Beyond the distant stars, within the Xianzhou Delve.
Phantylia was still imprisoned inside a transparent chamber formed from a force field.
She accompanied Herta and Grey in conducting all sorts of experiments.
Although this state was somewhat humiliating for a Lord Ravager, during this period Phantylia had also witnessed many of the Starsea Empire's astonishing achievements.
She was seriously considering one matter:
Could the Starsea Empire truly grant her an ageless, undying body—one that could be called perfect?
"Mm, thank you for your cooperation. After this experiment, I can upgrade your living space to 120 square meters."
"And I'll grant you one small request as well. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Grey nodded in satisfaction at the experimental interface.
"As for the body you want, that depends on the Commander's mood."
"I want to go outside for a walk."
Phantylia spoke in a muffled voice.
"You see? There you go telling jokes again."
A nanobot tapped on the table.
"How about I put you in a cage and take you out for some air? As for free movement—forget it."
"..."
Phantylia considered it. Being stuffed into a cage and carried outside somehow felt even more humiliating and eye-catching than staying here.
"What if I join the Starsea Empire now? Will you let me out?"
"Please respect our intelligence, Phantylia."
Grey cleared her throat.
"Standing before you is the smartest person in the Starsea Empire and one of the smartest in this universe. Don't try any cheap tricks."
Herta deeply agreed with Grey's self-assessment and continued analyzing data on the holographic interface.
"Tch—"
Phantylia clicked her tongue resentfully.
Beep—
Suddenly.
An alarm from Herta Space Station came through.
One message was from Asta. Another was from Kiana.
"Herta Space Station is under attack by a large number of Antimatter Legion forces!! There are too many enemies! We're evacuating and taking shelter!"
"The Astral Express crew is engaging the Antimatter Legion!!"
"Oh—"
Herta glanced at the message, still thinking.
Phantylia, however, grew interested and began drifting about inside the small chamber.
"Oh..."
"Sounds like quite a number of Antimatter Legion forces. And many Doomsday Beasts as well? That should be troublesome for you, shouldn't it?"
"Hmm?"
Seeing Herta's suspicious gaze, she swayed lightly.
"Don't misunderstand. It has nothing to do with me. I'm locked in here. Even if I had limitless ability, I couldn't command them remotely."
"The Antimatter Legion attacks any target they deem suitable. But... I don't think they would proactively assault Herta Space Station. Someone probably guided them deliberately?"
"After all, it was built by Herta. The Antimatter Legion prefers easier prey."
"You're not wrong about that."
Grey shrugged.
"But those things don't even count as a threat. Let Kiana and the others warm up a bit—it's basically exercise."
"There are at least two patrol fleets near Herta Space Station. We can just send one over to clear the field."
She clearly did not take the Antimatter Legion seriously at all. Essentially, she simply wanted the Astral Express crew—who had been staying in the Xianzhou too long—to stretch their legs.
"Wait!"
Phantylia suddenly flashed.
"How about letting me go?"
"What?"
Herta and Grey froze.
"As long as I go there and give a single command, all Antimatter Legion forces will cease attacking. The crisis will be resolved instantly."
"I could also just send a couple of shipgirls with some Angeloids and wipe them all out."
Grey was unimpressed.
"I only need to issue one order. It won't cause any damage to Herta Space Station."
Phantylia said.
She felt she needed to fight for better treatment—and take the opportunity to go out and see the world.
"To attract this many Antimatter Legion forces, there must be a mastermind behind the scenes. I can uncover them as well."
"Mm... actually, I know who they are."
Grey rested her chin on her hand thoughtfully.
She didn't necessarily need Phantylia to handle it, but the idea seemed interesting.
"What do you think?"
She looked toward Herta.
"Mm... If we can observe the command structure between a Lord Ravager and the Antimatter Legion, as well as their combat patterns, that would be somewhat interesting. I have no objection."
"And in a sense, this would be an action that contradicts her Path. It has experimental value."
Herta nodded.
A Lord Ravager acting not for destruction, but to prevent others' destruction—very interesting.
"Fine. Perform well. When you return, we'll upgrade you to a bigger residence and allow periodic free movement within this Delve."
Grey snapped her fingers, then added a reminder:
"Oh, right. Someone will accompany you. I hope you won't have any strange ideas."
"If you take this chance to cause trouble... you know what will happen, right?"
"Hiss—"
Phantylia trembled.
Of course she knew. Randomly pick anyone from the Starsea Empire and they could beat her senseless.
If she caused trouble again, she might be exiled to the Underworld—or killed outright.
...
Elsewhere.
Tap, tap, tap—
Unlike the chaotic researchers of the space station.
At the entrance on one side of Herta Space Station's Master Control Zone.
A mature beauty with purple hair and pink eyes, wearing sunglasses and a black coat, walked leisurely into the station.
She casually cut down several Voidrangers rushing toward her and strolled deeper inside.
Kafka tilted her head to glance at the distant scene. The Voidrangers were locked in battle with the Astral Express crew.
