Collapse Iron: Cosplaying the Near-Death Star, but with a full destiny.

She stretched out her right hand, and in her palm, the golden counter-clock was slowly spinning.

"I will use this power to go back to the past. Back to the time before it became a god, before it became that indescribable thing."

"Back when it was just a slightly larger fish swimming in the deep sea."

"Then......"

Hoshi clenched his fist suddenly.

The golden clock shattered, turning into countless points of light.

"At its most vulnerable moment."

"Cut off its head."

"This is my plan."

"Spawn kill"

Li He turned around.

His face showed neither the surprise nor confusion that I had expected.

Although those terms like "cheating" and "Spawn kill" were like gibberish to him, he understood them.

He understood that...

A resolute desire to crush fate into the ground.

"Sever its foundation before it gains power."

Li He nodded, and a rare, appreciative smile appeared on his pale face.

"Good tactic."

"Although this plan is risky, it hits the nail on the head."

His gaze towards Hoshino softened, no longer as cold and distant as before.

"Such a coincidence truly exists in the world."

"You must kill the dragon."

"Someone... also wants to kill the dragon."

"but......"

Li He sighed, his gaze once again fixed on the desolate distance, as if he had traveled through a thousand years to see the once bustling yet indifferent city of Chang'an.

"The reason someone killed it wasn't as grand as this girl's."

"It's neither to save humanity nor for any kind of cosmic peace."

He raised his hand and looked at his withered, even somewhat deformed, palms.

Those were hands that held a pen.

He should have written magnificent articles, and he should have been able to express his opinions on the world with inspiring words.

"My family's original surname is Li, and we are relatives of the Tang imperial family."

"He could compose poems at the age of seven, and his writing flowed as if guided by a god."

"I thought that with my vast knowledge, I could pass the imperial examinations early, restore my family's reputation, and rebuild the glory of the Li family."

At this point, his voice became low, carrying an undisguised bitterness.

"Alas..."

"The world is a treacherous place, and people's hearts are full of evil."

"Just because my father's name is 'Jin Su', some jealous villains slandered us, saying that 'Jin' and 'Jin' are homophones. In order to avoid using the family name, my family was even stripped of the qualification to take the imperial examination."

"Ten years of hard study".

"All my hard work has been drained."

"final......"

He only received the rank of Fengli Lang, a ninth-grade official.

Li He gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Does the young lady know what a courtier does?"

Hoshi shook his head.

"Place the plates."

Li He pointed to the ground.

"At royal sacrificial ceremonies, they mechanically arranged those cold sacrificial vessels like puppets."

"day to day."

"Year after year."

"Watching the sun rise and the moon set, watching spring come and autumn go."

"Look at those mediocre people whose talents are far inferior to those of a certain family, who are all high-ranking officials and enjoying great success."

"And a certain family..."

"All I can do is watch my hair turn white one by one and my spirit gradually fade away in this endless waste of time."

In his eyes, the will-o'-the-wisps flickered, like two phosphorescent flames about to ignite a wildfire.

"This time..."

"This damned time!"

"It's like a giant frying pan!"

Li He suddenly pointed at the black dragon in the sky.

"The moon is cold and the sun is warm!"

"Boil human life!"

These eight words are like weeping and lamenting, like madness and demonic possession.

"It withers away a person's talent, dries up their ambition, and slowly dries their lifespan to ashes!"

"I hate it!"

"I hate the injustice of fate, I hate the cruelty of time!"

"If we could slay this dragon, if we could stop the alternation of day and night, if we could freeze time forever at that moment when someone was at their most triumphant..."

"That would be... wonderful."

Hoshi listened quietly.

She never imagined that this "poetry ghost" who had always lived in her mind and helped her out of trouble at critical moments was carrying such a heavy and concrete despair.

Unlike those heroes who sacrificed themselves for the greater good.

Li He's pain was individual, personal, and something that every talented but unappreciated person could empathize with... a pain that cuts to the bone.

"The cold moon and warm sun, both shorten human life..."

Hoshi repeated the poem in a low voice.

She remembered those Golden Descendants who burned themselves out in their fight against fate.

actually......

We're all in this pot.

Everyone is being tormented by this relentless passage of time.

"This reason..."

Ye Xing raised his head and looked directly into Li He's eyes, which were burning with ghostly flames.

"good."

"Very sufficient."

"It's even more satisfying than saving the world..."

"happy?"

Li He repeated these two words, his withered fingertips gently tapping the void, as if striking some unseen rhythm.

"What the young lady said does make some sense."

"But the word 'pleasure' alone is probably not enough to support you in wielding the sword that cuts through time."

He turned around, and his eyes, burning with ghostly flames, pierced straight into the depths of Hoshino's eyes through the swirling silver dust.

"You just said that you want to go back to the past and kill it at its most vulnerable moment."

"While this move is ingenious, it goes against common sense and is even defying the will of Heaven."

