"If humans are born weak, where can the weak find peace!"
The piano roared like a chaotic symphony!
The audience widened their eyes.
Because the battle is about to begin!
Stelle, Himeko, and March 7th all drew their weapons in an instant!
------------------------------------
A solemn hymn suddenly resounded throughout the entire theater.
The sound came from all directions, yet no source could be found.
Accompanied by sunlight descending from the heavens.
A sense of oppression instantly filled the air!
The same thought popped into the minds of nearly every audience member.
In that universe of no disaster or pain, what rang out every day was this kind of solemn hymn.
It was the song of order!
And with this chant descended not Sunday, but three puppets of distinct forms.
"Who was, who is, and who will be."
"This scene belongs to Their performance."
"In their presence, show me the path of Akivili."
Sunday's voice mingled with the grand hymn.
Just like the history he had shown the express crew before—from the birth of Ena, to Ena's rise, to visions of the future.
"Damn it! What are these things!"
March 7th immediately drew her bow and arrow, summoning her shield as the three puppets loomed oppressively!
Their movements were strange; each action seemed to be manipulated by invisible strings.
"Little March's description is odd, but not wrong. Stelle, be careful."
Himeko crossed her arms and watched cautiously.
Stelle didn't speak—she simply adjusted her hat, the angle revealing her profile.
One could only say, when Stelle is serious, she's truly stunning.
To male and also to females, attractive to both genders.
Just as the express crew prepared to engage, the puppet holding a wine glass on the left suddenly moved.
Its actions were initially very slow, but in the blink of an eye, it had already made a substantial move.
The puppet made a motion of tipping its wine glass, and an aromatic, unknown red liquid suddenly surged up from beneath the trio's feet!
"Jump!"
Himeko reacted instantly.
"Eh eh eh!"
March 7th scrambled to leap backward.
But Stelle had already determined her direction before Himeko even spoke.
The little Clockie who was by Stelle's feet gave a hum and dashed into the airborne hat.
The physical hat stretched and morphed midair into a large smiling face of the Clockie—just like a cartoon character—emitting sparkly starlight in all directions.
This starlight wasn't just for show—it was a weapon!
It rained down like a storm over most of the battlefield.
Just as the puppet strumming its strings was about to coordinate with the other puppet to strike the express crew, the falling starlight enveloped them completely.
A loud crash erupted, stirring up a powerful gust of wind.
Within the smoke from the explosion, Stelle gracefully caught the hat in midair, turned slightly, and raised one foot lightly.
It didn't look like combat—more like a dancer frozen in a graceful pose.
...
: ohhhhhh! What a performance!
: Whoa! First time I found Stelle so irresistible! That was incredible!
: Stelle just flexed again!
: But this new power is way too unique! Doesn't seem like Preservation or Destruction, can't even tell if it's Path of Trailblaze or Path of Harmony.
...
Stelle's display left the audience dazzled.
Even March 7th and Himeko looked at Stelle with slight amazement.
"You, seriously—whatever, nice one!"
March 7th laughed excitedly, then smugly turned toward the smoke: "Now you know how awesome we are!"
"Don't get too excited, March."
Stelle remained calm, her eyes locked onto the figures slowly emerging through the dispersing smoke. She spoke in a low voice,
"This level isn't enough to take them down."
As her words fell, the smoke cleared.
The three puppets stood there, unscathed, not even a single scratch.
"Ah, seriously?"
March 7th frowned, let out a cute huff, then raised her bow and fired: "Let me show you what I'm really made of!"
Countless ice shards flew out in midair, and several drones, somehow mixed among the ice arrows from odd angles, launched a coordinated strike on the three targets.
In an instant, frost and flame exploded simultaneously.
But at that beautifully spectacular moment, massive suppressive force split the wind across the battlefield.
The central puppet charged forward with its head down, moving so fast that the smoke clinging to its body didn't even have time to disperse, leaving a trailing line behind it.
The left puppet wielding the strings suddenly mimicked a strumming motion.
Notes of order materialized, blasting through the battlefield with a speed faster than defensive barriers could respond.
Almost simultaneously, the right puppet raised its wine glass once again.
The rich wine carried with it the former peace and dreams of a world ruled by order, and poured them over the three from the express crew.
