[More Than Ten Minutes Earlier…]
Guided by the Shorekeeper, Rover and the others arrived at the source of the wailing in Guixu Port City.
"The Devouring Star is up ahead."
Rover looked up. Dark red chaotic frequencies almost filled the entire space. Chaos, anger, and hatred hung around the group like a plague.
Several stone slabs torn apart by brute force were suspended in midair by a strange power, yet the flowers beneath their feet were completely unharmed, still blooming as before.
The Shorekeeper pointed to the center of a platform not far ahead. Her usually calm tone now carried a trace of concern. "That piano is the tuning interface."
By retuning it, Rover could recover the scattered data and bring everything back onto the right track.
At that very moment, something unexpected happened.
A dark purple data cube appeared out of thin air like a ghost, without any warning. As the data unfolded, it gradually transformed into grotesque, ferocious afterimages, baring their fangs and claws.
These afterimages were like evil spirits breaking free from hell, giving off a chilling aura. Guards, hunters, warriors, musicians… the originally disorderly afterimages now seemed to be controlled by something, tightly united together into a battle formation.
At the very rear of the formation, the murmuring-type afterimage, the Jingzhe Hunter, the moment it appeared, immediately drew the thunder bow in its hand without hesitation.
The motion was as fast as lightning, and the sound of the string being pulled was like the first thunderclap of early spring, deafening.
Everything happened too fast. Rover, the Doctor, and the Shorekeeper had no time to find cover.
In the instant of their shock, the rain-like barrage of lightning arrows was already pouring down toward them, covering the sky and earth as if to swallow them whole.
"It seems the host here isn't very welcoming." At the critical moment, the gray-haired girl standing at the very front let out a light laugh, and a crimson lance materialized in her hand.
With the lance in hand, Stelle lost some of her usual mischievousness, replaced by a warrior's resolve.
"This time, I'll protect everyone."
Expressionless, Stelle looked ahead. She lightly swung the lance in her hand, and a dazzling light suddenly burst forth, like the sun breaking through clouds.
When the light faded, a massive golden shield appeared before her as if emerging from the void, standing firmly in place.
The shield radiated a heart-shaking glow, as if forged from endless gold, like a blazing flame protecting the lives behind her.
It appeared incredibly fast, like lightning, instantly covering all three of them.
The very next second, countless arrows poured down like a storm, dense and overwhelming, impossible to dodge.
Yet when these arrows struck the amber-like shield, they produced a series of clanging sounds, like raindrops hitting glass.
The noise was deafening, enough to make one feel their eardrums might burst, yet the golden shield stood firm as a mountain. Every arrow that struck it made the crimson flames in Stelle's eyes burn even brighter.
But this couldn't go on forever. Under the suppression of the arrows, the afterimage formation was steadily advancing. At this point, the Nether Abyss Guards at the very front were already less than ten meters away.
"The tip of the spear is ignited..."
Stelle parted her lips slightly. Blazing flames surged skyward, sweeping away all the arrows in the air in an instant. The scorching wind whipped her clothes, making them flap loudly.
Rover and the Doctor, protected behind her, couldn't help but widen their eyes at the sight. This was their first time seeing Stelle like this.
Gone was her usual recklessness and playfulness. In its place was someone reliable and unyielding, standing at the very front of the battlefield like a valkyrie, like a flame tearing through the night... even if it meant she would be burned by it every day.
"Flaming Lance, charge!"
Seeing the formation already close at hand, Stelle shouted sharply. Her tall figure surged straight into the sea of flames.
In just an instant, the formation of afterimages was torn open by the unstoppable flaming lance.
The massive bodies of three Nether Abyss Guards were instantly swallowed by roaring flames. The wildfire spread along the path of fire, piercing straight through the formation.
"Now!" Rover stomped the ground, her figure shooting out like an arrow released from a bow. The swift blade in her hand cut through the air, letting out a sharp hum.
Where the blade passed, it felt as if the air itself was being torn apart, leaving behind a faint mark.
More than a dozen giant-wave-level Resonance Musicians raised the bells in their hands, chanting harsh curses at the two of them.
At the same time, dozens of giant-wave-level Edict Musicians raised their flutes. Their shrill, grating tones, like funeral music, took on physical form, binding the two in place.
Just as the afterimages were about to succeed, dark golden stone fragments rained down from above. Sharp shards pierced precisely through the heads of every musician.
"I've said it so many times, don't just charge in like that…"
The girl who looked like a little penguin sighed helplessly, pressing her forehead. Her cute face frowned slightly, like a mother seeing her child cause trouble again.
Rushing into the formation without even dealing with the most dangerous casters first…
At the thought of the formation, a trace of seriousness flashed through the Doctor's eyes behind her mask.
Behind these afterimages, there had to be a hidden force controlling everything from the shadows.
Otherwise, how could these mindless afterimages form a battle formation?
While the Doctor was lost in thought, Rover and Stelle moved back and forth through the afterimages, one with a blade and the other with a spear, as if in an empty field. In just a few minutes, they wiped them out completely.
"Ha... fighting feels great!" As the last afterimage fell, Stelle slammed her lance into the ground and let out a long breath.
"Program copy complete."
The black hole hidden beneath the crimson clouds in the sky revealed its fangs to Rover at that moment. A massive suction force burst out from the depths, instantly pulling her in.
"Awaiting core implantation…"
The unstoppable pull came with an emotionless mechanical voice from the void. Even someone as strong as Rover couldn't resist the gravity of the black hole.
"Target: Supreme Administrator."
"This is bad!", Realizing what was happening, Rover instinctively looked for something to grab onto.
Only then did she suddenly realize she was standing in the open center of the platform, with nothing around her to resist the pull.
In desperation, she raised her swift blade high and stabbed it hard into the ground beneath her.
But even that was barely any help.
Having just finished the battle, her strength hadn't recovered. Her slender figure was pulled away in an instant by the black hole's gravity.
Seeing this, the Shorekeeper's expression changed. She immediately turned into a butterfly and flew to Rover's side, grabbing her hand tightly.
"Hold on… don't let go!"
Seeing how hard the Shorekeeper was trying, Rover's expression shifted. The next second, the emotionless electronic voice rang out again from the black hole.
"Executing highest-level authorization strategy."
Along with it came countless black lines extending from the black hole.
Each line was like a tentacle, instantly wrapping around Rover's body, trying to drag her completely inside.
"No… don't…"
The Shorekeeper's anxious face reflected in Rover's eyes. She then glanced at the black lines nearly binding her completely. A drop of cold sweat slid down her smooth face as she shouted sharply at the Shorekeeper, "Go!"
She absolutely couldn't let the Shorekeeper be absorbed along with her.
As she spoke, Rover loosened her grip on the Shorekeeper's hand…
"It's still too early to give up now!"
The familiar voice made Rover's heart tremble, her eyes reddening uncontrollably.
At the same time, flying Originium fragments instantly cut apart the black lines wrapped around her. A golden time barrier followed, completely isolating the dark red Devouring Star from the group.
The difference in time directly caused the Devouring Star's gravity to disappear from this space.
Without its pull, Rover, suspended in midair, began to fall under gravity.
Before she could adjust herself to brace for impact, she suddenly felt herself land in a warm embrace.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Rover looked up and immediately saw those eyes, filled with concern and suppressed anger. She smiled slightly.
"A hero is supposed to show up at the critical moment, right? My hero."