Into the Cosmos (Star Rail SI, Chaos Gacha) (Patreon)

Chapter 4: Out of Control

With my spirits restored, I immediately jumped back into the fight, using my bat to block an attack from the beast’s claw that had been aimed at March while she was distracted because of me.

“Glad to see you back to your usual self~” March commented with a smile, her eyes briefly meeting mine in relief. “Now help us get rid of this thing!”

“Right. Galactic Baseballer at your service,” I quipped back with a grin.

The Doomsday Beast clearly wanted us gone. It clung to the edge of the bridge with its massive claws while a strange contraption at its center, what I assumed was its core, pulsed ominously. While it couldn’t fully reach us, the opposite was also true. The only viable targets were its hands and the exposed core.

“March, Caelus! You two focus on the core while Dan Heng and I keep its hands busy!” Himeko ordered, already moving as one of her drones intercepted the beast’s right claw while Dan Heng engaged the left.

“Got it,” we answered in unison, turning our focus to the core.

“Alright, March, let’s go with our tried-and-true method,” I said with a grin, settling into a batter’s stance. “You freeze ’em, I’ll smash ’em.”

“We seriously need a better name for that,” March whined lightly, but she was already forming an arrow of ice. “Though… we do make a pretty good team, huh?”

With that, she fired.

The arrow struck true, freezing the core solid for a brief window.

I didn’t waste a second.

Channeling the power of Destruction into my bat, I dashed forward and unleashed a rapid series of strikes, grinning wider when I felt the solid impact reverberate through the weapon before quickly retreating to her side.

“Nice one~” March cheered, giving me a quick wink.

“Thanks. I’ve got a good battle buddy,” I shot back, never taking my eyes off the enemy.

“Hehe, you better believe it. Now check out this awesome move!”

March’s expression sharpened as she poured far more power than before into her bow. She leapt into the air and unleashed a massive hail of ice that rained down on the beast, taking the unmistakable shape of Pom-Pom for some reason.

Her attack froze not only the core we were targeting but also the beast’s hands, briefly locking down the ones Himeko and Dan Heng were fighting.

Her Ultimate, I realized instantly. Even in real life, it carried the same mesmerizing yet cute presence. An attack that just screamed March to a T.

Though here… it’s just another attack.

Shaking the thought away, I surged forward with the others, capitalizing on the opening to deal as much damage as possible.

Minutes passed in a blur of motion, and that was when the biggest difference between this world and the game truly hit me.

Star Rail had been turn-based.

This wasn’t.

Here, we had to constantly analyze the enemy, pick our moments, dodge incoming attacks, reposition across the battlefield, and stay aware of our allies’ movements so we didn’t accidentally sabotage each other. Not to mention making sure that we didn’t fall off the edge of the platform we were currently fighting on.

At least the platform seemed to be made of some hard stuff seeing as it was still intact despite all that was happening.

In a word, it was chaos.

Controlled chaos.

I was immensely thankful for my Sharingan. Its enhanced visual processing let me keep track of everyone at once, without it, I had no doubt I’d be struggling far more than I already was.

Even then…

I was barely keeping up.

The Nameless moved like a well-oiled machine, instinctively covering each other’s blind spots while it painfully showed that I was still new to the team.

And I was only managing to hang on because my eyes refused to let me fall behind.

Little by little, we whittled away at the Doomsday Beast. Our attacks piled up, and March and I found our teamwork improving with every exchange.

There was just one massive problem.

As time dragged on, and with all the energy I kept pouring into my bat to maintain meaningful damage, I was starting to feel the curse bite back.

My body was already beginning to strain.

And if this fight dragged on any longer…

I was going to make a mistake.

One that could get someone injured or killed.

Quickly running through my available abilities, I realized there was one move that might be strong enough to turn the tide, or at least stall the beast long enough for Welt to arrive and save the day.

“Guys! I have an idea that might finish this thing off. Cover me for a few moments!” I called out, mentally switching my active ability from Sharingan to Meteor Strike returning my vision to normal.

They didn’t hesitate.

Trusting me completely, something I appreciated more than I could say, Dan Heng and Himeko immediately ramped up their attacks, pressing the beast hard while March hurriedly reinforced me with the strongest shield she could muster.

Focusing inward, I reached for the ability.

It only took a few seconds before I sensed it.

The nearest meteor.

