Astral Express.
As the silhouette of the last legendary new swordsman appeared.
Everyone's gaze instinctively turned to March 7th.
March 7th immediately tensed up!
"W-why are you all looking at me?"
"Do you think… this character is me?"
Himeko smiled gently.
She said, "March, we might know you better than you know yourself."
"So, I can say with certainty that this character is you."
March 7th couldn't help but cover her mouth.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Although she had also speculated about this…
She hadn't dared to confirm it!
Mainly because she was afraid of getting her hopes up, only to be disappointed and heartbroken!
Everyone in the Astral Express Crew was a 5-star character, while she was still the original 4-star.
And her strength was questionable, becoming increasingly irrelevant in the 2.0 era.
She didn't even appear as a trial character in events anymore!
She had gradually become the ultimate storage manager!
But now,
was her new form finally coming?
But she didn't even know how to use a sword!
Could it be that her past life memories were awakening?
Was she actually an exceptional swordsman in her past life?
Would she get stabbed during her transformation?
Probably not, right?
Surely not?
Her mind was filled with wild imaginations, feeling like she could write a whole novel!
At that moment, another wave of cheers erupted from the preview site!
"What's happening? What's happening!?"
March 7th quickly leaned in to watch, afraid she might miss some big news.
"It's the PV for version 2.4,"
Dan Heng said,
"Through it, we can get a preview of what's coming next."
Himeko nodded, "This is very important for us. Everyone, get ready to watch carefully."
March 7th clenched her hands and placed them over her chest.
She had no idea what had gotten into Yu Ling this time.
One piece of explosive news after another was being revealed!
The atmosphere at the preview site must be incredibly intense.
She really regretted not going!
As the logo for Honkai: Star Rail appeared, March 7th pushed aside all her scattered thoughts and began to focus intently on the content!
"Returning to this familiar place, I can't help but feel a wave of emotions," March 7th mused.
It had just begun.
A familiar voice echoed from the background.
March, who was already a bit nervous, immediately perked up like a startled rabbit.
It's me!
That's my voice!
On the screen.
Stelle was sitting at a table, playing a mobile game.
On the table was Diting, with a cup of Immortal's Delight on its head.
The scene expanded further.
Beside her was March 7th, diligently taking photos.
This seemed to be on a bustling street in Luofu.
The crowd was bustling, more lively than usual!
"Everyone, I see you, over here!" Yanqing said cheerfully.
Then.
Jing Yuan's voice rang out.
"In the coming days, the Xianzhou Luofu will host the Luminary Wardance celebration. We sincerely hope you can spare some time to join us."
As his words fell.
The crowd on the street suddenly panicked and scattered.
A frenzied Borisin appeared at the end of the street.
Causing destruction and roaring in rage.
"Why is there a Borisin here?"
A bewildered Yanqing, while evacuating the crowd, hurried toward the scene.
Meanwhile.
Someone moved faster than Yanqing.
"Perfect timing!"
Picking up a flying sword from the ground, she charged barefoot toward the frenzied Borisin!
With a kick, she sent it flying.
Then, with a casual flick, she launched two more flying swords.
Nailing it firmly to the ground!
After a smooth landing, more Borisin surrounded her.
The girl was none other than the silhouette that had appeared earlier—Yunli!
And she drew her massive sword.
"Heave-ho—"
"Old Mettle, which one do you want to cut…"
"Oh! All of them!"
Yunli raised the sword, which was even larger than herself, and brought it down on the Borisin!
"Rock—Shattering—Blow!!"
The enemy, along with the ground, was smashed into a deep crater.
Cracks resembling lava spread out.
Real-time comments scrolled across the screen.
...
"Old Mettle?"
"Yunli!!"
"If you're my bro, come and cut me!"
"Judging by the attack effects, she must be a fire-type character, right?"
"The genius swordsman of Yaoqing, Huaiyan's granddaughter."
"Yanqing: Where did all these genius swordsmen come from?"
"Is Yanqing about to get beaten up again?"
"My Dao heart is about to shatter."
...
Then.
The tone suddenly shifted!
A cup of Immortal's Delight floated across the screen.
March 7th held it in her hands.
She performed a traditional Xianzhou tea-offering gesture.
"Master Yunli, let me show you the results of my training!"
March 7th brandished her twin swords.
Sending out waves of pink sword energy.
Then she struck a playful pose.
"I can take on ten!!"
Seeing this.
March 7th's mouth dropped open in an "O" shape!
"That's really me!"
"The outfit, the hairstyle, everything matches!"
"Great, great, I thought I'd have to wait for the new version to find out, but the preview PV just revealed it!"
March 7th's smile kept widening!
Finally, she had a new form!
In this 2.0 era, the strength of new characters surely wouldn't be lacking, right?
She would no longer be just a storage manager!
And at the live event, the players clearly caught on as well!
...
"March!! It really is you!!!"
"March's new form, hehe…"
"Case closed!"
"The genius new swordsman is none other than our invincible, precious, adorable March 7th!"
"Using milk tea to toast with tea? That's so like you!"
"Alright, alright, Yu Ling, you're really setting up the foreshadowing like this!"
"As soon as the silhouette appeared, I guessed it!"
"Though, no matter what she wears, March always looks a bit silly."
"What do you mean silly? My March 7th is the spirited little junior sister!"
...
On the scene.
For a moment, the lights flickered, and colorful streamers flew everywhere.
The players were immersed in Elation.
The next version should be a relaxed, joyful, and fun one.
Just as everyone thought so.
The tone suddenly changed!
A cold, dark underground passage.
A tower bound by chains.
A prison emitting a faint blue light.
"The Shackling Prison of Luofu..."
"Completely different from Yaoging."
"It's actually submerged underwater."
The perspective suddenly shifted to The Shackling Prison!
All the players were stunned!
What on earth was going on?
And then.
An even more horrifying scene appeared!
Xueyi's eyes widened, her face seemingly frozen.
She collapsed to the ground.
Her body was covered in short-circuiting currents!
A massive figure emerged from the blue light,
Its sharp claws hovering over Xueyi's neck.
"Miss Hanya, please accept my condolences."
????
For a moment, the scene seemed to have been paused.
Everyone was dumbfounded!
The sudden turn of events,
It was almost unbelievable!
...
"???"
"Xue————yi————!!!"
"My Xueyi, you must not be in trouble!!!"
"There's a knife!"
"What's going on? Someone attacked the judge?!"
"Xueyi, save her!"
"It's okay, it's okay! Xueyi is a puppet, as long as her soul isn't destroyed, she can live again!"
"But... who would dare?!"
...
The answer was soon revealed!
Borisin were seen sprinting through The Shackling Prison.
Behind them.
A massive beastly claw emerged from the depths of the prison.
"Those memories of pursuit, gnawing, and tearing..."
"They have all returned!"
The voice was piercing, filled with madness!
The moment that terrifying Borisin appeared.
Someone quickly reacted!
...
"Holy crap, Hoolay!"
"Damn! He's really trying to break out and cause trouble!"
"This is a Borisin conspiracy; they're here to rescue their war chief!"
"How dare you harm our Judge Xueyi, Hoolay! You deserve a thousand deaths!"
"Hoolay!! I'll kill you a thousand times, and it still won't be enough!"
"Don't worry, there's still time!"
"Cloud Knights, immediately strengthen the defenses of The Shackling Prison!"
"We absolutely cannot let anything happen to Xueyi!"
"Quick, go and invite Elder Jingliu!"