stellaron, Takatsuki realized something.
This thing...
Can be eaten!
Even Honkai Energy couldn't be eaten, yet the Stellaron in front of him could be directly devoured by Heaven's Stairway.
"How's Takatsuki doing? Why isn't he moving?"
March 7th looked at Takatsuki, who was standing motionless in front of the Stellaron, with some concern. If the Stellaron hadn't caused any commotion, she would have thought something had happened.
"Takatsuki is... absorbing the Stellaron's energy..."
Dan Heng could feel the immense Void Energy within the Stellaron continuously pouring into Takatsuki's body.
"Huh? Can the Stellaron be absorbed?"
Dan Heng could only shake his head at March 7th's surprise: "I don't know, this is the first time I've seen a situation like this."
"However... it looks like he might truly be able to solve the Stellaron problem once and for all, since we can only seal it."
As a few people were discussing, Takatsuki looked at the Stellaron in front of him with some surprise.
When Heaven's Stairway began to devour the energy, the Stellaron's originally alluring voice suddenly changed, becoming a pleading one.
"Please spare me. I'll give you whatever you want."
But Takatsuki still ignored the nagging in his mind; even when the pleading turned into angry curses, he didn't hesitate at all, instead speeding up the devouring.
"You want to devour me, do you! Let's see how much you can eat!"
With a voice filled with exasperation, the Stellaron instantly unleashed a massive burst of Void Energy, startling the others in the distance.
This Void Energy was not meant to attack Takatsuki. Without others wishing or using it, even with vast energy, the Stellaron could only slowly influence the surrounding environment. So, the only thing the Stellaron could do now was to take advantage of Takatsuki's attempt to devour its energy, and push all of its own energy back towards Takatsuki, trying to "choke" him to death on the spot.
But the Stellaron's plan failed.
Indeed, Takatsuki's method of devouring the Stellaron's energy was through his Stand's special ability. Injecting Void Energy into Takatsuki's body might be his weakness, but not to mention the Dog Talisman's immortality and the Horse Talisman's expulsion of external forces, just the system's new function alone meant Takatsuki wasn't worried about such a situation.
"Detected abnormal external energy, beginning conversion."
Before the Horse Talisman could even take effect, the system began rapidly draining the Void Energy from Takatsuki's body, much faster than when it drained Honkai Energy previously.
However, when Takatsuki opened the system, he found...
"You guy, where did the energy go that you ate!?"
Previously, when the system consumed Honkai Energy, it would recharge his dungeons. Takatsuki wanted to see if it would recharge since he was already in a dungeon, but he found that there was no proof of energy absorption on the panel, as if it had vanished into thin air.
[Energy absorption will be used for system evolution. Please look forward to it.]
"..."
Looking at the system's prompt, and thinking that everything he had now was brought by the system, he didn't say anything more.
"You... why..."
The Stellaron's increasingly faint voice echoed in Takatsuki's mind. The Void Energy it unleashed in its final burst was mercilessly divided by the system and Heaven's Stairway. As the last of the energy vanished, the Stellaron, once filled with enough power to destroy a planet, fell silent, transforming into a ping-pong ball-sized sphere. The energy-like lines that had previously Entanglement around it had completely disappeared.
In the eyes of those around, the Stellaron had instantly erupted with immense energy, yet Takatsuki stood unyielding amidst this Void Energy capable of eroding any substance.
Originally, under such powerful energy, terrifying Rifts should have been spawned, but not a single trace of energy leaked out, because all of it was completely absorbed by Takatsuki, who stood in the very center.
"Truly terrifying..."
Watching the Stellaron's explosive energy weaken until it completely vanished, a drop of sweat actually ran down Dan Heng's forehead in the midst of this icy wilderness.
To be able to devour the energy of an entire Stellaron, this...
Dan Heng looked at Stelle. This was a humanoid Stellaron spirit, but Dan Heng knew that Stelle had not unleashed the Stellaron's power; it was more like the Stellaron was sealed within her body.
And Takatsuki, on the other hand, had completely absorbed the violent power within the Stellaron. While both were incredibly absurd, the latter was clearly even more so.
Looking at the man who walked over holding a black sphere, even the usually stoic Dan Heng, the cold-faced little dragon, couldn't maintain his composure.
"Wow, Takatsuki, you really destroyed the Stellaron!?"
March 7th immediately moved closer to Takatsuki, looking at the black sphere in his hand: "Is this what the Stellaron looks like after losing its power?"
"Yes, but I don't know what this is for."
"Then let's take it back to Uncle Yang. He's very knowledgeable; he'll definitely know."
"Mm."
As the Stellaron was incapacitated, the blizzard around them also stopped. Seeing this, Bronya and Gepard naturally knew that what the Astral Express crew said was true.
"Thank you, Trailblazers. Thanks to you, we were able to destroy the Stellaron. Such a tiny thing... almost completely wiped out humanity."
Bronya's mood was heavy as she looked at the Stellaron in Takatsuki's hand.
"Yes, but I don't know if this thing will revive. To be safe, I won't give it to you."
Bronya nodded: "That's natural, we're already satisfied to have solved the Stellaron, but... the Supreme Guardian..."
Bronya looked at the place where Cocolia had disappeared. She had originally wanted to save her mother by eliminating the Stellaron, but her mother had perished before the Stellaron.
"Lady Bronya Rand, right now, you are Belobog's only hope. Belobog must have a Supreme Guardian."
Bronya looked at Gepard, who was walking towards her: "Can I really be a good Supreme Guardian?"
"Just trust my brother. Although he's a bit stubborn, he and I, and these soldiers, have all personally witnessed your achievements, Bronya. It was you and the Trailblazers who together defeated Cocolia, who was controlled by the Stellaron, and destroyed the Stellaron."
Bronya opened her mouth. Although she wanted to salvage her mother's reputation, there were many ordinary soldiers present, and too many mouths to speak.
"Bronya, don't worry. I believe this matter was not Cocolia's original intention."
"Takatsuki?"
Bronya looked at Takatsuki, who was walking over holding little Seele's hand, with some surprise.
"The Cocolia you saw, who was constantly harming Belobog, was always controlled by the Stellaron's will. The true Cocolia probably hasn't been around for a long time, Serval also mentioned this, didn't she?"
Serval, who was on the side, didn't expect to be suddenly mentioned, but it was indeed something she had said before, so she could only nod along.
The surrounding soldiers quickly agreed with Takatsuki's statement, and the full story of the Cocolia incident was thus confirmed.