Gritting my teeth, I poured the majority of my remaining energy into the summon.

And called it down.

The moment I did—

my body nearly gave out.

I slumped forward, breathing heavily as sweat rolled down my face.

“C-Caelus! Are you alright!?” March rushed in front of me, panic clear in her voice.

Dan Heng and Himeko both shot me worried looks but kept their focus locked on the enemy.

“I—I’m… haah… fine… March…” I managed weakly, pausing to cough a few times and using my bat to keep myself upright. I forced a reassuring smile that fooled absolutely no one.

“It’s just… haah… a side effect of my ability,” I added when she still looked unconvinced.

Then I looked up.

And smiled faintly.

“Thankfully, looks like it worked.”

High above us, a blazing sphere of fire tore through space.

March followed my gaze—

—and her eyes went wide.

“I-Is that—”

“A meteor,” Dan Heng finished, his calm tone slipping for the first time. Even Himeko looked visibly stunned.

“Brace yourselves, everyone!” I shouted, using the last of my strength to pull March down with me as Dan Heng and Himeko did the same.

A moment later, we covered our ears as a meteor, roughly half the size of the Doomsday Beast, slammed into its back with shattering force, triggering a massive explosion.

“KA-BOOOOM!”

“GRAAAAaaaa!”

The beast’s dying screech was swallowed by the roar of the blast, growing weaker and weaker until it finally faded into silence.

The impact unleashed harsh, biting winds that rushed over us, hot enough to sting. My lips cracked slightly, and my eyes watered from the heat.

Through it all, I didn’t move from my spot.

I’d already shifted my body to shield March from the worst of it, while she ducked down and covered her head with her hands.

We stayed like that for several tense seconds until the shockwaves finally died down.

Only then did I relax—

and immediately slumped down beside her now that the danger had passed.

“A-Are you—cough—okay, March?” I asked weakly, turning my head to check her over. Relief flooded through me when she didn’t appear injured.

“…Y-Yeah, I’m okay,” March muttered after quickly patting herself down and scanning the area. Then she looked back at me with a small, playful pout.

“Though a warning might be nice next time. A meteor was the last thing I expected for you to pull off!”

All I could manage in return was a tired grin.

“W-Will do. Now come on… let’s see if that thing’s finally down and check on the others, and more importantly, check the damage to the station. I’m really hoping it’s not too bad, because I am completely broke, and I don’t fancy being in debt for the next fifty years of my life.”

That earned me a small giggle from the girl as I tried to push myself up using my bat—

…and immediately failed, slumping back down.

“Haah… here, let me help you up,” March sighed dramatically before hopping to her feet with zero difficulty and hauling me up with one arm slung over her shoulder. “Ugh, you’re heavier than you look.”

“Are you calling me fat?” I playfully shot back with a small glare, which March maturely answered by cutely sticking out her tongue.

“And don’t think for even a second that I’ve forgotten about our earlier talk,” March added, narrowing her eyes slightly.

I flinched.

“…R-Right.”

Once we were upright, my gaze immediately locked onto the Doomsday Beast.

Thankfully, it lay motionless.

The massive creature was faintly glowing red, a huge chunk of meteor still embedded in its back.

I breathed a little easier.

Then I quickly searched for familiar figures, and soon spotted Himeko and Dan Heng pulling themselves up while brushing dust off their outfits causing the remaining tension on my shoulders to disappear.

Huh.

‘Looks like this station is built tougher than I thought,’ I noted with mild amazement as I glanced around. Aside from the section closest to the impact, most of the platform remained surprisingly intact. Even the damaged area showed mostly dents and scorch marks that looked repairable.

‘As expected of something owned by The Herta.’

Shaking off the thought, I focused back on the others.

“Dan Heng, Himeko! Thank goodness you’re fine. Sorry for not giving a proper warning about the meteor,” I called out.

Beside me, March also turned toward them, relief clear on her face.

“I’m so glad you two are alright~” March exclaimed with a bright smile as we slowly made our way over to them.

Himeko quietly took in our disheveled appearance before her expression softened into relief, a warm smile gracing her lips while Dan Heng simply gave us a small nod.

“Good job, you two. And don’t worry, Caelus. While I’m a little surprised you can apparently pull meteors from space, the important thing is that you’re both alright,” Himeko said gently, her lovely expression making my cheeks warm despite the situation.

