Starry Sky Railway: I develop mobile games in Xianzhou

Chapter 36: The Pioneer’s Secret! A Strange Scene Reappears!

Inside Xiao Guizi’s livestream room.

After an intense battle, with Himeko’s orbital cannon providing support, the Creation Engine finally halted—at least for now.

But this was just the first phase.

Cocolia remained above the Creation Engine. The true enemy was her!

At that moment, Star exchanged a glance with the others before launching into a sprint.

They raced upward along the Creation Engine’s arm, which stretched like a massive steel bridge.

“I’ll cover you!”

Bronya took down the blocking monsters one by one with precise shots.

Suddenly, the Creation Engine reactivated. Its arm, once at an angle, tilted completely vertical. Unable to maintain their footing, Star started to slip.

A few ethereal blue butterflies fluttered past.

Seele transformed into a streak of light and dashed forward.

“Grab my hand!”

Their hands clasped midair, and with a powerful swing, Seele launched Star upward, sending them soaring onto the upper platform of the Creation Engine.

At the final peak—

Dan Heng’s spear stabbed into a crevice, acting as a crucial lever!

The entire sequence unfolded seamlessly, fluid as a river.

Guinaifen was left in stunned silence!

She was so excited she almost started clapping.

“Our Astral Express protagonist is just too cool!”

“That teamwork was insane!”

“Where are you running now, Cocolia?”

“This combo move has me pumped!”

On the shoulder of the Creation Engine—

Star finally stood face to face with Cocolia.

She wasted no time speaking. Ice and snow coiled around her body, and within moments, she had taken on an entirely new form.

Thorns of ice covered her body. Her skin darkened into a starry abyss, almost inhuman.

A voice echoed from beneath that chilling exterior:

“Listen… this power surges… it sings…”

“The promise the Stellaron gave me is the only hope for this world…”

“Seven hundred years ago, it repelled the Antimatter Legion—today, it will erase you all as well!”

Guinaifen was dumbstruck.

She had thought this final battle would be a fight between two people.

But in reality, it was a battle between humans and a colossal machine.

And now, just when they had reached Cocolia, she transformed!

This form alone exuded an overwhelming pressure, making it hard to breathe.

It was as if humanity itself was challenging a god!

The background music surged with urgency, the icy winds howled, filling every player watching with tension and despair.

And in truth, the situation was just as dire!

Because at this moment, Star was completely alone.

No teammates. No support. No tank.

Cocolia, Mother of Deception, had weaknesses in Fire, Lightning, and Quantum attributes.

Yet Star’s attacks barely chipped away at her shield.

“How do you even beat this!?”

With their HP rapidly dropping, and knowing Cocolia had multiple phases—

Guinaifen was so anxious she was on the verge of tears.

“This is impossible!”

“Is this a scripted loss?”

“Is the Astral Express’s journey really going to end here? Is that why the story is like this?”

“This is so unfair! Somebody save them already!”

—

Cocolia had finished charging up.

A gleaming frost ring materialized before her, its energy complete.

She prepared to deliver the finishing blow.

“Humans… always weak, always foolish, always overestimating themselves.”

“—I shall grant you despair!”

In that instant—

Guinaifen and every single player watching collectively held their breath!

Their hearts skipped a beat!

Cocolia hurled the ice spear.

It shot straight through Star’s chest.

Their eyes fluttered shut, their unbreakable bat slipping from their grasp, and their body tumbled off the Creation Engine’s shoulder.

Guinaifen was in shock.

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

The livestream chat fell into dead silence.

No one had expected this to happen!

However—

The next second—

Star’s closed eyes snapped open.

They found themselves in a strange space.

Guinaifen froze.

Her grief vanished in an instant—

Replaced by awe and exhilaration!

The fight wasn’t over!

Every player watching understood—

The real climax was about to begin.

The most crucial turning point of this battle.

No one dared to blink.

The roaring wind, Cocolia’s declaration, the tense music—

Everything fell silent.

An eerie stillness filled the air, where even a heartbeat could be heard.

“Is this… space?”

Star gazed around.

They saw nebulas, asteroids, and a vast belt of meteors.

At the center of it all, twisting like tree roots, was a radiant red light piercing the heavens.

“Wasn’t I just fighting Cocolia? Why am I here…?”

“…Last time I was here, Nanook glanced at me. Could it be…?”

Instinctively, they stepped toward the light.

Moments ago, they had been locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Now, they wandered through this surreal, ethereal space.

The stark contrast sent chills down Guinaifen’s spine. Goosebumps prickled her skin.

As they moved forward, visions of Belobog’s past flickered into existence.

Cocolia’s soldiers. Her former friends. Even her own daughter.

Yet, time and again, she met them with cold indifference and secrecy.

Until, step by step, she reached this moment.

Unknowingly, Star arrived before the spiraling root-like structure.

A small girl stood there.

“This city is crying… The power of [Preservation] is fading.”

“In the end… we could not resist the Stellaron’s will.”

Her name was The Guardian’s Will.

She seemed to be the embodiment of some spirit or consciousness.

Her ethereal voice continued:

“…But we cannot blame anyone.”

“For seven hundred years, the Fragmentum has expanded every second of every day. What we have left behind for those who follow… is not belief or fortune, but endless despair.”

“Watching our sworn [Preservation] crumble before our very eyes… is torment. And then there’s the insidious whispers… impossible to ignore.”

“Even the firmest resolve will waver. This day was inevitable. His protection… was destined to leave us.”

【—There will always be those who do not waver.】

Guinaifen decisively selected this option.

“You—”

“A mere traveler, yet you insist on carrying the fate of an entire world…”

“Very well. What more is there to lose… what is left to fear?”

“Go, touch the light of amber, Pioneer. See if your [Preservation] is strong enough… strong enough to draw His gaze.”

The girl’s gaze turned toward the radiant center.

Beneath the glowing light—

Rested a lance.

But this time, it was no longer frozen over.

Instead, its original colors were revealed—

A spear of pure amber, its hilt forged from black basalt.

A crimson glow coiled around it like fire.

Star stepped forward.

Their eyes hardened with resolve.

Reaching out, they grasped the spear.

At that moment, players across the cosmos held their breath!

Guinaifen clenched her game controller so tightly it nearly cracked.

It felt as if she wasn’t holding a controller—

But the unruly, blazing spear itself!

At Herta Space Station—

Before the massive screen where players gathered to watch the livestream—

Asta had arranged for comfortable seating so that everyone could enjoy the experience.

But now—

Every staff member had instinctively risen to their feet.

Eyes burning with excitement, they locked onto the screen!

They wished they could step into the game themselves, to witness this legendary moment firsthand!

Aboard the Express—

Himeko’s gaze deepened.

Her slender fingers rested against her chest, momentarily forgetting to move.

Reflected in her eyes was this wondrous scene—

A sight beyond anything reality could offer!

It was unimaginable.

That in such a fleeting instant—

Star’s consciousness had experienced something so profound and monumental!

How could anyone truly grasp this moment without witnessing the story firsthand?