Drowsiness. Intoxication.
Waves of negative states struck at their minds relentlessly.
Himeko and Stelle managed to remain clear-headed through sheer will.
But March 7th was already clutching her head, swaying unsteadily.
The next second.
The central puppet had already reached March, water pipe held high in a powerful, heavy strike—if it landed, the result would be disastrous!
"March!"
Several drones appeared behind Himeko in an instant, trying to support March.
But at that moment, a hat flew in from the side!
The light and airy looking hat collided with the heavy water pipe.
It seemed like a futile effort.
But the puppet's arm holding the pipe suddenly stopped, as if it had smashed into a boulder!
The tremendous recoil force even caused the puppet to take two steps back, and the water pipe bounced back a bit as well.
Bang!
A violent shockwave exploded from the point of impact!
March 7th, who was the closest, was directly blown away.
But it was only a shockwave and didn't cause much real damage; in fact, it startled March 7th out of the negative state she was in.
"Why am I flying?!" March 7th screamed in panic.
She looked up and saw that at some point, Stelle had already rushed forward, bracing her form as she flew.
Just as she tried to get a better look, the sensation of falling hit her.
As March thought she was about to crash to the ground, tightly closing her eyes and curling up, she was caught by Himeko.
"Himeko…"
"Go help Stelle!"
After landing, March 7th quickly said.
Unexpectedly, Himeko seemed to notice something, the corners of her mouth lifting: "Little March, hold on, it's not time yet."
On the other side.
Stelle, having caught her hat, placed it back on her head.
She pinched the brim, revealing a confident smile filled with flair.
"The mood is set!"
At this moment, the camera pulled to the front of Stelle, then began to spin around her as she moved.
Just like the most elegant opera performer.
Facing the three charging puppets, Stelle removed her hat and bowed gracefully.
"Performance begins!"
With those words, Stelle elegantly tossed her hat into the air and slightly turned her body, presenting her ever-stylish costume.
In midair, Clockie happily caught Stelle's hat and, after landing, gentlemanly handed it back to her.
The two, one on the left and one on the right, passed and received the hat with perfect timing, even dodging the notes of order while doing so.
They were, incredibly, dancing right in the center of the battlefield.
The attacks of the three puppets were always dodged from strange angles, never disrupting their movements.
Rather than attacks, it looked more like they were accentuating Stelle's steps and flair.
Everything looked so harmonious.
After casually strolling past the three puppets, Stelle put her hat back on and struck a pose like a pop idol.
Meanwhile, the Clockie exited the screen on the far left, finishing his entrance.
At this moment, behind the one girl and one clock,
Were the three puppets, creaking as they stood up again, and even further back, March 7th and Himeko, now both armed.
"Now's the time!"
"Little March!"
Himeko suddenly called out.
The drone beside her had already darted forward.
"Eh?"
"Right, got it!"
March 7th reacted half a beat slower, still not realizing that her power had already reached a determined intensity.
But she still quickly drew her bow, aimed, and shot three ice arrows.
The three puppets seemed to sense the impending danger. Their movements grew even more bizarre, arms and limbs hoisted by invisible strings, lifted straight into the air, trying to dodge the attack.
But above them, at some unknown point, Clockie's grinning face had already appeared.
Starlight fell like raindrops, landing on the puppets and making clinking metallic sounds.
It seemed, just like before, not to have caused any real damage.
But it was enough.
Stelle's attack had completely blocked off their escape route.
The three arrows and the drone finally hit their marks!
Bang!
A violent explosion blossomed mid-air into a massive firework.
But this time! Things were different!
As if something had shattered!
All the lights in the theater went out at that moment.
And unlike before, when they were indestructible, the puppets now shattered at a touch, like real dolls.
Blasted apart by the explosion, their fragmented remains were flung through the air.
One arm even landed right at March 7th's feet.
"Eh?"
"What just happened?!"
"Weren't our attacks completely ineffective before?"
"Was that… something I did?"
March 7th stared blankly at the puppet's arm at her feet, then looked at the bow in her hands, confused.
"Hehe, no need to look, little March."
"That was Stelle's power."
Himeko shook her head, smiling as she explained: "Didn't you feel it? Just now, there was a force surrounding you?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah."
