Star pushed herself forward with all her strength, climbing toward where Cocolia stood.
However, midway through her ascent—
The eyes of the Engine of Creation suddenly lit up once more.
As the massive body trembled, Star lost her footing and fell from the heights.
Seele reacted instantly.
In a blur of afterimages, she flashed to Star's side, grabbed her arm, and hurled her upward with all her strength.
Star returned to her trajectory.
But the Engine's obstruction did not stop there.
A steel arm shot out toward her.
Star dodged the grab, yet during the leap, her balance faltered again—and she plummeted.
At that critical moment, Dan Heng hurled his spear.
The weapon embedded itself perfectly into a seam of the Engine's armored plating, becoming a foothold.
Using the spear as a pivot, Star twisted her body, launched herself forward—
And landed firmly before Cocolia.
"So… you made it."
Cocolia looked down at Star with utter disdain.
"Then let me show you its true power."
Star's eyes narrowed.
She felt the temperature around Cocolia plunge sharply.
In the next instant, an eerie blue blizzard spiraled violently around Cocolia.
Ice rapidly formed over her body.
When the storm subsided—
Cocolia had completely transformed.
Her body was encased in crystalline ice armor.
An icy crown like jagged spikes rested upon her head.
Her once golden hair had turned silver-white.
But her face—
It was pitch-black, chaotic and indistinct.
"Listen… this power is singing."
"The promise given to me by the Stellaron is the only hope this world has."
"Seven hundred years ago, it drove away the Antimatter Legion."
"Today, it will erase your existence as well."
"I will grant you despair."
A new battle erupted instantly.
Having become the Mother of Delusion, Cocolia's power surged several tiers at once.
Star—armed only with a baseball bat—was utterly outmatched.
Within just a few exchanges, Cocolia's ice hammer pierced straight through Star's chest.
Chatroom
Paimon: "Oh no, oh no! The bat girl got stabbed through the chest—she's falling!"
Lisa: "That was reckless. She knew Cocolia was empowered by the Stellaron and still charged in alone."
Navia: "Wait—look! She vanished! That's… another space?"
Furina: "A black void… floating rocks… could that be—?"
Morax: "The cosmos. Her consciousness has entered space."
Lumine: "Huh?"
Aether: "That girl named Star… she's definitely not ordinary."
"I nearly had a heart attack…"
March 7th patted her chest repeatedly.
Seele and Bronya both wiped cold sweat from their brows.
All eyes turned to Star.
She shrugged helplessly.
"I honestly don't know what just happened."
[Cosmic Space]
Within a rotating corridor of galaxies—
Star looked around blankly.
"So… this is space?"
"Wasn't I just fighting Cocolia?"
She paused, memories surfacing.
"The last time I was here… Nanook glanced at me. Could it be—"
She looked toward a rising golden light spiraling through the cosmic corridor and ran toward it.
Along the way, she witnessed Cocolia's gradual transformation.
She encountered the collective wills of Belobog's past Guardians.
Their voices whispered, as if they had been waiting for her.
"This city is crying. The power of Preservation is fading."
"In the end, we could not withstand the will of the Stellaron."
"Wasn't it Cocolia who abandoned Preservation?" Star asked.
"Yes," the voices replied, "but we have no right to condemn her."
"For seven hundred years, the Fragmentum expanded without pause."
"What we left to our successors…"
"…was neither hope nor wealth."
"Only endless despair."
"To witness the homeland you swore to protect crumble before your eyes—"
"And to hear those relentless whispers…"
"Even the strongest will would falter."
"This day was inevitable."
"Preservation's protection was always destined to leave us."
"Go—touch the amber light, Trailblazer."
"See whether the Preservation within your heart is strong enough…"
"…strong enough to draw His gaze."
Star looked toward the center of the light.
A great sword stood embedded in the cosmos.
She reached out—
And was violently repelled.
Star froze for an instant.
Then, without hesitation, she charged again.
One hand wasn't enough.
She grabbed it with both hands, growling as she poured out all her strength.
The sword began to shake.
At that very moment—
In the distant reaches of the universe,
a colossal orange stone colossus opened its glowing eyes.
—
When Star awoke again—
The baseball bat in her hands had been replaced by the massive greatsword she had pulled free.
She landed steadily on the ground.
The wound in her chest was gone.
The power within her surged violently.
Below the Engine of Creation, everyone exhaled in relief.
Only Cocolia—floating in the sky—stared in disbelief.
"This is… the power of Preservation?"
"Impossible!"
"You know nothing of this world's suffering!"
"Nothing of the fate that awaits it!"
Her voice trembled with sorrow.
She could not understand—
Why Preservation, long vanished, had returned.
Why it had chosen this girl.
Bronya shouted back, eyes blazing:
"Preservation has made its choice!"
"Even if destruction awaits us, we will walk into the darkness together—hand in hand!"
March 7th grinned.
