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

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The air inside the observation car seemed to have solidified into a gel, so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

Hoshi slumped into a chair, his face, which had been so spirited just moments before and had threatened to tear up the Book of Life and Death, now as pale as the snow of deep winter.

Her eyes lost focus, and deep within her pupils was reflected the non-existent golden timeline that she herself had disrupted.

The culprit.

These four words were like four red-hot steel nails, driving them deep into her spine and shattering her proud "savior" halo.

She always thought she was mending regrets and saving tragedies, but little did she know that it was her hands, which recklessly altered fate, that toppled the first domino of destruction.

If she hadn't reversed time, Zhulong might have remained forever a fish sleeping in the deep sea.

If she hadn't forcibly resurrected Bai Heng, the calamity might never have spread to the Immortal Ship Luofu.

"I......"

Hoshi opened his mouth, as if his throat was filled with coarse sand.

"What exactly am I...?"

Just as her self-awareness was about to slide into the abyss of collapse, a pair of soft arms, carrying an undeniable firmness, wrapped around her from behind.

There were no extra words, nor any earth-shattering sounds.

Xi Lian simply pressed her body against it.

The body was warm and soft, emanating a comforting fragrance, like dried flowers tucked between the pages of an old book.

She gently rested her chin on the crook of Hoshino's neck, her pink hair falling down like tassels, obscuring Hoshino's terrified eyes.

"Shh..."

Xi Lian's voice was very soft, so soft that only the two of them could hear it.

But the sound pierced through the noisy self-blame and roar in Xing's mind, precisely reaching that softest part of his heart.

"Don't be afraid."

"Little commander, don't be afraid."

Xi Lian's palm covered the cold back of Xing's hand, her ten fingers slowly weaving into the gaps until they were tightly clasped.

"Whether it's cause and effect or sin."

"These things are too heavy and too meaningless for a life that 'wants to live'."

She neither denied Hoshino's speculation nor tried to gloss over the situation with weak words.

As the guardian of memories, she knew better than anyone that established facts could not be changed, just as spilled water cannot be retrieved.

but......

The water was spilled, and the ground got wet.

Then just keep going, stepping on the wet ground.

"Even if you're the culprit... so what?"

Xi Lian's tone carried a rare, almost obsessive, doting tone.

She tilted her head slightly, her warm lips brushing against Hoshino's earlobe, sending a tingling sensation through her.

"As long as the outcome is what we want."

"As long as everyone can sit here smiling, as long as Bai Heng can drink that belated cup of wine, as long as Jing Yuan can unload the burden of a thousand years."

"So..."

No matter how dirty the process, how despicable the methods, or how chaotic the logic...

Xi Lian tightened her arms around him, as if she wanted to absorb the bones and blood of the person in her arms into her own body.

"I'll shower with you too."

"If it can't be washed off, then I'll get dirty with you."

"Flowers bloom in hell, stars shine in the mud... Isn't this what we do best♪"

Shihoshi's body trembled violently.

The chill that emanated from the depths of the soul miraculously melted away somewhat in Xi Lian's declaration, which was almost like that of an "accomplice."

She felt the warmth coming from her back; it wasn't just body heat, but a heart that had been given away without reservation.

however.

Before she could fully struggle out of this gentle quagmire...

Clang—!

A sharp metallic scraping sound suddenly rang in my ears.

Followed by.

A sharp gust of wind swept past, ruffling Xi Lian's long hair and dispelling the warmth that had just gathered in the carriage.

Hoshi felt a sharp pain in his back.

It wasn't the sharp pain of a blade piercing flesh, but rather a dull, throbbing sensation that went straight to the heart.

"Snapped!"

Feixiao's sword remained sheathed. She gripped the hilt with her other hand and slammed the heavy back of the blade hard against Yexing's spine.

The blow was extremely powerful, causing Hoshino to stumble forward, almost knocking Xilian to the ground along with him.

"Cough cough cough!"

Hoshino coughed violently, the air in her lungs being forcibly squeezed out, causing a burning pain.

But this pain instantly cleared her previously muddled mind.

She looked up and met Fei Xiao's green vertical pupils, which were burning with anger.

The Heavenly Strike General was looking down at her from his high vantage point, his long sword casually slung over his shoulder, a disdainful sneer playing on his lips.

"What's with the fuss!"

Feixiao's voice was like a thunderclap, making the teacups on the table vibrate.

"Are you a fox cub who hasn't been weaned yet? All you do at the slightest problem is cry and whine, and doubt yourself?"

She stepped forward, her military boots making a dull thud on the floor.

"Does it matter who woke them up?"

Does it matter who planted the seed?

"The problem now is—the dragon has awakened, it wants to eat people, it wants to destroy everything!"

Feixiao stretched out a finger, pointing to the vast sea of ​​stars outside the window, and to the distant, perilous planet 4546.

"On the battlefield, no one ever asks who made the enemy's bullets."

"We only do one thing."

"That means twisting the enemy's head off and kicking it around like a ball!"

General Yao Qing's aura reached its peak at this moment.

It was not the pressure of fate, but a pure "martial" will forged through countless trials and tribulations, emerging from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Now that you're awake..."

"Then kill it!"

Fei Xiao grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

That smile was arrogant and domineering, yet it carried a convincing air of dominance.

"If the sky falls, this general will hold it up."

"after all......"

"I am invincible."

This statement is completely unreasonable and even somewhat arrogant.

But at this moment, under Fei Xiao's absolutely confident gaze, everyone present actually had the illusion that "she was right".

Hoshino covered his back, which had been slapped, and straightened up, wincing in pain.

She glanced at Xi Lian behind her, whose face was gentle yet resolute, and then at Fei Xiao in front of her, who exuded an aura of dominance.

And then there were the companions around us who, though they didn't say anything, had eyes that were equally filled with "I'll support you to the end."

Hoshi gripped the Flame Spear tightly, Himeko put down her coffee cup, Welt adjusted his glasses, and Black Swan flipped over a [Chariot] card.

Even Sunday in the corner bowed slightly and gave her an encouraging look.

"Oh......"

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