March scratched her head.
"That power is special. No matter how indestructible the enemy is, it breaks through the essence."
"And Stelle can pass that ability on to us, letting our attacks share the same effect."
Himeko looked at Stelle like a proud parent watching a child grow, her eyes full of comfort.
Meanwhile, the comments were exploding.
...
: Holy crap… Stelle is just way too cool!
: That was pure style, my Stelle baby, holding that hat… damn that was suave. Who else can be this cool in Honkai Star Rail?!
: But, what does this even mean? Stelle has given a buff to teammates?
: An attack power buff? Attacks that originally couldn't do any damage suddenly shattered these three puppets in one go!
: According to Himeko, it shouldn't count as attack power, more like something specifically meant to strike invincible enemies. The term "Break" is actually quite fitting!
: But this really does align with the Harmony path's concept! It's not about one's own strength, but about empowering everyone together.
: In a game, Stelle's new ability would definitely make them the team core!
: With this power, even little Sunday wouldn't stand a chance!
: Go, Express Crew! I want to see you dominate the battlefield!
...
Back when this scene was being filmed, Xia Wen had already considered how to bring out Stelle's characteristics.
The final choice was the current version, which could both perfectly differentiate Harmony's power from other types, and express its elegance.
As for concepts like "Break" and "Super Break" that only exist in games, they had to be expressed more abstractly.
But that's okay.
In the upcoming battles, Stelle will frequently use this power.
With each use, the in-game concept will be further refined and presented to the viewers of the show.
Gradually, a detailed and complete Break power system will form, just like the power systems seen in traditional dramas.
The Aeon's Path is "Harmony," and the specific form of power manifestation is its technique.
While the audience was still discussing.
Tn the theater,
Stelle returned to Himeko and March 7th's side, just about to speak.
The lights that had previously gone out suddenly clicked on again.
All the lights instantly shone on the fallen three puppets.
Their shattered bodies reassembled there, piecing together into complete forms.
".Again?!"
March widened her eyes.
But she guessed wrong.
This time, it wasn't puppets that arrived, but Sunday's voice.
"I have seen your resolve."
"Now, I grant you the power to gaze directly upon the unknown."
With Sunday's words, the red curtains of the theater were pulled open.
Blinding light burst forth continuously.
Blue light erupted from the three puppets, shooting up to the dome.
The camera followed the blue light upwards, revealing countless puppets suspended by fine threads in the air, flying continuously into the light, merging with it.
The once silent chanting resounded again, becoming even more intense and soaring to the limit!
Many voices combined into a single overwhelming force, like a special instrument hammering repeatedly on the audience's hearts.
Those who were already excited by Stelle's power began to tremble once more.
...
: Brother Sunday is taking the stage!
: Damn, this music is insane! So intense! So damn orderly!
: So many puppets, densely packed, all hovering in the shadows!
: This totally has the vibe of a final boss appearance, feels way more epic than those previous bosses!
: So "gazing directly at the sun" actually refers to gazing directly at Sunday, damn, that's wild!
: But only this kind of atmosphere is worthy of the final battle!
...
The massive atmosphere and musical buildup made the audience clench their fists in anticipation of the final showdown.
But they vastly underestimated the shock that was coming.
Sunday's voice was no longer gentle like before, but now carried the true tone of Order.
"Using these 107,336 puppets,"
"The almighty chords of Harmony shall be used by me!"
Thousands of puppets turned into light, merging into the ever-brighter sun.
The grand chanting reached its peak.
And alongside it, Sunday's voice was joined by an unknown female voice.
The two became one, proclaiming the arrival of Order.
"The praised Tuner of Chords."
"Rise, Wisher of the Harmonious Choir — Dominicus!"
A colossal divine statue emerged from the light.
It wore a winged crown and held a conductor's baton in its right hand, symbolizing control and command.
Its radiance dispersed all the shadows within the theater, revealing the vast, but completely empty, viewing platforms surrounding it.
The Astral Express trio — Stelle, March 7th, and Himeko — all gradually widened their mouths and eyes in astonishment.
Just as Sunday said, he granted the Nameless the right to gaze directly at the sun.
And this statue, at this very moment, is the one and only Sun.