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.
----------------------------------------
At this moment, Sunday is no longer Sunday, but the Dominicus.
Countless voices merge into one under the sun.
With each chant overpowering the last, they bring the oppressive weight of the Dominicus to the audience.
This is not just simple background music.
It is a true chorus sung in unison by the puppets that revolve around Sunday.
These golden puppets spin around the Dominicus, their movements and voices dancing to His command.
"This... this is just too grand!"
March 7th exclaimed in astonishment.
Everything within her field of vision was covered by the colossal figure of Dominicus.
The sense of oppression it exuded surpassed even Phantylia they encountered on the Xianzhou.
"An incarnation of Harmony?"
"So the true purpose of the Charmony Festival... is to usurp it?"
Himeko also stared at the Dominicus, though her expression was far more composed.
Still, she couldn't hide the heaviness in her eyes.
"Who cares who He is!"
Stelle's eyes were filled with confidence—and a flicker of anger—as she gripped the brim of her hat, already prepared to fight: "Let's bring the whole damn team and finish this—Sunday or not!"
At that moment—
A burst of wild electric guitar tore into the background music.
It stood in sharp contrast to the elegant classical violins.
A modern instrument, yet it blended perfectly into the orderly choir—and even ignited it.
The instant this sound appeared—
Sunday raised his baton with his right hand and gently pointed into the void.
Invisible ripples spread out as the densely packed puppets surged toward the Express crew.
"Step forward and present yourselves! You who wander in the shadow of death!"
Stelle removed her hat and declared loudly.
Countless star lights fell like meteors, smashing many puppets mid-charge.
But more puppets surged forth in their place!
"I'll help you!"
March 7th pulled her bowstring to its limit and fired.
A massive ice arrow shattered in mid-air into a flurry of adorable little bunnies.
Attacks that once seemed harmless now showed terrifying power against the endless wave of puppets.
The barrage of frost effectively suppressed the puppets' advance.
"They're flanking us!"
Himeko shouted in warning.
There were just too many. Even with wide-range AoE attacks, the two couldn't cover the entire field.
More puppets surrounded them from all directions.
Himeko's drones had gone berserk in the sky—those machines infused with Trailblazer power spun with blazing brilliance in the air.
Each sweep tore through large swaths of puppets.
Because the drones could operate continuously, Himeko's damage output far surpassed that of Stelle and March 7th.
And behind Himeko—
More drones kept generating non-stop.
It looked like the Express crew had a brief upper hand.
But again—there were simply too many enemies.
Especially the towering figure of the Dominicus, looming behind the puppets, watching them all with an oppressive gaze.
At this point, the camera gave a full-body close-up of Sunday.
He was passionately waving his baton in the rear.
Just like a mad symphony conductor, his movements made the music heavier, more intense.
The puppets were both his instruments and his dancers.
Such insane visual and special effects, paired with the overwhelming audio—
Delivered wave after wave of emotional impact to the audience!
...
: This is insanely awesome—this boss is just ridiculous!
: This is the first time I've heard electric guitar in a classical symphony! The way it clashes and blends with the violin gave me chills!
: Looks like the Express crew can't win! Damn! Even Stelle's new power isn't enough?
: It's not that it's useless—it's just that there are too many enemies! They haven't even reached Sunday's main body!
: Not just that—according to Himeko, Sunday is now an Aeon's Emanator! He's taken the power that once belonged to Harmony!
: Damn it! Welt isn't here this time—can the trio defeat a Emanator on their own?!
: Where's Acheron?! Where's Dan Heng?! Hurry up and get here!
: There's no way they can hold out like this. They need to break through the blockade and hit Sunday directly!
...
As the audience enjoyed the visual spectacle, they also frantically worried about the Express crew's safety.
Unlike in the game, the special effects here were pushed to the limit.
Aside from a small patch of space around the trio, the entire massive theater was filled with puppets.
These mad puppets stretched endlessly across the screen.
From above, it looked like there wasn't even room to stand.
"We have to disrupt Sunday—He's tuning the Dominicus!"
While operating her drones to maintain the front line, Himeko's eyes sharpened, sensing something amiss.
