"Holy crap, all the heroes of Amphoreus have fallen!"
"Only our toughest Stellaron freak is still standing!"
"This must be the ultimate move of the Remembrance Lord!"
Since both Mem and the quill pen appear in the Path of Remembrance's illustrations,
players watching the video instinctively believe that Stelle, wielding the pen, is about to unleash her ultimate!
Perhaps to buff her teammates, helping them stand again or something similar...
However.
As the triumphant cry of "So what—" echoes,
the scene instantly zooms in and stretches out!
After a brief freeze-frame,
the entire city explodes in an instant!
Under Stelle's single stroke,
countless buildings turn to dust!
The whole world seems to have blown up!
...
"???"
"Thud-thud-thump"
"Huh?"
"Wait! The Stellaron freak is this fierce!?"
"Nanook possessed!"
"Tearing everything apart, enemy side face!"
"I thought you were gonna buff your teammates, but you just destroyed the whole city!?"
"Is this the Remembrance Lord's ultimate move? Are we even playing the same game?"
"Who's the boss here?"
"Oh no! The villain is actually me!"
...
Astral Express.
Stelle watches this scene in the video, suddenly feeling her mouth go dry!
Am I... this fierce?
Destroying heaven and earth!
Who exactly is my opponent?
Won't I scatter their ashes to the wind!?
Wait!
Hold on!
That look in her eyes!
As the close-up shot appears,
Stelle's heart skips a beat!
She knows herself best.
Under normal circumstances, she would never show such an expression, such a demeanor!
Unless she had truly endured too much suffering...
Her heart already despairing, numb.
The version of herself in the video seems to be in exactly that state!
Meanwhile, in the livestream, the players haven't realized this yet,
still marveling in admiration!
...
"This is totally me!"
"Stelle: Could it be... I can finally cosplay as Acheron!?"
"Feels like the Stellaron freak just dealt me 999999 damage through the screen..."
"In this scene, I'm strong enough to take on an Aeon!"
"Nanook: Compared to her, I'm like a rookie～."
"You might find this shocking, but this is just my everyday."
"Not bad for a no-laugh challenge, kinda interesting."
"Anyone who watches this video and doesn't praise the Remembrance Lord is this [thumbs up]"
...
And then,
another unbelievable scene unfolds!
Amidst this shattered world,
a pair of hands, as if transcending time and space, reach from behind to embrace Stelle.
The owner of the hands is a pink-haired girl.
Her movements are intimate.
Like a mischievous neighbor's big sister, she whispers something into Stelle's ear.
Seeming to comfort, or perhaps to confide.
...
"???"
"Who is she!?"
"Why do I feel a pang of sadness in my heart when I see her?"
"My gray-haired girl just lowers her head with sharp eyes; even without speaking, I know she's terrifyingly strong!"
"Is it just me? The protagonist's eyes look so sorrowful here!"
"Holy shit, finally someone in the comments feels the same way! I'm wondering what kind of despair made the Stellaron spirit show such a lifeless expression?"
"Zoom in on the Trailblazer's expression—you'd need to have died at least a dozen times to make that face!"
"It's over!"
...
After a brief silence.
What followed was an ultimate explosion!
"Without shame, without regret!"
"Why am I unworthy?"
"Why should I kneel!"
A pillar of light spanned the heavens!
Stelle joined the battle as well!
Engaging in a life-and-death struggle against unknown enemies!
Light and shadow intertwined!
Blades and swords clashed!
"Whether true or false..."
"Choice knows no right or wrong!"
"Who planted this cause and effect within me,"
"Yet left the ending unspoken!"
The golden-haired woman revealed a sorrowful expression.
A half-naked, invincible man stood before a massive city, raising chains with a lift of his hand to erect a drawbridge.
The girl with butterfly motifs on her arms also wielded a scythe as her weapon,
Yet now she rushed toward Stelle with a grief-stricken expression!
Shielding her in her embrace.
Above, a dragon-shaped enemy unleashed a fierce attack, and the girl took it all in Stelle's stead!
...
"She uses a scythe too!"
"Seele: I have been reborn, becoming the Hero of Amphoreus. This time, I will reclaim everything I have lost!"
"I love you in every world."
"Is the girl here taking the blow for us?"
"I zoomed in—it's true, she blocked a dragon's breath for us!"
"Wuwu, how I wish I could trade places with her and be the one taking the blow!"
"Let me do it! I can even withstand a Doomsday Beast—thick-skinned and tough, I won't die anyway!"
"Compared to Penacony's theme song 'Sleepless Night,' this song feels much heavier."
...
The scene flashed back.
On a long staircase.
The members of the Astral Express stood in order from bottom to top.
Sunday, Welt, Himeko, Dan Heng...
And at the top of the stairs stood Stelle.
"Born already shackled..."
"Unable to break free."
She looked back.
As if searching for someone's figure.
This scene.
From bottom to top.
Carried a sense of a long, arduous journey finally reaching its peak and achieving enlightenment!
But!
For the Astral Express members watching the video,
Their hearts were filled with dread!
Even as if plunged into an icy abyss!
Because,
That lively and adorable pink figure was missing!
In this scene,
The entire Astral Express Crew wore grave expressions.
Dan Heng even held Cloud-Piercer directly in hand!
But March 7th was nowhere to be seen—not even a shadow!
In the livestream.
Other players also caught on!
The barrage exploded almost instantly!
...
"Huh?"
"Something's off—twelve parts off out of ten!"
"This scene isn't right, where's little March?"
"Prisoner Yu, where's my March 7th!"
"It's over! Star Rail has completely dropped the act!"
"This PV is nothing but knives!"
"Is little March going to become big March?"
...
The video continued.
Stelle transitioned into a white-haired man.
He faced a starry scene, with twelve different sigils shining like constellations.
Tears floated from the pink-haired girl.
Transforming into hope tightly grasped by the Trailblazer.
The camera pulled back.
March 7th finally made her appearance!
First to appear was her camera.
Tiny ice crystals crept over the lens, freezing the entire camera.
March 7th closed her eyes.
Hugging the camera to her chest.
While her entire body seemed encased in a massive block of ice.
...
"My anxious heart has finally died!"
"Boo-hoo!!"
"March is in trouble. Right or wrong, I no longer wish to judge. Dragon Transformation Art, activate!"
"My Say~Cheese~"
"Wahhh I want this little March, I don't want any big March anymore! [cry][cry][cry]"
"What kind of joke is this, how am I supposed to go on a Trailblaze journey without March 7th!"
"What kind of hellish place! What Amphoreus! What triple Path! I wouldn't go even if you killed me!"
...
Finally.
A pair of slender hands brushed over a patch of oil paint.
Within the paint, the silhouette of the Astral Express could faintly be seen.
And the owner of those hands,
was none other than The Herta.
She leaned against this patch of oil paint.
Her expression was half-smiling, half-serious, intriguing.
As if silently observing everything.
"Outside the story…"
"Who…"
"Still remains…"
The video ended here.
All of this felt like a storm of thunder and lightning.
But,
the true torrential calamity,
had only just begun!