Compared to Himeko and Dan Heng, March 7th's combat experience is noticeably less seasoned.
This often leads her to unknowingly find herself in disadvantageous positions.
What's more, Right now, she is still puzzling over where she missed the clues.
How could Himeko understand Bai Ming so well, while she herself knew nothing?
But clearly...She was the one who spent the most time with her.
"March!"
Bai Ming's call snapped March 7th back to reality.
Then, she saw the torrent of white light rushing toward her.
It was a sweeping force symbolizing destruction.
There was no escaping it...
This attack, would surely take March 7th's life if it hit.
"You bastard, Doomsday Beast!"
Bai Ming shouted.
Then, using two successive [Guren Flash], she quickly closed the distance to March 7th.
Almost instinctively, she positioned herself in front of March 7th.
Bai Ming knew this was a blow she could never hope to block.
Yet, her heart suddenly grew calm.
Is this what it feels like to protect someone?
"March. Remember my name, okay! And... I left cake for you!"
"Huh?!"
Before March 7th could even process a response, Bai Ming shoved her away with all her strength.
Lifting her head to face the blinding white light above, Bai Ming flashed a peace sign backward before being completely swallowed by it.
"Bai Ming!"
March 7th's cry echoed across the entire platform.
But there was no response.
...
Drifting.
Silence.
Bai Ming could feel herself floating in some kind of space.
I must be dead, right?
But...It doesn't seem like a total loss.
Even though she was definitely dead, at least March 7th had survived.
She belonged to this world, with so many sights still waiting for her to see and experience.
As for herself, she was just a passerby who had stumbled here by chance.
Just a faint, unintended mark lightly sketched and then promptly erased.
The only thing she was worried about was whether March 7th had heard her last words.
That cake cost a fortune.
It would be such a shame if she didn't get to taste it.
Thinking this, Bai Ming slowly opened her eyes.
Huh?
Why do the surroundings feel... off?
Just as Bai Ming thought.
Judging by the earlier sensation, after taking the Doomsday Beast's attack head-on, she should be respawning in heaven by now.
Oh...
Then again, maybe not heaven.
After all, she'd also read those... Herrscher doujinshi featuring the Honkai beasts.
Sorry, Kiana!
But the Mei in there was just too beautiful!
But speaking of which, Bai Ming looked around.
This place... seems familiar.
Right.
Isn't this the platform?
Am I still here?
No...
While it looks familiar, it feels completely different.
Did I ascend right on the spot?
Bai Ming forced her body up, struggling to stand.
Then, she saw what she had been lying on.
It was a magical sky...
Ahem.
It should be called a River of Stars.
She was drifting slowly along this golden River of Stars, flowing in one direction.
What is this?
Just as Bai Ming was pondering this,
she suddenly felt a shudder run through her entire body.
The originally chaotic, lightless dark starry void suddenly blazed with a crimson-gold radiance.
An indistinguishable voice, seeming to come from nowhere and everywhere, sounded by Bai Ming's ears.
"It is time to set forth."
"This is..."
Bai Ming couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice. She only knew she was moving closer to the river's end.
"Go, and reach that endpoint."
"...Who's there?!"
No sooner had Bai Ming spoken than a white light began to glow on her chest.
She stared at the unidentifiable object.
A random thought popped into her head.
This couldn't be something like a Herrscher core, could it?
Did using the Valkyrie armor once cause this?
It shouldn't be that extreme, right?
Although the prototype for [Vermilion Knight: Eclipse] was indeed the Blank Key, which is closely related to Herrscher cores...
But if it really were the case,
then this exchange system...
would literally be costing her life!
Well, maybe it doesn't matter anymore.
Even though she didn't know the name of this place she was in, her death was already a certainty.
In this unfamiliar world where no one knew her, dying as a Herrscher seemed no different from dying as a human.
As Bai Ming's thoughts raced, her form continued to drift.
"Use your own will to reach that endpoint."
"Just who are you?!"
The moment Bai Ming asked this question, a sharp pain shot through her head.
She felt countless images flooding her mind.
Like that older sister figure she could almost see as a mother.
Right!
She even pinned me against a wall once!
And the girl next to her who refused to admit she was "ducky"!
Or like the first time she met Himeko, her elegance, and that smile that sent her memories spiraling back to Honkai.
Is this...
The so-called life flashing before my eyes?
They say people review their whole lives like this when they're about to die.
So this is the moment of death...
Wait!
Bai Ming clutched her forehead.
No!
What are these later images?!
Two figures, one silver and one blue, stood somewhere, deep in conversation.
That same older sister appeared before her again, looking at her with gentle eyes.
But the next moment,
the scene of the Doomsday Beast's invasion and the space station's screens filled with warnings flashed before her eyes.
Immediately following that was the image of March 7th frozen in place earlier.
This isn't a life flashback!
It's some kind of memory fragment!
But, Before Bai Ming could figure out what it was, she sensed a gaze.
A gaze from above.
Bai Ming looked up.
There stood a giant man with bronze-colored skin.
He was bare-chested, with an indescribable shackle around his neck.
His powerful golden eyes stared down at Bai Ming with immense authority.
Without the slightest hesitation or superfluous action,
the river that had gathered beneath Bai Ming earlier now found its source.
That's right.
It all originated from this giant man before her.
The crimson-gold liquid, resembling blood, covered his body!
The mysterious voice sounded again, slowly, pouring directly into Bai Ming's ears.
"He has already taken notice of you."
"He noticed me?"
Bai Ming stared at the being before her, her brow gradually furrowing.
Finally, she couldn't help but speak up:
"Um! This might be rude, but can I make a small request?!"
"Could you get a pretty big sister to come see me instead?!"
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Life Simulator: Starting in Genshin Impact!
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
patreon.com/deadlygoober