The surrounding chorus was becoming increasingly unified.
Even the once dissonant electric guitar began to harmonize with the violin in a call-and-response.
The completed tuning began to affect the express trio.
The notes whispered constantly in their ears, inviting them to join this peaceful and eternal new world.
"Himeko... I think I see the new world..."
March 7th's rate of fire slowed. Her eyes spun dizzily as she murmured.
"March, snap out of it! Don't fall under the tuning's influence!"
Himeko urgently shouted.
"Leave it to me!"
Stelle shouted beside her, tossing her hat into the sky and giving a cool high-five to Clockie.
An inspiring power once again spread from Stelle to the surroundings.
If this were the game, you'd probably see March 7th gaining a buff that clears status effects.
And at that moment—
The hat soaring into the air transformed into Clockie's iconic little face.
This time, it was even bigger—like a big-headed version!
Starlight rained down indiscriminately, blasting apart a massive number of puppets.
"Ugh!"
"Don't worry about me!"
March 7th shook her head forcefully. Empowered by Stelle's strength, she finally woke from her trance.
With March back in action, the previously faltering defense stabilized.
However—
Both Stelle and March 7th grew more solemn.
Under such overwhelming attacks, they were forced into defense—how much longer could they hold?!
A sense of despair overflowed from the screen.
...
: Holy crap, this is just like a zombie siege—there's no end to them!
: We need large-scale attack options! Like Acheron's slash!
: Feels like we're going to get worn down to death here. It's Sunday, and the tuning still isn't done. Once he's finished, a big attack might arrive!
: Ahhhh! If only Acheron were here! If she were, she could easily resolve the situation!
: We're doomed. Is the Express crew really going to get wiped out by Sunday?!
...
Originally, due to Stelle gaining blessings of Harmony, the pressure that had temporarily subsided returned all at once.
Now, their hearts suddenly leapt to their throats again.
At least for now, they couldn't see any hope of winning.
Many people's minds had gone completely blank.
It seemed like they couldn't think of any way to fight this battle.
But before they could come up with a solution, the worst had already happened.
Sunday, who had been tuning in the background, finally made his move after repeated build-up.
"The time has come. Order shall be reborn from the divine remains!"
With Sunday the Divine speaking those words,
He looked up at Penacony's night sky, gazing toward that gentle, radiant void.
It was as if something there was waiting to be received by Him.
The symphony at that moment completely merged into the Dominicus, the Order!
The audience stared wide-eyed, holding their breath, waiting for what Sunday would do next.
And then—
All the music was interrupted by the sudden, melodious sound of a flute!
A massive azure water dragon burst out from the right side of the screen in a flash, instantly tearing apart Sunday's imposing chorus and aura!
"Urgh!"
A painful groan came from Sunday's mouth.
His body began to collapse.
The moment came far too suddenly, far too fast!
The audience's minds only now began to react.
Then, hot blood surged through their chests!
Who knows how many people screamed wildly, eyes locked onto the screen, afraid to even blink!
Finally—
As the water dragon faded, Sunday collapsed on stage.
The audience finally saw the true face of the newcomer!
Penacony's midnight sky was now bathed in golden light.
One by one, Xianzhou warships pierced the clouds, descending from above!
...
: The azure dragon ascends! Reinforcements are here!
: Holy crap, they really came! That giant just got wrecked! Are we dreaming?
: Most importantly, Sunday's chorus got interrupted and transformed into Xianzhou-style music!
: Dan Heng stormed in carrying the sound system!
: So epic!
: The Xianzhou fleet just burst into Penacony! Damn, how am I dreaming this?! It's too cool!
: Xianzhou: Who called the fleet?
: This is exactly the time when the Jade Alliance shines! Xianzhou to the rescue, let's go!
: You've got puppets, I've got battleships! See the Express crew's connections now?!
: Social bonds are power too, Sunday! You're still too green! Learn from our Trailblazers!
: Cloud Knights: You're telling me your name is Sunday?!
: Who gets it?! I was screaming the whole time, my mom next to me was screaming even louder, calling out Jing Yuan like crazy!
...