"Now that you possess the power to reshape the world, why are you still so fixated on saving those... who should have perished?"

"Why not follow the natural order and become a detached observer?"

"Because I'm not convinced."

Hoshi answered quickly.

She took a step forward, and the gray earth beneath her feet cracked under the weight of the weight.

"The Way of Heaven?"

"If the way of Heaven is to ensure that good people do not meet a good end, that lovers are separated by death, that heroes become monsters, and that civilization becomes ruins..."

"Then I'll smash this Heavenly Dao to pieces."

She raised her head and stared directly at the oppressive black sun overhead.

"The master asked me what my purpose was in slaying the dragon."

"It's actually very simple."

"I don't want to be a savior, nor do I want to be a star god."

"I'm just a... biased, ordinary person."

The star stretched out its hands, as if to embrace this desolate world.

"I want to protect Xi Lian so that she no longer has to guard those lonely memories alone."

"I want to protect Xing so that she can always happily wield her fire spear like a fool."

"I want to protect March 7th, protect Danheng, protect Sister Jizi, protect Uncle Yang..."

"I want to make sure that all those who believe in me can have a home where they can sleep peacefully in this messed-up universe."

"As for immortality and godhood..."

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Hoshino's lips.

"If it becomes a god, my friends will have no future."

"If it controls time, my story is destined to be a tragedy."

"If that's the case..."

"It must die."

"Even if I have to bear some consequences for this, even if I have to pay some price."

"I am Hoshino."

"Accept it all."

The wind stopped.

The dust in the sky seemed to have been paused, suspended in mid-air like billions of still stars.

Li He stared at her intently.

a long time.

A dazzling smile suddenly bloomed on his pale, paper-white face.

It is neither bitter nor insane.

Rather, it is a kind of...

It was a delightful encounter with a kindred spirit.

"good."

"Excellent!"

Li He laughed loudly, his laughter shattering the stagnant air around him.

"Protecting one's own...a vulgar person..."

"What a vulgar person!"

"The so-called saints in this world are often bound by rules and regulations, making it difficult for them to move forward."

"On the contrary, it is a common woman like this who, with only a heart full of passion, dares to change the world!"

He suddenly flicked his sleeve.

"Since you're so determined, then go!"

"Go and cut off the dragon's feet!"

"Go and chew on that dragon meat!"

"Even if I'm in hell, I'll still beat the drum and cheer you on at this moment!"

As he finished speaking...

The entire wasteland began to collapse.

The orange-yellow sky shattered like a mirror, and the black sun, amidst the maniacal laughter, transformed into countless swirling ink dots.

The world is spinning.

Consciousness is ascending.

Hoshi felt like a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon, flying towards the light and towards a reality filled with warmth.

......

"...Shirohoshi?"

"...Wake up..."

A gentle call came to my ear.

It was accompanied by a slight shaking.

Hoshi suddenly opened her eyes.

What comes into view is no longer that oppressive orange-yellow and deathly gray-white.

Instead, it was the familiar ceiling and the warm yellow chandelier emitting a soft glow.

A faint fragrance filled the air, a scent unique to Xi Lian, like a flower field after the rain.

"call......"

Hoshi let out a long breath.

The cold sweat on my back had soaked through my pajamas, sticking to my body and bringing an uncomfortable chill.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

A stunningly beautiful face came closer.

Xi Lian was sitting on the edge of the bed, her blue eyes with diamond-shaped pupils filled with concern.

She reached out and gently wiped the sweat from Hoshino's forehead with a warm towel.

"It wasn't a nightmare."

Hoshi shook his head, his voice a little hoarse, but with an unprecedented sense of ease.

"I should say..."

"It was a... rally."

She propped herself up and sat up.

Only then did they realize that Xi Lian wasn't the only one in the room.

Xing was leaning against the sofa by the window, holding the book "As I Write". Although her eyes were on the pages, the hand that was tightly gripping the Flame Spear betrayed her inner tension.

Upon seeing that Hoshi had woken up, Hoshi immediately closed her book and hurried over.

"How are you feeling?"

Xing handed her a glass of warm water.

"Are those things in your head... still making noise?"

Hoshi took the water glass and drank it all in one gulp.

The warm liquid slid down my throat, quenching my thirst.

She closed her eyes and sensed it for a moment.

The phantom of the three-headed corpse still existed, and the blood-red background still lingered at the edge of the field of vision.

But this time.

She felt no fear.

There was no feeling of being oppressed and suffocated.

Because deep within her consciousness, an extra sword had appeared.

A three-foot-long sword, its blade embodying the essence of Li He's poetry and exuding a chilling aura...

It hangs there, suppressing all the chaos and madness.

"It's still there."

Hoshi put down his cup, a confident smile playing on his lips.

"but......"

"They are quiet now."

"So quiet...it's like they're waiting to die."

Just then.

Knock knock knock.

Knock knock knock.