"No! As long as we're here, destruction won't happen!"
But the viewers across the cosmos weren't focused on Jarilo's fate.
They had seen something else.
Through Star's consciousness—
They had seen the legendary Star God of Preservation, Qlipoth.
Chatroom
Herta: "That was… the Star God of Preservation?"
Welt Yang: "The light screen truly showed a Star God's gaze. Unbelievable."
Himeko: "A Star God being exposed on screen…?"
Li Sushang: "S-Star God?"
Asta: "Impossible… it even exposed the Amber Lord?!"
Neuvillette: "I see now. A Star God's gaze grants power to resist catastrophe—similar to how Visions are bestowed."
Hu Tao: "Those chosen by the gods gain extraordinary strength."
March 7th: "Wait—you don't know Star Gods? Your world doesn't worship them?"
Bronya: "That was the Preservation Star God! You're not even surprised?!"
Eula: "Sorry. In our world, we only worship our Lord."
March 7th: "Huh?!"
Skirk: "We still don't quite understand Star Gods… but our Lord claims to be human."
Firefly: "…Eh?"
Kafka: "Teyvat really is… fascinating."
Abyss Order
"Unbelievable!"
Paimon rubbed her round belly angrily.
"Lumine!"
"These people act like they're looking down on us!"
"They think we're ignorant bumpkins!"
"Bella just went to digest her power—did she get lost in life or something?!"
"Why isn't she here to teach these guys a lesson?!"
For the first time in her life, Paimon missed the witch who always caused trouble in Teyvat.
Lumine stood beside her, hands on her hips, fuming.
Aether scratched his head awkwardly.
"…You know, Teyvat and their world feel strangely similar."
"Stellarons destroy worlds—but they also reshape order."
"Just like Abyss power."
"And that girl Star…"
"She feels like a Descender."
["The Stellaron's power is with me!"]
"You are nothing but the dying struggle of the old world!"
"I will forge a glorious new world with my own hands!"
Cocolia's voice grew hoarse.
She launched her final stand using the Engine of Creation.
But against Star—now blessed by Preservation—
The Stellaron's power fell short.
With the combined support of March 7th, Dan Heng, Seele, and Bronya—
Cocolia's defeat became inevitable.
"Flaming Lance—charge!"
Star leapt.
A blazing arc carved through the sky.
The flaming blade pierced Cocolia.
"Ugh!"
She fell from the heavens.
The Stellaron's power vanished.
Her appearance reverted.
But—
She had never truly mastered that power.
Upon defeat, the energy within her became violently unstable.
"The Stellaron… promised me a future…"
Even at death's edge, Cocolia desperately tried to force the leaking power back into herself.
It was impossible.
"No!"
Bronya rushed forward, sobbing.
But the raging energy formed a barrier.
"Don't take her!"
She could feel it—
The uncontrolled power would tear Cocolia apart.
—
BOOM!
A crimson figure descended from the sky.
A pale hand seized Cocolia's head through the barrier.
Bronya froze.
The others surrounded the newcomer in shock.
"…Slept in a bit."
Bella yawned lazily.
She looked down at Cocolia.
"Tsk. Took my eyes off things for one moment and you went and used a Stellaron."
"Let me see what happened while I was napping."
She tightened her grip.
Cocolia screamed in agony.
Bronya lunged forward—
Only for Seele to stop her.
"Wait. That thing's dangerous."
The girl was beautiful.
But her crimson eyes were chilling.
And she was unaffected by the Stellaron's rampaging power.
Not normal.
"Bastard! Who are you—let my mother go!"
Bronya struggled.
Star, March, and Dan Heng raised their guard.
Bella ignored them.
Her gaze lingered on Star.
"Oh? Interesting."
"Stellaron power… and that weapon—"
Her red eyes widened.
Star swayed, nearly collapsing.
"Star!" March caught her.
"Overused your power?"
"I don't know… just felt dizzy all of a sudden."
"So that's how it is."
Bella released Cocolia.
She collapsed, unconscious.
"My mother!" Bronya cried.
Bella waved dismissively.
"Now you cry? Weren't you trying to kill each other just now?"
"You should be thanking me."
"If I hadn't intervened, the unstable Stellaron energy would've ripped her apart."
She kicked Cocolia toward Bronya.
"Tsk. Another self-proclaimed savior."
"Still…"
She sneered.
"The Star God of Preservation, Qlipoth."
"Seven hundred years of people freezing to death, and not once did it look at them."
"They collapsed into despair and reached for the Stellaron."
"And now…"
She glanced at Star again.
"…Forget it. Comparing people is pointless."
"Those with supreme power never care about the insignificant."
"That's normal."
"This has nothing to do with me."
"My goal is—"
She flicked her hand.
The Stellaron flew into her grasp.
"And besides the Stellaron…"
Her eyes locked onto the crippled Engine of Creation.
"I'll grant you consciousness."
"And Stellaron power."
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