Pei Guang's heart tensed for a split second, but then he calmed down. Because everything about this screamed scripted event.
Whether this was a real or virtual world didn't matter—he was the player. And as the player, he knew one thing—he didn't lose to scripted events.
Still, if this game pulled some nonsense and killed off his teammates in a forced story moment, Pei Guang swore he'd find the developers and slap them silly. Worst case, he'd wipe this save file, edit the story himself, maybe with the hack skills he got, and bring everyone back to life.
Phantylia smirked. "I'll admit it—you're troublesome. But as long as I kill you before you grow stronger, you'll never be a threat to Nanook."
Pei Guang tilted his head. "So you're saying you locked onto me, right? No matter where I run, some overpowered Path skill is going to hit me? Go on then. Use your attack. I'm curious how this 'plot armor death' is going to play out."
He remained unfazed. After all, he'd prepared everything—gathered supplies, secured backup plans, and even left emergency teleportation charges.
Sure, he'd acted carefree most of the time, but every action had been deliberate. If the game forced him into a no-win scenario, it was getting a 1-star review. And if he didn't like the outcome, he'd burn this whole script to the ground and rebuild it how he wanted.
Phantylia burst into laughter. "Ah, still so smug even at death's door. You value your companions so much? Then watch as I kill them first—starting with you. Let's see how long you can keep up that confidence!"
Whether Pei Guang would regret his words was unclear, but Phantylia was about to learn what regret truly felt like.
Because just as she launched into her taunts, Pei Guang suddenly found himself standing in the void of space.
Before him stood a towering, centaur-like figure with a bow—the unmistakable manifestation of the Aeon of the Hunt. At the Aeon's feet was a basket filled with the heads of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus Pei Guang had sacrificed earlier.
The Aeon nodded in satisfaction, accepting the offerings. In the next instant, Pei Guang's consciousness snapped back to the present, and golden light filled the battlefield.
Shards of the Reignbow Arbiter—shattered earlier by Phantylia's attack—rose and began pouring into Pei Guang's body.
The Reignbow Arbiter's full power flowed into him. At the same time, his system displayed a notification.
"The Aeon of the Hunt is satisfied with the player's offerings. Player has received a ten-minute trial of 'Lighting Lord, The Skyward Lightning and Demon-Slaying Purifier.'"
When Pei Guang saw this notification, the Lighting Lord manifested behind him once again. However, instead of wielding its usual divine weapon, it now held an enormous spoon. The spoon shimmered with vibrant fireworks, making it look both festive and absurdly out of place.
To add to the spectacle, the Lighting Lord was engulfed in blazing Savory Truefire. The flames danced around its form, searing the remnants of destructive energy in the air and forcing the power of destruction back into Phantylia's body.
Unbeknownst to Phantylia, as the destructive energy re-entered her body, it subtly transformed. Her flesh began to give off a tantalizing aroma—not the scent of perfume, but the mouthwatering fragrance of perfectly cooked food infused with soul and flavor.
And that wasn't all.
The battle BGM shifted, no longer playing the same track for everyone. Instead, different music began to play for each person on the field, tailored to their role.
Pei Guang immediately recognized the melody—it was "Shall We Dance," a track infamous among players from his country for being used during comedic debuffs and ridiculous buffs. It had even been unofficially nicknamed "Nerf Theme" by the community.
The first half of the song echoed in Phantylia's ears, seemingly mocking her. Meanwhile, the second half shifted to accompany Dan Heng and Bailu as their aura surged with power.
Both Dan Heng and Bailu suddenly felt the combined might of all five Xianzhou pouring into them, amplifying their strength. Dan Heng's expression hardened as he embraced the surge of energy, and two dragons—one pink and one dark brown—coiled into existence.
The oppressive aura of immortality radiating from the dragons forced Phantylia to finally take the situation seriously.
But that still wasn't all!
A different song played in Welt's ears—"Cyberangel."
As the fast-paced rhythm kicked in, Welt's mind filled with memories. He saw flashes of his past—the struggles, the sacrifices, and the people he fought to protect. And in that moment, his thoughts lingered on one name.
"Bronya…?"
The melody carried the voice of Bronya Zaychik. Welt immediately recognized it. It wasn't just any song—it was her song.
Hearing it rekindled a strength he thought long buried. A forgotten power—a fragment of the Honkai.
It wasn't the overwhelming might of an Aeon, but it was enough. Enough to stand his ground in this battle. As the echoes of Cyberangel filled his ears, Welt activated his Star Of Eden.
Yet this was no ordinary Star Of Eden.
Empowered by Pei Guang's influence and the song resonating in his soul, Welt's weapon evolved into the Star Of Eden EX. It radiated with power strong enough to harm even a Lord Ravager!
And still, the music didn't stop!
In Pei Guang and Stelle's ears, another song began—a melody neither of them had ever heard before.
"Interstellar Journey."
It was a song that seemed to stretch endlessly across galaxies, evoking feelings of both wanderlust and destiny. As it played, Pei Guang felt a surge of energy unlike anything he'd experienced before.
Everyone now had their own theme song. And as any gamer or anime fan knew, there was an unspoken rule in these kinds of battles:
"When your personal BGM starts playing, no one can stop you."
At this moment, the most confused person wasn't Pei Guang—everything was within his expectations. It was just a scripted boss fight, something he'd seen plenty of times after playing so many games.
It wasn't Jing Yuan either. From the moment Nanook bestowed power upon Phantylia, he knew this incident was no longer something he could resolve alone. But he had faith—the Aeon of Hunt was undoubtedly watching over Xianzhou and observing the player. With the Aeon's guidance and their chosen envoy present, he firmly believed in Xianzhou's victory.
Pei Guang's companions weren't particularly surprised either. With the invincible Ah Guang here, nothing fazed them anymore. After everything they'd witnessed along the journey—one bizarre event after another—they'd become immune to surprises. At this point, Pei Guang could be anything, and they wouldn't even blink.
The real one left in disbelief was Phantylia. She had just been blessed by Nanook, gaining power far beyond the limits of any other Emanator. Yet, in the blink of an eye, her enemies had all powered up too?!
And Pei Guang—how did he suddenly have the strength of an Emanator of Hunt? Fine, maybe that was still acceptable. But what was with the energy radiating from him that also resembled the Aeon of Joy? When did the Aeon of Elation decide to grant Pei Guang power?
She could barely accept the Hunt interfering in this battle. But Elation too? Did It randomly decide to meddle in Xianzhou's affairs?
And that wasn't even the worst part. The real headache came from the fact that—while she was listening to Shall We Dance?—her power had actually been nerfed.
Not by much. But exactly 10%.
Phantylia felt like screaming. She had finally gained Nanook's favor, only to end up being countered at every turn.
And then… a terrifying thought crossed her mind.
Was Nanook's blessing really a reward? Or… did the Aeon of Destruction just make her more durable so the players could beat on her for longer?!