A series of rapid, rhythmic knocks sounded on the door.

Immediately afterwards, the door handle was turned, but it did not open because it was locked from the inside.

"Click-clack-click-clack—"

That was the sound of shells hitting a door panel.

"Lord Hoshi! Lord Hoshi! Lord Kyori!"

The distinctive, slightly mechanical yet vibrant voice of the 7582 celestial insect messenger came from outside the door.

"The train conductor sent me to wake you up!"

"We've finished the jump!"

"and......"

7582's voice trembled slightly, as if it had seen something that frightened it.

"Outside...there are so many big ships outside!"

"What a huge ship! It's completely blocked out the stars!"

"And... there are so many guests in the living room!"

"That general with fox ears is so fierce... Train conductor Pam's hair stood on end!"

Hoshino, Hoshino, and Shiren exchanged a glance.

It seems.

Arrived.

The legendary Azure Immortal Ship, and the invincible Heavenly Strike General...

They've already come knocking on our door.

"understood."

Hoshino threw off the covers and jumped off the bed.

She stretched out a big yawn, and her bones cracked and popped.

"Let's go."

As she changed into the combat suit, she tidied her slightly messy silver hair in front of the mirror.

"Let's go meet our new... no, I should say our old ally."

"By the way..."

"I've secured the one-way ticket to Planet 4546."

......

The Starry Sky Train, observation carriage.

The once spacious space now felt somewhat cramped.

It wasn't because of the large number of people, but because of... the aura.

Beyond the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, the vast and empty cosmos is no longer visible.

Instead, a massive, suffocating steel fleet has emerged.

Countless azure warships, like a swarm of locusts crossing a river, were densely packed in the void.

Their shapes are sharp as swords, and their hulls are engraved with the cloud patterns and animal heads unique to the Yaoqing Immortal Ship. The main guns of each warship are in a state of charging and ready to fire, emitting a chilling eerie light.

And in the center of these warships.

A colossal flagship, the "Sky Strike," whose size even surpasses that of the Luofu Divine Strategy Mansion, hovered there silently.

It's like a giant blue wolf entrenched in the sea of ​​stars, scrutinizing the tiny star train with its cold, electronic eyes.

This is Yaoqing.

This is the most ruthless and martial lineage in the Immortal Boat Alliance.

Inside the carriage.

This sense of oppression also exists.

Pam was hiding behind the bar, her long ears pressed tightly against her head, only daring to peek out with half an eye showing to observe.

A person stood beside the head seat of the long table.

Not sitting, but standing.

She wore a blue and white military-style trench coat, with a tight-fitting light blue vest underneath, which accentuated her powerful muscle lines.

Her long silver hair was tied into a high ponytail at the back of her head, the ends of which gradually turned bluish-green, swaying with her slight movements.

The pair of fox ears on its head were twitching slightly, as if trying to catch even the faintest sounds around it.

Soaring into the sky.

Yao Qingtian struck the general.

One of the Seven Heavenly Generals of the Emperor's Bow.

She didn't always wear a lazy smile like Jing Yuan, nor did she put on airs like Fu Xuan.

She leaned casually against the table, arms crossed, and a flame called "fighting spirit" burned in her clear green eyes.

Behind her, two people stood on her left and right.

The fox-man with squinty eyes and pink hair on the left is holding a feather fan and smilingly surveying the furnishings in the carriage. He looks harmless, but in reality, he exudes a shrewdness—that is Yao Qing's physician, Jiao Qiu.

The silent young man on the right, dressed in all black with a hood covering his face and toying with two short daggers in his hand, is Yao Qing's shadow guard, Mo Ze.

"Then you can arrange the itinerary."

"Sister Himeko, you are so understanding."

The group was still discussing the train's next journey and how to get to 4546B.

The other side of the table.

The train crew members were already on high alert.

Ji Zi sat upright in the chair, her expression calm, and she was not overwhelmed by Fei Xiao's imposing aura.

Walter adjusted his glasses, and lightly tapped the ground with the simulated black hole cane in his hand. An invisible gravitational field spread around, cleverly neutralizing the pressure from Yao Qingfang.

On Sunday, he sat in the corner, still wearing that smile that seemed to be watching a play.

The black swan was flipping through the tarot cards in her hand, seemingly divining the fortune of this meeting.

As for Danheng...

The former Dragon Lord was staring at the fleet outside the window, his brows slightly furrowed, as if recalling some ancient legends about Yao Qing.

"Click".

The carriage door opened.

Hoshi entered with Hoshi and Shiren.

Swah——

All eyes immediately turned to the doorway.

Feixiao, in particular, stopped talking.

Her gaze instantly locked onto Hoshino.

His gaze was sharp as a knife, as if he wanted to dissect the star from the inside out.

"You're here?"

Feixiao spoke.

The sound was crisp and clear, with a metallic quality, extremely pleasant to the ear, yet also very penetrating.

"You've kept me waiting."

....................................