"Why would a Lord Ravager show up here?" Lumina wondered as she stepped outside the space station, sensing the rapidly approaching presence.
There was nothing on this station that could possibly attract a Lord Ravager. The only thing that might draw its attention was the "owned" Stellaron.
But that Stellaron belonged to Herta. Offending an Emanator of Erudition over a Stellaron that was useless to the Lord Ravager seemed like a foolish move.
Wait... it's an Emanator of Destruction? Never mind then.
Realizing this, Lumina suddenly understood why the Emanator of Destruction had come.
It's probably after me.
Lumina recalled her last encounter with the Lord Ravager, roughly a century ago. She had been wandering through space when the Lord Ravager suddenly blocked her path, ranting about how she was an obstacle that needed to be "annihilated."
Lumina hadn't heard him clearly and, wasting no time on further banter, immediately attacked.
After pinning him down, she left with a single, nonchalant remark before striding away with effortless grace:
"If this is your 'Destruction,' I suggest you train for another century before challenging me again."
Now that she thought about it, it had indeed been about a century since that incident.
Seriously, buddy? You're a Lord Ravager! Why are you so punctual?
Lumina mentally scoffed.
Unfortunately, the Lord Ravager turned out to be a man rather than a delicate maiden. Otherwise, Lumina wouldn't have minded staging a grand and romantic encounter.
(TL Note: Lumina solos Zephyro no Diff. Frfr)
Still, if I turn this into a CG scene, it should definitely boost Resonance Points.
This thought brought her some inner peace.
Lumina took a step forward, intending to intercept the Lord Ravager, but froze mid-stride, her hand on her chin, head tilted down as if struck by a sudden realization.
"What was that Lord Ravager's name again?"
-
"Where's my wife? Where's my wife? Where did my big, beautiful wife go?"
In the live stream, Xiao Hunhun, controlling Stelle, finished her conversation with Asta only to realize that Lumina had vanished without a trace.
[Don't worry, streamer! Lumina's right here in my arms.]
[Sorry, everyone. Lumina wasn't feeling well and went to bed early. Please forgive her.]
[To the commenter above, I suggest closing your eyes and taking a nap. You can have anything you want in your dreams.]
[Keep playing! Why are you just standing there?]
"Oh, right. Since my wife is on the Space Station, she'll show up eventually," Xiao Hunhun thought, finding the comment perfectly reasonable. She continued controlling Stelle to advance the main story.
Time flew by, and as the main quest progressed, Xiao Hunhun reached the part where Stelle had to fight the Doomsday Beast on the platform.
"Aaaaah! Where's my wife? Where's my wife?!"
Seeing the Doomsday Beast boss battle unfold exactly as it had in the closed beta, Xiao Hunhun erupted in frustration.
The earlier parts of the game had been completely changed, and Lumina had even been available as a trial character. Xiao Hunhun had assumed the entire story would be different, but it seemed she had simply gotten her hopes up.
Upon reflection, however, Xiao Hunhun realized that a complete overhaul would have been unrealistic, given how close the final closed beta was to the official release. There simply wouldn't have been enough time for such extensive changes.
With this realization, Xiao Hunhun calmed down considerably.
She threw herself wholeheartedly into the battle unfolding on the screen.
While she genuinely missed Lumina, she couldn't let those trolls in the live stream mock her for losing. She had to clear this fight on her first try!
With barely a sliver of health remaining, Xiao Hunhun narrowly defeated the Doomsday Beast boss.
"Heh heh, what do you think? Pretty awesome, right?"
"Even without my Lumina, this measly Doomsday Beast was a piece of cake!"
After vanquishing the Doomsday Beast, Xiao Hunhun immediately started gloating.
[That's just a beginner boss. What's there to brag about?]
[Someone clip this footage of Xiao Hunhun. We'll show it to her later when she gets utterly crushed by a future boss.]
"Hmph! Once I pull Lumina, those future bosses will be pushovers!"
Xiao Hunhun declared, ignoring the chat and plunging back into the story.
He watched as Stelle physically blocked the Doomsday Beast's attacks, then witnessed the Stellaron's explosive power obliterate the beast. Welt rescued her, and everything unfolded exactly as it had during the closed beta, leaving Xiao Hunhun somewhat disappointed.
"There, there, it's all over now..."
But as Stelle's eyelids began to flutter closed, a gentle voice whispered in her ear. As her vision gradually cleared, the figure of a white-haired woman materialized before her.
"Lumina! My waifu! You're finally here!!!"
Xiao Hunhun's eyes lit up like stars, his entire body trembling with excitement.
[Hey, streamer, calm down! She's clearly my waifu!]
[I'm the Pure Love Champion! My bond with Lumina is pure! You NTR trash will all meet my blade!]
"Huh? Something feels off about Lumina," Xiao Hunhun realized, his initial joy fading as he noticed subtle differences in her appearance.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, and the edges of her dress bore burn marks, as if she had just been in a battle.
"Lumina, Lumina, what happened? Where were you just now? Are you hurt?" March 7th asked anxiously, noticing Lumina's disheveled state in the game.
Lumina shook her head. "I'm fine," she replied.
Then, she turned to Stelle and whispered softly, "The Stellaron is unstable. Let me help you suppress it. Don't worry, dear, just close your eyes and rest. You'll be alright."
With that, Lumina cradled Stelle in her arms, smiled gently, and lightly brushed her fingers across Stelle's eyelids. Stelle's eyes closed immediately, and the player's screen went completely dark.
"Hehe, my wife's voice is so gentle! She called me 'dear'~" Xiao Hunhun chuckled lewdly, his face reddening as Lumina's soothing words seemed to melt his ears.
[My wife is so good to me!]
[My wife is so good to all of you!]
As the screen faded to black, a line of text appeared:
[Half a System Time ago...]
Xiao Hunhun composed himself slightly and clicked the mouse.
The screen went completely black, and a CG animation began to play...