A faint aura of Honkai energy lingered in the surroundings.
"By the way, are these otherworldly visitors inside the station also part of Elio's script?"
Kafka asked.
Bzzzt—
Not far before her, a holographic interface unfolded, projecting an abstract wolf-head insignia.
"No. Their strength appears to exceed that of the Nameless aboard the original Astral Express. So I attracted a few more Antimatter Legion forces."
Silver Wolf replied.
"Oh..."
Kafka looked toward the opposite direction.
"Well then. It seems Elio's script may have a small error, but the overall objective should remain unaffected."
Her high-heeled boots clicked sharply as she sprinted through the interior corridors.
Bang bang bang—
Voidrangers continuously surged from every direction along the way, yet none could survive a single exchange against her submachine gun and blade.
"Are you certain the Antimatter Legion can hold them back?"
"No problem. This legion is large in scale. I even drew in a few extra Doomsday Beasts. They won't be dealt with so easily."
"Oh..."
Kafka nodded.
"Then let's continue our mission—where's the target location?"
"Hold on."
Chewing bubble gum, the girl operated the virtual touchscreen at dizzying speed, using her peerless hacking skills to sweep through Herta Space Station's database.
Nearly all information was laid bare before her.
"Advance along the Seclusion Zone corridor. After reaching the Reception Hall, proceed through the hallway on the right."
"That's where Herta stores her curios. We'll rendezvous there. It can tell us where the Stellaron is hidden."
After a brief moment of thought, Silver Wolf mapped out the route for Kafka.
The tightly sealed doors along the way were forcibly unlocked by her, clearing their path completely.
"We have eighteen minutes. Move quickly."
Just as the two continued deeper amid the chaos—
Bzzz—
An overwhelmingly powerful aura enveloped Herta Space Station.
The temperature seemed to drop several degrees in an instant. Even the researchers taking shelter in the safe zone shivered involuntarily.
"Stop."
An ethereal yet commanding voice descended from the sky.
In that instant.
Throughout the Master Control Zone, the Monitoring Sector, the Reception Center, and every other area—every Voidranger froze mid-action, even those currently under attack.
"Return."
Phantylia issued her second command.
Shua—
Countless Voidrangers and Antimatter Legion troops simultaneously activated quantum leaps, withdrawing from the battlefield across Herta Space Station.
Kiana had been fighting enthusiastically. When she turned her head, the surroundings were suddenly empty.
"?"
"What just happened?!"
Everyone on the station looked at one another in confusion.
The white-haired girl had been expecting shipgirls and more Angeloids to arrive as reinforcements. She had no idea what was going on.
"Has our backup arrived?"
"Yes. You'll operate alongside her. Make sure to bring Kafka and Silver Wolf back."
Grey contacted the Astral Express crew.
"Don't worry. She's very safe right now."
"Huh?..."
Deep within the station.
At the entrance to Herta's storage vault, outside the Nameless Domain.
Kafka and Silver Wolf had just rendezvoused and hacked into the interior of the chamber.
It was completely empty. The station staff had been fully evacuated. Not even a single Voidranger remained.
"!!!"
"Why did the Antimatter Legion retreat?"
Kafka looked around, puzzled.
Within mere minutes, the Antimatter Legion had withdrawn so thoroughly that it was as if they had never come.
"They're machines that only know slaughter and destruction. Once battle begins, they never retreat..."
Silver Wolf tensed.
A bad premonition rose in her heart.
"Unless..."
"Unless someone is commanding them."
A teasing voice echoed through the air.
Phantylia manifested from the void, taking the form of a black-haired, green-eyed woman dressed in Xianzhou attire.
Step by step, she walked toward them.
"Heh. Using the Antimatter Legion to attack the station and create chaos, then sneaking around to steal something?"
"Mm... your plan wasn't bad. Why didn't you notify me first?"
Her gaze swept over them.
Fear spread through the station in an instant.
Phantylia felt exhilarated.
In the hands of the Starsea Empire, she was a prisoner.
But in the eyes of others in this universe—and in the eyes of the Antimatter Legion—she was the dreaded Lord Ravager.
It felt as though she had reclaimed her pride and dignity.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Lord Ravager Phantylia, here to destroy—no, here to capture the mastermind behind the scenes."
"Mm... would you care to surrender peacefully?"
Phantylia smiled at the two of them.
"???"
Kafka froze and glanced at Silver Wolf.
"You dragged a Lord Ravager here too? This... wasn't in the script, was it?"
"Ah!!!"
"No!!"
Silver Wolf snapped out of it, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Overloaded with information in an instant, her brain nearly shut down.
Why was a Lord Ravager here?! And why was she clearly targeting her and Kafka?
She already knew they had lured the Antimatter Legion to attack the station?!
No—what had she just said?!
A Lord Ravager defending Herta Space Station and intending to bring the masterminds to justice?!
Wtf?!
How could I be having this kind of nightmare?!