The appearance of the fleet nearly made the audience reach peak ecstasy!
In a battle like this, the arrival of the Xianzhou fleet speaks for itself.
But just as the audience screamed with excitement, an even more thrilling scene appeared!
The water dragon that burst through Sunday circled back into the sky.
Golden lightning burst from the clouds, instantly suppressing Sunday's divine resonance.
It was the Lighting Lord!
The azure dragon coiled around the Lighting Lord at that moment, letting out a fierce roar at Sunday below!
...
: Ahhhhh! So epic! So breathtaking!
: Jing Yuan actually showed up! And fused with Dan Heng! Damn, I'm crying!
: This is the combo move we've all been waiting for!
: I was just wondering how we could beat so many puppets—now I know!
: Just that one strike—couldn't that shatter the entire theater?!
: These two, in that moment, were mind-blowingly awesome! Damn!
...
The barrage of comments reflected the audience's passion, nearly overflowing the entire screen in an instant!
"Radiant spirit, heed my word."
"Show no mercy!"
Floating at the center of the Lighting Lord, Jing Yuan raised his long blade.
And on the left, Dan Heng twisted his arm behind his back.
The two moved almost simultaneously, unleashing their final technique!
The Lighting Lord's golden lightning and the azure dragon's roar struck as one—
Roaring downward!
The audience stared, breath held and hearts pounding.
They wanted to see the most spectacular moment.
To witness Sunday being defeated by these two Xianzhou powerhouses!
This—
Was the most satisfying, most explosive moment of Episode 3!
And just as expected, the camera followed tightly behind the azure dragon and the Lighting Lord.
But just as their attack landed—
A beam of white light appeared from the left, covering the entire screen.
Sunday shielded his head with his hand, torn apart into black streaks by the blinding attack.
Then—
The screen went black.
One second...
Two seconds...
The audience waited.
Waited for Sunday's struggle to follow.
And an even more handsome, climactic close-up.
Then the third second...
The fourth...
And at that moment—
The darkness suddenly faded.
March 7th's voice suddenly rang out.
"You're awake?"
The scene became clear.
It was a hotel room. March 7th was smiling as she looked at the dazed Stelle, saying: "Are you okay? Can you hear me? Do you remember your name?"
...
: Wait, what? Bro? Did I miss a chunk or something?
: Huh… shut up for a sec, let me light a smoke and think. Did my memory glitch? We were just fighting Sunday, right?
: Where's Sunday? Where's Jing Yuan??? My little azure dragon???
: No way... it's already over?!
: Did they seriously one-shot him?!
: You, me, what, bro?!
: Even if they one-shotted him, at least show us what Sunday looked like after getting wrecked?!
: Is the third episode really ending just like that?
: What the hell, my brain just got completely short-circuited.
...
The screen froze on March 7th's smile.
The audience, who had just been on a wild emotional high, suddenly went dead silent.
Not only did they calm down, they even started doubting whether their minds had broken.
Even so—
Not one of them suspected that this was MiHoYo messing with them again...
------------------------------------
Hello Everyone! LordIsland here!
The results of last week's poll are out:
Honkai Star Rail : 51 votes
Honkai Impact 3rd : 35 votes
Genshin Impact : 13 votes
Something Else : 17 votes
...
Based on the results, I'll be starting a new Honkai Star Rail Fanfic translation!
I'll try to search and find a good novel, and depending on the time it takes, I'll stockpile some chaps and start posting it by the next-to-next week or in max 3 weeks !!
...
I'll also try to see if I can find a good mash up of all 3 HSR, HI3rd and Genshin !
And another thing, for those of you who said me to try Arknights or Zenless Zone Zero, I'm sorry, I'm not up-to-date in the game content so if I try to do it, I make mix up some names or content while translating.
I'm not sure about the others but when I translate something I try to get the names and the details correct to a point 😅😅, so for now, no Arknights or Zenless Zone Zero translations
But if I find a mash up of HSR, HI3rd, Genshin & ZZZ or Arknights, will see in that case.
Hope for the best!
Anyway, signing off,
Have a good day/ night! ヾ(^▽^*)))