【The massive explosion triggered by the orbital cannon unleashed a Heat Wave that nearly engulfed the entire platform.】

【Engulfed in the torrent of energy, the Doomsday Beast could finally hold on no longer. Letting out a mournful wail, it was on the verge of collapsing. Yet in the final second before losing consciousness, the purple orb atop its head suddenly burst with an intense flare, sending a beam shooting wildly out of control—straight toward March 7th, who was furthest away!】

【"March!"】

【Faced with Dan Heng and Himeko's cries of alarm, March 7th, kneeling on one knee, raised her head in confusion. But against the sudden deadly threat, there was no time to dodge!】

"Aaaah! Miss March 7th!"

Almost simultaneously, viewers across different realms had their hearts in their throats.

Please, please, please! March 7th is so cute, nothing can happen to her!

【"Boom!"】

【In the nick of time, without the slightest hesitation, Stelle lunged forward and shielded March 7th.】

【The blinding light instantly engulfed her completely, leaving nothing but a snowy expanse of white on the light screen.】

"Strange, is this what comes after death?"

"Waaah, Miss Stelle is already dead? Dammit! I just fell in love with her, and my romance is already over?"

"If nothing else, her courage and readiness to Stand Behind Me deserve praise. Rest in peace, Miss Stelle."

"Hey, what nonsense are you spewing? Don't jinx her to death just yet, look at the the sky!"

Amidst the clamor, everyone turned their eyes back to the light screen, astonished to see something faintly emerging from the white light.

【A golden wound, resembling flowing magma, shed countless sparkling motes of light that rained down like trickling streams, continually converging.】

【"Time to set off."】

【A gentle female voice echoed from the the Void. Stelle was drifting through the pitch-black Nihility, continually falling alongside the light.】

【—Falling toward the Master of the wound.】

【"What on earth is..." Stelle slowly opened her eyes, also startled by the scene before her. A towering figure stood in the distant the Void; his features were indiscernible, with only the wound visible, originating from the scar across his chest.】

【As if catching a glimpse of a god, the onlookers outside the light screen instantly felt goosebumps rise all over their bodies.】

【"Go reach that destination."】

【"...Who are you?" Stelle realized beams of light surrounded her. She struggled with all her might, but to no avail. She continued to drift slowly toward the wound.】

【"Reach that ending with your own will."】

【Countless fragments flashed through Stelle's mind as a tidal wave of memories flooded in. For a moment, her head throbbed as if about to split open under the unbearable strain. But in the next second, a pair of golden eyes snapped open—gazing not only at Stelle before him, but seemingly piercing through the light screen to look upon everyone from the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms.】

【"He has taken notice of you."】

【As the voice faded, the figure's silhouette finally became clear.】

【It was a dark-skinned man with an expressionless, stern face, his eyes betraying only indifference and contempt. Magma-like light drifted slowly from his hands, while his gruesome wound resembled a river spanning countless galaxies, with infinite radiance gathering before him.】

"So this is an Aeon?" Miyamoto Musashi slammed the table and sprang to his feet, not even realizing that the stone table before him had shattered into pieces under his palm.

His entire body trembled almost uncontrollably.

This damn sense of menace... It's simply magnificent!

Though people called Miyamoto Musashi peerless under the heavens, what about above the the sky? He had never witnessed it, nor had he ever considered it.

But today, he had witnessed not only Dan Heng's superb spear technique and Kafka's refreshing Bladesmanship, but also this spine-chilling sense of menace.

It was as though martial artists like them, who were seen by outsiders as having reached the peak of the martial path, were merely a drop in the ocean.

Like negligible specks of dust beneath one's feet.

Let alone being treated as an opponent, they probably wouldn't even warrant a glance.

"Yujiro Hanma, what do you think of this sense of menace?"

Snapping back from his excitement, Miyamoto Musashi patted Yujiro Hanma on the shoulder, only to find that his muscles were as tense as stone. Cold sweat drenched his entire body, soaking his clothes and trickling slowly down the muscles of his arms.

Meanwhile, in Fontaine on Continent of Teyvat, Furina had barely recovered from the Doomsday Beast's suffocating pressure and was preparing to enjoy her Cupcake when she was frightened so badly her heart nearly skipped a beat. The hand holding her teacup shook like a sieve, almost spilling the tea leaves right out of the cup.

Only when the surrounding citizens turned their gazes back to her, their "superstar," did she suppress her inner terror, feigning an air of nonchalance as she took a sip of black tea.

"Just... what on earth was that just now?"

"Why did I get goosebumps all over?"

"Don't panic, Furina, this is just a minor scene!"

Furina took a few deep breaths so her voice wouldn't tremble with weakness.

Although she had stepped down as the Hydro Archon, in the eyes of Fontaine's people she had been the Hydro Archon for five hundred years, after all. What kind of storms hadn't she weathered? She had to possess at least this much resilience under pressure.

The onlookers of Fontaine were all utterly panicked. The oppressive aura of the Doomsday Beast had already been terrifying enough, yet how long had it been before an even more formidable entity appeared? Their fragile hearts could hardly take it.

"Lady Furina, just who is that dark-skinned man?" asked a man dressed like a reporter, fighting to steady his trembling voice.

"Hmm... Perhaps a deity from another world? Though it was merely a fleeting glance, I could still sense the power within his gaze." Furina speared a small piece of cake with her fork and casually placed it into her mouth.

"I see! As expected of Lady Furina! Even when facing a deity from another world, she remains so calm and composed." Convinced by this explanation, the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief and began to applaud one after another.

Since Lady Furina, having abdicated her divine throne, was still so at ease, that Aeon probably wasn't so terrifying after all, right?

...It was probably just that his eyes were a bit scary, right?

"Naturally. Though I have relinquished my divine power, I was once a deity, after all."

"But Lady Furina, why are your shoulders trembling slightly?" someone caught onto the telltale sign on Furina.

Though she tried desperately to restrain herself, as more onlookers gathered and the memory of those golden eyes surfaced, Furina couldn't help but let her nerves give her away.

"Uh, th-this is merely a sign of excitement."

Confronted with her fan's inquiry, Furina adapted quickly. She gracefully placed her fork on the plate, crossed her jade-white legs, and lifted her teacup once more with fingers wrapped in white silk gloves, using her flawless ladylike poise to wordlessly assure everyone present of her composure and ease.

"Indeed! If Lady Furina still possessed her divine power and an otherworldly deity invaded, Lady Furina would surely be the first to challenge him to a duel."

Just as Furina wore an awkward, sweat-drop expression, a loud boom in the the sky opportunely rescued her from the predicament.

【The scene on the light screen returned to the Herta Space Station. Stelle stood in front of March 7th with an expression of agony. The intense pain made it difficult for her to stand, but something inside her body was emanating a tremendous power, helping her resist the Doomsday Beast's attack.】