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The sudden attack of the Doomsday Beast caught everyone off guard, causing chaos outside the training ground.
Upon receiving Station Director Asta's message, Himeko wisely chose to evacuate.
"The situation has changed; let's move quickly."
As soon as the redheaded woman stepped out, she grabbed Stelle's hand, while instinctively, the gray-haired girl took hold of Bochang's hand, and together they followed Himeko's lead, running swiftly away.
Fortunately, Bochang's strength had increased by one hundred percent.
With nearly double the power of an average person, he barely managed to keep up with Himeko and the others.
Even Stelle was slightly surprised. She initially thought that after just a few steps, Bochang would need her to carry him... yet unexpectedly, he maintained pace effortlessly.
"Am I imagining things? It feels like his strength has significantly improved. Wait...I don't think I ever directly assessed his strength before..."
In Stelle's memory, not long after meeting Bochang, he had effortlessly taken her down with a single strike.
Ever since then, she often carried him on her back.
After briefly pondering, Stelle dismissed the thought. Her physique was significantly better than Bochang's, making it unsurprising that his endurance wouldn't match hers.
One could say—it would be more unusual if his physique were superior.
At this moment, Himeko stopped running.
Meanwhile, Asta continued communicating over the radio, urging everyone to leave while she provided rear guard coverage. It was truly touching enough to bring tears to one's eyes.
March 7th spread her hands and asked, "Are we...are we just going to run away like this?"
"There's no choice. For the Doomsday Beast, tearing through the space station's protective shield is as effortless as flipping a switch. With Herta absent, our defenses against the Antimatter Legion are simply too fragile. They came prepared; the people here...won't be able to hold out."
Dan Heng gently sighed.
With assistance from the Astral Express personnel, there might be hope to defend the space station. However, most individuals here would likely perish due to the aftermath of the battle, leaving the space station as an empty shell even if it were successfully defended.
After all, the Doomsday Beast is designed to target celestial bodies.
Unless they could lure and kill the Doomsday Beast in an uninhabited area, is that even possible?
Himeko's thoughts went deeper, with her true concern being the Destruction Emanator - Lord Ravager.
If the Doomsday Beast has appeared, there's a chance Lord Ravager may follow suit.
Once such a formidable entity capable of burning entire galaxies arrives, the situation would become dire. If escape is feasible, fleeing would undoubtedly be the wisest choice; otherwise, everyone stands to lose.
Throughout her long journey traversing the cosmos, it was precisely this cautious approach that had enabled Himeko to survive until now.
"Dan Heng is right; that's why we need to leave, and moreover, with them," the redheaded woman's gaze shifted towards Stelle and Bochang standing together.
Frowning, Dan Heng asked, "Are they... truly important?"
"They could be the key to breaking this deadlock, although... I might also be mistaken." Himeko shook her head slightly.
Dan Heng had been pondering one question all along—why did the Antimatter Legion come here? As a force intent on annihilating civilizations and life, logically, they should have focused more on the Blue Planet below the space station.
The scattered Balladeers earlier chose not to attack the Blue Planet directly. Instead, they besieged the space station, even as the Doomsday Beast followed suit. This seemed rather peculiar.
After Himeko's reminder... considering their extraordinary nature, Dan Heng began to believe there was a valid reason for their presence.
Perhaps the Antimatter Legion had specifically targeted Bochang and Stelle.
"Himeko, do you intend to take Bochang and Stelle away, hoping to lure the Doomsday Beast?" Dan Heng rubbed his chin, "Then... what should we do next?"
"Let's leave via the Railway Platform. We'll meet up with Welt there. No more idle talk; let's move quickly."
Himeko's gaze was stern.
To be frank, even if Bochang's strength increased by one hundred percent, his speed still lagged behind Himeko and the others significantly. Even March 7th, with the weakest physique among them, was considerably faster than he was.
Traveling with the black-haired youth inevitably slowed down their group's pace, making their time constraint even tighter.
Himeko felt there was no more time to waste.
Without further ado, she began running.
This time, the redheaded woman had already discussed it with Stelle beforehand, so she didn't need to pull her along again.
Seeing everyone in motion, March 7th, despite his lingering doubts, could only swallow them and follow suit.
During this sprint, Himeko's speed once again surpassed everyone else's.
Stelle quickly realized that with Bochang's current Speed, he definitely couldn't keep up.
Without hesitation, the gray-haired girl leaned forward slightly and called back, "Hop on quickly, we're about to accelerate."
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Bochang knew...
This wasn't the time for modesty.
"Thanks again for your help," Bochang said as he grasped Stelle's fragrant shoulders and climbed onto her back.
Without wasting a moment, Stelle propelled herself forward swiftly. Despite not being particularly robust, the gray-haired girl carried the black-haired youth effortlessly, catching up to Himeko and the others in no time.
"This feeling... is truly peculiar..."
Everyone else was running,
while he alone was "riding," essentially hitching a human-powered ride—how could it not feel strange?
Even Bochang could sense the peculiar gaze from March 7th.
"Why would you take out your camera at a time like this?! Quickly put it away!" he mentally exclaimed.
Obviously...
March 7th couldn't hear Bochang's internal grumbling; she continued running while capturing the scene on film. The sound of her camera's shutter clicks was drowned out by their hurried footsteps, leaving only the flashes visible.
With all-out sprinting, the group of five swiftly reached Railway Platform.
At that moment, the Astral Express had not yet arrived.
As March 7th suggested checking the surroundings...
The Doomsday Beast suddenly appeared, causing a fierce gust that lifted the pink-haired girl's skirt and startled her into looking up.
Despite being directly connected to outer space, the Railway Platform oddly had air present.
Bochang wasn't sure of the exact principle behind it. Sensing danger, Stelle gently lowered the black-haired man from his back.
"The Doomsday Beast... actually followed us here." Himeko glanced at Stelle and Bochang, noticing that a blue long spear had appeared in the black-haired youth's hand. If not for the urgency of the situation, the redheaded woman would have certainly asked about it.
March 7th drew her blue longbow, pointing it at the airborne enemy, and shouted, "Come down if you dare!"
And then...
The Doomsday Beast indeed descended.
While everyone was focused on the enemy, Bochang secretly performed a blood bond ritual with the Vow Spear.
The process was straightforward.
With its exceptionally sharp tip, Bochang needed only to prick his fingertip, allowing his blood to seal the ownership claim.
Apart from Himeko, who noticed Bochang's actions, so did Stelle.
Seeing the black-haired youth suddenly produce a weapon left Stelle momentarily bewildered.
However, there was no time to dwell on this, as the Doomsday Beast had landed nearby. The dragon-like monster let out a deafening roar, causing their eardrums to ache painfully.
The group of five braced themselves for battle.