Before I could respond—

The sound of metal screeching reached our ears.

My heart dropped straight into my stomach, the blood draining from my face.

I didn’t even register the others’ reactions as my head slowly turned toward the Doomsday Beast, silently praying it would still be down.

That hope shattered instantly.

The Doomsday Beast was glowing with an otherworldly light, its body rapidly regenerating with every second. The meteor embedded in its back was even forcibly dislodged as the monster let out a thunderous roar—

—and within moments, it was fully restored.

No.

This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

‘This thing has a Phase 2…?’ I thought hollowly.

The beast leaned back, energy gathering in its maw, an attack that would obliterate not just us, but the space station behind us.

I had foolishly believed that if we managed to damage it enough, it would somehow prevent this outcome.

Clearly…

I’d been wrong.

Is this how I die again? Without ever really knowing who I am?

A strange emptiness spread through my chest.

Then my eyes shifted.

March.

She was still supporting me, staring up at the beast with fear clear in her pink and blue eyes.

And yet—

she didn’t let go.

Didn’t run.

Didn’t abandon me.

All sound faded from my awareness except the rising whine of the incoming attack.

“March! Caelus!”

“Move!”

Himeko and Dan Heng’s warnings barely registered.

My gaze remained locked on March’s pink-and-blue eyes.

A small smile tugged at my lips.

Without a word, I forced every remaining ounce of strength from my exhausted body and shoved March firmly to the side, out of the beam’s path.

The last thing I saw was her wide, horrified eyes.

Then I turned forward and raised my hands toward the incoming wave of destruction.

I didn’t know what would happen next.

Would the Stellaron inside me awaken?

Would Nanook’s gaze fall upon me?

I truly didn’t know.

All that mattered—

was that the girl who had looked out for me these past few hours would live.

Everything else was secondary.

An instant later—

the beam reached me.

=====

White.

An all-encompassing white stretching endlessly in every direction. There was no up or down, no sense of space at all.

That was all I could see in the brief moments of consciousness I had left.

I didn’t even know how long I’d been here.

All I remembered was the instant the beam of destruction reached me, the crushing weight of the universe pressing down on my shoulders—

—and then darkness.

…Wait.

The white was fading.

Or maybe it had never been white at all.

In its place, a golden radiance began to bloom somewhere ahead of me as my vision flickered in and out.

And beneath it all—

there was an overwhelming sensation.

I was being watched.

“W-What’s going on…?” I muttered drowsily as awareness slowly returned.

“You must see the end of your story.”

The voice that answered wasn’t a voice at all.

It was an amalgamation, layered, overlapping, impossible to pin down. It sent a dull ache through my skull, yet strangely…

I could tell it wasn’t hostile.

“W-Who…?” I asked weakly.

“Reach the end of the story in your own way.”

The words only deepened my confusion.

I squeezed my eyes shut as pain spiked through my head—

—and suddenly, images flooded my mind.

The future?

I could see an ice-covered world.

Belobog…?

A familiar silver-blonde figure.

Cocolia.

The visions shattered as quickly as they came.

I forced my eyes open again—

—and immediately cried out as violent golden energy began tearing its way out of my body.

“Ghhh—!”

“They have already noticed you.”

The final words echoed through the void.

Forcing my eyes upward—

I froze.

Towering before me was a being of overwhelming, suffocating presence.

Nanook.

The Aeon of Destruction.

He gazed down at me with a blank, indifferent expression as golden blood flowed from his divine body like molten light.

For a single, terrifying moment—

my pain vanished.

All I could feel was how small I was.

Microscopic.

Insignificant.

…They expect me to kill this thing? I thought numbly.

The next instant—

the vision shattered.

Pain returned in full force as the Stellaron inside me surged wildly out of control.

My eyes snapped open.

I was back on the space station, locked in place against the beam of destruction.

“Gghhh… AAAAH!”

I screamed hoarsely, straining against both the incoming beam and the rampaging Stellaron as power exploded out of me.

A massive blue shockwave erupted outward—

—and the Doomsday Beast was instantly erased.

It’s too much…! I can’t hold it back! I thought desperately as my body began to rise into the air, the Stellaron’s power spiraling further out of control.

“R-Run…!”

It was the only word I managed to force out—

before something struck my forehead.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

And I knew no more.

All I knew was that I landed in a pair of warm arms that cradled me gently against them.